Investopia | SALT 2023

Matteo Lunelli

President & Chief Executive Officer, Ferrari Trento

Matteo Lunelli is the President and CEO of Ferrari Trento, leading producer of luxury sparkling wine in Italy, and CEO of the Lunelli Group which also includes Surgiva Mineral Water, Grappa Segnana, Tenute Lunelli still wines from Trentino, Tuscany and Umbria, Prosecco Superiore Bisol1542 and Tassoni, an iconic Italian soft drink.

Since 2020 he has been Chairman of the Altagamma Foundation which represents Italian luxury good sector and gathers 112 brand of the excellence of Made in Italy. Matteo is also Chairman of Eccia, the European Cultural and Creative Industries Alliance.

Marc Antaki

Head of Portfolio Strategy, Mubadala Investment Company

Marc Antaki is the head of Portfolio Strategy at Mubadala Investment Company. He is responsible for our institutional research, asset allocation as well as key transformational initiatives. Marc joined Mubadala in 2008, he was responsible for the logistics and transportation sector across investment and asset management, before joining the Portfolio Strategy unit in 2012.

Marc holds a master’s degree in manufacturing management from McGill University.

Hemal Naran

Chief Investment Officer, SouthBridge Investments

Hemal has over twenty years experience in investment management and advisory, covering multiple asset classes across listed and private markets. He previously worked for some of the world’s largest asset owners, investment managers and global banks. Hemal’s role is to oversee portfolio management and research activities at SouthBridge Investments, and to represent SouthBridge in ongoing dialogues with clients and prospective clients.

Kareem Shahin

Chief Business Officer, G42 Healthcare

As the Chief Business Officer of G42 Healthcare, Kareem Shahin spearheads the business growth and expansion plans of the company in line with its goals and vision. With over 16 years of experience in the UAE and region in the healthcare domain, Kareem is responsible for developing business strategies at G42 Healthcare to create a transformative shift to invent a better healthcare every day.

With his proven understanding of the industry, Kareem’s mandate includes nurturing the right partnerships with regional governments and relevant stakeholders to build an ecosystem to boost G42 Healthcare’s visibility in line with its growth ambition.

Prior to G42 Healthcare, Kareem was associated with leading multinationals in healthcare roles. He was the Health Industries Partner – Digital Health Transformation at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Middle East and earlier held the role of Partner – Healthcare with IBM for over 13 years.

Samaila Zubairu

President & Chief Operating Officer, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)

Samaila Zubairu is AFC's President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to his appointment, Samaila was the CEO of Africapital Management Limited, in which capacity he established a joint venture with Old Mutual’s African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) to develop the Nigerian Infrastructure Investment Fund 1 (NIIF1) for infrastructure private equity across West Africa.

As Chief Financial Officer for Dangote Cement Plc, he launched Africa’s largest syndicated project finance facility for the Obajana Cement project, and managed the unbundling of Dangote Industries Limited to listed subsidiaries on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Prior to that, he was the Treasurer for the Dangote Group during its transformation from a trading company to an industrial conglomerate. He has undertaken investments of over US$3 billion, financing green-field project finance, acquisitions, corporate transformation, privatization and equity capital market transactions.

Samaila is an Eisenhower Fellow and sits on the Eisenhower Fellowship’s Global Network Council and the President’s Advisory Council. He holds several non-executive board positions including the Advisory board member for KSE Africa, a leading operations and management provider of captive power plants in the mining sectors in Botswana and Nigeria. Samaila is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Nigeria (FCA) and holds a BSc in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria.

James Zhan

Director, Investments and Enterprise, UNCTAD

James X. Zhan is director of investment and enterprise at UNCTAD. He leads the team of the World Investment Report and is editor-in-chief of the Transnational Corporations journal. He chairs the Governing Board of the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (with all major stock exchanges worldwide as members). He has provided policy advice to numerous governments (including heads of states and cabinets) and parliaments, and global summits (including G20 and BRICS). He led the formulation of global guidelines for a new generation of investment policies, which are used in over 100 countries. He also led the establishment of the World Investment Forum. He is chief strategist for the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies and was Global Agenda Council member of the World Economic Forum. He has held several advisory positions in academic institutions (including at Cambridge University, Columbia University and Cornell University and Oxford University). He has extensive publications on investment, trade and technology related economic and legal issues.

Lindsey Taylor Wood

Founder & General Partner, The Helm

Over the last decade, Lindsey has built and run two companies, including The Helm’s operating company and first two funds. A proven operator and investor, she has invested in some of the country’s best women-led companies, including Tia, who last year raised a $100M Series B. She is a leading voice and thinker in the gender-lens investing space with an extensive and diverse network. As The Helm’s Founder and a GP, she directs the Fund’s strategy, fundraising efforts, sources and diligences deals, and supports a growing portfolio.

Under her leadership, The Helm has grown to include two venture capital funds, a 100+ -woman angel syndicate, more than 20 portfolio companies, and a newsletter readership of 50K. The Helm was also home to a robust content and commerce platform, which was acquired in 2021.

An expert in the empowerment of girls and women, prior to The Helm, Lindsey founded LTW, an impact studio with an emphasis on contemporary feminism. Clients include actor Matt McGorry, MAKERS, The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet, The Harnisch Foundation, Women Moving Millions, and filmmakers Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus, and Rashida Jones, among others. In partnership with these clients, LTW designed and implemented a wide range of programs, products, and systems, including funding mechanisms and mentorship programs for media makers, content strategies for films and television programming, philanthropic strategies for family foundations, and social impact campaigns. Her ability to use philanthropy and culture symbiotically, and with a gender lens, has made her a sought after strategist in the women’s rights movement.

Prior to consulting, Lindsey was on the founding team of Catapult, a crowdfunding platform for girls and women. Incubated as a project of Women Deliver, Catapult was designed to establish and maintain a sustained, long-term funding infrastructure capable of scaling to many thousands of projects and delivering millions of dollars in funds to benefit girls and women over the next decade. While there, she led the marketing, communications, and outreach initiatives. Lindsey also worked for Women Deliver, a leading global advocate for girls’ and women’s health, rights, and wellbeing — and among the first organizations to promote the investment case for girls and women. Cornerstone projects of her time there included the Women Deliver 50 Campaign which showcased the top 50 ideas and solutions for women and girls internationally and the training of youth advocates from 11 countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa as part of an invitation-only regional consultation in Kampala, Uganda with government officials and agencies, policymakers, researchers, experts, and advocates focused on achieving the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal 5.

Pre-NGOs, Lindsey worked with the Broadcasting Board of Governors, where she explained U.S. policy to Voice of America’s worldwide audience through editorials broadcast on television, radio, and the internet; acted as an off-air reporter and producer for the TODAY show; and as the External Relations Manager for The Lunchbox Fund. She has contributed to a variety of campaigns centered on conflicts in Central Africa, as well as “The Enough Moment,” a book by John Prendergast and Don Cheadle. She has been named one of the 20 Young Champions for Women by The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, currently serves on the Feminist.com Board of Directors, and advises the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum.

Ravi Viswanathan

Founder & Managing Partner, NewView Capital

Ravi Viswanathan is an experienced company builder and dedicated partner to entrepreneurs and investors. In 2018, Ravi raised $1.35 billion to architect an innovative portfolio acquisition of 31 companies from NEA to found NewView Capital. With over $2.6 billion in capital commitments today, NewView invests in technology companies through direct investments, secondary positions, and curated portfolio acquisitions, pairing funding with significant operational support. Focusing primarily on

growth-stage companies, our portfolio includes Plaid, Duolingo, Forter, Hims & Hers, MessageBird, and Scopely. At NewView, Ravi plays an integral role in all aspects of the investment process and sits on the boards of Bloomreach, Forter, Eucalyptus, Gladly, and Heap.

Prior to founding NewView, Ravi was a General Partner at NEA, where, from 2004 to 2018, he oversaw investment in enterprise software and fintech companies and co-led the firm’s Technology Venture Growth Equity effort. At NEA, his investments of note included Braintree (acquired by PayPal), MuleSoft (acquired by Salesforce), GlobalLogic (acquired by Apax Partners), TeleAtlas (Euronext: TA, acquired by TomTom), Cyence (acquired by Guidewire), Acquia (acquired by Vista Equity Partners), Scout (acquired by Workday), Plaid, and Forter. Before joining NEA, Ravi spent several years at Goldman Sachs in the Private Equity Technology Practice. He began his career in consulting at McKinsey & Co and as a scientist at Raychem Corporation.

Ravi holds an MBA from Wharton, a PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of California Santa Barbara, and a BS in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Chair of the Wharton Entrepreneurship Advisory Board.

Patrick Tsang

Chairman, Tsangs Group

Patrick Tsang is Chairman of Tsangs Group, an innovation-focused global family office that bridges East and West. Patrick invests in global opportunities that drive positive impact in Hong Kong, Asia, and beyond.

Born and raised in the United Kingdom with a deeply-rooted Chinese heritage, he has a robust global network as a seasoned investor.

He has worked on numerous IPO and M&A transactions globally and successfully made investments in Asia, mainly in Hong Kong, China, North America, and Europe. Patrick holds several prestigious appointments, including the Trade Commissioner of Grenada in Macau, to promote international business and investment.

A graduate from the College of Law in England, Patrick is a qualified solicitor in Hong Kong, England, and Wales. He is currently enrolled in the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School. Patrick is a member of YPO Global One and a Founding Member of Monaco Private Label Young Leaders. As a philanthropic advocate, he is a Fellow of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation World Fellowship and past President of the Rotary E-Club of Hong Kong. He is also a Founding Member of the Hong Kong Israel Collaboration Working Group, a strategic advisory group connecting Hong Kong-based family offices with private market investments in Israel. Special acknowledgments include being awarded the China Economic Person of the Year 2014. Patrick is an international keynote speaker on China, finance, technology, fintech, blockchain, AI, and leadership.

Patrick is also the Chairman and CEO of San Francisco-based SPAC, TG Venture Acquisition Corp. (“TG Venture”). The Company’s units began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) under the ticker symbol “TGVCU” on 3 November 2021 and closed its initial public offering of 11,500,000 units.

Patrick’s life motto is Anything is Possible; the title of his motivational web series featuring some of the most influential people worldwide, who generously share their insights on their road to success.

Anything is Possible is aimed toward the younger generation as a movement to share positivity, overcome challenges, and create One World.

As quoted in CEO Magazine recently, Patrick believes, “We should be the best we can be, and we should learn as if it’s our first day and live as if it’s our last day,” he says. “If everyone follows this principle, you can strive to be the best version of yourself, and that’s when the best results come out.”

George Triplow

Managing Director, Northern Trust

George is head of client development for the Global Family and Private Investment office coverage within the Wealth Management group, based in the Middle East.

His 20 years of experience spans financial services. George has advised families, private offices and financial institutions cross asset class. Experienced in digital transformation, technology for family offices, banks, and asset owners including sovereign wealth and pension funds.

Prior to joining Northern Trust George led the Wealth & Asset Management practice for the region at EY based in the UAE. Focussed primarily on banking, asset and investment management as an industry practitioner has held leadership roles at public and private institutions.

George holds a BSc (Hons) and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment, educated at Sandhurst and a member of the Chartered Institute of Insurance.

Dmitry Tokarev

Chief Executive Officer, Copper

Dmitry Tokarev started his career as a Quant, having graduated from Imperial College, London, with a Distinction in Risk Management and Financial Engineering. He later helped to build an asset management firm as its CTO and as a partner, which currently oversees c. USD5 billion in assets. It was there he observed a gap in the market for Copper, as he found there were no feasible options available to institutional investors in the Crypto space that allowed for the necessary security, control and speed of storing crypto assets.

Ariana Desiree Thacker

Founding Partner, Conscience VC

Ariana Thacker is the Founding Partner of Conscience VC, an early-stage firm founded with the mission to generate a positive and scalable impact for the individual by partnering with technical founders. Ariana has extensive deep tech investment experience, with a portfolio of 50+ early-stage investments and prior VC experience. She is a chemical engineer, with a focus on bio, and has technical operating experience across Fortune 500 companies to formation-stage start-ups and academic spin-outs.

Mayank Singhal

Chief Executive Officer, 10xAD

Mayank Singhal is a career investor focused on technology and growth investing. In his role as Chief Investment Officer of 10xAD Investments, Mayank runs a global investment mandate with a hybrid investment strategy spanning fund commitments and direct deals across consumer internet, software and artificial intelligence. Before 10xAD, Mayank was Executive Director and Head of Private Investments at Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), where he led investments in excess of $20 billion across several leading technology businesses in the United States, Asia and Europe. While at ADG, Mayank is is credited with building the world’s largest technology investment program, which also includes LP partnerships with several top tier GPs. In prior roles, he has worked at Temasek, TPG and McKinsey. Mayank is also a former advisor to Ratan N Tata, Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group, and helped set up RNT Capital, a $250 million venture fund backed by Ratan Tata. Mayank was recognised as a Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum and has also served on the management board of Stanford Business School, his alma mater.

Evan Siddall

Chief Executive Officer, AIMco

Evan Siddall joined AIMCo as Chief Executive Officer in July, 2021. Previously, Evan served as President & Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Under his leadership, CMHC transformed itself into a client-centered, innovative, impactful organization. Evan’s three decade career in finance also includes stints with leading investment banking firms in Toronto and New York and two years as a senior executive with Irving Oil Limited.

Evan has a B.A. in Management Economics from the University of Guelph, a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and has completed Harvard Business School’s Presidents Program in Leadership.

He co-founded Growling Beaver Brevet, the largest single day fundraiser for Parkinson’s in Canada, which has raised nearly $2 million in five years. Evan is a dedicated cyclist, skier and a voracious reader. He has two adult children.

Frederic Sicre

Managing Partner, Tardis Advisor

Frederic Sicre is a global senior executive with 30 years of experience in strategic development and implementation in private and public institutions. He has a proven track record in business development, corporate positioning, public relations and building international strategic partnerships for political, economic and social impact. Over the years Fred has held senior positions with premier global institutions building, motivating and managing teams to excel. Having worked on every continent he has developed a vast array of networks at the highest level in business, governments and civil society.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Sicre spent 16 years at the World Economic Forum where he led the Center for Regional Strategies before being nominated managing director and member of the Executive Board. He was responsible for the World Economic Forum’s Strategy and Implementation around the world alongside major components of the Davos Annual Meeting including participation of Government Leaders. He led the WEF’s work on major peace initiatives in Africa and the Middle East and worked with Nelson Mandela, Frederik De Klerk, Shimon Peres, Yasser Arafat, King of Jordan, Gulf Royal Families, U.S. and European governments, and global CEOs of the world’s largest companies.

Mr. Sicre also spent 14 years as a partner of private equity firm The Abraaj Group. Having joined the firm nearly from inception he was responsible for creating and executing the company’s communications and public relations strategies aimed at building relationships around the world to support investor relations and deal flow. During this time, he also conceived and managed the firm’s global partnerships in sustainability, culture, innovation, youth and entrepreneurship. He led all stakeholder engagement and thought leadership initiatives working with over 70 regional and international organizations. He also represented the private equity industry in the elaboration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and the Business and Sustainable Development Commission.

Mr. Sicre recently concluded a 2-year mandate as executive advisor in the UAE Prime Minister’s Office. His key responsibility was to advise ministers on content and positioning of UAE Government outreach initiatives to the international community.

Mr. Sicre has sat on numerous corporate and not for profit global boards including Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, Dubai Cares, Education for Employment, Media Quest Publishing, Karachi Electric Company, United Nations Business for Peace. He is on the board of the World President’s Organization (YPO), Editor of “South Africa at Ten”–a book celebrating the country’s first decade into democracy and co-author of a forthcoming book “Agile Government.”

Mr. Sicre grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, holds an MBA from IMD in Switzerland, received a fellowship at Stanford University and obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Sciences from Villanova University in Philadelphia.

Joanna Sheilds

Chief Executive Officer, BenevolentAI

Joanna Shields is passionate about creating responsible technology that benefits humanity. She has spent her career building companies, products and platforms that have transformed markets and reshaped industries. She is currently CEO of BenevolentAI accelerating the company’s growth and transformation from a startup to a clinical-stage, AI-enabled drug discovery company. Shields has over three decades of experience building and scaling some of the world's best known technology companies, including Facebook, Bebo/Aol and Google. Prior to joining BenevolentAI, Shields served in the UK Government as Minister for Internet Safety & Security, Digital Economy Adviser to the Prime Minister, UK Ambassador for Digital Industries and Chair/CEO of TechCityUK. Joanna is the founder of the WeProtect Global Alliance, a Life Peer of the House of Lords and has recently ended her second term as the Co-Chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI).

Mike Severino

Chief Executive Officer, Tessera Therapeutics

Michael joined Tessera in 2022 as Chief Executive Officer and a CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering. Mike brings more than two decades of biopharmaceutical leadership and significant contributions to the research, development, registration, and commercialization of more than a dozen approved therapies.

Mike joined Tessera from AbbVie where he was Vice Chairman and President responsible for research and development and the corporate strategy office. During his tenure at AbbVie, Mike oversaw a rapid expansion of AbbVie’s pipeline and built critical new capabilities in areas such as genetics and genomics, computational biology, and precision medicine. Under his leadership, AbbVie achieved several important new molecular entity approvals and built leading franchises in hematologic oncology, immunology, and neuroscience.

Prior to joining AbbVie, Mike served in roles of increasing responsibility at Amgen, Inc., leading to his appointment as Senior Vice President, Global Development and Chief Medical Officer. As Senior Vice President he oversaw the company’s clinical development efforts across all therapeutic areas, including oncology, inflammation, neuroscience, cardiovascular, and metabolic disorders. Mike was previously Senior Director at Merck & Co., Inc. where he was responsible for leading research in multiple areas, including clinical genomics, molecular profiling, and experimental medicine.

Mike earned his B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he graduated summa cum laude and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He earned his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University and completed his residency and post-doctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In addition to serving on the board of Tessera as a director, Mike also serves on the Board of Directors for Avantor.

Gavin Serkin

Founder & Managing Editor, New Markets Media

A prominent finance writer and commentator, Gavin’s book debut, Frontier: Exploring the Top Ten Emerging Markets of Tomorrow (Bloomberg/Wiley), was acclaimed as a “must read” by The Financial Times. His latest, Chain Reaction - How Blockchain Will Transform the Developing World (Macmillan), was described as “the perfect way to step beyond the clichés about blockchain and explore the full range of possibilities in a rich and compelling way” by the BBC’s Tim Harford.

Gavin’s work leading Bloomberg’s teams of journalists uncovering derivatives that triggered the global financial crisis won him the Society of American Business Editors & Writers’ Best in Business Award and the Society of Professional Journalists’ Deadline Club Award.

Subsequently creating and leading Bloomberg’s emerging markets team, Gavin founded New Markets Media & Intelligence in 2015 to help drive responsible investment and reporting in emerging, frontier and technology markets through innovative stakeholder and media engagement.

He has driven editorial content and thought leadership at leading institutions including the United Nations, the World Bank’s IFC, the Institute of International Finance, the Africa Finance Corporation, Singapore’s Prime Minister and President, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Reuters, Dubai International Finance Centre, Nasdaq and Amundi.

Gavin is a frequent speaker and guest lecturer on emerging and frontier markets including at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and Syracuse University.

Maria Ramos

Journalist & International News Anchor, TRT World

Maria Ramos is a journalist and news presenter at TRT World in Istanbul.

She can been seen daily throughout the week presenting the flagship news show “News Hour with Maria Ramos”.

Maria has spent most her career in the Middle East, Africa and Europe reporting for the BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Le Monde and Bahrain TV.

Fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, she also speaks Arabic and is learning Turkish.

In the business world, she worked as advisor to the CEO of Formula E and ran her own international media consultancy.

She works as an international conference host for the UN and governments around the world.

Maria graduated from King’s College London.

Dr. Noah Raford

Former adviser on futures, foresight, and innovation in the UAE Prime Minister’s Office, where he contributed to establishing the country’s first national foresight unit, the Dubai Future Foundation, and the Museum of the Future. He was responsible for programs such as the Dubai Blockchain Strategy, the 3D printed Office of the Future, Drones for Good, and many more.