Global Partnership Summit
Hosted at the Nasdaq
Summit Background:
The 17 UN SDGs can not be achieved without goal number 17, partnerships. Partnerships serve as the catalyst to achieve Global Goals 1-16, uniting people together to create new ideas. At Ideagen, partnerships are utilized through cross-sector collaboration, and an understanding that the only way to achieve the Global Goals is as a collective.
Summit Mission:
We aim to foster new partnerships and clearly define the impact and power they hold. Inspired by the experiences of our summit's speakers, our goal is to share their stories and expand the reach of their mission. By harnessing the insights of industry leaders, we promote the formation and utilization of effective partnerships to achieve the UN SDGs.
Select a Speaker to view their Video!
BJ Moore, Gretchen O'Hara, and Grace Clack
How do partnership's drive sustainable change and empower organizations? Gretchen O'Hara, Grace Clack, and BJ Moore are leading the way to foster cross-sector collaboration to promote sustainable outcomes for Splunk, Microsoft, and Providence Health. Joined by a shared ethos at Microsoft, Gretchen, Grace, and BJ discuss the value of connecting the companies values to your own, and uniting teams to harness strength through teamwork.
Adriane Thorpe, Esteban Olivares, & Peggy Pelonis
Joined by Summer Discovery CEO Adriane Thorpe, Dean of Academics Esteban Olivares, and President of ACS Schools Peggy Pelonis, George Sifakis sits down to discuss the value of the UN SDGs in education and how partnerships enhance the capabilities of schools, educators, and students. Derived from years of experience, Esteban, Adriane, and Peggy reflect on how leaders today from the public and private sectors alike can uplift students today to create a more sustainable future for all.
Howard Wright, Amazon Web Services
Howard Wright, Global VP of Startups sits down with Ideagen CEO George Sifakis to discuss his mission of finding the most innovative, captivating start ups across the world, to drive global change. As a powerful ally, AWS is a valuable partner that helps enable thousands of startups to promote the shared ethos of the Global Goals. Learn how Howard's personal background has shaped him into the global leader today overseeing some of the world's most innovative companies.
Sharon Price-John, Build-A-Bear
Sharon Price-John, CEO of Build-A-Bear & Board member of Ideagen, sits down with George Sifakis to discuss her newest book, "Stories and Heart: Unlocking the Power of Personal Stories to Create a Life You Love." Hear how Sharon has taken the lessons learned in her life to form her into the leader she is today. Sharon asserts her belief in the power of partnerships and that to achieve the SDGs, we must all make an impact, large or small.
Margot Copeland, AARP
Margot Copeland, board member at AARP, discusses AARP's initiatives and impacts centered around UN SDG #3, Good Health and Well-Being.
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit/nonpartisan organization established to empower Americans over the age of 50 to live happy, healthy, fulfilling lives. Today, Americans are living and working longer, and AARP is dedicated to supporting the American population to "Disrupt Aging."
Listen to Margot discuss the successes and challenges facing AARP and how partnerships help empower their initiatives in this featured interview.
Tess Mateo, Dr. Mariana Bozesan, & Björn Ostë
Moderated by Tess Mateo, Dr. Mariana Bozesan, and Björn Ostë, discuss the challenges facing young entrepreneurs today and how we can uplift youth to be the next generation of prosperous entrepreneurs. Successful Entrepreneurs in their own right, Mariana and Björn know what it takes to run a successful business. While we have fallen behind in achieving the SDGs by 2030, Mariana and Björn believe that by enabling equal opportunity for all entrepreneurs, we can accelerate the achievement of The Global Goals.
Tess Mateo
Founder & Managing Director, CxCatalyst
Candace Johnson, Seraphim Space
Candace Johnson, founder of SES Astra, Europe's first private satellite operator, has always been at the forefront of space technology. Founded in 1985, SES Astra was the first private satellite operator to cover the entire European continent, enabling direct satellite television across Europe. A staunch defender of maintaining satellite access for all programs, Candace defended the freedom of SES Astra in the face of buyouts and hostile takeovers from some of the most influential individuals in the world. Now, Candace focuses her time supporting initiatives that promote opportunities for women and underrepresented communities to create sustainable solutions on land and in space.
Randy Kurtz, Opportunity International
Randy Kurtz, Executive VP at Opportunity International, has a conversation with Ideagen CEO George Sifakis, outlining the work Opportunity International is doing across the world to achieve reduced inequalities. Opportunity International, founded in 1971, is an NGO dedicated to uplifting underserved individuals and communities out of poverty through impact investing. Randy highlights the four key sectors where Impact Investing can have the most significant success and how Opportunity International is driving change in vulnerable regions.
Sergio Fernandez de Cordova, Pvblic Foundation
Sergio Fernandez de Cordova founded the Pvblic Foundation to give a voice to those striving to change the world. While media today is often dedicated to building brands, The Pvblic Foundation focuses on educating those at the top of organizations to invest in sustainable practices crucial to achieving the UN SDGs. While some organizations shy away from society's complex issues, Sergio and The Pvblic Foundation's mission is to confront these issues, inform others through media, and be a driving catalyst for change.
Patricia Cornet, Emmanuel Ajavon, Metra Lundy & Lionel Phillips
Moderated by WOCIP founder Patricia Cornet, this panel focuses on the partnerships necessary to expand representation and opportunities to minority populations within the spheres of Health and Education. Joined by Emmanuel Ajavon, Associate Director, Business Leadership Programs, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth, Metra Lundy, CEO & Owner, Kinetics Personal Training & Group Fitness, and Lionel Phillips, President, Inside Edge Consulting Group, this panel provides cross-sector perspectives on how minority populations have often been overlooked in their sectors, and how that change be changed.
Sheri Hashemi & Michelle Wilkerson
Sheri Hashemi, Director of Engineering at L3Harris sits down for a conversation with her colleague Michelle Wilkerson, Sr. Director Corporate Insurance & Risk Management, at Sierra Space. We have entered the Orbital Age, a period in human history defined not by space exploration but by commercialization. Sierra space is at the forefront of this era by combining cutting-edge technology with global partnerships to "Build a Platform in Space to Benefit Life on Earth." Hear Michelle & Sheri discuss the products and plan that will enable space travel for all in this powerful interview.
Jason Vein, Morgan Stanley
How can you make an impact with your money? Jason Vein, Senior VP at Morgan Stanley and Director of Investing with Impact, specializes in investing to build capital and create a positive impact. Under the investment framework of Intentionality, Influence, and Inclusion, Jason uses the 17 Global Goals as a North Star to identify valuable solutions achieved through Impact Investing. Shaped by the women in his life, Jason uses his platform to empower women entrepreneurs to take control of their finances and to support an equal society for all.
Diane Quest, Points of Light
Ideagen CEO George Sifakis sits down with Interim President & CEO of the Points of Light Foundation, Diane Quest. Founded in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, The Points of Light Foundation is the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. By aligning and equipping hundreds of non-profits, educating and engaging corporations to focus on community engagement, and empowering millions of volunteers to get involved, Points of Light's impact on community and sustainability is unmatched. In this interview, hear Diane discuss how partnerships are so crucial to Points of Light and how her personal story has formed her into the leader she is today.
Georgette Boulegeris & Jimmy Kokotas
Georgette Boulegeris, Grand President of Daughters of Penelope, and Jimmy Kokotas Supreme President of The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association are leaders in promoting the Hellenic values of virtue, excellence, and ongoing improvement and progress. Hear how Jimmy and Georgette's mentors and personal experiences personify the work them and their organizations are trying to achieve, and how partnerships are so crucial to their success.
Yanna Darilis, Dorian Productions
Yanna Darilis, President and Executive Producer of Dorian Productions, discusses how her organization promotes for the completion of UN SDGs through presentations and content creation. While an advocate for all the SDG's Yanna's particular connection to goals 1, 2, and 3 embody the work she deems crucial to satisfy the Global Goal's purpose.
Professors Nicolaos Theodossiou & Grigoris Zarotiadis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Nicolaos Theodossiou and Grigoris Zarotiadis, professors at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, have dedicated their life's work to implementing the Global Goals across the world. Specifically targeting the Black Sea Region, Nicolaos and Grigoris work through their University to turn innovations into impact by providing sustainable solutions applicable to the Black Sea Region. Additionally, Nicolaos and Grigoris explain their most recent visibility study, assessing the addition of an SDG Observatory in the Black Sea region.
Nicolaos Theodossiou
Professor, Civil Engineering Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Grigoris Zarotiadis
Dean of Faculty of Economic & Political Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki