Jon Medved

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, OurCrowd

Jonathan Medved is a serial entrepreneur and according to the Washington Post (Dec 5, 2007) “one of Israel’s leading high tech venture capitalists”. September 2008, the NY Times Supplement “Israel at 60” Medved was named one of the “top 10 most influential Americans who have impacted Israel”. In May 22, 2015 Edition of the Jerusalem Post, Medved was named one of the World’s “50 most influential Jews”.

Medved currently is the founder and CEO of OurCrowd, the leading global equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors and angels. OurCrowd, according to Forbes (August 13, 2013) is “one of the largest crowdfunding organizations on the planet”. OurCrowd has $1.2B in commitments and has made investments in 200 companies and funds and 30 exits since its launch in February 2013. OurCrowd exits include: Jump Bikes sold to Uber, Briefcam sold to Canon, Argus sold to Continental, Crosswise sold to Oracle, and Replay sold to Intel. Bloomberg Business week said in the May 7, 2015 edition that “OurCrowd is hands down the most successful equity-crowdfunding platform in the world right now.” TheStreet.com described OurCrowd as “Crowdfunding for Real Investors.”

Medved has been both an entrepreneur and investor: He has been part of the founding teams at several successful Israeli startups, and as a venture and angel investor over the past two decades he invested in almost 250 startup companies, helping to bring 25 of them to values in excess of $100Million.

Between 2006-2012, Medved was the co-founder and CEO of Vringo, a leader in the innovation, development and monetization of mobile technologies and intellectual property. Medved led Vringo to a successful completion of its IPO (Initial Public Offering) on the NYSE:AMEX in June, 2010 and it trades today on the NASDAQ under the symbol FH.

Before founding Vringo, Medved was the founder and General Partner of Israel Seed Partners, one of Israel's leading venture capital funds. Started by Medved in 1995 in his garage; he co-managed the fund until January 2006. His partners at Israel Seed included Neil Cohen, Michael Eisenberg (Benchmark, Aleph) and Alan Feld (Vintage). Israel Seed had $262M under management in four funds and has been an investor in 60 leading Israeli companies. Israel seed Exits include: Shopping.com (acquired by Ebay), Compugen (Nasdaq: CGEN), Answers.com (Nasdaq: ANSW, acquired by Summit), Cyota (acquired by RSA/CA), Finjan (Nasdaq: FNJN ), Mobile Access (acquired by Corning), Tradeum (acquired by VerticalNet), Native Networks (acquired by Alcatel), Broadlight (acquired by Broadcom), Xacct (acquired by Amdocs), Business Layers (acquired by CA), Xtellus (acquired by Oclaro), and Digital Fuel (acquired by VMWare).

Prior to Israel Seed, Medved built several successful technology startups. Medved was a founder and Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales at MERET Optical Communications, Inc. (Santa Monica, CA) between 1982-1991. MERET was an early pioneer in fiber optic communication systems for video transmission which was acquired by the Amoco Corporation (NYSE:BP) in 1990. Medved then came to Israel where he was part of the founding management team at Accent Software (Nasdaq:ACNTF) where he served as Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales between 1992-1994. Accent was later acquired by L&H/Microsoft.

Medved has served on the Boards of various non-profits including Ma’aleh Film School, The Michael Levin Lone Soldier Center, Artists and Musicians for Israel, Bnai David Eli, chaired the Aish HaTorah Boneh Yerushalayim and Tel Aviv Dinners and served on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency and on the Board of Governors of the Jerusalem College of Technology. Medved was recently awarded (May 2015) the “Boneh Zion” award at Israel’s Parliament, by Nefesh b’Nefesh for his contributions to Israel as a new immigrant.

Medved speaks regularly to groups both in Israel and abroad, and has briefed scores of journalists, business leaders and public officials on Israel's tech miracle. George Gilder in his book The Israel Test describes Medved as a “engaging, visionary, pioneering venture capitalist” and traces the origins of his book to meetings he held in Medved's Jerusalem office. Saul Singer and Dan Senor, in their best- selling book, Start-up Nation describe Medved as “one of Israel’s legendary business ambassadors….(he) has taken on a role that -- in any other country -- would typically belong to the local Chamber of Commerce, Minister of Trade, or Foreign Secretary”. According to a profile in the September 24, 2012 Jerusalem Report, Medved speeches combine “breathtaking statistics” with “the knowledge of a consummate insider” and the “arresting skills of a born orator”. The article summarizes the impact on a Medved speech on an international crowd of business executives as follows: “The mesmerizing effect on this cynical gathering of hard-bitten executives is palpable. If Medved was hawking a new religion, he would win a roomful of converts tonight”.

Medved is a frequent guest and commentator on US and Global TV (PBS, CNN, CNBC, BNN, Bloomberg, CBN, CBC, BBC, ReutersTV, CCTV, etc), and was featured in the documentary movie “Israel Inside”, the recent CBN series “Made in Israel”, and the Charlie Rose Show. Medved appears regularly on US talk radio including Israel commentary on his brother’s show, The Michael Medved Show and his writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Jerusalem Post, Townhall.com, and Aish.com

Jon lives in Jerusalem with his wife Jane and his four children and nine grandchildren, where he collects rare single malts and loud Hawaiian shirts.

Marty Martin

Director, MMartin & Associates LLC

Marty Martin has an accomplished career which includes service with the CIA, NSA, and the U.S. Army. He has developed invaluable insight, managerial experience, and relationships across the U.S. Government and many foreign governments and intelligence services at the highest levels. He is the CEO of Crane & Crane Consulting, LLC where he leads the firm’s expansion and growth. Mr. Martin is also the Director of MMartin & Associates LLC, a boutique service specializing in problem solving, security solutions, and relationship building. In addition, he is a senior partner of Falcon Cyber, a PE fund focused solely on cyber security investments. He previously served as a Senior Executive for the International Oil Trading Company (IOTC), a multi-million dollar enterprise with activities in Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Russia and the Caribbean. He also recently played a central role in HBO’s Manhunt, a 2013 Emmy awarding winning documentary.

Mr. Martin’s experience includes over 29 years of U.S. Government service including U.S. Special Forces, the National Security Agency, and the CIA, culminating in several years as a member of the CIA's Senior Intelligence Service. From 2004 through 2007 he served as Chief of Station in a strategic country in the Middle East in one of the most senior assignments in the Near East Division. He managed a multi-million dollar budget, strategic programs, personnel, and families in high threat environment. His experience includes representing the CIA at the highest levels in foreign countries, the U.S. Executive Branch, the U.S. Congress, U.S. Military, on all intelligence and policy matters concerning the agency’s operations.

In 2002 he was selected by the Director of Central Intelligence as the senior executive and operational manager to lead the Agency’s global effort to neutralize Al-Qaida. In that role, he interacted at the highest levels of the U.S Government, including the White House, FBI, Homeland Security, NSA, Congress, and various branches of the U.S. Military, on a daily basis. During this specific period the lion’s share of the perpetrators of 9/11 were nullified.

His experience includes service as an as an operations officer in South Asia and various Middle Eastern countries from 1989 through 2002 and at the National Security Agency as an Arabic Language Analyst where he participated and led highly sensitive operations abroad.

Mr. Martin has significant experience in crisis management, high threat and sensitive operations in combat zones and unpredictable operational areas.

He is on the board of advisors to the Federal Enforcement and Homeland Security Foundation (FEHSA), the Iman Foundation and serves on the board of directors for VAP, a financial lending institution.

He is also a strong supporter of the Navy Seal Museum Foundation located in Fort Pierce, Florida

Mr. Martin is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a BA, International Relations and the Middle East. His military service includes assignments with the U.S. Army’s 5th and 11th Special Forces Groups. He is fluent in several dialects of Arabic and Italian.

Omeed Malik

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Farvahar Partners

Omeed Malik is the Founder and CEO of Farvahar Partners, a boutique merchant bank and broker/dealer which invests partner capital into growth businesses and acts as a liquidity provider of private placements on behalf of companies and institutional investors. The Firm also offers advisory, investment banking and capital raising services to its clients.

Prior to starting his own firm, Omeed was a Managing Director and the Global Head of the Hedge Fund Advisory Business at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Omeed was also the founder and head of the Emerging Manager Program within the Global Equities business. In this capacity, Omeed was charged with selecting both established and new hedge funds for the firm to partner with and oversaw the allocation of financing/prime brokerage, capital strategy, business consulting and talent introduction resources.

Before joining Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Omeed was a Senior Vice President at MF Global where he helped reorganize the firm's distribution platform globally and developed execution and clearing relationships with institutional clients. An experienced financial services professional and securities attorney, Omeed was a corporate lawyer at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP working on transactional matters in the capital markets, corporate governance, private equity and bankruptcy fields.

Omeed has also worked in the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Omeed received a JD, with Honors, from Emory Law School (where he serves on the Alumni Board) and a BA in Philosophy and Political Science, Cum Laude, from Colgate University.

Omeed is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Winston Ma, CFA, Esq.

Former Managing Director, China Investment Corporation; NYU Professor

Winston Ma, CFA and Esq is an active investor in the high tech world. Most recently, he was Managing Director and Head of North America Office for China Investment Corporation (CIC), China’s sovereign wealth fund, where he makes cross-border digital economy investments (the “Digital Silk Road”) and seek synergies between China and world markets (“Global Investments, China Factors”). Prior to that, Mr. Ma served as the deputy head of equity capital markets at Barclays Capital, a vice president at J.P. Morgan investment banking, and a corporate lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP in New York.

At CIC’s inception in 2007, Winston Ma was among the first group of overseas hires by CIC, where he was a founding member of both CIC’s Private Equity Department and later the Special Investment Department for direct investing (Head of CIC North America office 2014-2015). He had leadership roles in global investments involving financial services, technology (TMT), energy and natural resources sectors, including the setup of West Summit (Huashan) Capital, a cross-border growth capital fund in Silicon Valley, which was CIC’s first overseas tech investment. He served on the board of international listed and private companies.

Nationally certified Software Programmer as early as 1994, Mr. Winston Ma is the book author of China's Mobile Economy (Wiley 2016, among “best 2016 business books for CIOs”), Digital Economy 2.0 (2017), The Digital Silk Road (2018 German/English) and Investing in China (Risk Books, 2006). His new book China’s Data Economy will be published late 2019 by Japan’s Hayakawa House. He was selected a 2013 Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and has been a member of the Council for Long-Term Investing and Council for Digital Economy and Society.

Mr. Winston Ma has served as adjunct professor at NYU School of Law (current course “Sovereign Finance & Investments”), NYU Stern Business School and Tsinghua School of Economics and Management. He is a member of New York University (NYU) President’s Global Council since inception, and in 2014 he received the NYU Distinguished Alumni Award. He earned his MBA from the University of Michigan Ross Business School (Beta Gamma Sigma) and his master of comparative jurisprudence from the New York University School of Law (Hauser Global Scholar). He earned bachelor of science (electronics materials major) and bachelor of law degrees from Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

William Ma

Chief Investment Officer, Noah Holdings Limited

Mr. William Ma, CFA, CAIA, with over 18 years of industry experience, is the Chief Investment Officer of Noah Holdings and the Chief Investment Officer of Gopher Asset Management. Gopher is one of the largest multi-asset multi-strategy asset management company in China with USD25 billion AUM and 220 professionals. As CIO of Noah and Gopher, he is responsible for overseeing all investment management, asset allocation and investment products due diligence of combined USD80 billion of asset. He also actively manages the discretionary mandates and China domestic public market funds including a Greater China multi-managers fund, ranked the best emerging market fund of hedge funds globally (3 years annualized return) by BarclayHedge, and led the team won the prestige Golden Bull Award - Best Domestic Fund of Hedge Funds in China in 2018 as well as won numerous awards from InvestHedge, HFM and AsianInvestor.

Mr. Ma has been the Foreign Expert QDLP Review Committee Member for the Shanghai Municipal Government Financial Service Department since 2012, the APAC Committee Board Member of SBAI (Standard Board of Alternative Investment) since 2019, and the judge panel of Eurekahedge Asian Hedge Fund Awards since 2016.

Before joining Noah in 2015, Mr. Ma was the CIO of Gottex Penjing Asset Management (GPAM), the Asia asset management arm of Gottex Fund Management, a Swiss-listed alternative investment management firm with peak AUM of USD22 billion. At GPAM, Mr. Ma managed a team of 20 investment professionals in Asia, and was the lead portfolio manager of all of Gottex’s Asian fund of hedge funds. Prior to joining GPAM in 2012, Mr. Ma was co-founder and Portfolio Manager of Penjing Asset Management managing the industry’s first Asian funds of hedge funds since 2005. Before co-founding Penjing, he worked at Vision Investment Management (Asia) Ltd specializing in Asian hedge funds due diligence. Previously, he served as a research analyst at HT Capital Management Ltd, a Pan Asia Equity Long/Short hedge fund management firm in 2003. Mr. Ma joined the investment industry in Merrill Lynch’s San Francisco office in 2001.

With over 15 years of track record, Mr. Ma won over 15 industry awards: Golden Bull Award - Best Domestic Fund of Hedge Funds in China in 2018, The Asset Triple A Fund Management Award – Manager of the Year (Fund of Hedge Funds) in 2015, HFM Asia Hedge Fund Performance Award - Fund of Hedge Funds Long Term Performance (5 years) Award in 2014, HFMWeek Asia Performance Award – Fund of Hedge Funds Specialist in 2013 and 2012, in addition to multiple awards received from InvestHedge, AsianInvestor and Asia Asset Management between 2004 – 2010.

Mr. Ma received his BEng (EESE) from the University of Hong Kong and his MBA in Finance and E-Commerce from the University of San Francisco, and was invited to Peking University in Beijing as an exchange student representative in the Beijing International MBA (BiMBA) program in 2002. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst charterholder, and a member of the Hong Kong Society of Financial Analysts.

Zidi Liu

Founding Partner, Green Harbor Investment

Ms. Liu graduated from Duke University with degree in Economics and started her career as part of the Mergers & Acquisitions team at Deutsche Bank’s investment banking division.

Ms. Liu founded Green Harbor Investment in 2015 and has led the investments in all of Green Harbor Investment’s portfolio companies. Notable recent transactions include investments in Jason Wu, Chezhibao, HomeLink, Lee’s Pharma, Wuxi PharmaTech, Sanli Education Group, ZhongAn Insurance, Urbaser, Tencent Music Entertainment, Suning Financial Services, Sanxia New Energy, etc. Prior to founding Green Harbor Investment, Ms. Liu was a private equity investment professional at Yunfeng Capital, responsible for investment analysis, portfolio management and fund-raising activities. Key investments include Xiaomi, Youku Tudou, Ali Health Information Technology, and Gold Mantis Construction Decoration. Ms. Liu served as the Acting CFO of PPStream during 2013 and led its sale to Baidu.

Ms. Liu was awarded “China’s F40 Prominent Young Investor” by Zero2IPO Group and “2018 China’s Best Female Investor”&“2018 China’s Most Popular Female Investor” by Chinese Venture.

Erhfei Liu

Founding Partner & Chief Executive Officer, Asia Investment Capital

Mr. Liu is a founding partner and the CEO of Asia Investment Capital. He also serves as a director of Cindat Capital Management Limited, as well as an independent non-executive director on the board of several public companies.

Mr. Liu was formerly the Chairman of Merrill Lynch China and Country Executive of Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He had previously worked as head of Asia or China for Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney and Indosuez.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International relations from Brandeis University, and Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Sky Kurtz

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Pure Harvest Smart Farms

Sky Kurtz is the Cofounder & CEO of Pure Harvest Smart Farms – an innovative technology-enabled agribusiness pioneering sustainable fresh produce supply in the Middle East. Sky is also Cofounder & Director of Vence – a wearable technology solution based in San Diego, CA that is disrupting livestock management by virtualizing farm fencing.

A serial entrepreneur and investor, Sky also serves on the Boards of Hint Health – an SF-based healthcare IT company, and Pultron Composites – a New Zealand and Dubai-based composite materials business. Previously, Sky was an investor at Francisco Partners (FP), a $10B technology-focused private equity investment firm based in San Francisco. At FP, Sky invested in several sectors, including healthcare IT, semiconductor capital equipment, biometrics and vertical market software (SaaS) businesses. Sky served on the boards of Ichor Systems (TK: ICHR), T-System, Cross Match Technologies, and API Healthcare.

Sky has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in Finance from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and was named the Outstanding Graduating Senior (valedictory honor). Sky is proudly married to Kinsi Grimen-Kurtz and lives in Dubai, UAE.

Sarah Kunst

Managing Director, Cleo Capital

Sarah Kunst, founder and general partner of Cleo Capital, is an investor and entrepreneur who has worked at Apple, Red Bull, Chanel & Mohr Davidow Ventures. She is also a contributing editor at Marie Claire Magazine. She founded LA Dodgers backed Proday and has served as a senior advisor at Bumble where she focused on their corporate VC arm Bumble Fund and on the board of the Michigan State University Foundation endowment.

Kunst has been named a Future Innovator by Vanity Fair, Forbes 30 Under 30 and a top 25 innovator in tech by Cool Hunting. She has been recognized for her work in Business Insider as a 30 under 30 Women in Tech and Top African-American in Tech & Pitchbook Top Black VC To Watch, honored as a top women in STEM by Create & Cultivate.and Marie Claire Magazine named her a Young Gun to watch and she was honored as a top woman in VC by the Wall St. Journal and named a top DealmakeHer by the National Retail Federation.

She has written for Techcrunch, Forbes, Wall St. Journal, Fortune and Entrepreneur.com. Marc Andreessen named her one of his 55 Unknown Rock Stars in Tech. She was also named a coach for the 2020 Cartier Women’s Initiative where the startup she coached won top prize.

Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib

Affiliated Scholar, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, American University of Beirut (AUB)

Dr. Dania is an affiliated scholar at the Issam Fares Institute for public policy and international affairs at the American University of Beirut (AUB). She specializes in US-Arab relations and has a special interest in Syria.

She authored a book on the Arab lobby and the factors for success and for failure. Her book is published by Routledge UK. The Arabic version is published by the Center of Arab Unity for Studies in Beirut. Her upcoming book, which she co-edited, also published by Routledge, handles the West perception of the Arab Gulf. She is a regular publisher on the US relation with the Arab Gulf in several regional newspapers. She is a weekly columnist in the Saudi newspaper Arab News. Dania had regular appearances on a series of Middle Eastern TV stations. Dr.Khatib has co-directed, participated, presented scholarly papers and spoken in numerous conferences and workshops. She has been a guest speaker on several high-profile platforms such as NATO, European Parliament and the Heritage Foundation. She is a member of the Arab Council of Social Studies and on the steering committee of United Nation Economic and Social Committee of West Asia, National Agenda for the Future of Syria. Dania holds a PhD in Politics from the University of Exeter and both an MBA and a BBA from AUB.

Parag Khanna

Founder & Managing Partner, FutureMap

Parag Khanna is a leading global strategy advisor, world traveller, and best-selling author. He is Founder & Managing Partner of FutureMap, a data and scenario based strategic advisory firm. He is the author of four books on the future of world order including The Second World (2008), How to Run the World (2011), Connectography (2016), and the latest The Future is Asian (2019). His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. In 2008, Dr Khanna was named one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” and featured in WIRED magazine’s “Smart List.”

Dr. Khanna has been an adviser to the US National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends 2030 program. From 2013-18 he was a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre on Asia and Globalisation at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. Prior to this he served in Iraq and Afghanistan as a senior geopolitical adviser to United States Special Operations Forces (2007).From 2002-5, he was the Global Governance Fellow at the Brookings Institution and from 2000-02 he worked at the World Economic Forum in Geneva.

A widely cited global intellectual, Dr. Khanna provides regular commentaries for international publications with articles that have have appeared in major international publications such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Washington Post and Harvard Business Review. His 2008 cover story for the New York Times Magazine titled “Waving Goodbye to Hegemony,” is one of the most globally debated and influential essays since the end of the Cold War. He is a contributing editor to WorldPost and serves on the editorial board of Global Policy and as a consultant to the National Geographic series Origins.

He also appears frequently in media around the world such as CNN, BBC, CNBC, Al Jazeera and other broadcasters. Dr Khanna has spoken at the main TED conference in 2016, TED Global in 2009, and was a guest host of TED Global in 2012. His TED talks have been viewed nearly three million times.

Dr. Khanna lectures frequently at international conferences and gives tailored briefings to government leaders and corporate executives on global trends and scenarios, systemic risks and technological disruptions. He has provided expertise to many governments including the US, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, UK, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and numerous others. He served on the Singapore government's Committee on the Future Economy.

Dr. Khanna holds a PhD in international relations from the London School of Economics, and Bachelors and Masters degrees from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. In 2017 he was awarded a Richard von Weizsaecker fellowship of the Robert Bosch Academy. Dr Khanna has been honored as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

Iqbal Khan

Founding Board Member & Chief Executive Officer, Fajr Capital

Iqbal Khan is the Chief Executive Officer of Fajr Capital, a UAE-based private equity investor whose shareholders include Khazanah Nasional, the Government of Brunei Darussalam, Abu Dhabi Investment Council and Mohammed Alsubeaei and Sons Investments Company (MASIC), among others.

Prior to Fajr Capital, Mr Khan was the founding CEO of HSBC Amanah, the global Islamic financial services division of the HSBC Group. He is a long-time advocate of the Islamic financial services industry, serving as an advisor to government initiatives in Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom.

Mr Khan holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Physics and Chemistry, both from Aligarh Muslim University. He has also obtained advanced management qualifications from INSEAD and NASD, New York.

He is the recipient of several industry and global accolades, including the Royal Award for Islamic Finance, a biannual prize presented by HM the King of Malaysia; the State Award of ‘The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Brunei’ from HM the Sultan of Brunei; and a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

General John F. Kelly

U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)

Secretary Kelly was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1970, and was discharged as a sergeant in 1972, after serving in an infantry company with the 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Following graduation from the University of Massachusetts in 1976, he was commissioned an Officer of Marines.

As an officer, Secretary Kelly served in a number of command, staff and school assignments to include sea duty, instructor duty at The Basic School, the Infantry Officer Course, command of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, attendance at the National War College, and duty on Capitol Hill as the Commandant’s liaison to the U.S. Congress. He also served as the Special Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, in Mons, Belgium.

He returned to the United States in 2001, and was assigned duty as the Assistant Chief of Staff G-3 with the 2nd Marine Division. In 2002, selected to the rank of Brigadier General, Secretary Kelly again served with the 1st Marine Division, this time as the Assistant Division Commander. Much of the next two years was spent deployed fighting in Iraq. He then returned to Headquarters Marine Corps as the Legislative Assistant to the Commandant from 2004 to 2007. Promoted to Major General, he returned to Camp Pendleton as the Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). The command deployed to Iraq in early 2008 for a year-long mission as Multinational Force-West in Al Anbar and western Ninewa provinces. After rotating home and being confirmed as a Lieutenant General he commanded Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North from October 2009 to March 2011. He then served as the Senior Military Assistant to two Secretaries of Defense, Messrs. Gates and Panetta, from March 2011 to October 2012 before being nominated for a fourth star and command of the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), a position he held until January 2016.

During his 39 months in command of SOUTHCOM he worked closely with the remarkable men and women of U.S. law enforcement, particularly the FBI and DEA. He also worked intimately with Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and the equally remarkable men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, particularly in dealing with the flow of drugs, people and other threats against the U.S. homeland that flow along the trans-national criminal networks into the U.S. from the south. This relationship was a model of interagency cooperation and effectiveness.

After less than a year in retirement Secretary Kelly was offered the opportunity to serve the nation and its people again, now as the Secretary of Homeland Security. After he and his family served a lifetime in service to the nation—and knowing no other life—the opportunity to serve again was welcomed. The U.S. Senate gave him and his family the great honor of confirming him on January 20, 2017 and he was immediately sworn in as the fifth Secretary of Homeland Security. After six months, he was selected to serve as White House Chief of Staff, a position he held until January 2019.

Ryan Kavanaugh

Principal, Proxima

Principal of Proxima, Ryan Kavanaugh is one of the most accomplished, prolific and honored executives in entertainment industry history.

Before founding Relativity Media, Kavanaugh was active in finance and investment—activities he’s continued alongside his entertainment industry companies.

Using an intelligent financial model of film finance, He produced, distributed, and/or structured financing for more than 200 films, generating more than $20 billion in worldwide box office revenue and earning 60 Oscar nominations, holding the distinction of being the 25th highest grossing film producer of all time.

Kavanaugh also originated a number of “first of their kind” deals including the creation of Marvel Studios where Kavanaugh pioneered an innovative finance deal for post-bankruptcy Marvel, creating the studio and finance structure which led to Marvel Cinematic Universe. He went on to create the SVOD (streaming) category with Netflix, an agreement that boosted that company’s market capitalization from $2 to $10 billion.

Kavanaugh then launched a sports agency from the ground up, known today as Independent Sports & Entertainment, which under Kavanaugh’s leadership grew to become the 2ndlargest sports agency in the U.S. with over 2.5 billion dollars in player contracts.

He also created the powerhouse television company, now known as Critical Content, producing hit shows like Catfish on MTV and Limitless on CBS, which he for $200M. Prior to its sale the company had 40 television series on air across 19 networks.

Kavanaugh has built and or invested in numerous successful tech and biotech companies including funding PreCash, renamed Noventus, which sold earlier this year for north of 300M. Seed invested in ZetaRX, later renamed Juno, the largest biotech IPO of 2014, and recently lead the acquisition of the social media and music app, Triller.

Kavanaugh went on to launch Skyland Entertainment, which marked the first and only time a U.S. company was granted a government issued distribution license to distribute films in China. Pioneering the China co-finance model with Forbidden Kingdom in 2005, Kavanaugh went on to build a successful Chinese production and distribution company.

Kavanaugh has earned several achievements and awards, from Variety’sProducer of the Year Award to The Hollywood ReportersLeadership Award, from Fortune's 40 Under 40 Most Influential People in Business to Forbes’ Future 400, Billion-Dollar Producer by the Daily Variety and the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Vanity Fair.

Given his passion for animals, Kavanaugh is also active in pet food brand, Dog for Dog, who donate dog food to local and national shelters for each product purchased to save dogs from be euthanized.

He also serves on the boards of several charitable foundations including the Sheriff’s Youth Foundation and Cedars-Sinai’s Board of Governors and served as the Chairman of Art Of Elysian for almost 8 years.

Scott Kapnick

Chief Executive Officer, HPS Investment Partners

Scott Kapnick is Chief Executive Officer of HPS Investment Partners, LLC (“HPS”) which he founded in 2007. HPS is a leading global investment platform with a focus on non-investment grade credit and has over $58bn of assets under management. HPS has 142 investment professionals and over 350 employees globally, and is headquartered in New York with ten additional offices worldwide. HPS was originally formed as a unit of Highbridge Capital Management, LLC, a subsidiary of J.P. Morgan Asset Management. In March 2016, the principals of HPS acquired the firm from J.P. Morgan, which retained Highbridge and the hedge fund strategies. From 2013-2016, Mr. Kapnick also served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Highbridge Capital Management. Before founding HPS, Mr. Kapnick was a Management Committee Member, Partner, and Co-Head of Global Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs, positions he held from 2001 to 2006. He also served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs International from 2005 to 2006 and spent 12 out of his 21 years at the firm in Europe (London and Frankfurt). Mr. Kapnick is a graduate of Williams College and holds a combined JD/MBA from the University of Chicago. Mr. Kapnick also studied at the London School of Economics & Political Science. Mr. Kapnick is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Board of Directors of Room to Read, the Naples Botanical Garden and the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan

Chairman, NOVAGOLD

Thomas S. Kaplan is an American entrepreneur, wildlife conservationist and art collector. He is the Chairman of investment and asset management firm The Electrum Group and their flagship gold company, NOVAGOLD, Founder and Chairman of Panthera, the global leader in big cat conservation, Founder of The Leiden Collection, the world’s largest private collection of Rembrandt and the Dutch Golden Age art, Chairman of the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH), a multilateral organization co-founded by the governments of France and the United Arab Emirates, and past President and Chairman of the 92nd Street Y, Manhattan’s premier cultural and community center.

Following his education in Switzerland, Dr. Kaplan attended Pembroke College, University of Oxford, where he earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s and DPhil degrees in modern history. His ability to superimpose historical and geopolitical understandings onto financial and commodity cycles led to one of the strongest track records in the natural resources sector over the past two decades. Most recently, Dr. Kaplan served as Chairman of Leor Exploration & Production LLC, a natural gas exploration and development company he founded in 2003 and sold in 2007 to EnCana Corporation, for $2.55 billion.

Abhi Kane

Managing Director - Head of Investment Research, SkyBridge

Abhi Kane is a Managing Director and Head of Investment Research at SkyBridge. He is a member of Investment Committee. Mr. Kane's responsibilities include managing a team of Investment Analysts in addition to Manager Sourcing, Research, and Due Diligence across a wide variety of hedge fund strategies. Prior to this, Mr. Kane performed similar duties in the Hedge Fund Management Group at Citigroup Alternative Investments (CAI). Before joining CAI in 2003, Mr. Kane was President of Kane Consulting, Inc. a company engaged in providing analytical and software services to top financial companies including AIG, Citibank and GSCC.

Mr. Kane received a B.E. in Computer Engineering from PICT and M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business.

He is also a CAIA charter holder.

Erik Kaas

Partner & Chairman of Europe, Partners Group

Erik Kaas is Chairman of Europe with responsibility for strategic client relationships in the Middle East and plays a strategic role in growing the firm’s exposure and network in that area. He is a Senior Partner of Partners Group, the second largest private markets firm globally in terms of market cap. Founded in 1996, the firm has since grown to actively manage USD 90.8 billion from over 20 offices around the world. During his tenure at Partners Group, Mr. Kaas has been part of senior management of the firm from its beginnings, more recently as a member of the executive board, and a member of the strategy and investment committees.

Mr. Kaas has also played a major role in the development of many of the firms private equity portfolio companies to achieve designed value creation measures. Most recent of which was Vermaat Groep B.V., the Dutch market leader in high-end catering and hospitality services, where he was a member of the board and instrumental to exceeding underwriting assumptions in Partners Groups recent exit of the company.

Mr. Kaas, a native from the Netherlands, graduated with a double degree in European business administration from the UK and Germany prior to joining Goldman Sachs.

General James L. Jones, USMC (Ret.)

Founder & President, Jones Group International

As President of Jones Group International (JGI) and one of America’s leading authorities on foreign policy, energy security, and national security, General Jones provides JGI clients with strategies for navigating the complex nexus of business, international affairs, and public policy.

General Jones was appointed by President Barack Obama as National Security Advisor to the President on January 20, 2009. During his tenure in the White House, General Jones served as a trusted Presidential advisor, represented the President as an envoy to American allies and partners, provided steady leadership during times of conflict, and oversaw an expansion of responsibilities of the National Security Council to include cyber security, homeland security, and strategic foresight.

Upon General Jones’ retirement, President Obama said, “Jim has always been a steady voice in Situation Room sessions, daily briefings, and with meetings with foreign leaders … the American people owe the General a debt for making the nation safer.”

General Jones came to the White House from the private sector, where he served as the President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy. At the Chamber, General Jones worked to unite energy consumers and producers in pursuit of common goals—to increase U.S. energy supply and improve infrastructure, to advance international cooperation on energy issues, to protect national energy security, and to promote a better understanding of changes to the global climate and its effects on the environment.

While leading the Chamber’s energy work, General Jones also served in the George W. Bush administration as the State Department’s Special Envoy for Middle East Regional Security. In this capacity, he worked with Israeli and Palestinian officials in furthering the Peace Process, focused on strengthening security for both parties to the conflict.

General Jones retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in February 2007 after a distinguished forty-year career. From July 1999 to January 2003, General Jones served as the 32nd Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, the most senior position in the Corps.

In 2003, General Jones was nominated to serve as Commander, United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe. As Commander of U.S. European Command, General Jones’ area of responsibility included 92 countries from Europe, Eurasia, and

Africa. In his capacity as Commander of all NATO forces, General Jones led the Alliance into overall command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, the largest combat mission in NATO’s history. General Jones also oversaw the military integration of the Alliance as it expanded from 19 to 26 members, and he advocated that NATO take on energy security and defense of critical infrastructure as a core mission.

General Jones spent the formative years of his youth living in France, where he became fluent in French and developed a global perspective. General Jones graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps in January 1967. He served as a rifle platoon and Company Commander in Vietnam, where he earned a Silver Star. On returning to the U.S., he attended the Amphibious Warfare School in 1973 and the National War College in 1985 and served as Marine Corps Liaison Officer to the U.S. Senate. In addition, he served as Commanding Officer of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Northern Iraq and Turkey on Operation Provide Comfort; Chief of Staff, Joint Task Force Provide Promise, for operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia; and Commanding General, 2nd Marine Division, Marine Forces Atlantic. He also served as Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense from 1997-99.

Upon leaving the White House in 2010, General Jones founded Jones Group International. General Jones and the JGI team leverage their unmatched expertise, access, and credibility to assist clients in matters of energy security, national and international security, market access and trade promotion, and strategic leadership.

RJ Johnston

Executive Advisor & Managing Director, Global Energy & Natural Resources, Eurasia Group

RJ is Managing Director, Energy and Natural Resources for Eurasia Group, working closely with corporate and institutional investor clients involved in the commodity and energy sector. Services range from board presentations to strategic planning, drawing upon his experience and analytical expertise in energy and natural resources sector geopolitics. From 2013 to 2018, RJ served as CEO of Eurasia Group.

Prior to joining Eurasia Group, RJ served as managing director of equity research at Medley Global Advisors, where he served as the lead analyst for global energy equities. RJ, in addition, was a research director at UBS Warburg Energy, working directly in support of energy trading. Hhe previously directed internal research teams supporting oil, LNG, metals, and FX trading at Enron Global Markets. Earlier, at ArmorGroup, RJ directed political risk research for corporate clients in a variety of markets including China, Russia, Colombia, and Indonesia.

Recent notable achievements include published contributions to the World Economic Forum, the World Energy Council, the National Petroleum Council, the International Gas Union, and the Canadian Energy Research Institute. RJ holds a doctorate in international relations from American University.

RJ is a Research Fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and a board member for Junior Achievement of Greater Washington.