Katharina Mänz joined the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in 2012, initially serving for seven years as spokesperson and press officer. She then became deputy head of the ministry’s parliamentary unit. Currently, she holds the position of deputy head in the BMZ’s division for digital technologies. Before entering public service, she spent over a decade working in Berlin as a TV news journalist, editor, and political correspondent.

Mei Lin Fung is a visionary leader in digital transformation, dedicated to advancing global financing for MSMEs through Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). As the co-founder of the People-Centered Internet with Vint Cerf, she advocates for technology that prioritizes human empowerment. Her academic background includes studying finance at MIT under the guidance of two future Nobel Prize winners in economics, which laid a solid foundation for her impactful career.

In Silicon Valley, Mei Lin became a CRM pioneer, working alongside industry luminaries Tom Siebel and Marc Benioff. Her expertise bridges technical innovation with strategic vision, focusing on closing the $5.7 trillion MSME funding gap. As Vice Chair of AI for Good Impact and IEEE Chair for the Sustainability Technical Committee, she champions inclusive digital ecosystems. Collaborating with ITU, UNDP, and G7 Think7, Mei Lin enables MSMEs to leverage digital assets as collateral, transforming financial access and fostering sustainable growth globally.

Kelly Ommundsen is the Head of Digital Inclusion and a Member of the Executive Committee for the World Economic Forum. She combines her expertise in technology, policy, and partnerships with a deep commitment to social equity to drive meaningful systems change. Through several flagship initiatives she is leading, including the Global GovTech Network, EDISON Alliance, and the Global Regulatory Innovation Platform, she champions public-private collaboration to modernize governance and ensure technology works for people. Previously, Kelly served as the Chief of Staff to the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum for over 5 years and was responsible for creating the Forum’s pioneering presence in the metaverse. Kelly has previously led the Forum’s government and regional partnerships for its technology agenda and was responsible for the organization’s relationship with the U.S. Government. Kelly has a diverse background in the public sector and civil society. She also holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Vyjayanti Desai is currently the Regional Practice Manager of the Digital Practice for South Asia and manages a team and oversees a portfolio of work in the South Asian region aimed at closing the digital divide and harnessing the potential of digital transformation.  She manages a growing engagement of financial and advisory support to all South Asian client countries in digitizing services and creating jobs through digital public infrastructure (DPI), AI, data infrastructure and last mile broadband connectivity.

In her prior role, she served as Practice Manager of Identification for Development (ID4D) and Digitizing Government to Person Payments (G2Px) from 2015-2023, where she led these two global, multi-sectoral initiatives from its inception to scale; these global initiatives support countries in designing and implementing DPI (digital ID, trusted data sharing and digitization of G2P programs).  She recruited and managed a team who supported clients with advice and financing in approximately 50 countries, advanced thought leadership, shaped the global discourse on the topics of digital identity and digitizing G2P payments and accelerated global public goods together with other partners.

Vyjayanti has been with the World Bank for 25 years, where she has also worked on a range of private and financial sector development programs across both the World Bank and IFC advisory and across several regions — Africa, East Asia and South Asia.  The programs she has led spans topics of small and medium enterprise development (SME), competitiveness and innovation, digital development, investment climate policy, and access to finance. Prior to joining the World Bank, Vyjayanti worked at Deloitte Emerging Markets.

Vyjayanti has a MBA in Finance from Wharton School of Business, a MPP from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a BA in International Relations from University of Pennsylvania.

Over the past twenty-five years, Nele has been driving digital transformation and public sector modernisation around the globe, in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. She has been advising higher public sector leaders but has also hands-on experience in the design and implementation of large-scale digitalisation initiatives. In her current role as the Team Lead of Knowledge Hub Digital, for the European Commission she supports the EU in the planning and implementation of global digital cooperation and partnerships.

Previously, in 2020-2024 she served as the Ambassador at Large for Digital Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, being responsible for the establishment and management of Estonia’s digital diplomacy, overseeing its implementation across digital economy, innovation, democracy, development cooperation, and security. Leading at the intersection of public policy and technology, she leveraged a portfolio of global multi-stakeholder relationships. Nele co-lead the GovStack Initiative and co-founded Women in GovTech Challenge. Apart from public sector work, she has experienced the life of academia and private sector. She has served as an advisor to the United Nations and the OECD. She is a member of the Global Future Council of the World Economic Forum and the e-Estonia Council, she chairs the Digital Cooperation and Diplomacy Network and Global Standards Symposium.

Nele holds a PhD in political and social sciences from the European University Institute (EUI), and still lectures on technology policy and tech diplomacy.

Idah Pswarayi-Riddihough, a Zimbabwean national, is the Global Director for Digital Usage, World Bank Digital VPU. Since joining the Bank in 1995 as a Young Professional, Pswarayi-Riddihough has worked in four different regions; South Asia, East Asia, the Middle East and North and Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Her most recent appointment was as Country Director for Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, Comoros and Seychelles in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region. Prior to that, she served as Country Director for Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives. She has also served as Director of Operational Services from 2012 to 2014, supervising teams covering operations in financial management and procurement. She has also held various operational and corporate management positions in the Human Resources Vice Presidency, including Director of Strategy and Operations.

Marushka is an international advisor on digital transformation and artificial intelligence, specializing in public policy, regulatory frameworks, and the design of user-centered digital services. She led the development of Peru’s National Digital Transformation Policy and played a key role in initiatives such as the Digital Government Law, the National Innovation Lab, and the Artificial Intelligence Law.

She currently serves as an AI ethics advisor for civil society and as a digital transformation consultant for the GovStack initiative at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Her work supports global, regional, and local efforts to promote women's participation in technology, protect children online, and strengthen digital talent. She also serves as an Independent Director in organizations focused on sustainability and innovation and chairs the Economy Committee at ICC Perú.

María Cristina Cárdenas Peralta is the Manager of Public Sector Partnerships for Latin America and the Caribbean at Coursera, where she collaborates with governments and organizations to drive digital skills development across the region. Before joining Coursera, she founded 3C Innovation for Human Development, a consulting firm focused on integrating technology and fostering digital skills in Latin America, with an emphasis on education and employment. She has experience in the public sector, having served as General Coordinator of @prende.mx, an initiative of Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education dedicated to educational innovation through technology. She also contributed to the National Digital Strategy at the Office of the President of Mexico, focusing on improving education through digital tools. Internationally, she worked at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, D.C. Cristina holds a degree in economics from ITAM and a master’s in economics from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. She is also actively involved in social impact initiatives, serving as a founding member of the Advisory Council of CONECTADAS, a steering committee member of MXDC.org, and collaborating with Christel House International and Casa de María, a youth rehabilitation center.