Deepak Ahuja is seasoned Banker turned Entrepreneur with business interests in Education & Edutech, Insurance Tech and Private Equity space.  Deepak is also Managing partner in Asia's #1 Startup Incubator & VC. Passionate Golfer & avid Bollywood follower, Deepak is prominent speaker at various events in UAE.  

Nigel manages Insight Discovery, a multiple award-winning consultancy which advises companies on strategic communications, personal branding and market intelligence Insight Discovery was voted Best Consultancy Firm (Middle East) for seven consecutive years, latest award was in 2021, by Global Investor, part of Euromoney. During both 2018 and 2019 Nigel was voted one of the most influential executives in the offshore financial services industry, courtesy of a UK trade publication Nigel lives in Dubai, UAE, went to Oxford Brookes University and is married with two teenage daughters

Oliver von Wolff is an experienced Venture Capitalist and Venture Builder with experience in architecture and establishing regulated and unregulated investment products. Prior, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Crypto Oasis, Managing Director MENA for CV Labs and CVVC Switzerland, an early-stage venture capital investor and blockchain ecosystem builder, headquartered in Dubai. Group CFO & Equity Partner of a global crypto asset management and blockchain-focused venture capital group and Managing Director of a joint venture with a stock listed equity company on the Xetra Frankfurt. Oliver has over 15 year’s management experience, as CFO and Co-Founder responsible for different start-up’s and management buy outs. He has a proven track record in company transformations in different industries and is well connected in Dubai and the GCC region. Oliver holds an MBA in international management, degrees in economics and business and attended New York University to study international corporate finance. With an abundance of global experience, Oliver has a strong understanding of various markets and industries, particularly throughout Europe and Middle East.

Karl is a strategic advisor to the board and consultant of several organisations across the globe creating the digital economy and driving innovation. He a strategic business leader with over 20 years’ global experience building market presence and driving revenue growth in markets across APAC and EMEA. Recognized as an industry transformational leader in the Fintech, Innovation, Partnerships, Venture Capital and Investment space, Karl has developed ecosystem partnerships across a broad spectrum of industries in the government, enterprise and start-up sector. On the corporate front, he most recently established and led Visa’s Strategic Partnerships, Fintech, Smart Cities and Ventures group for CEMEA and has held senior executive leadership positions with Microsoft, Cisco and Vodafone”.

Sheila Shadmand is the Partner-in-Charge of the Middle East & Africa for Jones Day, one of the world’s largest global law firms.  Over her 26 years of her practice, she has represented large global corporates on a myriad of disputes and investigation matters.  An American, she moved to Dubai in 2008 and was the first female head of an international law firm in the UAE (and likely the broader Gulf region).  She is passionate about fostering collaborative environments for female C-Suite executives in the region, where they may share their experiences, ideas, and advice to propel the success and advancement of women in business.  She is also passionate about creating programs and content that correct the often misperceived notion in the West of the role of women in the Middle East.