Alex Shahryar-Davies is the Deputy High Commissioner of New Zealand to Fiji, based in Suva. He has been in this role since December 2022. He has previously held roles in the Pacific & Development Group and the Asia & Americas Group in New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Wellington. Before joining the New Zealand Government, Alex worked in a variety of roles in the United Kingdom, Vanuatu, and Sierra Leone, working on international affairs, public policy, and economics.

Sergio Vinay is a Public Policy and Communications professional with 11+ years of experience rolling out campaigns and partnerships to improve public perception and policy landscapes for global businesses (Twitter, Airbnb, Netflix). Acknowledged for effectively managing teams of senior experts to achieve public opinion and policy objectives. Proven track record negotiating sensitive regulatory issues with local, national and global government institutions. Media-trained spokesperson.

Astik Kumar has a wide-ranging experience as Civil Servant both in the State of Uttar Pradesh & Maharashtra, Government of INDIA; and in organizing presentations, preparing facility reports, and maintaining the utmost confidentiality. He has a PhD in Technology Medieval India, UGC/ JRF-NET & and an M.A. in History. He is currently posted and working as a Commissioner / Administrator at Aurangabad Municipal Corporation; as well as CEO, Smart City Aurangabad.

Kavita is a Chartered Accountant. She is a public policy and financial services professional with over two decades of experience spanning policy advocacy and program management in water resources management, public health, financial inclusion and financial services. She is the Finance Lead for the UP Accelerator Program and also manages the Secretariat of the Maharashtra Water Multi-Stakeholder Platform of the 2030 WRG, World Bank, towards creating the wider political economy conditions and momentum for change in water reform.

Emily Beam is an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Vermont. She previously worked as a visiting assistant professor at the National University of Singapore. She received her Ph.D., ec in economics and public policy from the University of Michigan in 2013 and her B.S. in economics, mathematics, and Spanish from the University of Michigan in 2006.

Trisha Suresh leads LinkedIn’s public policy strategy and programmes in Singapore and Southeast Asia. In this role, she partners with governments and economic institutions to advance LinkedIn’s vision to create economic opportunities for every member of the global workforce. She also works with LinkedIn’s data scientists and economists to leverage insights from LinkedIn’s Economic Graph to help shape and inform policies on skills and workforce development priorities.

Xu Yuebin is professor in School of Social Development and Public Policy and Director of Research Center for Aging at Beijing Normal University. His research interests includes social policy, social assistance, child welfare, and elderly care.