LEADERS AT THE SUMMIT
SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI
Union minister for HRD
Apart from being the human resource development minister, Smriti Irani is a vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, a post she has held since 2012. She first found fame with the TV show ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ and currently represents Gujarat as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. At 38, Irani is the youngest member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet DR AUBREY DE GREY Chief science officer of SENS Research Foundation Dr. Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist – the study of ageing – with the SENS Research Foundation, a California-based research charity dedicated to combating ageing. He is also editor-in-chief of Rejuvenation Research, the world’s highest-impact peerreviewed journal on ageing. His research studies the side-effects of metabolism that constitute ageing and designing interventions to control the process
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
Spiritual author and lecturer
Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed spiritual author and lecturer. Six of her 11 books have been on the New York Times Best Sellers list — four were a number one bestseller. The paragraph from her book ‘A Return to Love’, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…” is considered an anthem for contemporary seekers
DIANE FARRELL Executive VP, policy and govt relations, US-India Business Council
Diane Farrell joined the US-India Business Council in July 2011. Prior to joining USIBC, Farrell served on the board of directors of the Export Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM). A Presidential appointee, she was responsible for voting on transactions in excess of $100 million. During her tenure, India became the second largest country by allocation in the bank’s overall portfolio
BAIJAYANT ‘JAY’ PANDA
Member of Lok Sabha, Biju Janata Dal
A Biju Janata Dal leader, Baijayant “Jay” Panda is an MP from the Kendrapara constituency in Odisha. Educated at Michigan Technological University, he worked in the corporate sector before joining politics. He has also been involved in the advocacy against malnutrition and the consumption of tobacco, and has tabled numerous private member bills on issues ranging from the Indian Penal Code to the Information Technology Act