Alliance India 2025

Florent Kaiser is a global leader in ecosystem restoration and water security, dedicated to mobilizing a movement to heal the planet. As CEO of Global Forest Generation, he spearheads initiatives like Acción Andina, a 100-year mission to restore native high-mountain forests and secure water resources for millions of people across the Andes. Florent’s work integrates ancestral wisdom with modern tools, emphasizing collaboration with local communities and stakeholders to build resilient ecosystems. With over a decade of experience spanning more than 40 countries, he envisions a future where restoring Earth’s ecosystems becomes humanity’s shared purpose, ensuring water, biodiversity, and hope for generations to come.

International carear in finance for over 40 years. Worked for 14 years for JPMorgan and was later a partner at Oppenheimer and Co. In 99 he founded Rafter Investimentos an Investment Advisory Company he has been involved until recently. Currently a Partner and an active Advisory Board Member of Baret Scholars , a global gap year program and Advisory Board Member of Turim Investimentos

Hi I'm Shanti! I've grown up between Zambia/Kenya and the UK, which has shaped my understanding of how water scarcity and climate change manifest differently across communities. My upbringing fostered a sense of climate justice that drives my commitment to developing locally tailored environmental solutions that work on the ground. I am currently pursuing an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management at Oxford University, which is helping me develop the technical foundation needed to address global water challenges. Previous environmental research I have done is in Zambia, where I measured urban wastewater contamination, revealing how water quality directly impacts community wellbeing. In India I researched gemstone supply chains to improve transparency and move the industry towards more sustainable practices. I've helped climate-tech startups share their vision with the world. Through my work with the Conservative Environmental Network during COP21, I learned how to navigate the complex landscape of environmental policy.

Nafisa Barot has four decades of experience in building gender sensitive institutions working to empower rural marginalized communities. A champion of women's rights to water, and a global voice on gender justice and sustainable development, she passionately pushes aside all sorts of adversity to persevere day after day on the issues she holds dear to her heart. With a quest to take forward the implementation of a Block participatory planning excercise she had worked on at Ahmedabad Study Action Group (ASAG), she along with three other women co-founded Utthan in 1981. The desolate Bhal region of coastal Gujarat where she worked with marginalized communities to self-organise around critical livelihood issues and develop local leadership, provided Nafisa with her real learning. Today, Utthan has established its identity as an organization which has successfully demonstrated socio-technological alternatives that address the issues of the most marginalised. In June 2016, she stepped aside from being the Executive Director. She continues to be on the Board and formally mentors Utthan’s new leadership. This being a clear marker of her will and belief in ensuring leadership and institutional sustainability. Actively associated with the women’s and other people’s movements, she has influenced policies especially those around water and gender. With skills to work with a wide range of stakeholders, Nafisa has served on Government task forces of CAPART, NABARD, DWACRA, Planning Commission amongst a few. She is a founder member of several forums including Pravah and Working Group for Women & Land Ownership (WGWLO), Gujarat. She is on the Boards of India Wash Forum, Pravah, WGWLO, Development Support Centre, Mahiti and the Steering Committees of Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch (MAKAAM), Water Conflict Forum, SDG 6 National Committee formed by FANSA & Wada na Todo Abhiyan to collectively report on WASH. Nafisa is a recipient of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment’s T.N Khoshoo Memorial Award for exemplary work in conservation and sustainable development. She has published several articles on gender/water governance and community agency and been invited to speak at national and international forums. Her many interests include community mobilization, advocacy on human rights and theatre. She presently undertakes consultancy in the broad sector of water, gender and conflict transformation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Food and Nutrition from M.S. University, Baroda.

Earthling enamored with the beauty and complexity of our world.

Ernenek Duran is the Co-CEO of the One Drop Foundation, driving bold, systemic change to ensure sustainable access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene worldwide. A visionary leader and strategist, he spearheads high-impact programs, builds powerful multi-sector alliances, and contributes to the transformation of communities through innovative, scalable solutions. With an MBA in Corporate Social Responsibility and a passion for sustainable development, he also shares his expertise as a Global Visiting Professor at Tec de Monterrey and serves on the Board of Governors of the recently established Latin American Water Council.

Katie Weintraub is a Sustainable Development Professional with 10 years of experience in Latin America, specializing in social and environmental project management with a focus on gender and climate leadership, regenerative agriculture, and nature conservation. She is dedicated to integrating personal development and well-being into sustainability efforts, which she accomplishes through her work in bioregional ecosystem regeneration in Brazil and international gender advocacy. Katie holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard University in Government, with a secondary focus in Global Health and Health Policy. She also earned a Masters in Sustainable Development Practice, specializing in international and Brazilian public policy for forest conservation and food security. Currently, she serves as the Head of Partnerships at Sinal do Vale, a regenerative bio-hub in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro, and as the Brazil Lead for She Changes Climate, an international women's climate movement. Katie has extensive experience in consulting for fundraising, policy research, and project reporting. She is also a trained facilitator in the British Council's Active Citizens program, and she speaks Portuguese fluently and has intermediate proficiency in Spanish. Passionate about inclusion, diversity, and leadership development, Katie approaches her work with a holistic perspective that bridges the climate movement and global well-being.

Something in me decided to devote life to sharing songs and compositions and chanting and singing in sanskrit and English. Bringing an ancient system of beauty to the present time. Studied sanskrit at sch0ol in London since age 4, then at Oxford uni, and every year in india. This is the heart's call, pure and simple.

Adjunct Assistant Professor. (BU JD, CU PhD). Dr. Kittay specializes in teaching courses on Buddhism and on Eastern and Western philosophy, most recently, “Technology, Religion, Future,” “Interpreting Buddhist Yoga,” "Law and Religion," and "Reincarnation, Simulation, Resurrection." He is the translator of The Vajra Rosary Tantra (Wisdom Publications, forthcoming 2019), Alaṃkakalaśa’s word commentary on the Vajra Rosary Tantra, and, with Professor Lozang Jamspal, Pha Dampa Sangs rgyas's One Hundred Spiritual Instructions to the Dingri People (Ladakh Ratnashridipika Press, 2011), the Elucidation of the Intention Tantra, The Questions of the Four Goddesses Tantra and Tsong Khapa's commentary on it, The Vajra Intuition Compendium Tantra, with Tsong Khapa's commentary, and the Later Tantra (these being the first complete English translations of the Explanatory Tantras of the Guhyasamāja under the Noble Tradition, and (under a grant from 84000,Translating the Words of the Buddha) The Symphony of Dharma Sūtra, along with other publications about Buddhism, religion, and law. He regularly lectures at Tibet House US, where he serves on the Board, and at Do Ngak Kunphen Ling Tibetan Buddhist Center, at Columbia, and worldwide, and is the President of the Tibetan Classics Translators Guild of New York. He also writes and lectures on the subject of compassionate lawyering, and has served as a trial and civil rights lawyer, federal bankruptcy trustee and a receiver for the Securities Exchange Commission. He is currently Director and Professor of Philosophy at the Harlem Clemente Course for the Humanities, teaching humanities to economically disadvantaged people in Harlem. Dr. Kittay's current primary research interests are Buddhist philosophy and tantra, hermeneutic yoga, and consciousness studies.

Andy is the Co-founder of Wilder World, a decentralized 5D Metaverse built on Ethereum and Unreal Engine 5. Wilder World aims to create a fully community-owned, photorealistic Metaverse. He is also the Co-founder of one of Web3's coolest spatial fashion brands in Pet Liger. Before Wilder World, Andy held a diplomatic posting with the Australian Government in New York, securing major tech investment opportunities in the US, including regional headquarters for top tech companies. He also helped early-stage Australian startups raise capital and enter the US market. Earlier, Andy held a political appointment as Senior Adviser and Chief of Staff to the Minister for Innovation, Trade, and the Digital Economy, overseeing policy development dedicated to unlocking more venture capital for startups in Australia. He also held senior adviser roles in several Australian and US-listed companies over the past 15 years.

Controlling shareholder of Alupar Investimentos, a public company in the clean energy field with focus on the construction and operation of electricity transmission lines as well as power generation (hydro, wind and solar). Responsible for all projects in the third sector and the implementation of the ESG agenda in the company. Vice Chairman of the Board of Fundação Bienal de São Paulo.

Dr. V. Selvakumar is a social scientist with a PhD in Social Work and over nine years of experience in interdisciplinary research, impact evaluation, and project implementation. As the Lead for Knowledge Management at Utthan, he oversees documentation, analysis, and dissemination of organizational insights. His expertise spans climate change, socio-economic marginalization, and computational social sciences. He has contributed to national and international projects on biodiversity, climate resilience, and urban poverty. Proficient in research methodologies and data analytics, he has published in reputed journals and presented at global conferences. He is committed to evidence-based policy and inclusive development.

CEO and MD of Bulla Park. Deputy Chair of the Australian Mushroom Growers Association, Non-Executive Director of Rowing Australia and Australian Certified Organic, and Commission Member of World Rowing. Georgia began her career studying entrepreneurship at Babson College, Boston and RMIT, Melbourne. Shortly after finishing her University degrees, Georgia raised seed capital to found wine startup Lupé Wines in 2011. The company expanded quickly across Australia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China. In 2016 the company was acquired. Georgia is now CEO and owner of Bulla Park, Australia’s largest organic mushroom farm. She specialises in high-performance farming embracing the use of technology and innovation to achieve fast growth and scale in agriculture. Bulla Park has 100 employees over 2 farms in Australia and is focused on creating nutrient rich, clean food via environmentally clean agriculture practices. Georgia has spoken on global platforms such as the United Nations and G20 on topics within food security and sustainably. Georgia was awarded an International Nuffield Scholarship. Georgia was awarded Organic Female Farmer of the Year.

I am a journalist with a two decades of experience. I was the editor for CNN India for 15 years. I now run my own digital media company. I work with top brands to get them saliency and better business reach out with relevant stakeholders holders

Swami Chidananda is a spiritual educator and monk initiated in the Vedic Hari Bhakta Lineage, holding the distinguished title of Swami. Through the study of scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Swami has gained a deep understanding of the science of Yoga and has devoted his life to helping others on their inner journey. Before embarking on the spiritual path, he had a successful career in finance and as an entrepreneur. Now, he uses his experiences to convey the ancient Yoga systems in a relatable and accessible way for those seeking to reconcile Western and Eastern philosophies. Additional information about Swami can be found by exploring his social media page on Instagram, @swami_chidananda, or by listening to his podcast, 'The Path of a Swami.'

Pooja Bhati is a dedicated professional with over 13 years of experience in the social sector, focusing on addressing the water-related challenges faced by women. She plays a vital role in implementing projects at grass-root level that empower communities and promote sustainable water management. Pooja, a professional psychologist and an MBA in Human Resources is a skilled organizer, a talented photographer capturing stories of resilience, an avid traveler who draws inspiration from diverse cultures, and a passionate social advocate. Her multifaceted skills and unwavering commitment make her a significant voice in addressing gender equity, water security, and sustainable development challenges in marginalized communities.

Ty is a tech veteran with a 13 year career spanning Apple, Microsoft and Google. He excels at equipping philanthropic institutions with the knowledge and processes of how tech companies build products and operate their businesses. While at Google, Ty advised and built Al x Bioacoustics products for Rainforest Connection, NOAA, and nonprofit organizations. He started an open-source software and hardware project, Orcasound, which equips citizen scientists with machine learning tools track locations of killer whales, salmon and seals. Talk to Ty about how to change citizen behavior, real-time monitoring systems and water-secure futures.

Puneet’s background is in biosciences [Oxford], disruptive megatrends [Goldman Sachs], frontier tech [Google X], critical infrastructure [White House OSTP / NSC], human effects [Amazon], and anarchaeology [Lessing Limited]. She is Founder & CEO of Omission Studio - a complex systems design practice.

Maulik Sisodia is a development professional who has been leading Tarun Bharat Sangh since 2009. Sisodia has a keen interest in public-policies related to rivers and water resources and has expertise in program design and project management at the grassroots level with communities with the focus on design thinking. In addition, Sisodia has designed campaigns at national and international levels for causes related to water conservation and management. Sisodia completed his PGP in development management from SPJIMR, Mumbai, an MBA in agri-business from SIIB, Pune, and an MA in economics from the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur. He has been recognized as a prestigious LEAD India fellow and a New Voices fellow with the Aspen Institute, USA. His extensive knowledge and experience make him a valuable asset to the development sector, and his leadership at Tarun Bharat Sangh has helped bring positive change to communities across India.

Dr. Christine Elizabeth Bruckner is an architect actively implementing best practice, sustainability, and wellness in design. As a Director at M Moser Associates and past-President of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Hong Kong, she brings her experience with urban integration, revitalisation, and design excellence to guide the development of our built environment at all scales. Her focus is working with client and community stakeholders to encourage deep dive investigation, coordination and holistic life-cycle considerations. Notable projects span India, China, Singapore, Thailand, NA, with companies including Tencent, Dyson, Google, Citi, HSBC, and UBS. Christine leads M Moser’s global integrative sustainable and wellness design solution initiatives and is passionate that architectural solutions be: * Relentless in the design of spaces that heal, inspire, and empower. * Inclusive in the engagement of all stakeholders to create life-affirming, creativity-provoking, healthy places for people. * Responsible to create equitable, vibrant, safe communities that touch lightly on our shared planet.

Maximillian is a seasoned operator with over a decade of experience launching and expanding innovation-focused community ecosystems. In his work as an advisor, he champions a strategic growth philosophy grounded in value, diversity, belonging, and the fostering of collaborative culture – believing these are vital ingredients for transforming meaningful ideas into influential cultural movements. As a founder, he seeks to build sustainable and diverse ecosystems that inspire their members, unlock significant value, and propel innovation at every turn. Maximillian’s foundational commitment to cultivating sustainable business is alive in his growing investor portfolio, and invites the clear expression of skill, passion, and curiosity at every level of an organization.

My experience has centred around large landscape scale bioregional restoration in multiple contexts and countries, with a background in environmental engineering, learning that social process and cultural context and development is fundamental to ensure equitable and therefore sustainable and enduring ecosystem and societal wellbeing. These various outcomes have been achieved through leading, coaching and developing teams that serve community, enabling indigenous and agency collaborations often alongside kind and innovative philanthropy and government. I serve on a portfolio of Boards, such as indigenous and private farming partnerships, large scale indigenous led landscape restoration projects, commercial and government biotech investment and research entities as well as philanthropic and for-purpose trusts, progressing science, implementation and community development as we learn to live in ways that regenerate precious land, waters and ecosystems. I have previously worked in various leadership roles in central and local government as well as consulting and commercial entities.

With over 20 years of experience, Ryan specialized in shaping ventures at the intersection of culture, technology, and investment. As a seasoned entrepreneur and enterprise builder, he’s founded and scaled startup incubators, accelerators, and multidisciplinary venture ecosystems that deliver lasting impact. Known for turning complex challenges into actionable solutions, he excels in facilitating cross-disciplinary collaborations that build irresistible brands and unlock transformative potential. Ryan’s work operates at the nexus of popular culture, cutting-edge technology, and investment capital, driving iconic brand development and cultural leadership. From crafting world-building narratives to designing venture studios, he is dedicated to creating ecosystems that inspire innovation, amplify influence, and drive meaningful change. Ryan has a passion for understanding people and systems across a wide universe. He has a unique ability to find commonality and connection between otherwise disconnected parts.

"Francis Pedraza founded Invisible as a 28 year old in 2015, coming from a family that valued entrepreneurial spirit and hard work. It was this upbringing, where he was encouraged to read, that led him to first immerse himself in the Western classics and, following the failure of his first company, delve into the Eastern classics. This literary journey profoundly shaped his philosophical approach to business. The experience of his first company's failure fortified Francis for the initial challenging four years at Invisible, laying the groundwork for its subsequent four years of success: www.invisible.co Invisible is The Operations Innovation Company, running & automating business processes for the Fortune 100, and powering AI Training for all the leading Generative AI companies. With the company now scaling profitably, Francis has expanded his focus to include an Incubator called Infinity and a Venture Fund called Visionary Ventures, while returning excess capital to shareholders via buybacks, secondaries and someday - dividends. Pedraza's unique business philosophy, 'The Sovereignty Game,' underscores his contrarian approach to business strategy and can be explored in more detail at: www.visionary.vc"

Samuel Kern is an experience designer, creative director, and software engineer, as well as the founder of Experience House, a global gathering of leading experience designers and community builders hosted in extraordinary locations worldwide. A founding team member of Earth One, he now serves as Head of Operations and Lead Producer for this gathering. With a passion for blending technology and live experiences to foster deep human connection, Samuel is a global citizen who thrives at the intersection of design, community, and innovation. A classically trained musician and outdoor enthusiast, he recently made his DJ debut and is always in pursuit of better questions.

Arièl Saint White is an artist, entrepreneur, and strategic advisor for both startups and philanthropic ventures. Arièl supports regenerative communities, clean energy tech, female wellness, and environmentally friendly AI in the arts. She also supports nonprofit organizations such as Big Green and serves on the boards of the Buri Foundation and The Reefline, focusing on breakthrough PTSD treatments and coral reef restoration. Her art series, Love Saints, is collected internationally by leading luminaries and has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Ariel’s work has been featured in Entrepreneur, the Miami Herald, Forbes, Time Out, CBS, Yahoo Finance and more. She splits her time between Miami and Montana.

Sebastian is an entrepreneur and content strategist specializing in AI-driven platforms and social media content. Sebastian focuses on blending storytelling, data, and technology to create impactful content and business solutions.

I believe this ARC of human progress is emerging through AI, Robotics, and Crypto. These are the respective manifestations of the mind, body, and spirit which bring the golden age into existence. After proving my merit through various startups, the most potent path I could take was being there for my younger self by supporting other young people in this age of exponential change; thus, leading to the creation of a next-generation institution. Modeled after Thiel Fellowship and with Jim O'Neill's help, we directed our attention toward India and created the largest online hackathons, funding over 30 projects in a year in AI x Crypto. The missing piece was robotics, which, once launched, has pulled my mind fully into recognition of the importance of this foundational piece in the trajectory of humanity.

Zenia Tata is an innovation strategist, a trained futurist, and a humanitarian who is passionate about tapping the vastness of human potential to tackle the planet's most vexing problems. As an independent consultant, Zenia has been leading innovation projects and advising on sustainable impact initiatives for Kitty Hawk Ventures, MAKR Venture Fund, Pure Technologies, Breakthrough Victoria, a 2-billion-dollar impact investment fund for the Prime Minister’s Office of Australia; an affordable and sustainable housing design project for Emaar Properties through ExO Mesh; and sustainability related consulting projects globally for BCG. Zenia spent a decade as Chief Impact Officer at XPRIZE where she created a new prize development methodology and designed more than 25 different innovation challenges to incentivize development of moonshot technologies in areas such as hydrogen energy, carbon dioxide removal, zero-waste mining, alternate proteins, desalination, age-reversal, and water abundance. During this time, she trained as a futurist and launched XPRIZE’s future foresight practice, which produced deeply researched impact roadmaps that outlined the breakthroughs necessary to achieve preferred future states of housing, environmental conservation, human longevity, and global food systems. Her last large-scale effort at XPRIZE was the groundbreaking design of the $100 million Carbon Removal prize funded by Elon Musk that incentivized solutions for the capture and sequestration of atmospheric CO2. Before XPRIZE, Zenia served as Executive Director of International Development Enterprises (iDE) USA, a nonprofit company that creates market-based approaches to help impoverished farmers in 20 developing countries generate income. Working in post-disaster zones and some of the poorest villages, she honed an approach to poverty alleviation that begins with a deep understanding of the local context and market dynamics to create lasting impact. Her proudest achievement was iDE’s ability to lift 24 million farm families out of the cycle of poverty. Zenia's popularity as a public speaker reflects her talent for clear and inspiring communication around complex ideas. Her keynotes cover her methodology of creating audacious impact. This unique approach combines moonshot thinking with design principles drawing from biomimicry and science fiction. She is currently authoring a book on Audacious Impact, which is influenced by her 25 years of global field experience in implementing innovations to solve planetary-scale problems. Through her 25-year global career, Zenia has often been quoted as a breakthrough thinker and practical futurist in international technology publications like Wired magazine, and media outlets like the BBC. She is an experienced keynote speaker and facilitator who has created her own validated workshop methodology for foresight and breakthrough identification in sectors like energy, water, global food systems, waste, and human health and longevity. A sense of adventure and an explorer’s mindset runs through Zenia’s life and work. Growing up in Bombay she dreamt of becoming an astronaut before becoming one of the few women in the ‘80s to become a pilot. Her love of the outdoors and extreme sports are reflected in her bold innovation designs which are influenced as much bybiomimicry as they are by the confluence of exponential technologies. Zenia is bold, brimming with optimism, and determined to change the world.

Dean’s unique background as an entrepreneur, technologist, innovator, and business executive provides a strong foundation as he stewards Indigo Ag into this next critical phase of growth and profitability, to ultimately realize the full potential of the Indigo Ag platform for companies, farmers, and the planet. Dean has been an Indigo Ag Board Member since July 2022. He previously served as President and CEO at Tyson Foods where he was responsible for charting the long-term vision for the company including steering integration of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and development of alternative proteins throughout its operations. During his four-year tenure with the company, he also served on the Board and executive leadership team. He joined Tyson from the high-tech incubator at Alphabet, the company formerly known as Google [X], where he served on the leadership team and led moonshot projects across multiple industries including sustainable food (as co-founder of Tidal) and robotics (as co-founder of Intrinsic). Dean was previously managing partner of SEED Ventures, a group investing in and developing early stage healthcare technologies. He also has served as a consultant to Cleveland Clinic Innovations, SVP of Business Development and Strategic Marketing at OrthoHelix, co‐founder and CEO of Connective Orthopedics, and Vice President at Highland Capital Partners. He currently serves on the Boards of Vergent Bioscience (where he was a co-founder and founding CEO), Meatable, and on the Advisory Board of Shiru.

After leading the industry in AI training for the past few years, I'm currently working on projects to reimagine our relationship with technology and information, empowering people to engage with a collective intelligence rooted in growth, positivity, and purpose. Bloom is a response to the challenges of our time—a tool designed to shift us away from mindless consumption and toward individual and collective empowerment.

Graduated under business management worked a Citibank Philippines for 1 year

Warwick Saint is a globally recognized photographer having photographed some of the most iconic figures in the world from the Dalai Lama to LeBron James to Lady Gaga. He has now moved into the fine art world as a multi-disciplinary artist, fusing painting, photography and sculpture. My mission is to elevate the world through art and beauty.