TEAM
Navroop Sahdev
FOUNDER & CEO
Navroop is a pioneering economist, technology futurist and founder & CEO of The Digital Economist. She is also a Fellow at MIT Connection Science and a well- known economist in the emerging tech space. She in based in New York City.
Jose Luis Carvalho
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
Jose oversees The Digital Economist Center of Excellence on Human Centered Global economy, focused on growing it's impact and scale. He has over 23 years of experience in services, consulting, and technology sectors.
Bruce Armstrong Taylor
NON-EXEC CHAIR & SENIOR FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY
Bruce is the Co-Founder & Managing Director of SmartNations Foundation with a lifelong career in digital technology - as an analyst and journalist, having served as a writer, editor, publisher, speaker and conference producer.
Dr. Melodena Stephens
NON-EXEC CHAIR & SENIOR FELLOW, POLICY
Melodena is an Innovation & Technology Governance Professor at the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government in Dubai with over three decades of corporate, academic, and consulting experience across Asia, Europe and Middle East.
Dr. Nikhil Varma
NON-EXEC CHAIR & SENIOR FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS
Nikhil is an Associate Professor of Management at Ramapo College of New Jersey with over 20 years of experience across operations and supply chain management, blockchain, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and sustainability.
Dr. Maha Hosain Aziz
NON-EXEC CHAIR & SENIOR FELLOW, POLICY
Maha is a Professor at New York University's Masters in Arts - International Relations Program specializing in Global Risk and Future Trends. She is a speaker and author & a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Complex Risk.
Dr. Mark Esposito
NON-EXEC CHAIR & SENIOR FELLOW, GOVERNANCE
Mark is a Professor of Economics and Strategy at the Hult International Business School and Faculty Affiliate at Harvard Kennedy (Center for International Development) and Harvard Business School (Microeconomics of Competitiveness).
Bhuva Shakti
SENIOR FELLOW, GOVERNANCE
Bhuva is a Board Director and fractional C-Suite Advisor for several social impact corporations. With an MBA from Columbia University in New York, she has led financial risk governance and product data compliance for investment banks.
Dr. Eldar Shafir
SENIOR FELLOW, POLICY
Eldar is the Class of 1987 Professor of Behavioral Science & Public Policy, & Professor of Psychology & Public Affairs at Princeton University. He's also the Inaugural Director of Kahneman-Treisman Center for Behavioral Science & Public Policy.
Sandy Carter
SENIOR FELLOW, APPLIED AI
Sandy is the Chief Operating Officer of. Unstoppable Domains, creating Web3 domains with user-controlled data at its core. A trailblazer in AI and Blockchain, Sandy has held top leadership roles, including at AWS and IBM.
Dr. Priyanka Shrivastava
SENIOR FELLOW, APPLIED AI
Priyanka is a Professor of Marketing & Analytics at Hult International Business School with over 18 years of experience, she is a recognized leader in data analytics, digital marketing, and AI’s transformative impact on the future of work.
Dr Dimitrios Salampasis
SENIOR FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS
Dimitrios is the FinTech Capability Lead and Senior Lecturer of Emerging Technologies and FinTech at Swinburne University of Technology and a globally-recognized thought leader at the nexus of digital economy, sustainability, and innovation.
Sherman Kong
SENIOR FELLOW, POLICY
Sherman is a former Senior Advisor at the United Nations Foundation, and a co-founding member of the GovStack initiative. With 15+ years of experience, he has held leadership and advisory roles in multilateral organizations.
Marisa Zalabak
SENIOR FELLOW, APPLIED AI
Marisa is an AI ethicist and educational psychologist focused on regenerative solutions and responsible technology for inclusion and sustainability. She is also the founder of Open Channel Culture serving global leadership teams.
Oabona Kgengwenyane
SENIOR FELLOW, POLICY
Oabona brings over 25 years of expertise in project and asset management, corporate governance, and strategic transformation across Southern Africa as the founder of Innolead Consulting and DigitalGae Technologies.
Jean Criss
SENIOR FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS
Jean is the Founder and CEO of Jean Criss Media, driving innovation at the intersection of media, fashion & tech with a diverse career spanning global leadership, sustainable and immersive fashion design, & digital media production.
Dr. Aurélie Jean
SENIOR FELLOW, APPLIED AI
Aurélie is a computational scientist, entrepreneur and author, specialized in algorithmic modeling. She is the Founder and CEO of In Silico Veritas and Visiting Research Fellow at Hult International Business School.
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Jamil Hasan
SENIOR FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS
Jamil is founder of Crypto Hipster Publications. Before entering the blockchain industry in 2017, he spent 17 years in the insurance and investments industry, where he created financial intelligence engines, most notably at American International Group (AIG).
Dr. Shruti Shankar Gaur
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Shruti is an inclusion leader with a PhD in Inclusive Education. She serves as the Program Manager at the Center of Excellence on Human-centered Global Economy, alongside Operations. She is also the Founder of Research & Innovation In Education.
Tarun Kishnani
ADVISOR
Tarun has over 10 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is passionate about helping banks and financial institutions transform, rationalize, modernize, and optimize their strategies and investments. He advises boards and CEOs.
Mat Yarger
FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY
Mat is the Founder & CEO of Demia, where he is dedicated to building solutions that help companies accelerate their sustainable impact. His work addresses critical issues of trust, transparency, and accountability in climate markets.
Olga Magnusson
SENIOR FELLOW, APPLIED AI
Olga is a leader in digital transformation and change, with a career spanning industries such as technology, telecommunications, and recruitment. She is currently a Senior Consultant at Marlink.
Mat Yarger
FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY
Mat is the Founder & CEO of Demia, where he is dedicated to building solutions that help companies accelerate their sustainable impact. His work addresses critical issues of trust, transparency, and accountability in climate markets.
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Alex Kontoleon
SENIOR FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY
Alex is the Chief Strategy Officer at Green Impact Exchange, where he leads efforts to design and implement strategies that drive sustainable impact. He has over 14 years of experience as a Global Learning Consultant at State Street.
Soheib Nunhuck
FELLOW, GOVERNANCE
Soheib is a Policy Manager in Digital Public Infrastructure at GSMA. Previously he was at the International Monetary Fund as a GovTech Specialist & has worked extensively with International Organizations, Central Banks, Ministries of Finance.
Yoshita Sharma
FELLOW, APPLIED AI
Yoshita is a Technical Program Manager at Microsoft with over 6 years of experience in web application development & storage infrastructure for cloud services. He holds aa Masters degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California
Mickaël Lafont
RENEWABLE ENERGY ADVISOR
Mickael has over 14 years of experience in energy & mobility with global deployments across 3 continents. Over the past 2 years, Mickael has focused on training the next generation of technical talent. He leads The Digital Economist's energy venture: ANER-G.
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Aanandita Gahlot
FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS
Aanandita is focused on FinTech, blockchain applications, and sustainable development. She holds a Masters in Economics from Dr.B.R. Ambedkar School of Economics University and Bengaluru and she previously interned at the Reserve Bank of India.
Dr. Chetana Naskar
FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY
Chetana is the Lead Coordinator at SHE Changes Climate and has she has worked extensively in child protection, human trafficking, & gender-based violence. She holds an M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Tristan Thoma
FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS
Tristan serves as Executive Managing Director of Impera Strategy focused on National Digital Currency systems aimed at fostering economic development and inclusion. He has a background in Organizational Psychology and Computer Science.
Ferdinand Bassonna
FELLOW, GOVERNANCE
Ferdinand is the Founder of GovRise, a non-profit in Togo dedicated to enhancing governance at all levels to help achieve the SDGs. He holds a Masters in Advanced Studies in European and International Governance from the University of Geneva,
Muhammad Mubasal
FELLOW, GOVERNANCE
Muhammad is co-founder of the 'The Society 5.0 Initiative', a think tank advocating for a human-centric approach in strategy, policy-making, innovation, and more. He currently serves as an Economic Analyst at the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association.
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Ambriel Pouncy
FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS
Ambriel is the Global Head of Web3 Luxury Partnerships and Innovation at Intertrust, and the Founder & Creative Director at Art Haus. Her core expertise in the fashion industry, having worked in the United States, Dubai, London, and Canada.
Justin Bérubé
FELLOW, APPLIED AI
Justin Bérubé is a Government Relations Consultant at Earnscliffe Strategies. He has previously served as an advisor to a federal cabinet minister in Canada. He holds a Masters in Public Policy in Digital Society from McMaster University.
Akande Emmanuel
FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY
Ayodele is a Research Fellow at Qatar Foundation - Hamad Bin Khalifa University, where his research spans agri-food security, sustainable development, and finance. He holds three Masters degrees from Italy, France and Qatar focused on economic policy.
Océane Desvigne
CONVENER & FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS
Océane is a recent graduate from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance). She is dedicated to integrating sustainability, collaboration, and technology for a brighter future.
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Mickie Chandra
SENIOR FELLOW, APPLIED AI
Mickie is the Technology Committee Chair at the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations (MCCPTA) with a decade of economics experience at the US federal level. She advocates for family empowerment through safe data practices.
Rajeeshwaran Moorthy
FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS
Rajeeshwaran serves as an Adjunct Professor at Hult International Business School and a Visiting Professor at ESCP Business School covering fintech, strategic foresight, emerging technologies, and the space economy.
Monti Kgengwenyane
FELLOW, APPLIED AI
Monti is the Founder and CEO of GreyEd, at the forefront of using AI to democratize quality education globally, offering personalized learning paths at an accessible cost. He is a graduate from University of Kent, in Economics and Econometrics.
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Najada Taci
FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY
Najada brings over a decade of expertise in financial planning, investment management, and risk mitigation. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Banking & Insurance Management. She holds a Global MBA from Bologna Business School.
Paul Murphy
FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS
Paul works at the intersection of Digital Technologies, Political Economy & Transparent Systems, expanding the applications of blockchain technologies to new use cases. He was previously a Research Affiliate at University of California, Berkeley.
Lamek Nyabuga
FELLOW, POLICY
Lamek is an Associate at Genesis Analytics Genesis Analytics, specializing in HIV prevention initiatives in South Sudan and Eswatini. As the lead for the South to South HIV Prevention Learning Network, covers 15 African countries.
Divya Beeram
INTERN, SUSTAINABILITY
Divya is a student at TMI Episcopal in San Antonio, Texas with a full-ride Alkek scholarship. She is a debate champion, and is currently conducting research with undergraduates at Yale College while leading a team of 6 at Yale Foreign Policy Initiative.
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Cora Rigg
INTERN, GOVERNANCE
Cora is a student at Mercy High School in Connecticut, with an interest at the intersection of public affairs and global economy. She has actively participated in economic research at MIT, collaborating with a PhD candidate from University of Chicago.