Ann Aerts is Head of the Novartis Foundation, an organization committed to transforming the health of low-income populations, by leveraging the power of data, digital technology, and AI to reimagine health and care around the world. 

As a medical doctor, Ann applies her relentless commitment to pioneering new partnerships, tools, and interventions to redesign health systems from being reactive to becoming proactive, predictive, and ultimately preventive, so that they become true health systems that keep people happy. Ann holds a Degree in Medicine, a Masters in Public Health from the University of Leuven, Belgium, and a Degree in Tropical Medicine from the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium. 

Ann chairs the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development Working Group on Digital and AI in Health and is a member of the Board of the Philips Foundation and of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium. 

Ann served as a member of the US National Academies of Science Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Improving the Quality of Health Care Globally and on the US National Academies of Medicine Commission on Healthy Longevity. Ann has authored numerous publications on digital health, innovative approaches, technology, and multisector partnerships to address global health challenges. 

 Before leading the Novartis Foundation, Ann was Franchise Medical Director, Critical Care for Novartis Pharma in Basel and Therapeutic Area Head, Cardiovascular and Metabolism for Novartis Pharma Belgium. Prior to joining Novartis, she served as Director of the Lung and Tuberculosis Association in Belgium and as Head of the Health Services Department of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva. She has also worked as Health Coordinator for the ICRC in several countries.

Allison Carlson is the Executive Vice President of FP Analytics, Foreign Policy’s independent research and advisory division, and FP Events. She oversees FPA’s cross-cutting research at the intersection of policy, technology, and global markets as well as Foreign Policy’s global dialogues and convenings. Prior to these roles, Carlson led FP Analytics’ energy and technology team for more than a decade, evaluating evolving climate and emissions policies and identifying opportunities for advanced technology deployment internationally.

Before joining FP, she led the Latin America program for a boutique consulting firm assisting European companies on investing in emerging markets’ energy and financial sectors. Carlson has presented her work at a variety of international conferences and before the U.S. Senate. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, where she received a master’s degree in international relations and international economics.

Mohamed Hassany serves as the Health Minister’s Assistant for Projects and Public Health Initiatives at the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) in Egypt. He is also an Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases and Hepatogastroenterology at the National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute (NHTMRI) in Cairo. Additionally, he holds the position of Executive Director of the National Committee for Control of Viral Hepatitis (NCCVH), MoHP, Egypt. 

Dr. Hassany’s expertise and dedication were acknowledged when he was appointed as a member of the Regional Validation Committee (RVC) for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (EMTCT) and the control and elimination of hepatitis B and C within the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO).

In recognition of his leadership in healthcare, Dr. Hassany was chosen as a member of the Governing Board of the African Medicine Agency (AMA) of the African Union. He is also a member of the Governing Board of the Pandemic Fund. Furthermore, Dr. Hassany is a Board Member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator Council of the WHO and served as a board member on the Regional Advisory Panel for the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) Initiative of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, USA. 

Dr. Hassany has recently been nominated as a member of the Programme, Budget, and Administration Committee (PBAC) and the Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (SCHEPPR) of the Executive Board of the WHO.

 Dr. Hassany has authored more than 120 international peer-reviewed publications and book chapters focused on viral hepatitis and its related complications. He is also an editorial board member and reviewer for numerous international peer-reviewed journals.

Jo is Director for Social Responsibility at Novo Nordisk. He heads up their work on prevention of obesity, diabetes and related co-morbidities. He is also Director of the Cities for Better Health programme, a global network of more than 50 cities and 300 partners working at the local level to prevent serious chronic disease through holistic approaches to promote healthy diets and physical activity. Jo’s prior experience includes time at UNICEF where he developed the first organisational strategy to address unhealthy diets and prevent childhood overweight and obesity. Before joining UNICEF, Jo worked at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, also with a focus on nutrition, physical activity and obesity. He has a MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Isabel Mestres is a transformative leader in global health with over 20 years of experience advancing noncommunicable disease (NCD) care, public-private partnerships, and health system innovation. As CEO of City Cancer Challenge (C/Can), Isabel leads a bold movement that leverages cities as micro health systems, complex, real-world environments where public and private actors can co-create scalable, sustainable cancer solutions that work. Her work focuses on turning local implementation into a powerful driver of national and global change, ensuring equitable, high-quality cancer care in low- and middle-income countries.

A founding member of C/Can, Isabel has played a critical role in scaling the initiative from an ambitious concept to a globally recognised model for local implementation, now active in more than 15 cities. Under her leadership, C/Can has become a trusted catalyst for change, mobilising governments, civil society, the private sector, and multilateral institutions to co-create and implement sustainable cancer solutions that strengthen health systems from the ground up.

Before taking the helm at C/Can, Isabel held senior roles at the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in Geneva, where she led an award-winning global partnerships and membership strategy. Her earlier career in the private sector shaped her results-driven, entrepreneurial mindset and deep expertise in scaling innovation.

In recognition of her work at the intersection of diplomacy, public health, and multisector collaboration, Isabel was selected as a Politics and Health Diplomacy Fellow by Karolinska Institutet and the Stockholm School of Economics. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the NCD Alliance (2025-2027), helping guide the global advocacy agenda for integrated action on NCDs and health equity.

Isabel is also a frequent global public speaker, having delivered keynote addresses and moderated high-level panels at over 50 international conferences, UN forums, and global health summits.

A native of Barcelona, Isabel holds an MBA from ESADE Business School and is fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Catalan. She lives in Switzerland with her husband, two children, and two dogs; and remains a passionate advocate for the power of localized agendas to drive global change.

Andrew Sollinger is CEO & publisher of Foreign Policy, the world’s leading geopolitical media organization. Since joining FP in 2018, he has helped to build teams and drive growth in a diversified set of subscription, event, research and audio formats. Previously, Andrew was EVP of Subscriptions at Business Insider, Executive Director of Capital New York (now Politico NY) and Managing Director of the Financial Times Americas. He was part of the executive team that built and sold Money-Media to the FT in 2008. A former reporter and editor for Institutional Investor magazine, Andrew has lived in London, Hong Kong and New York. He is a graduate of Clark University in Worcester, MA.