JOHANN GEVERS (SA/CAN)
CEO & Founder Monetas (CH)
„How a financial app could help to make the world a better place“

Johann Gevers is a South African-born entrepreneur with twenty-five years’ experience in business, finance, and technology, including extensive international experience and cultural fluency from living and working in 7 countries on 4 continents in 5 languages. Johann is a Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Accountant with degrees in commerce, science, and the humanities. Johann has served as consultant and strategic advisor to companies across diverse industries. He draws on a wide cross-disciplinary knowledge base and a global network of experts to identify and invent state-of-the-art solutions.
Johann founded Monetas in 2012 to bring the world’s most advanced financial services to everyone with a mobile phone, including the world’s 3.8 billion unbanked and underbanked adults. Monetas’ mission is to build the infrastructure for a free and prosperous society. Monetas has already signed deals to bring its platform to thirteen countries in 2016, covering over 300 million people.
Prior to Monetas, Johann developed the foundations of a new legal system for a free and prosperous society — a society that works for everyone — based on a new, precise formulation of the Golden Rule.
Johann has been named to be one of the 100 most influential bankers in Switzerland by BILANZ.
Website: www.monetas.net

SHIRA KAPLAN (ISR)
CEO & Founder Cyverse (CH)
„Why we all should be prepared for cyber war“

„Why we all should be prepared for cyber war“
„Radar glitch requires F-35 fighter jet pilots to turn it off and on again“
„Pentagon admits it is looking to accelerate cyber-attacks against ISIS“
„Malware – the future of war“
„Yahoo to notify its users about state sponsored hacking attacks“
„Russia ccused of series of international cyber-attacks“

These are just the recent headlines about this topic. Cyber war is fact. And it happens already. But what does it mean for all of us? For our private accounts – and our business and the economic system.
Shira’s technological training dates back to her military service in the Israeli 8200 Elite Technology Unit of the Intelligence. She spent the bulk of her career in investor relations & private banking at Teva Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) and Bank Julius Baer & Co. in Zurich (SIX: BAER). Shira is an alumna of Harvard University (B.A.), where she studied Mandarin Chinese and was a Davis Scholar. She holds an MBA from St. Gallen HSG University in Switzerland, where she wrote her thesis on Swiss Venture Capital Investments in Israeli Cyber-Security Startups, and where she was awarded the “Women in Business” Scholarship. She resides with her family in Rueschlikon at Lake Zurich.
Shira is the founder of Cyverse, which connects Europe to Israel’s top-notch cybersecurity startups. The medias call her „the cyber warrior“. We call it luck that we have her as one of our keynote speakers in Interlaken.
Website:www.cyverse.ch

PASCAL KAUFMANN (CH)
CEO & Co-Founder Starmind (New York and Zurich)
„Why and how artificial intelligence will disrupt our lives“

Starmind provides self-learning know-how networks for companies. Based on insights from artificial intelligence, an algorithm analyzes content and activity and automatically forwards questions to experts within companies. Starmind can be accessed through a web browser and smart phones, thus providing organizations real-time access to their internal expertise. Within companies Starmind is also labelled as “The Brain”, “Ask the Brain” or “Company Brain”. This know-how management is based on Brain Technology.

Starmind was founded by Pascal Kaufmann and Marc Vontobel at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of Zurich University. The algorithm was developed using insights from Artificial Intelligence and neuroscientific research from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and is based on virtual neural tissue and self-learning neural networks studies. In 2012, Siemens Awarded Starmind with the title “company to watch”, which resulted in extensive media coverage. In 2013 Starmind was nominated for various awards in Switzerland as well as internationally.
Artificial intelligence is a highly disruptive innovation – fascinating but spooky somehow. Pascal will explain how it works and how dramatically it will change all of our lives.
Website: www.starmind.com

DITTI BROOK (CH)
CEO & Founder la siala entertainment GmbH (CH)

„How stories guide us through disruptive times“

After working as a tinsmith and studying medicine Ditti took on the public relations management of Karlheinz Böhm’s relief organization in Africa, thus entering the media world. What followed were engagements as tour manager for Andru Donalds and DJ BoBo – with him Ditti was also part of Michael Jackson’s HiStory world tour. Various employments in the television and communication sector and professorships for both international culture management and film and media production were further steps on his path to his biggest success yet, the film adaptation of the Swiss children’s book classic „Schellen Ursli“. The movie was directed by oscar winner Xavier Koller and has broken all records and won innumerable prizes since its release in October 2015.

Stories accompany us our whole lives. We grow up with fairy tales that fire our imagination and let us dream, tales teach us vices and communicate values. As children we firmly believe that the stories we hear, read and see are real, the characters in our favorite book or movie are our best friends. Growing older lets us lose our faith in stories, disillusionment takes over. For adults stories aren’t the reality anymore  – we now need them to escape reality, to brighten up our life when times are disruptive. I believe that immersing into a story lets the hidden innocent childlike emotions resurface again, thus giving us strength to face our daily demands. With La Siala Entertainment I want to bring stories back into people’s life to create a harbor within themselves, a place where the magical emotions can unfold to bring comfort and happiness.

„Schellen Ursli” depicts a story of life’s greatest values friendship, love, nature and adventure, and thus gives the spectators the opportunity to escape reality for 100 minutes and indulge themselves in childhood memories. Director Xavier Koller and I wanted to touch people, we wanted to reach their hearts – their smiles and their tears are our biggest rewards.

Website: www.lasiala.com

MARY ELLEN ISKEDERIAN (USA)
President & CEO Women’s World Banking (USA)
&
LAURA HEMRIKA (CH)
Head of Corporate Citizenship & Foundations at Credit Suisse (CH)
„Female talent, female clients: Disruptive forces in emerging markets“

Mary Ellen Iskenderian is President and CEO of Women’s World Banking, the global nonprofit devoted to giving more low-income women access to the financial tools and resources they require to achieve security and prosperity. Ms. Iskenderian joined Women’s World Banking in 2006 and leads the Women’s World Banking global team, based in New York. Prior to Women’s World Banking, Ms. Iskenderian worked for 17 years at the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank. Before, she worked for the investment bank Lehman Brothers. Ms. Iskenderian is a permanent member of the Council on Foreign Relations, as well as a member of the Women’s Forum of New York. She serves as an Advisor to the Clinton Global Initiative, is a judge for the annual Financial Times/International Finance Corporation Sustainable Banking Awards and sits on the Board of Directors of Fair Trade USA.
Ms. Iskenderian holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in International Economics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Website: www.womensworldbanking.org

Laura Hemrika is the Head of Corporate Citizenship & Foundations at Credit Suisse. Corporate Citizenship is the bank’s social commitment to enable inclusive growth by partnering with and empowering organizations and individuals to advance education, microfinance and other key sectors. Prior to Credit Suisse, Laura worked in strategy consulting at Booz & Company as well as for a number of private and public sector players in the fields of microfinance, fintech, social enterprise and education.
She is on the board of the European Microfinance Platform and of the Swiss Capacity Building Facility, a public-private development partnership with the Swiss government. Laura holds an MA from Boston College and an MBA from London Business School.  She is a First Mover Fellow at the Aspen Institute since 2014.
Website: Corporate Citizenship @ credit-suisse.com

ALEXA CLAY (USA)
Bestselling author, cultural hacker and misfit.
„Disrupt yourself – hacking your identity through alter egos“

Alexa was one of our keynote speakers in 2016. Her speech provoked huge discussions among the participants – just because Alexa mentioned that she has an alter ego. And that we all should have one. „This helps to think really outside the box – we need to disrupt ourselves in order to stay innovative“. For 2017 we have Alexa back – as a workshop host. And we’re more than curious how we can disrupt ourselves by creating a alter ego.

Alexa talks to people. She tries to talk to anyone and everyone: CEOs, artists, entrepreneurs, criminals, gangsters, pirates, mothers, scientists, conspiracy theorists, hermits.
She uses conversation as a tool for understanding the state of the world and to find connection – or to play. She always grew up appreciating misfits. Both her parents worked as anthropologists and had a fascination for other cultures and an appreciation of difference.
Her mother worked with Dr. John Mack, a Harvard psychiatrist. Together they investigated “experiencers” of UFO abductions around the world. And her father spent a lot of time in the Amazon rainforest working with indigenous groups and building sustainable markets for smallholders. Her stepmother was one of the first franchisees of the Body Shop in the U.S. You could say that growing up Alexa was always surrounded by misfits, exploring new frontiers of consciousness and commerce.
Later at Brown and Oxford, Alexa spent time studying poetry and philosophy, which are essentially meccas for misfits and those who are pushing boundaries and questioning society’s rules.
Her first book, The Misfit Economy, co-authored with Kyra Maya Phillips came out with Simon & Schuster in June 2015. In this book, the two girls debunk categories of good and evil and explore what we can learn from all misfits – great and small.
Website: www.alexaclay.com

JOHANN GEVERS (SA/CAN)
CEO & Founder Monetas (CH)
„What disrupts the financial system“

Do we need a bank account in the future? Do we even have money in our pockets – or just an app with an electronic purse? Johann Gevers shows us what’s behind the idea of blockchain, disruptive app innovations and the way we are able to be a change maker.
Website: www.monetas.net

CLAUDIA CORDIOLI (ITA)
Head of Italy, Iberia & Mediterranean at Swiss Re
„Disruptive trends of the future”

In Claudia’s workshop you’ll talk about every aspect of our life, being disrupted within the next 5 to 10 years.
And – there’s a lot to talk about! As Swiss Re used to be co-author of the global risk report for WEF, you’ll be at the top source to get every information you need to be prepared as a manager or business owner.

Claudia joined Swiss Re in Zurich in 2003 in Group Finance, where she covered various roles, including Head of Group External Reporting. In 2013 she was appointed CFO for the company’s Reinsurance EMEA operations. In that function she played an instrumental role in improving the capital efficiency of Swiss Re’s Group carriers in Europe. Her active participation on Boards and Management Committees of Swiss Re subsidiaries in several European countries gave Claudia exposure to strategic, regulatory and financial matters across the region.
Before joining Swiss Re Claudia was a senior consultant for KPMG, CSC Ploenzke (Munich) or Muth Partners (Zurich). Her career started at Siemens Italia in Milan.
An Italian citizen, Claudia holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Verona in Italy and completed her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exams in the United States in 2007.
Website: www.swissre.com

SHIRA KAPLAN (ISR)
Founder & CEO Cyverse (CH)
„How cyber war will affect us“

How can we really be prepared for a threat which is – somewhere in the Internet? – Are there possibilities to stop all this? – Is cyberwar something nations and big companies should be worried of or should we all be worried?
Shira will share all insights about this new global threat.
Website: www.cyverse.ch

FABIENNE DOERIG
CFO Starmind New York (USA) and Zurich (CH)
„How and what do we learn in the future?“

A question we’re keen on discussing with our participants during this workshop.
Starmind CFO Fabienne will explain how we learn – and how much learning will be necessary in the future. Do we still need to read books? And what’s the added value of education and know-how…or do we just ask our computer if we like to know something or solve a problem? Where does that all lead us to…? A world where artificial intelligence rules the world…?
Website: www.starmind.com

LAUREN MCGOODWIN (USA)
Founder Career Contessa Los Angels
„How GenY will disrupt our workplace“

Scientists and medias are talking about that for quite a while. But: do we know what this means for our companies and the economic system itself?
Every generation has been kind of disruptive. So, is generation Y different? More disruptive than generations before – how, and why…?
Lauren is GenY, too – graduated in 2009 and found herself like many recent grads: not wanting to pursue her area of study and unsure of her next step. After a few (tough) years of soul and job searching, Lauren settled into Los Angeles working as a Recruiter for Hulu. Recognizing and experiencing the gap in career development resources for millennial women, Lauren decided to create Career Contessa in 2013. When not Contessa’ing, Lauren can be found on the yoga mat, daydreaming about her future dog, and trying new smoothie recipes.
Website: www.careercontessa.com