SPEAKER BIOS (in order of appearance)

Marlène Schiappa is a French politician serving as the Secretary of Equality between the women and the men in the Philippe Government since 17 May 2017. Assistant then in charge of monitoring New Media at Euro RSCG agency (2007), Founder of Les Pasionarias webzine (2007), Journalist (Yahoo.fr, Lagardère), Founder of a web production agency, Bondy World associate (Bondy-Blog), Editorial director of Pampa Press, Trainer at the Ecole nationale d’administration (ENA), Lecturer, Founder and President of the blog then social medium Maman travaille (working mothers) (2008), Deputy Mayor of the city of Mans, Delegate to Equality (fight against discriminations, equality between men and women, follow up of the LGBT chart) (2014-17), Co-founder of the Movement of French elected for equality (MEFE) (2014), Community Advisor of Mans metropolis, Delegate to technological innovation and to the economic attractiveness of the territory (2016-17), Collaborator with Laurence Rossignol (Minister of Families, Childhood and Woman’s rights) (in 2016), Delegate to Sarthe and Manager of Equality between women and men division in the political pavement En marche! (2016-17), Member of the national Investiture Committee of La République en marche, responsible for electing candidates for the legislative election (in 2017), Minister of Gender Equality (since 2017).

Katja Iversen is the President/CEO of Women Deliver – a leading global advocate for investment in gender equality and the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women, with a specific focus on maternal, sexual, and reproductive health and rights. Iversen, an internationally recognized expert on development, advocacy, and communications, has more than 25 years of experience working in NGOs, corporates, and United Nation agencies. Previously, she held the position as Chief of Strategic Communication and Public Advocacy with UNICEF, a position she came to after almost six years of leading the team responsible for advocacy and communication on reproductive health with UNFPA. She holds a master’s degree in communications, bachelor’s degree in public administration, and certificates in management, conflict resolution, and international development. Iversen has worked in global development for more than 20 years and has an extensive network within the UN, development communities, and global media. She has counseled and trained multiple Fortune 500 executives on cross cultural management and cross cultural communication. She is a member of the G7 Gender Equality Council, the Unilever Sustainability Advisory Council, the MIT Women & Technology Solve Leadership Group, and an International Gender Champion. Iversen was recently nominated to Apolitical’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy. She is also a sought lecturer and speaker.

Edna Adan Ismail is one of the most influential women in Africa today. She is a talismanic figure whose life and work are an inspiration to people all around the world. Her long career in public service, which has seen her making lasting contributions in the fields of health, peace building and foreign affairs, has been marked by an exceptional devotion to advancing the cause of women. From her time as a trainee nurse in London in the 1950s to her present running of the pioneering Edna Adan Hospital, Edna has never ceased to be a tireless campaigner and champion of women’s rights and health. Born in Hargeisa in the then British Protectorate of Somaliland, Edna trained as a nurse and midwife in London 1954-1961 before moving to Libya in 1965 to share her skills as a midwife trainer for the World Health Organization (WHO). She returned to the Horn of Africa in 1967 when her husband, Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, became Prime Minister of the Somali Republic. In parallel to the founding of the hospital, in 2002 Edna embarked upon a career in politics and served as minister of social affairs and family welfare in Somaliland and as a stellar foreign minister from 2003-06. As the only female minister in the government at the time she used her position to raise the concerns and amplify the voice of women.

Ms. Gillard served as Prime Minister of Australia between 2010 and 2013 and delivered nation-changing policies including reforming Australia’s education at every level from early childhood to university education, improving the provision and sustainability of health care, aged care and dental care, commencing Australia’s first ever national scheme to care for people with disabilities. Ms. Gillard is the first woman to ever serve as Australia’s Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. In October 2012, Ms Gillard received worldwide attention for her speech in Parliament on the treatment of women in professional and public life. Julia Gillard joined the Global Partnership for Education as chair of the Board of Directors in 2014 after a distinguished public service career in Australia. Following her passion for education, she was appointed a Commissioner at the International Commission for Global Education Opportunity in 2015 and became Patron at CAMFED, the Campaign for Female Education, in 2016. She is also a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. In recognition of her remarkable achievements and public service, Ms Gillard was awarded a Companion in the Order of Australia in January 2017.

Isatou Bittaye is a feminist and human rights advocate with a decade of experience in community organizing and advocacy for gender equality and girls’ and women’s sexual and reproductive health rights. She works with the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She also volunteers as the Communications Manager of The Girls’ Agenda – a young women’s-led organization in The Gambia that empowers girls and young women, advocates to end gender-based violence, and promotes girls’ education and women’s political leadership. She is a Women Deliver Young Leader in the class of 2016 and strongly believes in meaningfully engaging young people to build the future they want. Isatou earned her BSc. in Political Science from the University of The Gambia and Master’s in International Studies from National Chengchi University in Taiwan. She is currently pursuing another Master’s in Women’s and Gender Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Nate Hurst drives HP’s Sustainable Impact programs that are aligned with HP’s business strategy. He leads a global team of experts focused on driving solutions in collaboration with non-profit organizations, governments, customers and partners. His team reinvents sustainable solutions that address societal challenges with regards to the planet, people and communities while using HP’s technology. Hurst has 20 years of professional experience in environmental sustainability and social innovation working in the private, public, and non-profit sectors, including positions at Walmart and The Ocean Conservancy. Hurst served on The White House Council on Environmental Quality for President Clinton. Hurst received his master’s degrees from the University of California – Berkeley and his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech University.

Deanna is Director of Global Diversity and Inclusion at Procter & Gamble. She is a chief architect of P&G’s Global Gender Equality work and is a strong mentor and advocate for women inside and outside P&G. In her 20+ years in HR, Deanna developed expertise in Organization Design & Transition, Change Management, Executive Coaching and Divestitures. Importantly, she is a passionate and capable leader in Global Diversity and Inclusion. Outside of work, Deanna sits on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Hope Springs Institute in Peebles, Ohio. She enjoys hiking, reading and traveling. She has three children, Anna, Antony and Dallas and lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Nazma Akter is President of Sommilito Garments Shamik Federation, Co-chair of Asia Pacific Women’s Committee of IndustriALL Global Union, and Executive Director of Awaj Foundation. She has fought to improve workers’ rights, especially women workers, for the past 32 years. Akter trains women in negotiation skills and how to build better relationships between workers and managers in the garment industry of Bangladesh, which also leads to increased decision making power at home. Akter started her journey in the garment factory when she was just 11 years old. Alongside her mother, Akter first worked as a helper and then later as an operator. After witnessing continual problems and abuses, she decided to stand up and fight for workers’ rights, joining a number of worker rallies and protests throughout the 1990s. Soon, she established her own trade union. The Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation now has a membership of over 70 thousand women garment workers.

Ann Gachambi Njuki is a grassroots women leader in her community of Kagwe village, Kiambu County-Kenya. She is a member of GROOTS Kenya. Ann is a strong advocate of gender equality and has invested her time in organizing grassroots women into community groups. Through the groups, she has mentored the grassroots women on how to challenge gender stereotyping and patriarchal attitudes at the community and family spaces. Through this peer empowerment, they have been able to challenge the perceived role of women at home and at community spaces, resulting in increased household power for the women. Gachambi is very particular about women’s ability to make their own choices, especially in regards to reproductive health, the pursuit of education, and personal time use. To this end, she has recruited over 200 women to enroll in quality adult education where she is an instructor.

Celina co-founded Glasswing, an innovative social enterprise that addresses the root causes of poverty and violence through education, health, and community development. Glasswing keeps kids away from violence and helps them thrive. Since 2007, Glasswing’s expanded to 12 countries, mobilizing 100,000 volunteers and over $50MM. Celina has 20 years of experience in development, including humanitarian aid in conflict zones and disasters worldwide, as well as public health and philanthropic consulting. Celina is a member of the inaugural class of Obama Fellows; an Ashoka, LEGO, and Schwartz Social Impact Fellow, and a Tallberg Global Leader. She holds Masters degrees in public health and social work from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania.