2024 Speakers
Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen is co-founder and General Partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. He is an innovator and creator, one of the few to pioneer a software category used by more than a billion people and one of the few to establish multiple billion-dollar companies. Marc co-created the highly influential Mosaic internet browser and co-founded Netscape, which later sold to AOL. He also co-founded Loudcloud, which as Opsware, sold to Hewlett-Packard. He later served on the board of Hewlett-Packard from 2008 to 2018. Marc holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Marc serves on the board of the following Andreessen Horowitz portfolio companies: Applied Intuition, Carta, Coinbase, Dialpad, Flow, Golden, Honor, OpenGov, and Samsara. He is also on the board of Meta.
Angela Duckworth
Angela Duckworth is co-founder, chief scientist, and a board member of Character Lab, a non-profit whose mission is to advance scientific insights that help children thrive. She is also the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, faculty co-director of the Penn-Wharton Behavior Change for Good Initiative and founding faculty co-director of Wharton People Analytics. A 2013 MacArthur Fellow, Angela has advised the World Bank, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs. Prior to her career in research, Angela founded a summer school for underserved children that was profiled as a Harvard Kennedy School case study and, in 2018, celebrated its 25th anniversary. She has also been a McKinsey management consultant and a math and science teacher at public schools in New York City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Angela completed her undergraduate degree in Advanced Studies Neurobiology at Harvard, graduating magna cum laude. With the support of a Marshall Scholarship, she completed an MSc with Distinction in Neuroscience from Oxford University. She completed her PhD in Psychology as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. Angela’s TED talk is among the most-viewed of all time. Her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance is a #1 New York Times best seller.
Annie Duke
Annie Duke is an author, speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space, as well as Special Partner focused on Decision Science at First Round Capital Partners, a seed stage venture fund. Annie’s latest book, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, was released in 2022. Her previous book, Thinking in Bets, is a national bestseller. As a former professional poker player, Annie won a World Series of Poker bracelet and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship. She retired from the game in 2012. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Annie is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education. She is a member of the National Board of After-School All-Stars and the Board of Directors of the Franklin Institute and serves on the board of the Renew Democracy Initiative.
Amy Edmondson
Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises that contribute to the betterment of society. She is the author of 7 books and over 60 scholarly papers, published in academic and management outlets, such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, and Harvard Business Review. She is a sought-after keynote speaker with a worldwide following. Amy is awarded for being a pioneer of psychological safety and author of The Fearless Organization, a ground-breaking blueprint on creating a fear-free culture. She is ranked #1 on the latest Thinkers50 ranking of the world’s most influential management thinkers.
Adam Grant
Adam Grant has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for 7 straight years. As an organisational psychologist, he is a leading expert on how we can find motivation and meaning, rethink assumptions, and live more generous and creative lives. He has been recognised as one of the world’s 10 most influential management thinkers and Fortune’s 40 under 40. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 5 books that have sold millions of copies and been translated into 45 languages: Think Again, Give and Take, Originals, Option B, and Power Moves. His books have been named among the year’s best by Amazon, Apple, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal. His viral piece on languishing was the most-read New York Times article of 2021 and the most-saved article across all platforms. Adam hosts the TED podcasts Re:Thinking and WorkLife, which have been downloaded over 65 million times. His TED talks on languishing, original thinkers, and givers and takers have over 30 million views. He has received a standing ovation at TED and was voted the audience’s favourite speaker at The Nantucket Project. His speaking and consulting clients include Google, the NBA, Bridgewater, and the Gates Foundation. He writes on work and psychology for the New York Times, has served on the Defense Innovation Board at the Pentagon, has been honoured as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and has appeared on Billions. He has more than 8 million followers on social media and features new insights in his free monthly newsletter, GRANTED.
Ole Andreas Halvorsen
Ole Andreas Halvorsen is CEO and co-founder of Viking Global Investors. Halvorsen worked in the investment banking division of Morgan Stanley after finishing his studies. Then he moved to Tiger Management Corp, where he was a senior managing director, as well as an analyst and director of equities, and a member of the management committee. He sat on Tiger's advisory board, and on the supervisory board of the firm's largest fund, Jaguar Fund N.V. In 1999, Halvorsen left Tiger to co-found Viking Global Investors. Halvorsen graduated from the Norwegian Naval Academy and has served as a leader of the Norwegian SEAL team. Halvorsen has attended Williams College, where he graduated in 1986 with a degree in economics. Halvorsen holds an MBA from Stanford University.
Kristin Harila
Kristin Harila, hailing from the very flat village of Vadsø, embodies the spirit of a self-made icon. Born with a passion for the outdoors, Kristin quickly realised her love for winter sports and cross-country skiing. However, it was her fearless attitude and exceptional talent for mountaineering that set her apart from the rest and made her a phenomenal climber. Following her resignation from her management job in 2019, Kristin has dedicated her life to pursuing her dream of climbing the world’s highest peaks. Since then, she has conquered mountain after mountain and broken record after record. On July 27th 2023, she became, along with Tenjin (Lama) Sherpa, the world’s fastest mountaineers to climb all 14 peaks over 8000 meters in just 92 days. (photo: Lime Agency)
Greg Jensen
Greg Jensen is Co-Chief Investment Officer at Bridgewater Associates and is a Director on Bridgewater’s Operating Board of Directors. He joined Bridgewater in 1996 after graduating from Dartmouth College with a degree in Economics and Applied Mathematics. As Co-Chief Investment Officer, Greg oversees Bridgewater’s investment strategies and research efforts, and is integrally involved in overseeing Bridgewater’s investment engine and investment talent. Greg has been a key author of the Bridgewater’s Daily Observations since joining the Firm in 1996. In 2010, 2011, and 2012, Greg was named one of business’s rising stars in Fortune Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40.” Greg is dedicated to building a community of market thinkers and investment managers who can develop, systemize, and compound market understanding better than anyone else in the world. Over the past fifteen years, he has designed training, developed new research methods, and invested in cutting edge technology to make this vision a reality. Greg also won a gold bracelet at the 2022 World Series of Poker and is involved in charitable missions around effective altruism and the safe development and use of AI.
Howard Marks
Howard Marks is co-founder and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management. From 1985 until 1995, Howard Marks led the groups at The TCW Group, Inc. that were responsible for investments in distressed debt, high yield bonds, and convertible securities. He was also Chief Investment Officer for Domestic Fixed Income at TCW. Previously, Mr. Marks was with Citicorp Investment Management for 16 years, where from 1978 to 1985 he was Vice President and senior portfolio manager in charge of convertible and high yield securities. Between 1969 and 1978, he was an equity research analyst and, subsequently, Citicorp's Director of Research. Howard Marks holds a B.S.Ec. degree cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a major in finance and an M.B.A. in accounting and marketing from the Booth School of Business of the University of Chicago, where he received the George Hay Brown Prize. Mr. Marks is an Emeritus Trustee and member of the Investment Committee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is a member of the Investment Committee of the Royal Drawing School and is Professor of Practice at King’s Business School. He serves on the Shanghai International Financial Advisory Council and the Advisory Board of Duke Kunshan University. He is an Emeritus Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, where from 2000 to 2010 he chaired the Investment Board.
Michael Mauboussin
Michael Mauboussin is Head of Consilient Research at Counterpoint Global, Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Prior to joining Counterpoint Global, Michael was Director of Research at BlueMountain Capital, Head of Global Financial Strategies at Credit Suisse, and Chief Investment Strategist at Legg Mason Capital Management. He is a former president of the Consumer Analyst Group of New York and was repeatedly named to Institutional Investor's All-America Research Team and The Wall Street Journal All-Star survey in the food industry group. Michael is the author of The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing, Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition and More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places-Updated and Expanded. More Than You Know was named one of "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time" by 800-CEO-READ, one of the best business books by BusinessWeek (2006) and best economics book by Strategy+Business (2006). Michael has been an adjunct professor of finance at Columbia Business School since 1993 and is on the faculty of the Heilbrunn Center for Graham and Dodd Investing. He received the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2009 and 2016, and the Graham & Dodd, Murray, Greenwald Prize for Value Investing in 2021. Michael earned an A.B. from Georgetown University. He is chairman emeritus of the board of trustees of the Santa Fe Institute, a leading centre for multi-disciplinary research in complex systems theory.
Marc Rowan
Marc Rowan is co-founder and CEO of Apollo Global Management, Inc. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Apollo Global Management, Inc., Athene Holding Ltd. and Athora Holding Ltd. Currently, Mr. Rowan is Chair of the Board of Advisors of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he is involved in public policy and is an initial funder and contributor to the development of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, a nonpartisan research initiative which provides analysis of public policy’s fiscal impact. An active philanthropist and civically engaged, Mr. Rowan is Chair of the Board of UJA-Federation of New York, the world’s largest local philanthropy helping 4.5 million people annually while funding a network of non-profits in 70 countries. He is an Executive Committee member of the Civil Society Fellowship, a partnership of ADL and the Aspen Institute, designed to empower the next generation of community leaders and problem solvers. Mr. Rowan graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business with a BS and an MBA in Finance.
Robert Wallace
As CEO of Stanford Management Company, Robert F. Wallace oversees the university's USD35 billion global, multi-asset class investment portfolio. Wallace joined Stanford in 2015, having previously been the CEO of Alta Advisers, a private London-based investment firm. His investment career began at the Yale Investments Office at Yale University. Wallace has served on the investment committee of Cambridge University and the Courtauld Institute of Art, as well as the board of trustees of The Royal Opera House and the English National Ballet. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale with a degree in economics. Before his career in investment management, Wallace danced professionally for 16 years as a leading dancer with American Ballet Theatre, the Boston Ballet and the Washington Ballet.
Jean M. Hynes
Jean Hynes is CEO, managing partner, and portfolio manager for Wellington Management, one of the world’s largest independent investment management firms. She is the fifth CEO in Wellington Management’s history. Jean joined Wellington Management after graduating from Wellesley College where she earned a BA in economics. Throughout her 30 years with the firm, she has researched the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. She serves as portfolio manager for the firm’s Health Care Team, including the Vanguard Health Care Fund, one of the world’s largest dedicated health care funds, which she has managed since 2013. Jean is one of five female CEOs among the top 20 asset management firms. She is the recipient of industry awards, including Forbes 50 over 50 (2022), Barron’s Most Influential Women in US Finance (2020, 2021, 2022), 100 Women in Finance’s North America Industry Leadership Award (2021), and The Hedge Fund Journal’s 50 Leading Women in Hedge Funds (2018). Jean is a CFA charter holder and a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society Boston. She is a member of the Investment Committee at Wellesley College, Notre Dame’s Wall Street Leadership Committee, and the global Business Council.
Patrick Healy
Patrick is Chief Executive Officer of Hellman & Friedman. He is a member of the Investment Committee, Chairman of the Compensation Committee and leads the Firm’s London office and European activities. Patrick joined H&F in 1994. He is currently a Director of Verisure (Securitas Direct). His previous investment activities included Action, Allfunds, AutoScout24, Axel Springer, CarProof, Digitas, DoubleClick, Formula One, Gartmore Investment Management, Gaztransport & Technigaz, Hostelworld (Web Reservations), Iris Software, Mondrian Investment Partners, Nasdaq, National Information Consortium, Nets, Neverfail Springwater, Nielsen, PowerBar, ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, Scout24, SimpliSafe, TeamSystem, VoiceStream Wireless, Wood Mackenzie, and Young & Rubicam. Prior to H&F, Patrick was employed by James D. Wolfensohn Incorporated in New York and Consolidated Press Holdings in Australia. Patrick started his career stocking paint and sundries at Schoening’s Paint and Wallpaper in Rockford, IL.