Team

Navroop Sahdev

FOUNDER & CEO

Navroop is a pioneering economist, technology futurist and founder & CEO of The Digital Economist. She is also a Fellow at MIT Connection Science and a well- known economist in the emerging tech space. She in based in New York City.

Bruce Armstrong Taylor

NON-EXEC CHAIR & SENIOR FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY

Bruce is the Co-Founder & Managing Director of SmartNations Foundation with a lifelong career in digital technology - as an analyst and journalist, having served as a writer, editor, publisher, speaker and conference producer.

Dr. Mark Esposito

NON-EXEC CHAIR & SENIOR FELLOW, GOVERNANCE

Mark is a Professor of Economics and Strategy at the Hult International Business School and Faculty Affiliate at Harvard Kennedy (Center for International Development) and Harvard Business School (Microeconomics of Competitiveness).

Dr. Melodena Stephens

SENIOR FELLOW, APPLIED AI

Melodena is an Innovation & Technology Governance Professor at the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government in Dubai with over three decades of corporate, academic, and consulting experience across Asia, Europe and Middle East.

Bhuva Shakti

SENIOR FELLOW, GOVERNANCE

Bhuva is a Board Director and fractional C-Suite Advisor for several social impact corporations. With an MBA from Columbia University in New York, she has led financial risk governance and product data compliance for investment banks.

Jose Luis Carvalho

NON-EXEC CHAIR & SENIOR FELLOW, APPLIED AI

Jose is the co-founder of the Intelligent Enterprise Institute at SAP, melding business and technology, and steering a path into business innovation. He has over 23 years of experience in services, consulting, and technology sectors.

Dr. Nikhil Varma

NON-EXEC CHAIR & SENIOR FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS

Nikhil is an Associate Professor of Management at Ramapo College of New Jersey with over 20 years of experience across operations and supply chain management, blockchain, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and sustainability.

Marisa Zalabak

SENIOR FELLOW, APPLIED AI

Marisa is an AI ethicist and educational psychologist focused on regenerative solutions and responsible technology for inclusion and sustainability. She is also the founder of Open Channel Culture serving global leadership teams.

Dr. Shruti Shankar Gaur

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Shruti is an inclusion leader with a PhD in Inclusive Education. She serves as the Program Manager at the Center of Excellence on Human-centered Global Economy, alongside Operations. She is also the Founder of Research & Innovation In Education.

Tarun Kishnani

ESG ADVISOR

Tarun has over 10 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is passionate about helping banks and financial institutions transform, rationalize, modernize, and optimize their ESG strategy and investments.

Prasanna Lohar

ADVOCATE, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS

Prasanna is the Founder of India Blockchain Forum and the CEO of Block Stack, with a career spanning over two decades in senior management positions in global banking, fintech and microfinance.

Dr. Maha Hosain Aziz

SENIOR FELLOW, GOVERNANCE

Maha is a Professor at New York University's Masters in Arts - International Relations Program specializing in Global Risk and Future Trends. She is a speaker and author & a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Complex Risk.

Soheib Nunhuck

FELLOW, GOVERNANCE

Soheib is a Policy Manager in Digital Public Infrastructure at GSMA. Previously he was at the International Monetary Fund as a GovTech Specialist & has worked extensively with International Organizations, Central Banks, Ministries of Finance.

Dr. Twinkle Roy

FELLOW, APPLIED AI

Twinkle is an Assistant Director Economist at Moody's Analytics CRE. Her work primarily revolves around quantitative research in Global Capital Markets, specifically within commercial real estate. She holds a Ph.D. in Econometrics & Quantitative Economics.

Mickaël Lafont

RENEWABLE ENERGY ADVISOR

Mickael has over 14 years of experience in energy & mobility with global deployments across 3 continents. Over the past 2 years, Mickael has focused on training the next generation of technical talent. He leads The Digital Economist's energy venture: ANER-G.

Aanandita Gahlot

FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS

Aanandita is focused on FinTech, blockchain applications, and sustainable development. She holds a Masters in Economics from Dr.B.R. Ambedkar School of Economics University and Bengaluru and she previously interned at the Reserve Bank of India.

Dr. Chetana Naskar

FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY

Chetana is the Lead Coordinator at SHE Changes Climate and has she has worked extensively in child protection, human trafficking, & gender-based violence. She holds an M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Tristan Thoma

FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS

Tristan serves as Executive Managing Director of Impera Strategy focused on National Digital Currency systems aimed at fostering economic development and inclusion. He has a background in Organizational Psychology and Computer Science.

Ferdinand Bassonna

FELLOW, GOVERNANCE

Ferdinand is the Founder of GovRise, a non-profit in Togo dedicated to enhancing governance at all levels to help achieve the SDGs. He holds a Masters in Advanced Studies in European and International Governance from the University of Geneva,

Muhammad Mubasal

FELLOW, GOVERNANCE

Muhammad is co-founder of the 'The Society 5.0 Initiative', a think tank advocating for a human-centric approach in strategy, policy-making, innovation, and more. He currently serves as an Economic Analyst at the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association.

Sofie Terp Clausen

FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY

Sofie is currently a Strategic Advisor to several impact-driven SMEs with a decade-long career in transformative work with United Nations as a Programme and Partnerships Coordinator and a digital technologies specialist.

Marko Tvrtkovic

FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY

Marko is a sustainability consultant with expertise in systems change and ecosystem partnerships. Marko recently held the position of Sustainability Lecturer & Researcher at HEC Paris Society & Organizations Institute (S&O).

Ambriel Pouncy

FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS

Ambriel is the Global Head of Web3 Luxury Partnerships and Innovation at Intertrust, and the Founder & Creative Director at Art Haus. Her core expertise in the fashion industry, having worked in the United States, Dubai, London, and Canada.

Indy Rishi Singh

ADVOCATE, GOVERNANCE

Indy is a fellow at the Center of Excellence on human-centered global economy. He is the co-founder on 2 cooperative businesses gamifying civic engagement, education, & community development. He is also the host of "Political Hope" podcast.

Akande Emmanuel

FELLOW, SUSTAINABILITY

Ayodele is a Research Fellow at Qatar Foundation - Hamad Bin Khalifa University, where his research spans agri-food security, sustainable development, and finance. He holds three Masters degrees from Italy, France and Qatar focused on economic policy.

Océane Desvigne

CONVENER & FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS

Océane is a recent graduate from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance). She is dedicated to integrating sustainability, collaboration, and technology for a brighter future.

Paola Gálvez Callirgos

FELLOW, GOVERNANCE

Paola is the Founder & Director of the IdonIA Lab, focused on leveraging AI for social welfare. Paola possesses a blend of expertise at the nexus of law, technology, and public affairs, with an Master's in Public Policy from Oxford University.

Anish Beeram

FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS

Anish is an undergraduate student at Yale University with a keen interest in the transformative potential of disruptive technologies at the global level, especially in the realms of financial systems, economic markets, and national security.

Monti Kgengwenyane

FELLOW, APPLIED AI

Monti is the Founder and CEO of GreyEd, at the forefront of using AI to democratize quality education globally, offering personalized learning paths at an accessible cost. He is a graduate from University of Kent, in Economics and Econometrics.

Anna Lytvynova

FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS

Anna is an researcher at the intersection of digital technology and society, currently pursuing her doctorate at ETH Zürich in the field of Science, Technology, and Society. Previously, she was a consultant on long-term futures at UBS.

Paul Murphy

FELLOW, BLOCKCHAIN & DIGITAL ASSETS

Paul works at the intersection of Digital Technologies, Political Economy & Transparent Systems, expanding the applications of blockchain technologies to new use cases. He was previously a Research Affiliate at University of California, Berkeley.

Aditi Seshadri

INTERN, APPLIED AI

Aditi is a rising junior at Notre Dame High School in San Jose, CA. She has a deep interest in economics and its interconnection with real-world problems. She is active in debate competitions and Model UN, along with her background in statistics.

Divya Beeram

INTERN, SUSTAINABILITY

Divya is a student at TMI Episcopal in San Antonio, Texas with a full-ride Alkek scholarship. She is a debate champion, and is currently conducting research with undergraduates at Yale College while leading a team of 6 at Yale Foreign Policy Initiative.

Cora Rigg

INTERN, GOVERNANCE

Cora is a student at Mercy High School in Connecticut, with an interest at the intersection of public affairs and global economy. She has actively participated in economic research at MIT, collaborating with a PhD candidate from University of Chicago.