Nivruti Rai, MD and CEO of Invest India, was appointed as President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) in August 2023.
Ms. Rai joined Invest India after an illustrious 29 years at Intel as a global business and technology leader. She led Intel India as Country Head for the past seven years driving growth and investment of Intel in India.
Most recently, she also led the worldwide Automotive Foundry business as Vice President of Intel Foundry Services, where she was building Autonomous Driving, Advanced Driver Assist Systems, Infotainment, Power deliver solution and Microcontroller Units on Intel Foundry process nodes for global Automotive customers.
During her tenure at Intel India, she contributed significantly towards indigenous technology development, start-up ecosystem, electronics manufacturing ecosystem and policy formulation especially in the areas of critical and emerging technologies.
She has been part of the leadership team in various industrial bodies and government committees and brings a wealth of experience in working closely with industry associations, business leaders and government leaders.
Ms. Nivruti Rai is the recipient of the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar from the Honorable President of India, bestowed upon Ms. Rai for her remarkable contributions in the field of technology.
Ms. Chandni Raina is an Adviser, heading the Climate Change Finance Unit in the Indian Ministry of Finance.
She is India’s lead negotiator on climate finance in international multilateral fora such as COP/CMA and is also responsible for issues concerning the financing of climate action at the national, plurilateral and bilateral level.
She has also co-led the work of the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group in the Indian Presidency of G20 and was India’s Lead on the G20 Taskforce on Global Mobilization against Climate Change (TF-CLIMA) during the recently concluded Brazilian Presidency in 2024.
Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa is an Attorney at Law and Sri Lankan politician, currently serving as the Cabinet Minister (elect) for Youth and Sports, Minister Development Coordination and Monitoring and State Minister for Digital Technology and Enterprise Development of Sri Lanka.
A member of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Political Party, his main constituency remains the Hambantota District, where he was able to secure the highest preferential votes at three consecutive Elections (2010, 2015, 2020).
He is the founder of the Tharunyata Hetak initiative, established in 2005, that aims to empower rural youth in Sri Lanka through grassroot level development projects, focused on providing economic independence through career and skills development. Eldest son of former President and current Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa
His Excellency Andry Nirina Rajoelina is a Malagasy-French politician and businessman who has served as president of Madagascar since 2023.
He previously served as president from 2019 to 2023 and was president of a provisional government from 2009 to 2014, having held the office of Mayor of Antananarivo for one year prior.
Before entering the political arena, Rajoelina was involved in the private sector, including a printing and advertising company called Injet in 1999 and the Viva radio and television networks in 2007.
Sanya Rajpal is an Oxford MBA graduate, lawyer, and international development consultant with a track record in systems-change across health, education, and economic inclusion. Her work with the United Nations, governments, and the private sector has focused on building innovation ecosystems that enable young people and communities to thrive through entrepreneurship and human development.
She now leads AdagioVR, a pioneering neurotechnology company operating out of the UK and India, which is redefining how mental health and high performance are achieved through VR/AI. AdagioVR integrates neuroscience, cutting-edge precious therapeutics, and immersive technology to deliver adaptive, scalable interventions that strengthen mental wellbeing, cognitive function, and leadership capacity.
Bridging her experience in policy, innovation, and technology, Sanya is passionate about how youth innovation can solve systemic challenges, from access to healthcare to the future of work. Her mission is to make transformative mental health and human potential tools accessible across socio-economic divides, combining empathy, science, and business to create lasting impact.
She regularly speaks at global platforms including the UN, World Health Summit, and WEF, on how to unlock innovation and integrate purpose.
In September 2024, Blerta Rama was appointed Deputy Minister responsible for Economic Development in the Ministry of Economy, Culture, and Innovation. Her diverse expertise and strong commitment to Albania's growth uniquely position her to make significant contributions to the country's economic, cultural, and innovative development.
Her professional profile combines a solid background in economics and finance with a keen interest in international politics. In October 2023, she continued her studies with a third executive master's degree in international politics at the CERIS-ULB Diplomatic School in Brussels. Blerta’s professional experience includes key roles at renowned institutions such as Mediolanum Bank, where she contributed to the development of the fintech project “Flowe” and managed accounting activities, and Deloitte Business Solutions, where she served as a financial advisor specializing in Technology and Performance for Financial Institutions. Her recent position as Financial and Project Manager at Corporate Venture has played a key role in developing strategic plans and analyzing startups. After 11 years, she returned to Albania, determined to contribute her expertise to the country’s development.
She completed her studies in Business Management and Economics at the University of Brescia in Italy, followed by two executive master’s degrees: one in Digital Transformation Management from Brescia and another in Project Management from Milan.
Vivian Rambarath-Parasram is an accomplished Attorney at Law, serving as an Assistant Professor of Maritime Studies and holding the position of Director and Head of MTCC Caribbean. With over 25 years of experience, she has cultivated expertise in diverse areas of maritime governance and marine environmental protection.
Vivian has spearheaded the development and execution of numerous academic programs aimed at enriching the local and regional maritime industry. Her teaching and research concentrate on the law of the sea, maritime law, policies concerning maritime decarbonization, and the blue economy.
As a trailblazing member of Women in Maritime Caribbean, Vivian actively promotes gender diversity and inclusion in the maritime sector.
She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of the West Indies and pursued specialized training in maritime law at the IMO International Maritime Law Institute in Malta, complemented by various postgraduate degrees.
Isabelle Ramdoo is the Deputy Director of the IGF Secretariat and leads its work on local content policies, new technologies in mining and critical minerals. Isabelle is an economist with 25 of experience in international trade and industrial policy. She worked as a senior advisor to the African Minerals Development Centre/United Nations Economic Commission for Africa where she worked on linkages and local content policies. Prior to that, Isabelle was Deputy Head of Programme, Economic Transformation, at the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM). Isabelle also served the Government of Mauritius for 10 years, where she worked as an economist for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and as trade policy analyst for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, respectively.
