2011 Ashoka Globalizer Stockholm Panelists

Anousheh Ansari

On September 18, 2006, Anousheh Ansari captured headlines around the world as the first female private space explorer travelling to and staying onboard the International Space Station for 10 days. Afterwards, back on Earth as a successful serial entrepreneur, Anousheh returned to her job as Co-founder and Chairman of her latest technology company, Prodea Systems. In her previous endeavor in 2001, Anousheh had served as Co-founder, CEO and Chairman of the board for Telecom Technologies, Inc.

An active proponent of world-changing technologies and social entrepreneurship, in 2004 Anousheh and her family provided the title sponsorship for the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million cash award for the first non-governmental organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks. Furthermore, Anousheh currently works to enable social entrepreneurs to bring about radical change globally, with organizations such as ASHOKA and the PARSA Community Foundation. She also hopes her tale of determination, hope and success inspires children to dream big and study hard to overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams.

Marc Castagnet

Marc Castagnet, Director of ICS, holds MBA degrees from both France and USA. After a career in banking in New York and starting his business in China in 1989, he started SgT Group in the 1990s and sold it in 2009. SgT has been a pioneer in offering quality control and outsourcing supply chain services in the garment and fabric industry and first introduced value added services at logistic platforms 7 years ago. SgT has 24 offices in 15 countries (Northeast and Southeast Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Africa, Europe and USA) and was sold to a private equity group. Marc holds multiple directorships in entrepreneurial companies in Asia and Europe. ICS services is an investment vehicle company serving companies in Real Estate, Tourism, Education and Wine mainly in Europe, Asia and North Africa and USA.

Marc also holds several official positions at different trade and business organizations. Namely, he is a Member of Young President Organization International (YPO) and Chair of the North Asia Economic Development Network; he is an Executive Council Director of Global Maritime Logistics Council since June 2006 and he is an Associate Member of International Apparel Federation (IAF). He is also a regular speaker at different supply chain and logistics summits and conferences. He is also a member of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce where he holds the Vice Chairmanship of the Europe and Asia-Africa committees.

Trisala Chandaria

Trisala Chandaria is the co-founder of Temboo, a cloud-computing company committed to demystifying information technology and liberating enterprise-level data-management toys from corporate clutches so that everybody can play. Prior to Temboo, she studied political science at Harvard and started a consulting firm for private equity and venture capital firms in Europe. Her passions include disruptive networks, entrepreneurship, and, via Temboo, banishing all complexity from IT software and services forever. She grew up in Switzerland, so she has a thing for chocolate, too.

Willie Cheng

Willie Cheng is a former partner of Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing firm. Prior to his retirement in 2003, he was the country managing director of Singapore and the managing partner of its Communications and High Tech practice in Asia.

He currently sits on the boards of Singapore Press Holdings, UOB Bank, NTUC Fairprice and Singapore Health Services. He is also actively involved with nonprofit organizations. Among these, he is chairman of CHARIS, and a director of Ashoka Singapore, the Lien Center for Social Innovation, Council for Third Age, Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and the Singapore Golf Association. He is a founding partner of Asia Philanthropic Ventures.

He has written extensively on the nonprofit sector. He is author of Doing Good Well: What does (and does not) make sense in the nonprofit world and co-editor of The World That Changes The World: How philanthropy, innovation and entrepreneurship are transforming the social ecosystem.

He lives in Singapore with his wife, Julie and two sons, Ian and Ivan.

Leo Figueiredo

Economy bachelor at FEA/USP, Law bachelor at Largo São Francisco Law University/USP and Master in Business Administration at FGV. Leo Figueiredo began working in the financial market in 1980 at Griffo Brokerage Company and, in 1986, assumed the general administration of Hedging-Griffo. In 1987, he was nominated CEO. As a CEO, Leo Figueiredo co-structured the investment and futures departments. He also co-created the asset management and private banking areas, for the later one he was the main responsible until 2009, when he left the company. Throughout his career at Hedging-Griffo, he was also devised and implemented most of the company's HR policies. Nowadays he is the founder and CEO of Quintessa.

Sushmita Ghosh

After completing a five-year term as President of Ashoka, Sushmita continues as a member of Ashoka's Leadership Team, and Chair of Changemakers which she founded. A former journalist who served as Research Director and Executive Director of Maneka Gandhi's national Indian news magazine Surya from 1979 to 1982, Sushmita served as Ashoka's country representative for India from 1989 to 1997. During that time, she helped Ashoka launch its new programs in Latin America and direct its European fundraising efforts. She founded Changemakers in 1992, which she evolved from a magazine for social entrepreneurship to an online platform for open source problem-solving. Sushmita also leads Ashoka's Global Academy of Social Entrepreneurship that recognizes and connects the top tier of the world's social and business entrepreneurs. She serves on the boards and councils of several global and Indian organizations.

Peter Goldmark

Peter Goldmark is chair of Ashoka's Changemakers. Previously, he directed the Climate and Air program for Environmental Defense from 2003 through 2010. Prior to joining Environmental Defense, he was Chairman and CEO of the International Herald Tribune. Peter has had exceptional careers in both the public and private sectors. His public service was highlighted by his tenure as Budget Director for the State of New York during the 1970s city- and state-wide fiscal crisis where he was an architect of its rescue; and as Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey through to 1983.

He served as president of the Rockefeller Foundation from 1988 through 1997, encouraging its involvement in environmental issues, particularly as they related to energy.

Mr. Goldmark was also a trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (1982-1988), member of Board Overseers and Chair of Harvard University’s Finance Committee (1984-1990), director of Knight Ridder Inc. (1991-1998), director of the Dreyfus Third Century Mutual Fund (1992-1998), member of the National Commission on Civic Renewal (1997-1998), trustee of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (2000-2007) and trustee of the Financial Accounting Foundation. In addition, he serves as a board member of Lend Lease Corporation (1999-present), and member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mr. Goldmark is a recipient of the Wilson Wyatt National Award for Urban Revitalization and a member of the Legion of Honor, France. He has taught courses at the JFK School of Government, Harvard; Yale College; The New School; Brandeis University; and Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University as Visiting Professor of Public and International Affairs.

He holds a B.A. from Harvard University, and several honorary degrees.

John Grumbar

John Grumbar is a Director of Egon Zehnder International, the global executive search firm where he was Chairman and Chief Executive for 8 years. John sits on the European Board of Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise and is on the Executive Committee of IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Steve Killelea

Steve Killelea, CEO and founder of Integrated Research Ltd, has over 25 years experience in the information technology industry. Highly skilled in marketing, business and product strategy, he has developed two highly profitable global companies with exceptional track records. He is also active in venture capital and has sat on many Australian industry and government advisory boards.

Steve has a strong interest in the broader community, especially philanthropic causes, and has established his own private foundation, TCF, which specializes in funding projects in the third world. The aim of the charity is to substantially change the lives of as many people as possible with special emphasis on targeting the poorest of the poor. TCF is one of the largest private charities in Australia specializing in overseas aid and is active in 10 countries.

Marc Koska

Alarm bells first rang back in 1984 for Marc Koska when he read a newspaper article predicting the spread of HIV through re-using medical syringes. Appalled at the prospect of such an avoidable catastrophe, Marc decided to do something about it. Some 26 years later his solution the K1, an Auto Disable (AD) syringe, not only physically prevents re-use, but can be manufactured inexpensively, by using existing machinery and is now under license to 14 manufacturers. Conservative estimates credit Marc with five million lives saved and 10 million diseases prevented.

In 2006 he identified a glaring gap in the market and established The SafePoint Trust, a UK based not-for-profit, that produces hard-hitting, public information films. Marc now spends all his time working with SafePoint lobbying for government legislation change, spreading public awareness and ensuring adequate healthcare worker training is in force to complete the changeover to a safe healthcare system.