Alex Norström is Spotify’s Co-President, Chief Business Officer. As Chief Business Officer, Alex oversees the subscriber and advertising businesses and all licensed, distributed, and owned content on the platform across music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Alex has responsibility for marketing, global markets, partnerships, licensing, payments, and customer service. Alex was previously Spotify’s Chief Freemium Business Officer and prior to that our Vice President of Growth and Vice President of Subscriptions. Prior to joining Spotify in 2011, Alex was Chief New Business Officer at King.com Ltd. He was a member of the board of directors of Circle from 2016 through December 2019. Alex holds a Master of Science in Business & Economics with a Major in Finance from the Stockholm School of Economics.

Alexander Gilkes is a British entrepreneur and investor based in California. He is the co-founder of Squared Circles, a venture studio partnered with L Catterton that builds science-backed consumer brands focused on extending human healthspan. Squared Circles has accelerated companies like Nutrafol (acquired by Unilever) and launched Magic Molecule (hypochlorous acid skincare), Freaks of Nature (biomimetic skincare with surfer Kelly Slater), and Algae Cooking Club (micro-algal cooking oil with Chef Daniel Humm). Upcoming launches include Swim Club (a male fertility brand), Picnic (a GLP-1 symptom management system), and a perimenopause management product. Previously, he co-founded Paddle8, the online auction house, created auction records for the likes of Warhol and Rothko, and began his career at LVMH. He is an investor in consumer brands such as Oura, Feastables, Goop Kitchen, Jolie Skin, and Magic Spoon. He has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative Entrepreneurs and serves as a Contributing Editor at British Vogue.

Andrew Ross Sorkin is an award-winning journalist for The New York Times and a co-anchor of CNBC’s Squawk Box. Sorkin is also the founder and editor at large of DealBook, a news site published by the Times. He is the author of the best-selling book Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System and Themselves, which chronicled the events of the 2008 financial crisis. Sorkin co-produced an HBO adaptation of the book, which was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards. He is also co-creator of Showtime’s drama series Billions. He has won numerous journalistic honors, including two Gerald Loeb Awards, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He started writing for the Times in 1995, while still in high school. On October 14, 2025, his new book, an eight-year long project, will be published: 1929: The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in History – And How it Shattered a Nation.

Annastasia is the CEO of Brilliant Minds Foundation.

Brilliant Minds was founded in 2015 by Spotify founder and CEO, Daniel Ek and today comprises an esteemed and established board consisting of the biggest business leaders and entrepreneurs across Europe. The Foundation has brought together the world’s most influential thought leaders including President Barack Obama, Eric Schmidt, co-founder of Snap Inc Evan Spiegel, activist and supermodel Naomi Campbell, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Alicia Keys, Malala, Kevin Durant.

Prior to her current role, Annastasia was the Group CEO of Quintessentially. The first female and millennial to hold the Group CEO role, Annastasia was responsible for the strategy and day-to-day operations of Quintessentially, the world’s leading luxury lifestyle group. Her remit involved leading a team of over 1,000 employees across 50 cities. Annastasia spearheaded Quintessentially’s global growth, navigated a hospitality business through the pandemic and led the group through a significant restructure. During her tenure annual revenues exceeded $100 million.

She has been profiled in publications such as Forbes, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg, The CEO Magazine and Harvard Business Review, amongst others and British GQ, listed Annastasia as one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in the UK. Profiled in Forbes as the ‘Queen of Luxury’ and an authority on international business, hospitality and luxury, Annastasia is a renowned figure on the speaker circuit and frequently asked to contribute at high profile events such as Web Summit and FT conferences.

Annastasia is also the chair for Kerzner Groups Innovation and Advisory council. Annastasia covers topics from luxury consumers, lifestyle trends, leadership and an overall macro view on the lifestyle and luxury sectors. Her speaking engagements span small internal management groups to 3,000+ people on the main stage at international conferences.

Darnell Strom is a Partner and Head of Culture & Commerce at premiere talent and entertainment company, UTA. Strom represents the most culturally influential talent and brands across entertainment, media, music, sports, fashion, art, entrepreneurship, politics, and thought leadership. He works with pioneers whose creative visions shape culture and recalibrate the ways we see the world. Strom works to expand his clients’ platforms across content, brand partnerships, technology, ventures, consumer products, and live events/experiences.

Prior to UTA, Darnell Strom was an Agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). At CAA, Strom developed relationships with clients and helped build their strategy for developing a vibrant platform across speaking, books, television, motion picture, technology, podcasts and digital. Strom’s clients included Dwyane Wade, Will Smith, Katy Perry, Trevor Noah, Vice President Joe Biden, and Gayle King. Strom also advised top global brands like Google, Nike, Salesforce, and Target on talent partnerships and marketing campaigns. Prior to this, Strom served as a strategic advisor to actors, writers, directors, music artists, athletes, executives and corporations on their philanthropic and pro-social initiatives at the CAA Foundation.

Strom is currently an Independent Director on the board of Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN). Strom also serves on the Advisory Board of the Venture Capital firm Nordstar. He has previously been a member of President Obama’s White House Entertainment Council, GQ Magazine’s Gentlemen’s Fund Advisory Committee, and the Paley Center’s Media Council.

Joanna Grant is the founder of PageGeek, an initiative that encourages children and teenagers to read books by creating mock storyboards of classic and contemporary characters. She will be interning with The Knot this summer, specializing in marketing for their social media and editorial teams, and is a former intern for Upworthy where she focused on identifying and spreading good news. Joanna is a rising high school senior, co-head editor of her school newspaper, secretary and first-place champion of the business competition club DECA, and vice president of the local chapter of her youth group.

Judith Wolst is a tech advisor, angel investor, author, and podcaster operating at the intersection of technology and sustainability. With relentless drive, she advocates for harnessing the power of technology – to support the green transition, empower individuals, and benefit society at large – while also helping us navigate the risks that come with it.

Kristina O’Neill is head of Sotheby’s Media and editor in chief of Sotheby’s Magazine. Previously, she served as editor in chief of WSJ. Magazine, executive editor at Harper’s Bazaar, and worked at New York magazine and Time Out New York. 

Beyond publishing, she is on the board of TOTEME, serves as a City Meals ambassador, and is co-authoring the forthcoming book All the Cool Girls Get Fired with Laura Brown, which will be released on October 14, 2025, from Gallery Books.

A graduate of the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University, O’Neill serves on the Gallatin Alumni Council. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.

Lionel Barber is an author, broadcaster, consultant and former editor of The Financial Times (2005-2020). His latest book is Gambling Man, a biography of Masayoshi Son, the founder and CEO of SoftBank.

At the FT, he led the digital transformation of the newspaper, winning multiple awards for its journalism. He also interviewed many world leaders including Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Narendra Modi. 

During his editorship, Lionel served as a trustee and latterly as chairman of the Tate (2011-2021) and as a trustee of the Carnegie Corporation of New York (2014-23). 

In his current roles, he is a senior adviser to Allen & Co in New York and a member of the international advisory board of Chubb, the global insurance company, and a member of the Global Council of the I-House,Asia Pacific Initiative in Tokyo. 

He is co-host of Media Confidential, along with former editor of the Guardian Alan Rusbridger, now editor of Prospect magazine. He also serves as chairman of the Wincott foundation and a trustee of the Marjorie Dean Foundation, each promoting quality business and financial journalism in the UK. .  

Lionel is the recipient of the Legion d’Honneur and the Stella d’Italia in recognition of his lifetime achievements in journalism.

As an organizational psychologist, Adam Grant rethinks how we work and live. He has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for seven straight years, and his research has inspired people to question assumptions about leadership, success, character, culture, and change. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of six books that have sold millions of copies, most recently Think Again and Hidden Potential. His TED talks have over 35 million views, and his podcasts WorkLife and Re:Thinking have more than 90 million downloads. Adam has been recognized as the world’s #2 most influential management thinker and in Fortune’s 40 Under 40. He has advised leaders at Google, Pixar, the NBA, and the Gates Foundation; served on the Defense Innovation Board at the Pentagon; and received awards from the American Psychological Association and the National Science Foundation. His viral NYT op-ed on languishing was the most-saved article of 2021, and he shares new insights in his Substack newsletter, Granted. Adam received his B.A. from Harvard and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and he is a former magician and Junior Olympic springboard diver.