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.