Speakers:

Stephen Dunbar-Johnson is the President, International of The New York Times Company and is responsible for the P&L oversight and strategic development of the NYT Co’s international digital and print business. Stephen was appointed President, International for the New York Times Company in October 2013 to lead the global expansion of the Company. Previously, he was Publisher of the International Herald Tribune (IHT), a position he assumed in January 2008. Prior to that, he was the Executive Vice President of the IHT with responsibility for worldwide commercial operations and strategic development. He oversaw the IHT’s expansion in Asia, the growth of its advertising revenue streams, the development of its conference business particularly with the IHT’s luxury conference series, , new product development and the restructure of the newspaper’s cost base. Before that, he held the position of Senior Vice President and Commercial Director where his primary responsibility was for newspaper revenue streams. He also played a key role in the integration of advertising, and other aspects of the IHT’s commercial operations, with the New York Times when it took full ownership of the IHT in 2003.

Sheetal Vyas joined Virgin Unite at the start of this month from her previous role leading the creation of an International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), supporting fact-based journalism in low- and middle-income countries.  Before founding IFPIM she was Director of Finance, Strategy and Innovation at the Larry Ellison Foundation (LEF) where she identified smart, innovative, tech related investments that could make a long-term positive impact where the need is greatest. She previously spent over 20 years working for PricewaterhouseCoopers covering international development, strategy consulting and finance. She has worked with clients from governments, international organisations, investors, industry and tech firms to: design and implement challenge funds; develop strategy and partnerships; shape policy and regulatory agendas; advise on transactions; support new business ventures and start-ups; and measure impact. She currently lives in London and has lived and worked in India and Zimbabwe. She has delivered projects across c.30 countries in Africa and Asia.

Riddhima Yadav is a long standing advocate and leader on climate and sustainability. She is currently Vice President at Brookfield Asset Management where she leads strategic initiatives on global decarbonization with clients and stakeholders including advising Chair and UN Climate Envoy Mark Carney. She was formerly a founding team member of the Sustainable Finance Group at Goldman Sachs and served as a climate fellow for Secretary Kerry. Riddhima has been on the boards of several organizations most recently The We Are Family Foundation, SAP Sustainability Advisory Board and a non-resident fellow at Aspen Institute. She holds a B.A. in Ethics, Politics and Economics from Yale and was named most Inspiring Women in Climate by The Climate Group.

Russell Reed is an interdisciplinary environmentalist & writer committed to fostering a more inclusive environmental movement. He currently works at Virunga National Park in conflict-ridden Eastern Congo, where he manages the conservation department of Africa’s oldest and most biodiverse national park. He is a founding member and the former Head of Sustainability & Impact of seaweed-based biomaterials startup Sway, winner of the TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize, and serves on the Board of Advisors for Louisiana coastal restoration and glass recycling organization Glass Half Full. His work, research, and teaching experience spans six continents, including spearheading the successful effort to establish an Indigenous-led seaweed farming industry in Colombia. Russell attended COP28 as a youth delegate promoting climate justice and biodiversity conservation. He also writes on a range of environmental topics, with published or forthcomings essays in Atmos, Grist, and the Harvard Political Review. Russell received an A.B. in Geography & Development magna cum laude from Harvard College in 2020 — the university’s first geography degree since its department disbanded in 1948 due partly to institutional homophobia. He was a John Harvard Scholar, president of the Harvard Political Review, and author of an award-winning thesis on environmental justice in mountain gorilla conservation. He holds an M.Phil. in Anthropocene Studies from the University of Cambridge, where he was the 2020 Paul Williams Scholar.