Lauren Young, the Wonder Woman of Finance, develops personal finance and manages the World at Work Sustainability coverage on Reuters.com. Lauren has helped Reuters land sponsored sections, including Life Lessons, ETFs, and 48 Hours and Retirement. Lauren co-chaired the Women’s Initiative for Networking and Success (WINS) at McGraw-Hill’s corporate headquarters, organizing more than a dozen networking and career development events. Under her leadership, membership at the company’s 1221 Ave. of the Americas WINS chapter grew by more than 50%. Follow Lauren – Linkedin or Twitter.

Satya S. Tripathi is UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of New York Office at UN Environment.

A development economist and lawyer with over 35 years of varied experience, Mr. Tripathi has served with the UN since 1998 in key positions in Europe, Asia and Africa in the areas of Climate Change, Human Rights, Democratic Governance and Legal Affairs.

He was Chair of the Committees on Laws, Treaties and Administrative matters for the UN-mediated Cyprus unification talks in 2004; UN Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias where he facilitated international cooperation and funding of over US$ 7 billion for post-tsunami and post-conflict recovery efforts in support of the Indonesian government and affected populations; and Executive Head of UNORCID, a UN System Office of 10 UN Agencies established by the UN Secretary General in 2011 to facilitate the implementation of a US$ 1 Billion REDD+ partnership between Indonesia, Norway and other stakeholders on climate change mitigation and adaptation through the conservation of forests and preservation of peat-land and bio-diversity. Mr. Tripathi was instrumental in establishing the Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility (TLFF) in Indonesia in 2016 and the Sustainable India Finance Facility (SIFF) in 2017 to leverage ‘private finance for public good’ at mega-scale to achieve transformative social and environmental impact in developing countries. He continues to serve on the boards of these institutions.

Mr. Tripathi is a Senior Distinguished Fellow on Natural Resources Governance at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and serves on the Advisory Council of the Natural Capital Declaration (NCD). He previously served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Advisory Council on Forests; and in India as a member of its national civil service.

Beckles has practiced as an attorney since 1988,[1] attached to the Chambers of Theodore R Guerra and Associates.[4]

Beckles was appointed an opposition Senator for the People’s National Movement (PNM) in 1995. She was then elected to the House of Representatives representing the Arima constituency in 2000, serving until 2010.[4] She was appointed Minister for Social Development in 2001, Minister for Culture and Tourism in 2002, and Minister for Public Utilities and the Environment in 2003.
Beckles was Trinidad and Tobago’s first female Deputy Speaker of the Parliament from 2007 until 2010 and served as Leader of Opposition Business from 2010 until 2013. In November 2012, she was elected lady vice-chair of the PNM,[2] but she was dropped from the senate by party leader Keith Rowley in December 2013.[5][6] In May 2014, she unsuccessfully challenged Rowley for the leadership of the party.[ On February 4, 2015, she was rejected in her bid to represent the PNM for the constituency of Arima in the 2015 general election.

Beckles was appointed Trinidad and Tobago’s Permanent Representative to the UN by Prime Minister Rowley in August 2016. In January 2019 Beckles was voted in by the Secretary General of the United Nations to be the Chairwoman of UN Women.

Ben Davey is CEO of Barclays UK Ventures, a recently formed business unit within Barclays UK which has a mandate to drive growth by identifying, incubating and growing transformational and innovative new business lines. Ben joined Barclays in 2010 as Co-Head of the Financial Institutions Group EMEA in the Investment Bank, becoming sole head in 2014. He became Chief Strategy Officer for the Investment Bank in 2015, responsible for the development and execution globally of the Investment Bank’s strategy, as well as becoming a member of the Investment Bank Executive Committee. He was appointed Group Head of Strategy in 2016 with responsibility for the development of Barclays’ commercial and cost strategy and sat on the Group COO Executive and Group Finance Management Committees.

Prior to joining Barclays, Ben was Co-Head of UK FIG at Rothschild. Prior to joining Rothschild, Ben practiced as a Chancery Barrister for six years specializing in banking, trust, company and insolvency law.

In 2007, AKIRA ARMSTRONG debuted as a principal dancer in two of Beyonce’s music videos: “Greenlight” and “Get Me Bodied”.Due to the bias faced by plus-size dancers, Akira formed Pretty BIG Movement in the spring of 2008. Her talents encompass more than just dance. In 2011 Akira worked with hip hop legends “Salt-n-Pepa” as their personal makeup artist and has traveled alongside them to countries such as Dubai and Australia. Initially, after realizing a need in the community, Akira began conducting workshops that were primarily based on appearance enhancement. Today, Pretty BIG Movement is the 1st plus size dance company.

In 2015, Pretty BIG Movement was featured in a video entitled “Personally”. This video was an homage to all of the black men and women who were victims of police brutality and a tribute to the “Black Lives Matter” movement. In February 2017 The Scene interviewed Akira and the members of Pretty BIG Movement, the video went viral and over 21.5 million viewers became aware of Pretty BIG Movement and Akira’s desire to enhance one’s outlook on their personal appearance.

She began her intensive dance, drama, and vocal training at age 8 years old while attending Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center, in the Bronx, New York.  Akira was hand-picked to participate in a high-level merit program. Akira is also a former student of the Alvin Ailey school and has always possessed many talents as she performed all over New York City, as she perfected her craft of dance.

Following her graduation from professional performing arts high school, Ms. Armstrong studied at Syracuse University, where she received her B. A. in Public Relations/Education.  She has performed with the Jubilation Dance Company, the Bernice Johnson Dance Company, and the Ladies of Hip Hop at Cosmo theater in Vienna, Austria. Dance has also led her to perform on the stage of the world-famous Apollo theater.

Hannah Stocking is a multi-talented writer, director, and actress who brings her unique comedy to millions of viewers around the world. With a background in chemistry and biology, Stocking breaks down interesting and relevant topics in easily accessible ways. She has created two original series built around the concept of blending science with comedy: “The Science of Beauty” and “Science Party with Hannah Stocking,” the latter which is a product of a partnership with ATTN. Stocking has found ways to bring her talents to the world of music as well. She starred in the videos for Blink-182’s “She’s Out of Her Mind” in 2016 and the vertical video for Lele Pons’ smash hit “Celoso.” She also created the official lyric videos for “Celoso” and “Hard 2 Face Reality” by Poo Bear featuring Justin Bieber and Jay Electronica. Stocking’s talent has allowed her to also cross over to traditional media. She joined E! News for their coverage of the 2017 Grammy Awards and presented an award at MTV MiAws. She made her big screen debut, playing Anna in Tyler Perry’s no. 1 movie Boo 2! A Madea Halloween. She has landed features from PAPER Magazine, GQ Thailand, and others. Stocking’s talents and abilities make her a truly one-of-a-kind creator.

Missy Elliot is one of the most iconic figures in music history and has collaborated with other renowned artists such as Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, and many more. She’s been in the music industry for thirty years directing the global soundscape, visually reinventing herself, and redefining pop music. Her diverse career led her to new creative territory regarding songwriting, rapping, singing, and producing.

Although Elliot has received multiple awards in honor of her music, one of her all-time hits, “Work It,” won three ASCAP Awards, a Billboard award for Hottest Rap Track, a Grammy for Best Female Rap Solo Performance, an International Dance Music Award, two MTV VMA’s, an NAACP Award, a Soul Train award, a Soul Train Lady of Soul award, and a Vibe Award. She has also assisted with vocals, production, and the songwriting process for other artists during her career such as Mary J. Blige and Aaliyah. In May 2019, Elliot received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music and was then admitted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in June. She has inspired generations with her stunning creativity and boldness through her plethora of projects and continues to impress today.

Anna Skaya is the Founder and CEO of BasePaws, founded in February 2017, a provider of low-cost pet genomic products and services. Anna was the founder and former CEO of visual DNA as well as Groupon Russia.

Jenny Abramson is the Founder & Managing Partner of Rethink Impact, sitting on the boards of Ellevest, FutureFuel.io, Winnie, Sempre Health and as a board observer for Neurotrack. Previously, Jenny served as CEO of LiveSafe, a tech security company focused on preventing school shootings and sexual assaults. She also held leadership roles at The Washington Post, Personal (a data tech company), The Boston Consulting Group, D.C. Public Schools, and Teach for America.

Jenny is a board member of the NFL Players, Inc. and DC Prep. She is also an active member of All Raise, co-leading their data efforts. Finally, she is an Advisory Board member of the Camden Partners Nexus Fund (an early stage health focused VC fund).

Jenny has been covered in Forbes, on CNN, in The New York Times, and in The Washington Post, interviewed on Squawk Box, featured at the Code Conference, at the United Nations, at the G7, and on Capitol Hill, and was named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Powerful Women and a DC Tech Titan. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees with honors from Stanford University, an MBA with honors and the Dean’s Award from Harvard Business School (where she also served on the Investment Committee for Shareholder Responsibility for Harvard University) and was a Fulbright Scholar at The London School of Economics.

GLAMGLOW was launched a little over 3 years ago by Shannon Dellimore on her coffee table at home, and has been featured in Forbes “Rise of an Empire” & other global media. GLAMGLOW ended 2013 at $106M in global retail sales with mainly 2 products.

GLAMGLOW is retailed in 84 countries & represented by some of the same distributors as Chanel, Hermes, La Prairie etc. Global prime retailers include Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Douglas, Harrods, Selfridges, Mecca, Space.NK, Joyce/Lane Crawford, Kicks, M&S Beauty, Dillard’s, Fred Segal, Bliss, Kitson, Duty Free Stores, Airlines In-Flight Travel Retail, Cruise Ships & is retailed in over 6,000 stores globally.

In Jan 2013 GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD launched & became the No.1 selling skincare product of all time in Sephora history for HOT NOW, was ranked the No.1 selling skincare product of the year for Sephora in 2013 & is the No.1 selling skincare product for 2014 year to date for Sephora. In it’s first 30 days of launch GLAMGLOW reached the No.1 in skincare for Sephora China, No.3 in Sephora France & is currently No.1 in M&S Beauty UK.

GLAMGLOW is Winner of the 2014 ELLE International Beauty Award in 44 countries for ‘World’s Best Mask’, is current Winner of the Marie Claire Beauty Awards, Cosmopolitan Beauty Awards, teen Vogue Beauty Awards, CEW Beauty Awards, Neiman Marcus Beauty Awards, NewBeauty Beauty Awards, Sephora China Beauty Awards.

Created for all skin types, all ages, men & women, designed to deliver targeted powerful Quick-Fix mud delivery treatments originally for professional back stage use by the World’s Most Notable Talent in the Entertainment, Music, Fashion & Award industries including, Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Disney, WB & DreamWorks.

Dottie Herman is the quintessential American success story. She exemplifies the qualities of a great leader, mentor, and role model. After attending Adelphi University, Dottie began her real estate career in 1978 working as a broker for Merrill Lynch on Long Island. In 1989, Merrill Lynch sold their real estate division to Prudential, where Dottie stayed on as one of their leading brokers. With the change in ownership, Dottie was convinced she could run the company herself, so in 1990 she borrowed $7 million dollars from Prudential to purchase Prudential Long Island Realty. Despite being told she would never succeed, she turned the company into the powerhouse brokerage on Long Island and then in the Hamptons. Ready to conquer the Manhattan market, in 2003, Herman and her business partner Howard Lorber purchased Douglas Elliman, Manhattan’s largest and most prestigious brokerage firm. Since then, Douglas Elliman has become the largest and fastest-growing real estate residential brokerage in New York and Dottie the most successful woman in real estate.

Dawn W. Dickson is CEO of PopCom, an automated retail company that uses facial recognition, A.I, and blockchain technology to help retailers collect valuable customer insights. The first CRM, data, and analytics software provider for unattended retail, PopCom has developed technology to make kiosks and vending machines intelligent through data and analytics at the point of purchase. As a serial entrepreneur with over 16 years of experience in marketing and business development, Dawn launched four successful cash flow positive companies since 2002. Her most recent ventures include Flat Out of Heels (rollable flats for women to get relief from painful heels), and PopCom, after identifying a need to make vending machines more intelligent.

Gale Wilkinson founded IrishAngels in 2012 and VitalizeVC in 2017. Gale loves helping entrepreneurs take their startups to the next level. She believes in backing founders who have a big vision and a clear plan on how to execute that vision. Gale developed an early stage financing course that she taught for five years at Notre Dame, and she shares a lot of these insights in our VIA for Founders series. Her previous work experience includes forecasting and consulting for new product launches with Nielsen and corporate strategy with Orbitz. She received a BBA with honors from Notre Dame and an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She was a founding Board member of the C200 Scholars Network, and she is currently a founding Board member of Chicago Blend, an organization focused on increasing diversity in Chicago VC and startups. Gale is a Kauffman Fellow in Class 23 and lives in Chicago with her husband Matt and very lovable yellow lab Samson.

Judith Heumann is an internationally recognized leader in the disability community and a lifelong civil rights advocate for disadvantaged people. She has been building an online presence under “The Heumann Perspective” through social media platforms to broaden and spur discussions on the intersectionality of disability rights.

Corporate attorney turned fashion tech and sustainability entrepreneur, Stephanie is the Co-Founder of Queen of Raw, a marketplace to buy and sell unused textiles, keeping them out of landfills and turning pollution into profit. Prior to starting Queen of Raw, Stephanie worked as a lawyer in the fashion, media/entertainment, start-up, and technology industries and co-founded a sustainable textile manufacturing facility. An advocate for women in business and sustainability, her companies have been featured in NPR, Good Morning America, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, WWD, ELLE, Cheddar, Parade, WCBS, United Nations, Fortune, Entrepreneur, WIRED, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Fast Company. Stephanie is a NASA/NIKE/IKEA/DELL LAUNCH.org Innovator, a Grand Prize WeWork Creator Awards Winner presented by Ashton Kutcher, a Cartier Women’s Initiative Laureate, an MIT – Solve Global Challenge Winner, a Climate Change Finalist in Mohammed bin Rashid Initiative for Global Prosperity, a Finalist for The Elevate Prize, a thredUP Circular Fashion Fund Recipient, and an LVMH Innovation Award Finalist. She is a Member of Pledge 1% and New York Circular City Initiative and Founding Member of Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, along with Aveda, Kering, and Stella McCartney.

Ita’s mission is to engage, educate, and elevate the next generation of successful women business leaders and investors. As the Founder & CEO of Tigress Ventures, an advisory and consulting firm she started in 2014, Ita tapped her considerable network to bring together visionary entrepreneurs with seasoned pro’s to help women scale their businesses and hone their leadership skills. Tigress Ventures hosted a monthly speakers series featuring thought leaders and industry experts, and provided private consultations with individual clients. She is also a partner at Gingerbread Capital.

Ita also served as Venture Partner at Plum Alley Investments, where she oversaw investment opportunities and pipeline for high-growth female-founded and gender-diverse startups. Previously, Ita held product management roles at TravelClick and American Express. She began her career at Goldman Sachs as an analyst in Credit Capital Markets and then as an institutional trader of preferred stock.

Ita holds an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with a certificate in Finance, from Princeton University.

Tabitha Salomon is the CEO and Founder of Dash Camp, an interactive online service that connects kids ages 3 to 11 with a vibrant world of creativity, movement, education, and community for two hours each day. Tabitha received a B.A. from the University of North Florida, and received an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Janki Lalani Gandhi is a managing director in Goldman Sachs’ Cross Markets Group (CMG), the firm’s middle market offering. Formed in 2019, the group allows Goldman Sachs to more effectively deliver their best-in-class platform to companies that are crucial contributors to local economies and communities. Within CMG, Gandhi is primarily focused on beauty and personal care, and also apparel and accessories.

Gandhi has been involved in the middle market consumer sector for over 15 years now. She has established herself through a number of notable transactions not only within the past year, but also throughout her prolific career in investment banking. Select deals from 2019 include: helping advise KJUS Management / Winona Capital (founder and private equity-owned) in the sale of KJUS to Acushnet; and advising Alex Apparel (private equity-owned, Atlantic Street Capital) in its sale to Versa. Gandhi also sits on the Los Angeles Women’s Entrepreneurship Day committee.

Kathy Hochul is the 77th Lieutenant Governor of New York. A lifelong New Yorker, she was born and raised in a blue-collar Irish Catholic family in Buffalo that instilled a deep passion for public service and activism. She continued that fighting spirit as a student organizer, as a young attorney and aide to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and then as a member of her Town Board, Erie County Clerk, and as a Member of Congress.

After the Tea Party wave in 2011, Kathy entered a special election in the most Republican congressional district in the state, and against all odds, won as a proud Democrat. Her election, and later – her victory, was viewed as a national referendum on Paul Ryan’s agenda to bankrupt Social Security and Medicare. Despite risking her reelection, Kathy always fought to protect the Affordable Care Act, a woman’s right to choose, and the rights of our LGBTQ community.

In Congress, Kathy proudly received the endorsement of various women’s groups like EMILY’s List and was often targeted by Conservative media for her defense of the contraception mandate under Obamacare. Kathy was also endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign and has been a lifelong champion for the LGBTQ community and the fight for equality.

Kathy maintained true to her labor roots and consistently voted to support the working men and women of America. She was a frequent critic of tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires and called for tax cuts for low and middle-income earners.