Leaders Summit 2024: Conference Speakers

Working for the Commodity Futures and Trading Commission, Andrew was responsible for improving and enhancing the government’s understanding of the markets and the economy. He provided economic and market briefings to the White House, U.S. Congress, and other government agencies on various issues, including interest rates, inflation, China’s influence on trade, and technology’s impact on the economy. His book “World Event Trading” examines three categories of world events—infectious diseases, natural disasters, and politics—and provides hands-on strategies for analyzing their impacts and trading profitably.

Over nearly three decades in the technology space, Pascal Finette has accrued all the experience you’d want in a high-level strategic advisor. He started on the net before there was a web browser, learned his way through founding a series of technology startups, launched a consulting firm to support entrepreneurs in scaling their own, and built a portfolio investing in early-stage tech companies. Pascal also held leadership positions at era-defining powerhouses Google, eBay, and Mozilla, and he was the faculty chair for entrepreneurship and open innovation at Singularity University. He’s worn many hats and knows what needs to go on in the brain under each of them to lead effectively.

What makes Pascal truly one-of-a-kind, however, is his ability to translate all of this experience into teachable insights, principles, and practices. This is what enables him to help corporate leaders and entrepreneurs actually do the things they all say they want to do: transform their organizations, build what matters, tackle truly meaningful challenges and create lasting, positive change in the world.

Pascal is also the founder of the nonprofit organizations Mentor for Good and The Women’s Impact Alliance, and he is a trained Co-Active executive coach working with clients to unlock their full leadership potential. He is also advisory board chair of EY’s wavespace, a member of Pearson’s digital advisory board, and the jury chair for the science and innovation management category at the Falling Walls Foundation.

Zack is one of the brightest minds in AI today, with a robust 14-year journey at the epicenter of technological evolution. As Head of Go To Market at OpenAI, he was at the forefront of building AI strategies with many of the world’s biggest companies. His role in converting state-of-the-art research into real-world business applications positioned him as one the foremost thinkers in Applied AI. Zack’s mission is to ensure that businesses and governments are active participants in the AI-powered future. He aims to demystifying AI, making it accessible and understandable for everyone and helping leaders navigate the rapidly evolving environment.

Award-winning author and acclaimed professor; a leading expert on decision-making, emotion, influence, motivation, and mental health 

Tali is on the faculty of MIT and UCL where she directs the Affective Brain Lab. Sharot’s thought-provoking insights have helped organizations and governments induce behavioral change, create decision-making policies, and improve the well-being of employees and customers.

Sharot’s groundbreaking work at the intersection of behavioral economics, psychology, and neuroscience has been used by businesses to improve leadership skills, rethink messaging, and refine strategy. Her books, “The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others” and “The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain,” have been widely praised, including by the New York Times, TIME magazine, Forbes, and more. Her anticipated new book, co-authored with Cass Sunstein, will be out next year. It tells the story of how over time people stop noticing the good and the bad around them, and how to make these salient again so we can marvel in the good and change the bad.

Sharot is known for delivering engaging talks that are simultaneously lively and informative, explaining deep ideas about human behavior in a simple way and highlighting how those insights can be implemented in a range of fields including finance, marketing, health, and public policy. Her TED talks have been viewed over 13 million times.

Jaimy is an emerging technology analyst, published author, and accomplished speaker who currently leads the market intelligence and insights function at a global IT services organization. She is charged with understanding, analyzing, and reporting on complex market data and technology trends essential for driving growth in a multibillion-dollar technology solution business. 

Previously, as a founding partner of research firm Kaleido Insights, she honed her expertise in deciphering the impact of technology on business models, digital transformation strategies, and customer experience design. 

Throughout her career, Jaimy has advised corporate leaders and change agents on navigating digital transformation and innovation efforts. Her impressive roster of clients includes organizations such as Cisco, Facebook, Google, HBO, Intel, and Nestle. Jaimy's research has garnered widespread attention, with coverage in prominent publications like USA Today and Forbes. Co-author of “Content: The Atomic Particle of Marketing,” Jaimy is also a TEDx speaker on the topic of data stewardship and marketplace models.

After being deployed to Iraq in 2004, Melissa became the first female American soldier to lose a limb in active combat, when her vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. She was honored with a purple heart and a bronze star and made a promise not to let losing a leg slow her down. 

Four years later she became the first Iraq war Veteran to qualify for the Paralympic Games, competing in swimming at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics where she was selected to be the flag bearer for Team USA. She then turned to the sport of triathlon and went on to compete in the 2016 Paralympic Games where she became a bronze medalist, and again in Tokyo 2021. She is now training towards Paris 2024 in hopes of her fourth Paralympics.

Melissa is a business owner with her husband, co-founder of Dare2tri Paratriathlon club, but is most proud to be a mom to her two kids, Dallas and Millie.