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DIVERSIFY NORDICS SUMMIT

OSLO

29 • 09 • 2023

Join DNS 2023

600+

Participants

65+

speakers

We are excited to be using Brella at the Diversify Nordics Summit. Brella’s tailored-made platform allows you to connect with other attendees and service providers seamlessly and efficiently! In the coming weeks we will update you with more information on how to use Brella at the Diversify Nordics Summit. Stay tuned.

Diversity and Inclusion, through an Equity, Justice and Intersectional lens.

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The Diversify Nordics Summit is the first-of-its-kind conference on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. In 2023 we are bringing together intersectional stakeholders from Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Åland Islands.

We will continue to curate insights from the broader global context and will invite expertise from companies and practitioners across Europe and the United States.

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About Us

The Diversify Nordics Summit (DNS) is the first-of-its-kind international conference that provides the largest platform in the Nordics to connect and share the best practices on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).

In 2023, on September 29, our overarching theme will be “Diversity and Inclusion through an Equity, Justice and Intersectional Lens”.

The DNS is a meeting place for DEIB practitioners and advocates in the Nordics to share their work and discuss themes related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, which are relevant to fostering an inclusive workplace and society at large.

Engage in this full-day event that addresses current challenges in the Nordics, and gain insight into practical, impactful and measurable solutions.

Join us and engage in this full-day event that addresses the current challenges that the Nordics face with regards to DEIB. By applying a global perspective, we gain insights into practical, impactful, and measurable solutions.

JOIN US TO EXCHANGE IDEAS, EXPLORE SOLUTIONS TO DEIB RELATED CHALLENGES IN THE WORKPLACE AND SOCIETY. LEARN ACTIONABLE BEST PRACTICES TO IMPLEMENT TODAY.

DNS 2022

Our inaugural event, held in 2022 brought together over 500 people under the same roof from across the Nordics and beyond. The theme focused on amplifying DEIB in the Nordics and provided the largest platform to connect and share best practices.

DNS 2022
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Testimonials

“Friday 26th August was a HUGE day for the DEI community in Northern Europe, when the first ever conference dedicated to Diversity and Inclusion in the Nordics took place. The entire programme portrayed diverse and intersectional identities. This is how to properly deliver a conference in the DEI space with true representation.”
Astrid Sundberg (She/ Her)
Astrid Sundberg (She/ Her)Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Oda, Norway.
“The 3P’s (People, Process, Procedure) were certainly represented at the just concluded Diversify Nordics Summit. DEIB topics and representation from experienced individuals was rich in the summit. Kudos to Chisom Udeze and the entire Diversify Collective team for breaking the ceiling on putting this amazing DEIB summit together for the first time.”
Lawrence Akpore (He/ Him)
Lawrence Akpore (He/ Him)Business Excellence Lead (Director)- Global Engineering at Takeda, United States.
“Diversify Collective, you did it! Conference rooms filled with diverse talent from all walks of life! Insightful, thought-provoking and truly honest panel discussions and keynotes. I can still feel the energy from the day!”
Winta Negassi (She/ Her)
Winta Negassi (She/ Her)Head of HR, Google LCS Northern Europe, Norway.
“At the Diversity Nordic Summit I was fortunate to listen in on DEIB professionals and business leaders sharing their challenges candidly and their expertise generously. As a third culture kid and repeat migrant, it meant a lot to me to have intersectionality discussed as part of diversity in a Nordic context. Well done, Diversify team, for holding this space.”
Nikki Michelle Soo (She/ Her)
Nikki Michelle Soo (She/ Her)Learning Specialist and Project Coordinator at Newschool AS, Norway.
“The first Nordic conference that understands what diversity is truly about! I'm amazed by how Chisom Udeze and team manages to gather over 500 diversity and inclusion activists and speakers from all over the world across gender, ethnicity, ability, the LGBTQIA+ community and to not forget the majority. Already looking forward to 2023!”
Chris Hovde (He/ Him)
Chris Hovde (He/ Him)Leadership and Culture at Telia Company.
“Just delivered the opening keynote at the Diversify Nordics Summit #DNS2022 to such a warm and engaged audience. Looking forward to a full day of inspiration on #diversityequityinclusion from an extremely intersectional lineup of speakers. And if anyone in the region says that there aren’t people with diverse intersectional identities working in this space, ask them to take a look at the program line up https://lnkd.in/gNk9dq-T. This is what better representation looks like! Kudos to the Diversify team for showing us how things should be done, and thank you for this opportunity to share my work.”
Dr. Poornima Luthra (She/ Her)
Dr. Poornima Luthra (She/ Her)Author | Educator | DEI Expert | Tedx Speaker, Denmark.
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Why attend the summit?

Join our Nordic-wide DEIB conference that gathers practitioners, leaders and companies to:

Develop awareness and gain insights

  • Gain and share innovative ideas, insights & best practices
  • Focus on the issues & solutions
  • Develop competency to deal with DEIB related challenges
  • Strategies to navigate workplace culture
  • Unlock diverse viewpoints

Build networks

  • Learn & network with people within and outside your field
  • Engage with thought-leaders & industry experts
  • Make new connections & grow your network
  • Explore synergies with industry leaders & DEIB practitioners
  • Increase your diverse talent pool

Be inspired

  • Be inspired by best practices you can implement today
  • Unlock cultural & sustainable change at your workplace
  • Make better decisions & drive high performing teams
  • Expose yourself to bold ideas & exciting projects
Reserve Your Place

Who Should Attend

Leadership:

  • C-Level Executives
  • Vice Presidents and Directors of Sustainability, Human Resources, People & Talent Management, Operations or Partnerships

Contributors:

  • Professionals with responsibility for Diversity & Inclusion, Global Business, Ethics & Compliance, Learning and Development, Organization Culture or Talent Acquisition and policy makers
  • Politicians, Civil Society, cross-sectoral NGOs

Experts:

  • DEIB practitioners, consultants, and service providers

Advocates:

  • Employee Activists
  • Job-seekers, students and individuals with an interest in DEIB
Share your experiences.
Broaden your network.
Expand your knowledge.

2023

Book Your Place Now

Diversify Nordics Summit 2023

Thematic areas

Join us for a full day of insights within the following four thematic areas.

Embedding Justice in the workplace

Macro and micro application of justice.

  • Equity versus Equality
  • Compliance & Accountability
  • Systemic Design & Systems Thinking
  • Policies, Implementation & Measurement

Organisational Culture + Strategy

Ensure equitable opportunity within the workplace

  • Inclusive Leadership
  • From Theory to Practise
  • Non-Discrimination in the Workplace
  • Mental Health, Belonging & Wellbeing

Human Resource Management

A strategic and coherent approach to effectively and efficiently manage people

  • Recruitment, Onboard & Retention
  • Diversity Recruitment
  • Team Productivity
  • The Future of the Workplace in a Post-pandemic World

Technology, Innovation & Investments

Key areas for inclusion and growth.

  • The Relationship Between Technology, Innovation, Investments & Inclusion
  • The Intersection of AI Ethics, Technology, Gender Equity & Inclusion

Keynotes

  • Why Diversity and Inclusion is Critical for your Brand - and your Business
  • Diversity Capitalism: Performance Enhancing Diversity in Organizations
  • Active Allyship: The Essential Key to Inclusion

Panel Discussions

  • Is everyone in the room? Intersectionality, Equity and Allyship
  • How Nordic Countries are Designing and Weaving DEI into their Local Government Structures: Inputs from Finland, Iceland and Norway.
  • Attracting and Retaining Diverse Talent: Best Practices to Lead an Inclusive Organization
  • Building Productive Teams: The Business and Legal Case
  • Diversity and Inclusion in the Maritime sector is possible. Here's how.
  • Why Unconscious Bias training doesn’t work, and what we can do about it
  • The burden of leadership in DEIB: A honest discussion about responsibility.
  • What gets Measured Gets Done: Tools for Accountability in an Inclusive Workplace
  • Beyond Binary Gender: Intersectional Gender Equality and Equity
  • AI, Data Bias and Sustainability. What does "equity" and inclusion have to do with it?
  • Systemic Design: A Diversity Framework to Drive Innovation

Fireside Chat

  • Nordic Denial: Unpacking Identity, Equity and Inclusion in the Nordics

Workshops

  • Strategies to Inclusively Recruit, Onboard and Retain Diverse Talents

Afterparty hosted by Amazon Web Services

We are happy to announce that our sponsor, AWS, will be hosting an afterparty! Join us after the program concludes to continue to network and reflect on the day that was!

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The cross-cutting themes

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Stanislaw Alwasiak (He/Him)

Senior Project Manager

Stanislaw Alwasiak is a Senior Project Manager and a project development and social innovation practitioner. Staszek has over 15 years of experience in European projects e.g. from Erasmus and USAID funds to HORIZON. He has a huge network and a long track record of cooperation with organizations from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. As a part of his work at the Ignatianum Academy in Krakow, he is supporting the implementation of social innovation projects. He is focused on social innovation linking business development, public funding, civic activism and voluntary efforts.

Olav Haraldseid (He/Him)

General Manager at Olav Haraldseid AS

Olav has a background as HR executive in large Norwegian groups such as Equinor ASA, NorgesGruppen ASA, Circle K, and Apotek1.

He is a prominent spokesman for the HR community in Norway and has a major in sports psychology as an educational background. He has also been the national team coach in table tennis.

Olav is one of the country’s foremost experts on change management and how to build a strong performance culture. He has also won HR Norway’s competence award for his work of professionalizing the HR function, and won the Norwegian Advertisers’ Association’s award as Norway’s best speaker.

Over the last years Olav has focused a lot on performance enhancing diversity. He is the author of the book; Mangfoldskapitalisme (diversity capitalism) where he gives leaders vice advice for how to capitalize on diversity.

Jessica Pedraza (She/Her)

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant

Jessica Bridgette Pedraza’s educational and professional background has heavily centered on addressing the inequities facing under-resourced communities and dismantling inequity and prejudice through different mediums such as educational inclusion and strengthen-based research. Recently, she has used her qualitative and quantitative skills have allowed her to help organizations co-create working environments that move diversity, equity, and inclusion forward for employees worldwide.

Iva Ogrizovic (She/Her)

Project Manager

Iva holds a Master’s in Philosophy and Comparative Literature and in her home country, Croatia, she mostly worked as a freelancer in culture event management (film and music festivals) and in production (theater and TV). For the past three years of living in Norway she has been working for a non profit organisation, Diversify, as a Program Director. Here she co-designs and manages programs for skilled immigrants addressing the difficulties they face when trying to secure relevant employment. The programs center on entrepreneurship, mentorship and professional development. Her work also involves supporting Diversify’s DEIB consultancy and training. Iva is passionate about professional and personal development and empowering people to realize and use their potential to make positive changes in their lives.

Melanie Coffee (She/Her)

VP of PR & Communications

Melanie Coffee is a communications executive focused on sharing the best stories to bring awareness to a cause, business or product.

She is an award-winning journalist with 20 years of editorial and journalistic planning, content development and management experience across both traditional and digital media platforms. She is currently the PR and Media Relations Director at Crayon, an innovation and IT services company that focuses on the power of technology to drive the greater good.

She’s passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion and is a Certified Scrum Master.

Rahwa Tilahun Yohaness (She/Her)

Editor | Activist | Founder | Public Speaker | Campaign Strategist | Community Builder | Project Designer

Rahwa is a public speaker, activist, social critic, and the founder and director of Manifold Norway. Rahwa has years of experience in community organising and bringing people with diverse backgrounds and experiences together. She practices a policy of “walking the talk” and engages with people who have lived experience in everything she does.

Rahwa is currently running a campaign about “kvitteringsordning” to promote the implementation of a policy to document all police stop and control activities. She was also one of the main organisers behind the “We Can’t Breathe” demonstration in Oslo, which mobilised 15 000 people in June 2020.

Rahwa collaborates with grassroots organisations, academics, artists, and activists in the diaspora to organise and facilitate various events, including panel discussions, educational and artistic workshops, and community gatherings. She currently works as an advisor for the Norwegian Council for Africa, a human rights and solidarity organisation working to increase knowledge about the African continent.

Nasim Selmani (He/Him)

COO & Co-founder | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Specialist

Nasim Selmani (He/Him) is the Chief Inclusion Officer & Co-founder of deidei, a Helsinki-based agency that helps organizations on their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) & Inclusive Communications journeys. Nasim is a DEI & Inclusion specialist with extensive hands-on experience in building inclusive working culture. He also strives to normalize men to talk about their emotions through his project Jäbät & Tunteet.

Ka Man Mak (She/Her)

Founder, Podcast Anchor and Investigative Journalist

Ka Man Mak, a British-born Hong Konger, is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Oslo Desk where she leverages different journalistic and trauma-informed approaches to transform Norwegian media by portraying racialized immigrant communities more accurately and completely. Ka Man covers immigration, identity, human rights, digital violence and violence in closed relationships through the gender and race lens. Through the She Witness project, she tackles the latter topic with two other NGOs. She has also appeared in numerous panel discussions.

Helene Aagaard (She/Her)

CEO & Partner

Helene Aagaard likes to introduce herself as someone’s daughter, mentor, mother, mentee, and friend. She is also a feminist, social liberal, regular Roskilde festival guest, avid book reader, travel maniac, and a great fan of Burgundy and Brunello wines. She is a passionate leader with 10+ years of experience in strategy, communication, organizational development, CSR, and stakeholder management. Specialized in politics, strategic communication, and management in companies working across sectors and with different stakeholders. She has solid experience in navigating complex stakeholder landscapes, changing ownership structures as well as profound industrial changes.

Maija Typpi-Häkkinen (She/Her)

DEI advocate and Digital Business & People Leader

Maija is a DEI advocate and a seasoned digital business & people leader with over a 20-year career in IT. She has been promoting gender equality in the tech industry for many years, both through her professional role and non-profit work as a Chair of the Board at Future Female.

She has collaborated with Women in Tech Finland and Inklusiiv for many years and kicked off the groundwork for DEI at a Finnish digital consultancy Frantic, by forming a multidisciplinary taskforce together with the company HR. For Maija, it is very important that different company functions are represented in the taskforce: promoting and developing DEI in the companies should not only be the HR’s task – the buy-in and allyship should be organisation-wide, at all levels.

Maija’s special interest in the DEI area does not lie only in gender equality: she promotes an intersectional perspective. Fostering psychological safety in the work environment creates space for a deep sense of belonging, resulting in a workplace, where everyone has a voice and feels comfortable using it. For this to happen we need to bring inclusive and adaptive leadership practices to organisations. Maija is also promoting the less-talked aspects of diversity such as neurodiversity: it should be recognised and embraced in organisations and work communities, as it has an impact on how we interact and work with each other.

Erik Falk Hansen (He/Him)

Partner & Chief Talent Sourcer

Erik is the founder of AvantGarde Search, a recruitment company looking to challenge the established and disrupt what has become a very conservative industry. He moved to the UK straight after college in 1998 to study International Business in Manchester. Since the completion of his studies, he has worked within the recruitment industry, both as a recruiter and at the management level in the UK and Norway as well as internationally. When working for the S-Three group in the UK, he was early involved in their “Women in Business” program, something which kicked off his interest in diversity in relation to hiring processes.

Upon returning to Norway in 2013, Erik was heavily involved with career development as well as taking an active role in media and social media in order to create a better environment for those looking for new jobs. His current company was established in January 2019 and is already seen as one of the most ambitious recruitment companies in the tech industry. The company aims to be the driver for change with a significant focus on anti-discrimination and have had the opportunity to recruit for companies such as Oda, Airthings, Firi, Huddly, Cloud Insurance, PwC, Skyfri, House of Math, and more. Key areas that are of interest to Erik includes: gender equality, anti-discrimination, mental health, and exploitation of the weak.

Outside of work, Erik lives with his wife and 3-year-old dog, Scampi.

Nikoline Nybo (She/Her)

Chief Operating Officer

Nikoline is a Chief Operating Officer at Inclusify, which supports companies in taking responsibility for the sustainable bottom line: people, and a board member at Kollektivbyen – Vi skaber erhvervsliv i Gellerup. 

Nikoline is a co-owner of Inclusify, which supports companies in taking responsibility for the sustainable bottom line: people. Armed with a systemic perspective, Inclusify develops concrete and implementable solutions where benefits of diversity are put into play and where inclusion, equity and equal opportunities are always the goal.

Inclusify is owned by the consultants Louise Marie Genefke and Nikoline Nybo, who together have competencies within strategic and organizational development specializing in gender diversity and inclusion, facilitation, project and process design, management and team development and Employer Branding.

Ingibjörg Lilja Þórmundsdóttir (She/Her)

Head Of Human Resources

Ingibjörg Lilja Þórmundsdóttir is CHRO of Rafal, an Icelandic service company for electronic manufacturing. Ingibjörg has extensive experience in human resources in STEM companies, primarily as an agile leadership and agile HR coach. Within Rafal and Verkfræðistofan Afl og Orka, Ingibjörg is a lecturer in company culture, psychological safety, motivation, and values. Ingibjörg is “a very passionate people geek”, and it is her passion to empower people, teams, and organizations to become stronger, faster, and more successful in a sustainable way. She does this by cultivating a context and culture for people to learn and grow. It is Ingibjörg’s aim to transform Iceland’s electric industry by opening it to women and young girls and creating workplaces where they have the opportunity to thrive.

Sarah M Przedpelska (She/Her)

Educator and Collaborator | Founder

Sarah M Przedpelska is an educator and former researcher, who likes feelings, people and justice, and has learnt as much, if not more, outside of academia, as within it. Through her research in Canada and Norway she’s worked and published on migrant belonging, transferable skills and mentoring.

Sarah currently works with educational development for the City of Oslo, with a focus on collaboration, language and inclusion.

Kamilla Sultanova (She/Her)

Keynote Speaker | Diversity and Inclusion Expert | Mentor

Kamilla is a bridge-builder, public speaker and diversity and inclusion expert, mother, and mentor based in Helsinki, Finland.

Previously Kamilla has held a successful career in corporate sales in Scandinavian shipping companies including Maersk Line, where she combined her advocacy roles in the European women’s lobby and local Danish and Finnish NGO to support access to the job market for immigrants and international talents. Combining her business and non-profit expertise from Global Dignity NGO, Kamilla speaks to and trains executives, students and educators, and people of color to less diverse groups on the benefits of diverse teams in organizational innovation and growth for small and large, public and private employers. During the last 3 years, she has helped universities, municipalities and employers build awareness and skillset on how to create inclusive organizational cultures and inclusive spaces in their own communities, from Helsinki to Vaasa to Turku. As for international students, immigrants, and talents, she has empowered countless talents to find better ways to integrate into Finland, find their first internships, land their first full-time employment and build strong professional networks.

Kamilla is an alumna of several networks including Finnish Sitra fund’s Sitralab community,  “40 under 40” European Young Leaders, GMF Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders, Future Leaders Exchange, and Finnish Innovation Fund’s SitraLab. In 2019 has been invited to join Barack Obama and 300 other emerging leaders at the Townhall Europe to discuss the future of civic engagement and inclusive leadership.

Kamilla was born in Karshi, Uzbekistan. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Corporate Communication from Aarhus University in Denmark.

Jasmin Assulin (She/Her)

CEO & Co-founder

Jasmin Assulin is the CEO & Co-founder of deidei, a Helsinki-based agency that helps organizations on their diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) & inclusive communications journeys. Jasmin is a DEI, racial equity & communications specialist who has worked with various organizations on a wide range of themes regarding DEI & communications. Her much-praised strength is combining her extensive DEI expertise in the intersection of society and business.

Zuzana Warden (She/Her)

Project and Research Manager

Zuzana has a professional background in social work, international development cooperation and project management. Her experience from working with marginalized groups stretches across a number of countries. Besides volunteering with various groups such as homeless people and marginalized members of the Roma minority, she coordinated inclusive empowerment projects aiming to support women and persons with disabilities from rural and slum areas via training in entrepreneurship and vocational skills. As a Project and Research Manager at Diversify she continues to broaden her expertise within organizational work and operation, with high focus on monitoring and evaluation and project management.

Lisa Cooper (She/Her)

Founder and CEO

Lisa is the founder and CEO of several social enterprises in Norway that are focused on creating social change with a focus on diversity and inclusion, arts, culture and youth. Her project portfolio has a Nordic footprint. She has a passion for designing and implementing projects with high social impact. Formerly an Executive in both the private and public sector, she has lived in six countries, and has over 35 years of international experience. She sits on several boards in the private, public and humanitarian sectors. She is a sought-after speaker, mentor, coach and collaboration partner.

Roshanak Fatahian (She/Her)

Head of Digital Operations and Diversity & Inclusion Director

Roshanak Fatahian is co-founder of All of Us and Diversity & Inclusion Director at NORD DDB. She has worked with brands such as SAS, Klarna, Willys, SVT, and the Swedish Armed Forces. Roshanak has been nominated as one of the most influential PR people in Sweden 2022, the role model of the future in 2018, and the Role model of the year 2021. She is a board member at KOMM, on the Inclusion board at Berghs School of Communication, and on the board of the Content development program at Hyper Island.

Nicole Kavander (She/Her)

Co-founder

Nicole Kavander is the managing partner and co-founder of All of Us with a background as a business director and strategist at agencies in London and Stockholm. A proven track record having worked with brands including McDonald’s, H&M, HSBC, Libresse, Nissan, and Samsung. Today, she works as a D&I consultant, public speaker, and Course Director at Berghs School of Communication. Nicole is one of three voices in the Swedish podcast Checkpoint, featuring life in Sweden from a black perspective, and is on the board of Open Act, Swedish Fashion Association, and Nibye.

Louise Marie Genefke

Advisor

Louise Marie holds a MA in Communication & Marketing and a MA in Leadership. She is passionate about career development and creating equity for everyone in the labor market. 

Louise Marie Genefke is a co-owner of Inclusify, which supports companies in taking responsibility for the sustainable bottom line: people. Armed with a systemic perspective, Inclusify develops concrete and implementable solutions where benefits of diversity are put into play and where inclusion, equity and equal opportunities are always the goal.

Inclusify is owned by the consultants Louise Marie Genefke and Nikoline Nybo, who together have competencies within strategic and organizational development specializing in gender diversity and inclusion, facilitation, project and process design, management and team development and Employer Branding.

Plamena Cherneva

Founder, Nordic Women in Tech Awards

Plamena  is an IT consultant, passionate entrepreneur and relentless advocate in making the Tech industry more attractive and welcoming to women and other minority groups in Tech.

A mentor, startup advisor and a motivational speaker.

She started her first company at the age of 15 and has 2 startups behind her back.

Shocked by being the only female in her Computer Science program at university, and all the challenges she went through building a career in Tech, she started WonderCoders NGO, to support and inspire women and minority groups in taking their first steps into the Tech world.

She is the founder of Nordic Women in Tech Awards and together with the European Commission she is a Co-organizer of European Female Founder Forum.

Jenifer Clausell Tormos (She/Her)

Founder & CEO

Jenifer Clausell-Tormos holds a Ph.D. in Technology Development. She held positions both at universities and in the industry as a scientific researcher. In her career, she first leveraged tech to accelerate the process of finding new medicines. After 10 years, her drive for gender balance and diversity brought her to use her tech expertise to close the gender and diversity gap by founding Develop Diverse. For 4 years+, Jenifer has been a researcher, speaker, and trainer in the field of Diversity & Inclusion.

Karl Yves Vallin (He/Him)

Managing Director | Co-Founder at LuFu AB

Karl Yves Vallin is the current Managing Director of RFSL Utbildning AB, a leading company owned by RFSL that focuses on providing education and consulting services with the aim to improve the quality of the working environment by promoting diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging.

As a professional, Yves has more than 10 years of leading and executive roles in various industries, ranging from non-profit organizations and the corporate sector to consulting firms both in Asia and Europe. He is also a human rights activist and researcher with a focus on minority populations and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Dr. Poornima Luthra (She/Her)

Author | Educator | DEI Expert | Tedx Speaker | Entrepreneur | Board Chair

Dr. Poornima Luthra is the author of ‘Diversifying Diversity: Your guide to being an active ally of inclusion in the workplace’, founder and CEO of TalentED Consultancy ApS and Associate Professor at the Copenhagen Business School. She has spent the last fifteen years researching and teaching university courses in the field of talent management, with a focus on Diversity and Inclusion. More recently, Poornima has taken her years of academic experience into the corporate world with the vision of making workplaces more inclusive for all. Poornima focuses on inspiring and shifting mindsets to expand the areas of diversity we look at through strategy consulting, corporate training, keynote sessions, talks, articles, blog posts and podcasts.

Astrid Sundberg (She/Her)

Director of Diversity & Inclusion

Astrid Sundberg is Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Oda, Norway’s leading online grocery retailer. She has 2 decades of experience in director-level leadership roles within the people and talent arena. Astrid is a pioneer of the employee experience as well as passionate about advocating for women in the workplace with a background in the start-up and scale-up climate.

Astrid is a positive advocate of workplace diversity for understanding, accepting, and valuing differences between people as well as an ally for gender equality. She’s a regular speaker and contributor at conferences and summits across The Nordics, The UK, and other parts of Europe.

Chi Lee (They/Them)

Resident Carpenter

Chi Lee has a Masters Degree in Museum Studies from Harvard University.  For over two decades, they have been a freelance consultant for design/build studios working with global retail companies. Chi previously worked as a liaison and organizer for Arts for Humanity, a non-profit bringing the arts to underserved communities. They have also served as a translator for Four Seas Group, a Chinese-American non-profit increasing accessibility to the performance arts for local communities.

Charlotte Jónsdóttir Biering (She/Her)

Global Diversity and Inclusion Specialist

Charlotte Biering is Marel’s first D&I Specialist, based in Iceland but operating across 30+ countries. She brings a multidisciplinary and intersectional approach to her work, drawing from her experiences working across multiple industries and cultures. She spent several years working in international development, disaster response, gender equality and social justice, for organizations such as the Red Cross Climate Center, ActionAid and UN Global Compact, before moving into management consultancy, supporting energy companies in improving their societal and environmental impact.

In 2015, she made D&I the sole focus of her career, first working within male-dominated corporate finance and subsequently co-leading EY’s Women. Fast forward platform.

She is working to develop a culture of inclusion at Marel through education and initiatives; by applying a D&I lens to policies, processes and projects and equipping employees with the tools to be more inclusive.

Lawrence Akpore (He/Him)

Business Excellence Lead (Director) – Global Engineering

Lawrence Akpore is a Nigerian American citizen. His background is in Chemical, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering. He holds multiple academic degrees including a Bsc., MSc. and an MBA. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Organizational Management at Harvard University (class of 2022). He also holds various certifications including Lean Train the Trainer and 6 Sigma Greenbelt/Blackbelt. Lawrence has held various management and leadership positions at companies such as General Electric, 3M, and Georg Fischer.

Currently, he is the Director of Business Excellence at Takeda. Takeda is a leading science-driven biopharmaceutical corporation with headquarters in Japan and the U.S. Lawrence enjoys an active lifestyle. Lawrence is passionate about engineering, efficient business processes, and unlocking the cross-functional benefits of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We are excited to have Lawrence as a panelist and look forward to learning how he intentionally creates space for diversity and inclusion at Takeda.

Heidi Pech (She/Her)

Head of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion)

Heidi Pech works as Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Futurice to make a positive impact in the company but also in the tech sector and society at large. She believes that she has found her true professional calling in this role after dipping her toes in various areas of HR over the last 15 years. In addition to her expertise in diversity & inclusion, she has a solid background in employer branding, talent acquisition, and learning & development from the IT consulting sector, and her HR experience covers also pharmaceutical, banking, and not-for-profit sectors both in Finland as well as abroad. She has a degree in broadcast journalism from the UK.

Yesmith Sánchez (She/Her)

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant

Yesmith is a DEI specialist and Business Strategy professional with broad experience building up and engaging diverse teams in rapidly changing environments. She trains companies and managers on how to build better workplaces and better businesses by building inclusive work cultures.

She helps companies to build DEI strategies, actions plans and taking concrete actions in a variety of different functional areas such as: Leadership, Internal Communication, and Organizational Culture. Yesmith holds a Master’s Degree from Hanken School of Economics in International Management and Strategy.

Aram Ostadian-Binai (She/Her)

CEO and Founder

Aram Ostadian-Binai is CEO and Founder of The Soulfuls, a network and agency that started in 2018 to cultivate the next generation of women from all backgrounds through education, mentorship and community. The Soulfuls is working towards both gender equality and cultural diversity, and Aram advises companies on DEI strategy and how to – from recruitment to campaigns – engage with Gen Z and young women of colour.

Aram grew up in Iran and Denmark, studied and worked across Copenhagen, London, New York, Boston and Tokyo. She has 12+ years of experience in the publishing, fashion and creative industries, formerly as Digital Editor at Aller Media’s first international media. She is now a social entrepreneur, DEI advocate and branding consultant.

Aram has a Master’s degree in Media Production from London College of Fashion, and an Executive Education in Digital and Social Media Strategy from Harvard Business School.

Katarzyna Pilch (She/Her)

Project Manager of the Linking Foundation

Katarzyna Pilch is Project Manager of the Linking Foundation and involved in projects as Principal Investigator, Research Assistant and Peer-Reviewer. Katarzyna has a Master of Philosophy degree in Education (Arts, Creativity & Education) from the University of Cambridge, a BA in Cognitive Science from University of Southern California. Experienced in educational and cultural projects: The Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge), Joint Educational Project – JEP (Los Angeles) and is intensely involved in the ongoing IntegrART Erasmus+ project.

Kine Kjærnet (She/Her)

Partner, Advisory, Governance, Risk and Compliance at KPMG

I’m Kine, and I’m a Partner in KPMG Norway and Head of Governance, Risk and Compliance services (GRC). We advise and support on establish, improve or audit governance systems and are often used as advisors to management, audit committees and the Board.

In addition, I lead the Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) agenda in KPMG and part of the Executive Management. 

I believe diversity and inclusion in the workplace leads to new ideas, different perspectives and perceptions.  Using the unique differences and strengths in people and getting people to work together encourage and accelerate innovation, creativity and better solutions to overcome the challenges we need to solve. To me personally, diversity allows me to learn from others, develop my skills and broaden my perspectives. I’m truly grateful to lead the IDE initiative in KPMG and proud to have an employer who put this on top of the agenda to empower change in the society.

Eva Fabry (She/Her)

Co-Founder and Director of the European Centre for Women and Technology

Eva is the Co-Founder and Director of the European Centre for Women and Technology, endorsed by the European e-Skills Association as the leading European platform for Women in the Digital Economy. Under Eva´s leadership, ECWT has grown from 16 founding members in 2008   to a multi-stakeholder-based community with National Point of Contacts in 30+ European countries. She is also Deputy Director of #GIL4W –    The Greek Innovation Lab for Women launched in April 2021 by the Hellenic Ministry of Labour in collaboration with an Alliance of 15+ multi-stakeholder Greek partners and ECWT. Eva is a Member of the Future Open Council of Mobile World Capital Barcelona´s Digital Future Society Think Tank, a Member of OECD´s working group on Higher Education and Entrepreneurship.

Eva graduated from the University of Oslo and the Lorand Eötvös University in Budapest and worked 1975-1990 as Cultural Attaché at the Hungarian Embassy in Stockholm.

Laura Smith (Agender)

Founder

Laura Smith is a Helsinki-based organizational researcher and founder of VALIDEI, an agency specializing in the assessments of organizational DEI and social responsibility.

 

The former Head of DEI at Bolt and former Head of Communications for Affecto [now CGI], Laura enables scaling organizations to better understand, reach, and empower stakeholders through relevant insight, targeted messaging, and strategic planning for impactful action.

Tendai Angela Jambga-Rokkones (She/Her)

Tendai Angela Jambga-Rokkones is a yoga teacher trained in vinyasa yoga, restorative yoga, and yoga Nidra; wellness curator, international speaker, and avid reader.

Tendai curates programs and talks derived from the fields of Wellbeing, Yoga, African philosophy, Ayurveda, and Self-care as a form of innovative transformation for one’s Self and communities.

She has led workshops, talks, and programs for diplomatic agencies, TedX, Film with Fashion Revolution, Children’s Home’s, Tamba Africa Circus, Women’s groups and was recently invited by Christian Dior Couture in partnership with UNESCO for the Women@Dior Mentorship Program: ‘Women, Leadership, sustainability and education’ as a guest speaker.

Tendai believes that practices of Self-Care rituals are inner engineering for the body, mind, and soul that sustain personal power in the direction to fulfill your mission and purpose.
 

Mayce Dagdoni (She/Her)

Mayce Dagdoni is a Mindset Coach, podcaster and well-being facilitator. Her work is rooted in creating social change by guiding people towards intentional living through the cultivation of mindfulness practices, modern psychology and creativity.

Andreas Enger (He/Him)

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Andreas Enger takes the position as CEO of Höegh Autoliners in September 2020. He joined Höegh Autoliners as CFO in September 2019. He is currently Chairman of Posten Norge AS (the Norwegian Postal Service). Until July 2019, he was a Partner at Deloitte holding roles as Head of Financial Advisory in Norway, Nordic lead of Monitor Deloitte and Chief Strategy Officer of Deloitte Nordic. He has previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Norske Skog ASA, Executive management group member in charge of strategy and M&A at Petroleum Geo-Services ASA, Chairman & CEO of Peterson Packaging and Partner of McKinsey & Co. Andreas holds a MSc in Engineering Cybernetics from NTNU in Trondheim, Norway, and a MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.

Maryana Stober (She/Her)

Associate General Counsel EMEA, ADM and President, Wista Switzerland

Maryana (She/Her) comes from Ukraine, has studies in Lund University, Sweden and now works as Associate General Counsel, EMEA in ADM, global agricultural and food company. Outside of work, Maryana serves as President of WISTA Switzerland (Women International Trading and Shipping Association) where she dedicates her time to promote gender equality and encourage more women to taker on leadership roles within the industry. Maryana is very natural and authentic person, who likes to work on complex projects and is committed to equality and sustainability agenda.

Umair Shamsi (He/Him)

Vice President People Excellence

Umair Shamsi leads Telenor’s group-wide agenda on Diversity & Inclusion, Performance Mgmt, and Employee Experience Surveys. He has 22 years of experience in different aspects of Human Resources in North America, Asia & Europe. His higher education is from United States and during his years of experience he has received executive education from some of the top global institutions.

Kristin H. Holth (She/Her)

Non-Executive Board member of Maersk Drilling

Kristin H. Holth was Global Head of Ocean Industries at DNB ASA, Norway’s largest bank, from 2017 to 2020. An employee of DNB since 1984, she was General Manager and Head of DNB Americas (2007-2013) before she became Global Head of Shipping, Offshore & Logistics (2014-2017).

She is currently a Non-Executive Board member of Maersk Drilling, Maersk Tankers, HitecVision ASA, GasLog Partners, Asset Buyout Partners, Equality Check (Chair) and member of the International Advisory Board at BI, Norwegian Business School.

Holth holds a Bachelor’s in Economics and Business Administration from BI Norwegian Business School.

Áslaug Eva Björnsdóttir (She/Her)

Digital Leader & Facilitator

Áslaug Eva Björnsdóttir is a Digital Leader for the City of Reykjavik.
With 6+ years of professional experience in the technology industry and a recently completed Masters degree in Digital Management from Hyper Island Stockholm, Áslaug focuses on how digital development and technologies can be used to increase global gender equality and women’s rights.

Áslaug’s aspiration is to use digital innovation to advance equity in our society. As a current board member of UN Women Iceland, she explores how digital transformation and technology can support women in fighting for their rights.

In her work, Áslaug is especially interested in how we can develop empowered team cultures through psychological safety and a strong sense of personal agency and motivation.

A social nomad at heart with a passion for a better world, Áslaug finds most fulfillment in traveling and connecting with people on a truly human level. She is an active, open, and outdoorsy person who loves music, yoga, skiing, hiking, and good food.
 
Turid Elisabeth Solvang

Turid Elisabeth Solvang (She/Her)

CEO and Founder

Turid Elisabeth Solvang is an international corporate governance expert, working with investors, board directors and top managers, as well as academics, politicians and regulators globally. In 2016, Ms Solvang founded and is CEO of FutureBoards AS, a project-driven company and a global network of experts and practitioners committed to building better boards that supports sustainable value creation.

Ms Solvang is member of Expert Advisory Board at Boards Impact Forum and European Women on Boards , and member of the Advisory Committee of the ESG Exchange. In 2021, she co-founded Women in Finance Norway, inspired by Women in Finance UK.

Ms. Solvang co-founded the Norwegian Institute of Directors in 2009, and she headed the organisation until October 2016. She has also held the position as chair of the European Confederation of Directors’ Associations which represents 55,000 board directors from 20 European countries. As board member of ecoDa since 2011, she has contributed to ecoDa’s initiatives in such areas as governance policy, nomination, evaluation, and diversity. As Chair, she represented ecoDa on the board of the Global Network of Director Institutes.

Ms Solvang holds an MSc in General Business from BI Norwegian Business School, and she has held non-executive directorships in the financial and service sectors and membership organizations. Ms Solvang is a seasoned international speaker and writer on corporate governance topics, including women on boards.

Timo Jolkin (He/Him)

Manager for a Solutions Architect Team at AWS and part of the Glamazon Leadership

Timo has a background of working as both an individual technical contributor as well as a senior leader in different IT companies. He also has experience as working as an CEO of a IT-reseller in Finland before joining AWS.His interests are in developing and growing skilled, diverse and inclusive teams which enable individuals to grow onwards personally and in their careers.

 

Timo is a father of five children, who have been great advocates and teachers for the importance of LGTBQ+ inclusion and have made it even more important to built inclusive and diverse workplaces for both current and future talent.

Adamu Haruna (He/Him)

Senior Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Adamu Haruna is a Senior Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Leader of BEN(Black Employee Network) for Amazon&AWS in the Nordics and a part of the Glamazon leadership team at Amazon&AWS in the Nordics. 

 

Adamu has a background of working as both an individual technical contributor as well as a ID&E  leader in different IT companies. He has deep experience as working in Telecom in as a Senior Architect and Senior Manager in Finland before joining AWS. Adamu has over 20 years of R&D experience. AWS. 

Winta Negassi (She/Her)

Head of HR, Northern Europe at Google and is a part of Google LCS’ Northern European leadership board.

Winta Negassi previously worked at Warner Brothers Discovery as Vice President, People and Culture for the Nordic region. She brings international experience, having studied and worked in London for 13 years. Winta has a Bachelors in International Relations and a Masters in International Human Resource Management from Kingston University.

Winta’s main focus has been around digital transformation, change management and DE&I. The experience of growing up as a second generation immigrant in Oslo, Norway has inspired her to increase the visibility of minority groups in business, so that the coming generation can see that, impossible is nothing! 

She has featured in the 1st edition of the book “Voices in the shadow” by Black Women in Tech and sits on the board of the Norwegian Media Association.

Caroline Onyango-Dyregaard (She/Her)

Senior Legal Counsel & Compliance Officer

Caroline Onyango-Dyregaard is a Kenyan-American national living in Copenhagen Denmark for the last 8 years. She is a US trained and licensed lawyer and currently heading up legal and compliance for the Nordic and Baltic region at BASF, where she advices on commercial transactions and trains the organization on all aspects of legal and regulatory compliance. She is also the global head for DEI for the legal, compliance and insurance department at BASF. Before BASF, Caroline was a risk advisor and legal counsel at AP Møller Maersk, advising on risk and compliance. Caroline has also worked for the United Nations and as a litigating attorney in Washington DC. Caroline is married and has 2 boys, a 5 year old and a 9 year old and enjoys running half marathons.

Sergio Prin-Sand (He/Him)

Talent Acquisition partner

Sergio Prin-Sand has 5 years of experience from the tech industry in recruitment, sales, and business development roles. He’s had the opportunity to study and work in Venezuela, Italy, Canada, and Norway, where he is currently based. Sergio has a keen interest in connecting with people from all backgrounds and walks of life, in addition to a fascination with technology that led him to Microsoft and Netlight. In his current position at Schibsted as Talent Acquisition Partner, he manages end-to-end recruitment within their product and tech organization, working closely with hiring managers to build strong and diverse teams.

Nathalie Håkenstad (She/Her)

Account Manager & Glamazon lead for Norway

Nathalie Håkenstad (she/her) is an Amazon Web Services Enterprise Account Manager, Glamazon lead for Norway and board member for women@Amazon Nordics2, driving ID&E discussions and initiatives forward not only internally within Amazon Web Services but also with partners and customers.

With more then 20 year experience within IT, she is also active campaigning for Human Right Rights focusing on LGBTQ+ community and a board member of FossePride, which was founded by her then 14 year old daughter Isabella.

Stine Mundal (She/Her)

President, WISTA; Key Account Manager, DNV
Stine has been working for DNV in various technical and management positions for the past 13 years. She spent many years abroad in various countries working with multi-cultural teams for DNV and is now working as a Key Account Manager for ship owners and operators in the Oslo area.
Stine was newly elected President of Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) in Norway. WISTA was established in 1974 and is a global, professional network for maritime professionals with 4,000 members in more than 55 countries. WISTA Norway was founded in 1988 and is one of the largest associations, with a membership of close to 300 business and thought leaders, of which 10% are male members. The vision for WISTA Norway is to improve gender balance in the maritime sector, the mission being to attract, retain and develop women in the industry.
Stine holds a Master of Science degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Tom O. Kleppestø (He/Him)

Managing Director

Tom O. Kleppestø, b. 1966, holds an MSc in Economics and Business Administration from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH).

As a management consultant, Tom has worked with several prestigeous programmes, such as women in boards (Female Future, 2004-2005), women in finance (Futura, 2006-2012) as well as with attracting young talents to the maritime industry (Maritime Trainee, 2004-2017). He also developed a top executive programme, Marex (Maritime Executive Program, 2011-2016), for the maritime industry together with Duke Corporate Education (Duke CE), ranked as the world’s No 1 in tailormade programmes by both Financial Times and Business Week. This unique and global programme was run by the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association for altogether three cohorts with Tom as project leader.

Through his consultancy firm Tom also holds the part-time positions as General Manager for Shipping & Offshore Network since 2008, Secretary to the Board of Oslo Shipowners’ Association since 2010, and General Manager of Ocean Industry Forum Oslofjord since 2018. In 2018 these three associations formed the Maritime Oslofjord Alliance with Tom as General Manager.

Selena Støback (She/Her)

Project Coordinator

Selena has a wealth of experience supporting civil society, public, private sector and iNGOs deliver more effectively on their mission by driving inclusive, impactful and compassionate systems change. Selena has consulted internationally for organisations such as Plan International, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, Rethink Mental Illness and Compassionate Mental Health; as well as pioneering long term social policy change with the UK government. Selena leads Ethiopian partnerships for Youth Mental Health Norway as part of the Together for Inclusion consortium which strengthens government and civil society collaboration on disability inclusion, economic empowerment, inclusive education and human rights advocacy. 

 

Selena has recently founded The Good Lab Norway which is disrupting traditional approaches to inclusion, participation and resilience, driving culture change through compassion and data. Selena is a passionate women and children’s right activist, peer counsellor and ‘Listener for change’, valuing deep listening and dialogue as the best way to solve problems.

Chris Hovde (He/Him)

Global People Movement Lead at Telia Company

Chris Hovde, is an urban monk who is passionate about his purpose to make people and robots fight together for a better society. His core values are to live integrative, equal and authentic.

He has broad business experience from various leadership positions and HR in large international companies such as Telia, IKEA and Varner Group, as well as the former CEO of an Oslo based healthcare clinic called Balder. He has been nominated for a number of awards for his work within digitalization, leadership and inclusion.

He is currently working as Global People Movement Lead at Telia Company, Chairman of the Board of Future Leaders Global, Made to Grow, Hagegata 31 and is the Founder of Regenerative Monks.

Clara Bodin (She/Her)

Global Lead for Diversity & Inclusion

Clara Bodin is Global Lead for Diversity & Inclusion at Telia Company, the biggest telco in Nordics and Baltics, 21 000 employees strong, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Her mission and passion is to make Telia Company a true equal opportunity employer. In 2020, Telia Company was awarded the best LGBTQI+-friendly employer designation. Also, Telia Company is proud to have five public commitments to employee diversity and inclusion as a part of the company’s overall sustainability targets since 2021.

Clara has a background working in Ukraine, Eurasia and Russia in various HR and business roles for Swedish companies. Clara was awarded “Top Swede Abroad” in 2011 by Sweden´s leading Business Journal when she at the time ran her own successful HR consultancy company in Kyiv, Ukraine. Prior to being Global Lead for D&I, she was the HRBP of Telia Eurasia and before that, HR Director for Oriflame Cosmetics, Former Soviet Union region. Clara has a Master in Economics and Eastern European Studies from Uppsala University in Sweden and is fluent in Russian and speaks Ukrainian too. Clara is a board member of Diversity Charter Sweden.

Cecilie Heuch (She/Her)

EVP and Chief People & Sustainability Officer in Telenor
Cecilie B. Heuch, is EVP and Chief People & Sustainability Officer in Telenor. She has more than 25 year’s business experience in an international context. Previously she had the role of Chief HR Officer in DNV GL, a position she held for 11 years. Her former work experience also includes managerial positions in Norsk Hydro in Norway and Hydro Agri (today Yara) in Italy.

Cecilie graduated from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. She holds a Master of Science in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a Diploma of Business Studies from Henley Management College.

Michelle Chinnappen (She/Her)

Business Developer & Facilitator

Michelle Chinnappen bio: Michelle has her background as an Economist with a MBM (Master of Business & Marketing), specialising in Entrepreneurship and Advanced Communication Skills. She made a career in the IT and Telecom sector.

After many years in higher management in the IT/Telecom sector she transitioned to working as a strategic advisor, facilitator and speaker, as well as building sales teams across Europe.

Michelle was born in London and moved to Norway as a child with Norwegian and Indian/Malaysian parents. Her approach to Diversity and Inclusion is very “hands on” having worked across cultures, languages, ethnicities, and nationalities.

Today Michelle also runs the Podcast “U.Impact Diversity”, where she invites companies in Norway to share their experience on how they succeed with diversity as part of their strategy.

Jyoti Sohal-David (She/Her)

Founder and CEO

Jyoti Sohal-David is the Founder & CEO of Skillhus, a recruitment and consultancy agency that specializes in increasing diversity and inclusion in Norwegian workplaces. As an entrepreneur, recruiter, diversity coach, and passionate individual she has facilitated and delivered workshops within the diversity and inclusion space. Her multicultural background and experiences of working and living abroad led her to pursue her passion for working in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging space.

Mamtha Pullat (She/Her)

Talent Attraction Strategist

Mamtha Pullat works at Volvo Cars as a Talent Attraction Strategist with a focus on Diversity & Inclusion. Mamtha has experience working with these topics in the last couple of years where she worked at Telia as a Global D&I specialist. For Mamtha, diversity is all about embracing people’s differences towards a more inclusive culture where everyone feels safe and is treated equally.

Prior to moving to Sweden, she was based in India where she worked in the non-profit space working to help bridge the education gap in India for children from under privileged backgrounds.

Meryn Willetts (She/Her)

Leadership, Innovation and Strategy Consultant

If there’s anyone you want in your corner when getting a bold, ambitious project off the ground, it’s Meryn. She’s passionate about people and works tirelessly with them to unlock their greatest potential. She believes that each and every one of us can be limitless, so long as we have the tools to kickstart our growth.

Meryn has been advising and mentoring leaders and entrepreneurs for over a decade, challenging her clients to take risks, push boundaries and leverage their passions and strengths to become their highest calibre self.

Over her 15-year career span, Meryn has channelled her drive and passion for ‘doing business better’ through advising politicians, senior corporate leaders and up-and-coming startup founders to develop the mindset, strategies and tools to turn their vision into a reality and put a real dent in the world. She takes an unconventional approach to getting things done and relentlessly seeks out cutting edge knowledge to integrate into her work.

Meryn kicked off her career in advertising at age 18 and started her first consulting business at 22. She has gone through the highs and lows of startup life, getting results and making terrible fuck-ups along the way. She is an example of how, through these ups and downs, building EQ (emotional intelligence) can empower you to navigate and take control of your life despite the challenges life throws at you. She relentlessly works on self-value, resilience-building and doing things afraid and is committed to continuous self-evolution.

Meryn is passionate about ecosystem building; combining technology and authentic leadership to create consequential and inspiring change necessary for sociopolitical, environmental and economic progress.

As an executive coach and advisor, Meryn works with senior leaders from firms such as Statkraft, KPMG, and develops founders in the Charge Startup Incubator and within the broader Oslo startup ecosystem. She speaks at various events and conferences and serves on multiple boards including Oslo Blockchain Cluster, Vaffelgutta and Revenue Development Fund.

Meryn embodies a rare mix of productivity, passion and creativity. She is open, curious and has a contagious personality. You cannot help but be inspired by her enthusiasm, grit and strength of character.

Rut Einarsdóttir (She/Her)

Secretary General

Rut Einarsdóttir is the Secretary General of the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association (IWRA), and is on the board of the Icelandic Human Rights Centre on behalf IWRA, where she currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board. Rut holds a BBA in Economics and Innovation from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan and is completing an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development Studies from SOAS University in London.

Rut has extensive experience working on social issues, both in Iceland and abroad. For over a decade, Rut has been involved in various human rights work globally and has significant experience in international advocacy. For example, she is  a previous member of the Advisory Council on Youth to the Council of Europe, as well as working with a number of UN agencies. She has also campaigned for greater involvement of women in security issues and led the series “Feminist Leadership in Disarmament” through a disarmament organization she worked for in London.

Chisom Udeze (She/Her)

Economist | Founder of Diversify and HerSpace

Chisom is an Economist, Organizational Design and DEI Strategist, and a 3 times founder of impact driven companies. She has over 13 years of experience working with organizations like the European Commission, The United Nations, ExxonMobil and The Economist Group. Chisom is a data enthusiast and analytical. She is passionate about interrogating the cross-sectoral relationship between society’s inhabitants, resources, production, technology, distribution and output. She efficiently and effectively unlocks complex systems, interprets data, forecasts socio-economic trends and conducts research.

Having lived in 7 countries across 3 continents, she is highly adaptable to different circumstances and people, and thrives in uncertain environments.

As the founder of Diversify, Chisom works with companies, governments and civil society to facilitate measurable diversity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace and society. In 2020, mid-pandemic, she founded HerSpace, a diverse and inclusive co-creation community for all genders, with particular focus on women. HerSpace is launching a Women in Tech incubator in August 2022, for women-led companies, with a focus on the inclusion of diverse founders.

Chisom is a thought-leader in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) and a passionate advocate for mental health and wellness. She is an entrepreneur at heart and committed to life-long learning. She enjoys playing tennis, reading, binge-watching TV shows and cooking.