ADEL Bios

Apefa Adjivon is a social impact and inclusion leader whose work spans corporate strategy, nonprofit leadership, public policy, and international engagement. She develops and implements global inclusion strategies across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, leading initiatives focused on organizational culture, talent development, accessibility, and inclusive leadership.

Rakel Aguirre is Europe Lead for Elections and Regulatory Readiness at Meta. With nearly a decade of experience in the technology sector, her work sits at the intersection of technology, politics, and democracy, focusing on election integrity and regulatory risk management. She leads cross-functional initiatives across Europe, bringing together global teams, policymakers, and regulators to strengthen election preparedness and address emerging regulatory challenges.

Zahra Al Hilaly is a lawyer, journalist and activist working across human rights, climate justice and peacebuilding. As the Julia Gillard Next Generation Fellow, named in honour of Australia's first female Prime Minister, she recently led research into how to engage women in politics beyond election cycles.

Gopalika Arora is Deputy Director at the Centre for Economy and Growth at the Observer Research Foundation, where she leads the Centre’s work on climate and energy. Her research focuses on climate finance, energy transition, adaptation, and resilient and sustainable development pathways.

Gonzalo Bañez Villar is TV anchor, columnist and Head of International News Department at Todo Noticias (TN), Argentina’s leading news network, and a columnist at Radio Rivadavia. He has reported from wartime Ukraine, covered the Middle East crisis from several countries in the region and followed Latin American elections, among other events of global impact, such as the recent earthquakes in Venezuela.

Avery Barnett is the founder of Grid Guard Consulting, whose peer-reviewed Cyclone Impact Model stress-tests energy infrastructure against storm risk. She holds a PhD in Public Affairs (STEP) from Princeton University and holds a BA in Physics from Grinnell College. Her research interests include modeling electricity trading among Caribbean island nations, the sociopolitics of the region's energy transition, and how natural hazard risk shapes future energy mixes.

Alberto is a Costa Rican diplomat, journalist, storyteller, and social entrepreneur serving as Minister Counselor for Public Diplomacy and Political Affairs at the Embassy of Costa Rica in Washington, D.C. He is a children’s books author and the founder of Carretica Cuentera, an educational organization in Costa Rica that uses storytelling and literature to foster creativity, reading skills literacy, and social cohesion among children.

Khawla Benyahya is a governance and peacebuilding practitioner with extensive experience across the United Nations, the African Union, development cooperation and regional institutions. She currently supports regional democratic governance and electoral processes at the United Nations Development Programme Regional Service Centre for Africa in Addis Ababa.

Susanna Biancacci is an International relations specialist at Intesa Sanpaolo, with experience in banking, policy research, and international organizations, including the International Labour Organization in Geneva. She focuses on geopolitical analysis, international sanctions, and institutional relations, supporting global business strategy and market access.

Francisco de Arantes e Oliveira is the Senior Policy Advisor at the Atlantic Centre, where he coordinates engagement with its signatory states and supports cooperation with international organisations, Atlantic institutions and think tanks. He also serves as a Naval Officer for International Relations in the Portuguese Navy Staff.

Giovanni Maria Della Gatta is currently a Research Fellow at the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), where he contributes to the Geoeconomics Centre and PolicyLab. Previously, he worked as a Research Assistant at the AXA Research Lab on Gender Equality at Bocconi University. His research interests include international trade, economic coercion, and infrastructure projects.

Cynthia Di Leonforte is currently an International Cooperation and Programme Officer at the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), where she coordinates international cooperation initiatives and the Secretariat of RegulaE.Fr, an international network of 37 energy regulatory authorities. She also manages a World Bank-funded technical assistance programme supporting the institutional strengthening of Burundi’s energy regulator.

Mohamadou Fadel Diop is a Program Manager at Oxfam, where he leads multi-stakeholder initiatives dedicated to poverty reduction, inequality mitigation, social justice and economic resilience. Prior to this, Fadel served as Corporate Development Officer and Country Representative for Genesis Energy Group, driving strategic development for gas and renewable energy projects.

Sarah El-Menawi is a Civil-Military Engagement Staff Officer, leading North Africa and Sahel Cell at NATO Strategic Direction – South Hub. With an experience spanning MENA Political Affairs and Security Policy at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, working in Operations with the EU in Egypt, and in charge of the international development portfolios of the governments of the UK, Germany, and Ireland at the Egyptian Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation.

Cheikh is a Mauritanian entrepreneur, industrialist, and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania in Mauritania. He leads a diversified Mauritanian industrial group with activities in polyurethane foam, mattress, and carpet manufacturing. His work focuses on developing local industry, expanding domestic production, introducing modern manufacturing technologies, and building Mauritanian companies capable of competing regionally.

Ezinne is a leading sustainable development advocate with a decade of experience advancing inclusive growth, climate action, and youth leadership. A former PwC consultant, she has worked across advocacy, strategy, thought leadership, advisory, and compliance, supporting governments, multinationals and family-owned businesses navigate complex challenges and build resilience.

Amanda Etuk is Program Director at Cascador, a Nigeria-based platform that supports African entrepreneurs in building sustainable, impactful, and innovative companies, where she connects growth-stage founders with the capital, partners and markets they need to scale. She previously co-founded and led Messenger.ng, which financed last-mile logistics operators, and served as Director of Supply Chain at 54gene. She is a Top 50 Africa Business Heroes honoree and a Raisina Young Fellow.

Mariana Figueiras is a Project Manager at Generali Portugal. She holds a Master’s degree in management, with a specialization in Strategy and International Business from Nova SBE. She began her career supporting customer loyalty and engagement initiatives and later led projects focused on customer journey redesign, digital adoption, and go-to-market optimization.

Matthew Foldi is the editor-in-chief of the Washington Reporter, a national publication covering Congress and the White House; he is also a contributor and a cohost on Newsmax. Foldi has interviewed President Donald Trump on multiple occasions, and has reported from war zones ranging from Israel to Ukraine. In 2022, he ran as a Republican for the U.S.

Brian George Otieno is a Kenyan business and technology journalist, broadcaster and strategic communications professional at NTV Kenya, where he reports on business, technology, policy and Africa’s economic transformation and hosts Techover, a technology and innovation programme. He has more than seven years’ experience translating complex business, policy and technology issues into accessible stories for broad audiences, and has reported from 28 countries.

Karla Godoy da Costa Lima is a Partner at GF Capital, where she develops innovation, sustainability, and decarbonization projects to attract capital from development banks, multilateral institutions, and public funding agencies. Previously, she served as Executive Director of Economic Innovation at the Pernambuco State Development Agency and Executive Secretary of Sustainability for Pernambuco.

Pedro is currently Strategic Projects Manager for the City of Barrancabermeja (Santander, Colombia). Previously, as Deputy Technical Director of Economic Analysis at Bogotá’s Secretariat of Finance, he consolidated the Fiscal Observatory, positioning the District Capital in the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency.

Shalin Jyotishi is the Founding Director of the Future of Work & Innovation Economy at the think-tank New America. He also serves as a Forbes columnist and as a Visiting Scholar at Arizona State University. Jyotishi’s expertise and writing have appeared in the World Economic Forum, USA Today, Washington Post, Politico, Fast Company, NPR, Financial Times, and Politico, and on stages at Davos, the United Nations, and SXSW.

Christina Chikondi Kamwendo is a Political Analyst at the Office of the President and Cabinet in Malawi, where she focuses on political, governance, security, and regional developments. She previously worked with UNFPA, Global Health Corps, FORUS Digital, and JEDSY Drones across communications, development, and digital transformation. She is also a spoken-word poet and writer known as Dark Shadow, exploring identity, culture, power, justice, and human experience through storytelling.

Molly Kelleher is Content & Speakers Manager at GLOBSEC, where she leads the programme for multiple events, including the GLOBSEC Forum, the organisation's flagship event with more than 2,000 participants. With more than five years of experience in international relations and event management, she has built agendas spanning security, geopolitics, economics and technology, from speaker acquisition to agenda design across complex multi-stage formats.

Dr. Julian Laufs is currently Head of Strategic Partnerships at the Cyberagentur, Germany’s strategic innovation agency for security and defence. In this role, he works at the intersection of national security, emerging technologies, and strategic innovation, engaging with military, intelligence, government, research, and industry partners to advance technologies of strategic relevance.

TeHilla Maloney-Joseph is a Caribbean development statistician and data strategist whose work spans the public sector, private finance and regional youth advocacy. As Business Intelligence Lead for the ANSA McAL Group's banking sector in Trinidad and Tobago, she leads data strategy, governance and performance, drawing on five years of policy research at the Ministry of National Security.

Loide is an award-winning engineer, mentor, guest lecturer, climate change writer, sustainable ocean fellow, and international civil servant currently working at the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation. She leads advocacy, design, implementation, and technical cooperation for climate adaptation and mitigation worldwide, with a particular focus on Gender Equality Initiatives, Youth Empowerment, and LDCs/SIDS support.

Andrea Navarro de la Rosa is a Mexican international relations and public affairs professional working at the intersection of policy, institutional engagement, and international cooperation.

Manuela Nivia is a Senior Manager for Hemispheric Migration at Emerson Collective, where she works to advance the socioeconomic integration and economic mobility of migrants across Latin America. Prior to joining EC, she worked in geopolitical consulting at Albright Stonebridge Group and managed a multimillion-dollar portfolio of development grants across Latin America focused on food security and conflict mitigation at the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

Dexter Nyuurnibe is passionate about building meaningful connections and believes young people can develop pragmatic solutions to tackle tough issues. He’s worked at the heart of Canadian democracy for over half a decade, starting as an associate producer on The West Block, one of the country’s top national political affairs shows. Dexter later served as a speechwriter to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the start of an unprecedented national crisis.

Mohamed Obaidy is Associate Director and Economist at the Center for New York City Affairs at The New School, where he leads research on labor market, inequality, economic growth, and fiscal policy. He is also a Senior Economist Affiliate at the Learning for Well-Being Institute, working on child well-being and international social policy. Prior to joining the Center, Mohamed worked with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UNDP, UNICEF, and the New Development Bank.

Federico Pablo Pereyra serves as Policy Advisor at the Argentine Ministry of Defense, where he leads strategic foresight and global security analysis for decision-makers. He is also Associate Researcher at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and a fellow of the KDI School of Public Policy and Management of Korea, William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies of the United States and the ITEC Programme of India.

Óscar Pérez Farías is currently Deputy Director for Government Relations at the National Statistics Office of Mexico (INEGI), where he coordinates institutional relations with government agencies and supports the strategic use of official statistics. Previously, he held several positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico and was a member of the COVID-19 Special Task Force established by the Ministry to procure vaccines for Mexico.

Partha Protim Barman is currently a Young Professional at the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, where he works on macro-economic policy, structural and process reforms and public-sector governance. His work includes administrative reform, institutional restructuring and policy research on economic and social issues.

Salima Raoundi is a Chargée de Mission at OCP Group. She previously worked with development finance institutions, including the Agence Française de Développement and the World Bank Group, focusing on investment and private sector development across Africa and other emerging markets. Alongside her professional activities, Salima teaches a class on Investment in Frontier Markets at Sciences Po Paris, drawing on her experience in investment, development finance and African markets.

Anja Riester is a Principal at Boston Consulting Group in Johannesburg, with 15 years of experience across Africa, Europe, the United States, and Latin America. She works across the public and private sectors, advising governments, multilaterals, financial institutions, and companies on strategy, transformation, and cross-sector partnerships.

Ana Sanmartín is an international consultant at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, working on global food and agricultural policy monitoring. She has built her career at the heart of government decision-making. In Ecuador, her commitment to public service led her to serve as National Director of Macroeconomic Consistency at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, overseeing the macroeconomic framework for the external sector.

Ariane Schaffer is the Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs for GFiber, an Alphabet company that provides Google Fiber internet services to homes and businesses across the United States. Ariane focuses on advancing public policy to increase broadband deployments and realize digital equity for communities across the US. In this role, she represents GFiber on a wide variety of issues impacting the business, including competition, utility safety, permitting reform, and taxes.

Beverly Senda is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pana+Care, a Kenyan chronic disease management platform that keeps patients with diabetes and hypertension in continuous care. She chairs the Young Founders' Table under the Health Entrepreneurship Pillar of the Africa Health Collaborative, a Mastercard Foundation initiative.

Francois Sennesael is an EU Senior Fellow at the Africa Policy Research Institute in Brussels, focusing on EU-Africa relations, geoeconomics, and critical minerals. He brings a decade of experience at the intersection of diplomacy, public policy, and geopolitical risk advisory. Previously, Francois served as an Advisor for the United Nations, contributing directly to United Nations Security Council briefings, and worked as an Attaché at the Embassy of Belgium in Uganda.

Lili Vessereau is a Research Fellow at Harvard Growth Lab, a Teaching Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, and an Economist at the Finance for Development Lab. Her research focuses on Sovereign Debt, Public Finance, and Trade Economics. She previously worked at the World Bank, in an advisory position within the French Government at the Ministry of Finance, the United Nations, and gained experience in investment banking.