Alexis Ohanian
Alexis Ohanian is a tech founder and venture capitalist. He is the Co-Founder and former Executive Chairman of Reddit, one of the largest websites in the U.S. currently valued at more than $40B+. In 2020, he founded Seven Seven Six, a new firm built like a technology company that deploys venture capital with over $1.2B in assets under management. He is the founding control owner of Angel City Football Club and Los Angeles Golf Club, and the founder of ATHLOS. Alexis is also an investor in Chelsea FC Women, winner of six consecutive WSL titles. In 2022, he launched the 776 Foundation to support marginalized individuals and announced a $20M commitment to climate action through his new 776 Fellowship Program. He’s written a national bestselling book, Without Their Permission, and also created the Business Dad Podcast to interview fathers about what it means to be a dad in today’s world balancing family and career.
Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek is a spark that ignites passion and ideas. He envisions a world where most people wake up inspired. They feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work they do. As an unshakeable optimist, he believes we can build this world together. Trained as an ethnographer, he studies people and organizations that create lasting impact. Over time, he has discovered patterns in how they think, act, and communicate. He also explores the environments where people perform at their natural best.
He is widely known for his TED Talk on the concept of “WHY,” which has been viewed over 60 million times. His video on millennials in the workplace reached 80 million views in its first week and has since been seen hundreds of millions of times. He shares his ideas through bestselling books such as Start with WHY, Leaders Eat Last, and The Infinite Game, as well as his podcast A Bit of Optimism. He is the founder of The Optimism Company. He works with leaders across many industries, including the US Armed Forces and the RAND Corporation. He also founded The Curve to support more fair and dignified policing.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is a two-time Academy Award–winning filmmaker whose work uses storytelling as a catalyst for real-world change, shaping global discourse while driving legislative impact. Working across more than 16 countries over the past two decades, she has developed a distinct cinematic language rooted in access, urgency and emotional precision, one she brought to her narrative debut on Marvel’s Ms. Marvel, with episodes named among The New York Times’ best of the year.
A multiple Emmy Award–winning filmmaker named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, she has increasingly turned her focus toward building creative ecosystems. Her work now spans a film fund dedicated to women, an artist residency in the Himalayas, and an AI-driven film lab exploring new modes of storytelling, alongside a forthcoming publication that examines South Asia’s food heritage as a lens into culture, memory, and identity.
She is currently developing Brilliance alongside Academy Award winners Will Smith and Akiva Goldsman.
Kristina O’Neill
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-author of the 2025 bestselling book All the Cool Girls Get Fired with Laura Brown. She also co-hosts the podcast All the Cool Girls.
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.
Jay Shetty
Jay Shetty is a global bestselling author, award-winning host of On Purpose, Chief Purpose Officer of Calm, purpose-driven entrepreneur, and former monk who has made a lasting impact on audiences worldwide. With over 65 million followers and more than 700 million monthly views across platforms, he is known for making purpose and ancient wisdom practical, relatable, and accessible. His podcast has surpassed 1 billion listens to date and features guests including Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Emma Watson, Joe Biden, Selena Gomez, Kendall Jenner, Kevin Hart, Will Smith, Lewis Hamilton, Tom Holland, Kim Kardashian, Kobe Bryant, Tom Hanks, alongside experts like Mel Robbins, Joe Dispenza, Stephan Speaks, Scott Galloway, Bryan Johnson, and Andrew Huberman. His books, Think Like a Monk and 8 Rules of Love, have topped global bestseller lists and continue to inspire audiences around the world.
Gayle King
Gayle King is an accomplished journalist who interviews top newsmakers, including presidents, celebrities, and global leaders. As a co-host on CBS MORNINGS, she delivers original reporting to all CBS News broadcasts and platforms. She also serves as Editor-at-Large of Oprah Daily where she hosts a monthly video series called, “The World According to Gayle.”
King’s work has earned her multiple Emmys and prestigious accolades, including the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. In 2018, she was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, and in 2019, Time magazine selected King for the TIME 100, the annual list of the hundred most influential people in the world.
She currently resides in New York City
Darnell Strom
Darnell Strom is a Partner and Head of Europe at United Talent Agency (UTA), one of the world’s leading global talent and entertainment companies. Based in London, he leads UTA’s rapidly growing European business, overseeing its operations in the U.K. and spearheading the agency’s expansion across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Strom is driving the company’s ambition to establish London as a major international hub. In addition to this role, Strom represents some of the most influential talent and brands across entertainment, media, music, sports, fashion, art, and thought leadership.
Before joining UTA, Strom was an agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where he represented some of the most influential figures in culture, including Dwyane Wade, Will Smith, Katy Perry, Trevor Noah, Vice President Joe Biden, and Gayle King. In addition to his client work, he advised Fortune 500 companies such as Google, Nike, Salesforce, and Target on talent strategy and brand partnerships. Earlier in his career, he worked at the CAA Foundation, where he guided artists, athletes, and executives in aligning their platforms with philanthropic and social impact initiatives.
Beyond his role at UTA, Strom serves as an Independent Director on the Board of Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) and is a member of the Advisory Board at venture capital firm Nordstar. He has previously been appointed to President Obama’s White House Entertainment Council, GQ’s Gentlemen’s Fund Advisory Committee, and the Paley Center Media Council.
Annastasia Seebohm
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.
Andrew Ross Sorkin
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.
Sorkin is the author of “1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History–and How It Shattered a Nation”, which was an instant New York Times bestseller and was named a BEST BOOK OF 2025 by TIME, The Economist, The Financial Times and Bloomberg. “It is one of the best narrative histories I’ve read,” The Wall Street Journal book review wrote. The Financial Times described it as “a work of true scholarship.”
He is also 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.
Amy Griffin
Amy Griffin is the Founder and Managing Partner of G9 Ventures, a private fund that invests in generation-defining brands. G9 has partnered with over 60 companies, including Bobbie, Bumble, Evvy, Kitsch, Midi Health, On Running, Oura, Saie, and Spanx. Amy is an enthusiastic champion of women with ~70% of G9’s portfolio companies being female founded or led. She is known for her ability to help build brands by fostering community, creating authentic connections, and solving problems. She serves on the Board of Directors of Bumble, Spanx, and Gagosian and is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Advisory Board of the One Love Foundation. Amy’s memoir, The Tell, which explores the transformative power of sharing one’s story, became an instant New York Times bestseller and was selected as an Oprah Book Club pick.