Think Ahead

Sadiya Ansari

Bestselling Author and Award-Winning Journalist (Moderator)

Sadiya Ansari is a bestselling author and award-winning journalist based in London. She has reported across four continents and covered minority communities for over a decade.

Sadiya's work has appeared in the Guardian, the New York Times, the Irish Times, the Globe and Mail, and more. Through longform, short documentaries and audio storytelling, Sadiya focuses on communities historically neglected by the media, specializing in reporting on migration — from labour market integration of Syrian refugees in Germany to queer asylum seekers struggling to secure status in Kenya. Her debut book, In Exile, reaches back a century to uncover a family secret, while examining how politics and culture have shaped women’s lives and opportunities in South Asia.

'Tokunboh Ishmael

Impact and ESG Investor; Gender Lens Innovator and Investor

'Tokunboh Ishmael is a global voice for creating wealth and impact by unlocking the potential of businesses that provide essential goods and services that address the accessibility, affordability, and inclusion needs of underserved markets to drive shared prosperity.

She has dedicated the past two decades to the relentless pursuit of a vision: investing in businesses that foster equity, fairness, and inclusion to create wealth and transform lives.

Always drawn to uncharted waters, she was an early pioneer of socially responsible and impact investing, especially in Africa, and a visionary who forged a path for investing in Fintechs to drive financial inclusion and injecting gender consciousness into the investment process for superior returns.

As co-founder and Managing Director of Alitheia Capital, a female-led private equity firm, she is one of the first in Africa to pioneer impact investing private equity that embodies her philosophy of profit with a purpose. She also co-founded Alitheia IDF where she raised over $100 million to invest in female led businesses in Africa. Some of the companies she has invested in are already changing and redefining their sector.

Dr. Kathleen M. O’Connor

Clinical Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Director of Executive Education

London Business School

A globally recognized expert in leadership and collaboration, Dr. Kathleen O’Connor helps managers and senior executives transform how they lead and manage for more innovative, productive, and happy organisations. As both a professor and the Director of Executive Education at London Business School, she brings more than 20 years of experience working with C-suite leaders and senior teams worldwide.

Dr. O’Connor’s work sits at the intersection of science and practice. Her award-winning research explores how high-performing leaders build smarter networks, create inclusive cultures, and drive breakthrough results through collaboration. Her insights into negotiation, influence, and decision-making have earned honours from esteemed scientific bodies, including the Academy of Management and the International Association for Conflict Management.

Known for her dynamic teaching and sharp insights, Dr. O’Connor is a frequent advisor to Fortune 500 firms and a favourite among Executive MBA and global executive audiences. She has earned both the London Business School’s prestigious annual Faculty Teaching Award and prizes for teaching her Executive MBA class.

Dr. O’Connor holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Illinois, and has held faculty roles at Rice University, Northwestern University, and for two decades, at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Jesper With-Fogstrup

Group CEO, Moneypenny

Jesper With-Fogstrup brings to Moneypenny a wealth of global experience, transformative leadership, and a steadfast commitment to people and technology for which Moneypenny is already famous. With extensive operating experience across multiple industries, Jesper has a proven track record of driving innovation, fostering relationships, and building highperforming, diverse teams.

Previously, as CEO of Smoove plc, a technology company, Jesper rebranded and transformed the company into a digital, customer-focused platform that revolutionised the home buying, selling, and owning process through proptech and legaltech solutions. Under his leadership, Smoove achieved 37% revenue growth, significant margin improvements, and a successful public-toprivate transaction with PEXA, delivering shareholders a 74% premium.

Before Smoove, Jesper held senior roles at HSBC and Compare the Market, where he led large-scale digital transformations and growth.

Jesper’s career began in the travel industry, where he spearheaded commercial growth and strategic exits. He holds an Executive MBA from the London Business School and serves as an advisor and Non-Executive Director for tech companies. Based in the UK, he has lived and worked globally, bringing a multicultural perspective to his leadership.