Theme: RE-Vision, RE-Focus

This year’s theme invites our community and the world watching to examine the world around us and RE—focus. It demands that we pause and reflect in a time of rapid advancement and disruption to ask ourselves, “what is the true purpose?” What is the future we envision and are we on the right path to get there? If not, we must RE—vision and try something new.

This year, our speakers bring us down these meaningful paths that they have blazed to reimagine the world. Together, let’s collectively reflect and ask ourselves:

Is now the time for the transformative and positive manifestation of change?

Lincoln Center - Walter Reade Theater
165 W 65th Street
New York, New York, 10023
United States

Avais Chughtai

Designer, Filmmaker, Inventor, Public Speaker & Entrepreneur

—About the Speaker: Avais Chughtai is a Sr. Creative Designer at NBCUniversal, a film studio based in Los Angeles California. He is a storyteller, a creative catalyst and an innovator in multifaceted creative disciplines ranging from design to filmmaking. As a seasoned designer, he has worked with top creative agencies and Fortune 500 companies helping them present their ideas with creative strategy & design at the highest platform. He is also an award­ winning Director and utilizes his storytelling chops in his passion for public speaking. His deep interest in the science of spiritual intelligence and self improvement is inspired by classic Eastern poets, scholars and literature. He is also registered with the United States Patent & Trademark office and has multiple inventions to his name. Previously, Avais dedicated the first ten years of his professional career to the non-profit sector. |

Dr. Ayesha Ahmad

Academic, Writer

—About the Speaker: Dr. Ayesha Ahmad is a lecturer in global health at St Georges University of London and an honorary lecturer at the Institute for Global Health, University College London. She has a PhD in medical ethics and a PGDip/Psych in psychoanalytic studies. Her specialisation is in cross-cultural trauma and mental health, and she has developed a pathway in an MSc Global Health on Culture and Mental Health, which is also offered as a module to intercalating medical students. Her research focuses on trauma in conflict, especially related to gender-based violence, and she is co-investigator for Storytelling for Health: Expression, Acknowledgement, and Recovery, working with Afghanistan, Tunisia, Kashmir, Turkey, and South Africa. She works on developing mental health interventions and programs in Pakistan. Her publications are vast and she has authored over 10 book chapters. Her co-edited book (with James Smith) 'Humanitarian Action and Ethics' was published by ZED in 2018. |

Hassan Akmal

Author, Executive Director of the UCLA Career Center, Professor, Career and Life Mastery Consultant, Global Career Mastermind Leader, Career and Life Vision Thought Leader, Career Strategist, Philanthropist, Former Executive Director of the Career Design Lab at Columbia University, Former Professional Tennis Player, and Former Athlete Ambassador to the United States; Alumnus ‘03, Public Health

—About the Speaker: Hassan Akmal, MBA, MPH, is an American career & life mastery consultant, author, professor, thought leader, philanthropist, and former professional tennis player and athlete ambassador to the U.S. He is best known for his Amazon best-selling book: How to be a Career Mastermind™: Discover 7 “YOU Matter” Lenses for a Life of Purpose, Impact, and Meaningful Work and humanitarian work dedicated to Forced Migration & Health. After over a decade as a senior leader in career services, he served as the inaugural executive director of industry relations & career strategies at Columbia University, spearheading the opening of their award-winning Career Design Lab. In 2018, he served on the NACE “Future of We” — Advisory Think Tank Committee and on many other prominent boards globally. Akmal became the executive director of the UCLA Career Center in February 2020 and is currently leading an ambitious re-imagination of career and professional development for the university. |

Jiaying Wu

Data Scientist, Career Mentor; Alumna, ’19 Applied Analytics

Jiaying Wu is a Data Scientist at Deloitte, a reliable-AI advocator, a Columbia University alumna, and a career mentor. She is passionate about how scientific reasoning and business reasoning converge to drive decisions. She bridges the gap between the technical side and the business side by bringing a unique combination of decision intelligence expertise, core data science skills, and marketing management experience. Jiaying Wu joined the Decisioning Team of HUX (Human Experience) at Deloitte Consulting as a Data Scientist in 2019. She focuses on driving business pivots for clients with data power, automating machine learning pipelines, and advocating the democratization of trustworthy AI. In her personal time, Jiaying also mentors students and career transitioners who are interested in the data science space. She thrives on creating a fulfilling life for herself and making positive impacts on the lives of others.

Nathan Canning

Product Strategist, Discovery Coach, Design Facilitator, Consulting Partner, Entrepreneur

About the Speaker: Nathan Canning is an entrepreneur, product strategist, design facilitator, consulting partner and early-stage startup advisor with a deep background in user experience design. He has co-founded several tech startups, and has helped dozens of startups and SMBs to integrate design thinking into their workflows and to build empowered product teams. He has a great passion for teaching executives and cross functional teams new frameworks for creative problem solving to meet business goals and satisfy customer needs. Nathan has coached numerous product teams by teaching strategy and design workshops, to help unleash the creative potential within businesses by improving team alignment, confidence, and collaboration. As co-founder of the design collective Parx Studios, he now focuses on driving innovation at the intersection of art, music, and technology by facilitating unique collaborations between the world's biggest brands, influencers, artists and creatives.

Pedro Manrique, Ph.D.

CEO, DRP Systems, Author, Inventor, Organizational Development Consultant, Strategic Analyst

—About the Speaker: Perhaps an eclectic path, the career started in audio as Director of Engineering in a modest loudspeaker company in Montreal, followed by VLSI Design for CIDTEC in Syracuse and Photobit in Pasadena for NASA and large scale CMOS image sensor applications respectively. Returning to audio, the path transitioned into Harman International as a Senior Design Engineer then Global Engineering Program Manager where he obtained 9 patents; with one for Infinity Systems, JBL, and Harman Kardon. Spirited and with a passion for continuous improvement, the path transitioned into forming DRP Systems Inc., an Organizational Development consulting company with clients that included Belkin, Innovative Dimmers, and Columbia University. While at Belkin as Global Engineering Program Manager for a nine figure business division, a 10th patent was completed for a client that managed power consumption of electronics devices in residential settings. |

Rehan Jalali

Author, Nutritionist

—About the Speaker: Rehan Jalali is an internationally recognized Certified Sports Nutritionist (CSN). He hosted “Rehan Jalali’s Celebrity Fitness Show” on KABC in Los Angeles and has over 500 nationally and internationally published articles on nutrition and supplementation. He has worked with many Olympic and professional athletes including Gold medalists, and has developed customized nutrition and supplementation programs for clients that include Oscar® winning actors, Emmy® award winning TV stars, and Grammy® winning musicians. As a Nutrition and Dietary Supplement expert, he has been featured in several movies including “Bigger, Stronger, Faster” and the recent “SUPPS: The Movie” on Amazon Prime Video. Over the last 20 years, Rehan has developed and managed over 120 sports nutrition and health products, is a natural bodybuilder who has appeared on ESPN, and has held numerous bodybuilding titles, including Mr. Texas and the Ironman Naturally Bodybuilding Champion.

Salman Azam

Attorney, Managing Partner, Entrepreneur, Community Organizer & Activist

Salman Azam is the Managing Partner at Azam Chandran & Gilani LLP, a boutique law firm in downtown Chicago that he founded to address the unique corporate and transactional needs of small and medium sized businesses that he believes to be the fabric of our economy. He is also the General Counsel of Dialysis Care Center Chicago, a growing healthcare provider in the midwest whose legal matters he manages. He has previously served as Past President of the South Asian Bar Association of Chicago and has held various leadership positions in legal and professional organizations across the country. During the past several years, he has been recognized for his legal accomplishments by Chicago Magazine as a “Rising Star” and “Super Lawyer.” Outside the legal space, Azam has served on the board of his local mosque and other community organizations. His real passion lies in lending his legal skills and time to community not-for-profits where he regularly volunteers.

Tyrone V. Ross, Jr.

CEO and Co-Founder of Onramp Invest, Financial Planning.com 20 People Who Will Change Wealth Management in 2020, Founder of 401 Storytelling Consultancy

Tyrone Ross is the CEO and Co-founder of Onramp Invest and the Founder of 401stc, a storytelling consultancy. He is a graduate of Seton Hall University, and was also a 2004 Olympic Trials qualifier in track and field in the 400 meters. He was recognized by Investment News 40 under 40 (2019), and WealthManagement.com as a top ten advisor set to change the industry in 2019. Financial Planning.com named him as one of 20 people who will change wealth management in 2020. He was recently named as Investopedia’a top 100 financial advisors.