Inspirational Speakers
Fernanda Lopes-Larsen: Fernanda Lopes Larsen is executive vice president (EVP) of Yara’s Africa & Asia operations, employing 1,800 staff in 22 market economies, with an annual revenue of USD 3 billion.Passionate about driving equity and inclusion in business and society, Fernanda spearheads several DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) change initiatives at Yara, including the Black Talent Initiative. She also serves as a key sponsor for the company’s Women in Agronomy program, which encourages female and ethnic minority talent and participation in technical and leadership roles at Yara and across the global agricultural sector. Originally from Brazil, holding dual Brazilian and British citizenships, and based in Singapore. She talked about how supporting a cause that truly matters to one, can give us a sense of purpose. Truly an Inspirational lady!
Tove Andersen: Tove Andersen (President and CEO of TOMRA, holds an MBA from the Norwegian School of Management, and a MSc degree in Physics and Mathematics from the Norwegian Institute of Technology. A member of the board of directors of Equinor and Borregaard) shared her guiding principles of her career and the belief that businesses have the power and responsibility to help manage our planet’s precious resources—today and tomorrow. She discussed the strategy she adopted when she accepted the invitation to head TOMRA.
Maria Persson Gulda: Maria Persson Gulda (CTO at H2 Green Steel. Prior to joining H2GS, she was a partner at McKinsey, and has a doctorate in Applied Physics from Harvard University. She presented at several events at COP27) showcased, in a fascinating talk, the assertive confidence of leveraging on professional partnerships, the unapologetic enthusiasm for wanting to engage in a new business adventure at the same time as having a baby, and even the joyful mindfulness of living intensely, grasping every moment.
David Ek: David Ek (a Swedish nutritionist, author, health coach and innovator, and former Olympic athlete coach) brought us valuable perspective on the holistic approach to health of body and mind, including how to spark motivation — the art of going from wanting to doing and how to squeeze health into your busy lifestyle, answering the many questions that this topic sparked.
Chris Bridges-Taylor: Chris Bridges-Taylor (at the helm of Australian-based B&R Enclosures for over 40 years, first as General Manager and currently as Chairman of the Board. MBA and various executive degrees from i.e., Harvard) shared much wisdom with us, not only about her decades-long dedication to running a private enterprise of Australia’s largest manufacturer of enclosures, racks, cabinets and switchboard building systems, with clients including BHP Billiton, Telstra, Rio Tinto and the Federal government, but also about continually growing as a person, staying young and agile with curiosity, passion, and a constant desire to learn.
Anne-Mieke Martyn: Anne-Mieke Martyn (Global Executive Talent Acquisition Specialist at Rabobank, an accomplished Career Strategist, speaker and author, former Founder and Director of a Boutique Executive Search and Career Coaching company in Africa) brought many sound examples and stories about being true to yourself, being present, clear and firm. Underscoring that ‘Agility’ means asking and listening in order to understand the organisation’s needs and adapt, also means finding out what you can do to address those organisation’s needs, while setting limits keeps us effective, and that agility also means accepting to make mistakes along the way, and not being afraid to learn; including taking responsibility for what we can control without wasting energy worrying over what we cannot control.
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