Rita Kakati Shah is an award winning diversity, inclusion and career strategist, international speaker, and currently helms Uma - an International platform that empowers women looking to return to work, as well helps companies attract, retain and develop female talent in the workplace via diversity, inclusion and retention strategies. Rita started her career at Goldman Sachs in London where she was awarded the Excellence in Citizenship and Diversity Award during her 10 year career there. She is also a recipient of the King's College London Distinguished Alumni Award. Rita transitioned into the healthcare industry, relocated to New York City where she took an almost 4 year career hiatus to raise her two children and founded Uma in response to her personal journey. Rita is also a regularly invited speaker at various academic institutions, Fortune 500 companies as well as global diversity and inclusion forums, such as UNESCO in Paris, Woman Who Matters in Moscow, Women in Finance in London, Women in Politics in Los Angeles and High Water Women in New York.
Ronald Thomson has a legacy of experience in securing capital for companies in the global media/entertainment and technology communities. A transformative thinker who has proven time and again his ability to guide companies and accelerate their growth, Ron's extensive industry knowledge is the result of founding and building multiple global tech & entertainment businesses.
Laurel is the CEO and founder of the award winning marketing agency, Elevate My Brand. Laurel has created an agency family serving both startups and blue chip global brands like Facebook, Verizon Digital Media Group, PAW Patrol and Zendesk. Laurel's favorite saying is FIOGID. Figure it out, get it done. And that's exactly what's brought the agency top talent and accolades since 2009.
Olympia LaRose is a Women in Tech Ambassador, Speaker, and Career Advisor for distinct leaders, managers, and executives. As a former engineering consultant, Olympia has worked with global 500 companies including the United Nations, PIMCO, and Paul Weiss law firm to solve complex technology challenges. Today, she's the Principal and Chief Purpose Officer at Piahrose (pee-ah-rose) a strategic career marketing firm headquartered in Atlanta. Olympia leads the career marketing and coaching development operations, ensuring clients find purpose in work, manage their human capital and develop a strong career brand to future-proof their employment against the tech disruption.
Graduating from Georgia Tech in 1991 with Highest Honors in Electrical Engineering, Angela Fox has often been asked how she moved from such a technical education with early roles in corporate systems and strategy into a life where she is transforming companies and communities, building cultural facilities, and serving as a catalyst for change and role model for impact and meaning in every area she touches. The answer is simple. At engineering school, she learned to solve problems – the more complex the issue, the more elegant the solution. She walked away with a Co-Op student’s awareness that there are many areas where a creative mind is key, that molds are meant to be broken, and that there is no situation that cannot be made better. As the CEO of the Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID), she was asked to create an organization that would change the way people see, perceive, and experience Crystal City. In a very short time and at a nationally-recognized level, she did just that. From a long-standing belief that the area was a “concrete canyon” that no one would visit without an appointment to the shortlist for Amazon’s HQ2, as well as winner of the International Downtown Association’s Pinnacle “best of the best” award because of her strategic implementation of competitive programs, as well as her ability to engage and infuse energy into the community as a whole. People are the heart of any company, campus, culture and community, and the only way to bring about real, active, and repeatable transformation is to enlist their energy as stakeholders in the process, the progress, and the ultimate success. As a 32-year, Tesla-driving vegetarian who runs 5Ks, cycles thousands of miles every year, and practices all forms of yoga, all while being committed to her community by serving and chairing local arts boards, and she inspires people to embody the changes they seek to achieve. She is an dynamic speaker, dedicated mother, friend, and proud promoter of the philosophies and processes that she learned on the ground throughout her career. She has traveled all over the world (6 continents, 72 countries, and 47 states), worked with a Japanese Security Software firm as a C-level coach and interim Marketing VP, and run her own consulting firm providing business strategy, marketing and executive coaching services to individuals, corporations, and non-profits. She has re-introduced many people to the personal and business value of building lives that matter, to them, helping them become active contributors, board members, citizens and participants. Whether launching Verizon.net, introducing new programs at Cultural Tourism DC, or building an award-winning new theater in downtown DC, she is dedicated to her community and is honored to forever be a Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech!
I grew up in a small village outside the capital of India, where we had no running water, or electricity and didn't even have toilets - that's a story for another day but this was the beginning of my life. I moved to the US at age 12 and after college, I took up a job in the sciences that would make my parents happy. After some years of collecting courage, I quit my corporate job to pursue my passion - of which I had no idea! So I went out to find it and through many jobs and businesses I did. That's when GLYD was conceived.
Michael Wang is a United States Veteran turned registered nurse/nurse practitioner. He has vast clinical experience in cardiothoracic surgery and direct patient care at the bedside. In addition, he holds numerous patents on innovate technologies in both the healthcare and hospitality industry and has founded numerous successful companies. While obtaining a degree in nursing at Columbia, he met fellow nurse Paul Coyne, and together, they invented iN, the world's first cognitive patient care assistant. Mike now serves as CEO & Founder of Inspiren, an award winning healthcare technology company.
Matt Bacon is a consultant, A&R man, and journalist specializing in the world of heavy metal. Having worked with everyone from glam rock icon Phil Collen of Def Leppard to black metal titans Enslaved by way of legendary thrashers Exhorder as well as labels including Prophecy Productions and Ripple Music he has dedicated his life to helping young bands develop. Having started his own blog at the age of 14 he views his career in artist development as 'a hobby that got out of hand'. In 2015 he formed Dropout Media in order to better support the artists he loves. We sit here now, years later with countless tours booked, records released and deals signed, and loving every minute of it.
French born, 6+ years digital nomad actually in Warsaw, Yoann runs his own network of websites, inspiring others dreams. His experience: a year long solo world tour, 55 countries, 650+ flights, after 10 years managing international ERP projects in cosmetics, fashion and logistics.
Beth McRae is president of The McRae Agency, celebrating 25 years in 2020. She has represented clients for PR work in numerous industries and has notable clients such as Google, Sprint, CBRE, KB Home, Sunny Delight and Solatube International, to name a few. She has received over 45 awards for her work, including the Bank of America Enterprise award. She has a journalism degree, a marketing degree and an MBA, unusual for her field.
