Andrew Hennigan is a freelance speaker & speaker coach now based in Stockholm Sweden. He teaches advanced speaking skills to entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, academics, authors, diplomats and others, at all levels from student to cabinet minister. Since 2014 he is also a pro-bono speaker coach for TEDxStockholm and helped create the UNHCR’s Refugee Speaker Programme in 2021.

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Anna Felländer is one of Sweden’ foremost experts on the business, legal, and societal impact of AI. Co-founder of Asenien, an end-to-end AI Governance platform with unique screening tools, she has shaped Responsible AI from policy, start-up and academic perspectives since 2016. Her career spans Chief Economist at Swedbank, a decade in the Swedish Government including the Prime Minister’s Office, and research at KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

Experienced Board Member and Private Angel, with a demonstrated history of working in the online retail industry. Digital Marketing Expertise. Skilled in International Marketing, Business Planning, E-commerce, Entrepreneurship, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Market Analysis.

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Charlie Caper is a Swedish magician and creative technologist who has performed in 76 countries in seven languages, winning Sweden's Talang (Got Talent) in 2009 — the first magician ever to win any Got Talent format worldwide. He is Chief Creative Officer at Furhat Robotics, a world-leading Swedish social robotics company, where he builds and programs robots combining AI with live performance. His awards include the 2011 Mandrake d'Or — considered the magic world's Oscar — and two Adelaide Fringe Best Magic awards. He maintains a robotics workshop at Epicenter Stockholm and has worked with OpenAI language models since before the launch of ChatGPT.

Ebba Heselius is a unique voice on what it means to lead — and to be human — in the AI era. Her research introduces the concept of digitally embodied leadership: the human, intuitive, deeply felt side of leadership that changes when work moves through screens, and changes again as AI becomes part of how we sense, decide, and connect. Her work shows what screens and AI do to our ability to read a room, respond to other people, and stay grounded in what matters.

Farzan Athari is a Swedish-Iranian TV host, model, and actor who has worked in the fashion and entertainment industry across 23 countries, collaborating with over 100 brands including Diesel, Nivea, Nokia, Coca-Cola, GQ, and Men's Health. He made history in 2006 as the first international model to sign a modelling contract in Iran, and has had leading film roles in Iran alongside acclaimed actresses Leila Hatami and Mahnaz Afshar. He co-hosted the first season of Persia's Got Talent in 2020/2021, hosted The Fire Festival at Skansen in Stockholm — broadcast to over 35 million viewers — and appeared in the Swedish TV series My Perfect Family in 2019.

Hanna Linderstål is the founder and CEO of Earhart Business Protection Agency, a Stockholm-based cyber intelligence firm with over 25 years of experience in digital threat intelligence. Her expertise spans cybersecurity, hybrid warfare, disinformation, AI, and darknet investigations, serving governments and corporations worldwide. She was named Sweden's Security Profile of the Year 2024 and was a finalist for AI Swede of the Year 2025. Linderstål has advised the UN, the EU, and the Swedish government, and has been featured by the New York Times, Al Jazeera, and The Economist.

James Appathurai is one of NATO's most senior officials, having worked at the Alliance for nearly 28 years across roles spanning spokesperson, political affairs, and innovation. He currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber — the Secretary General's primary advisor on AI, quantum, cyber, and hybrid threats. He also serves as Interim Managing Director of NATO DIANA, the Alliance's defence innovation accelerator operating across 32 nations with an annual budget of €50 million. The 2026 DIANA cohort accepted 150 companies from approximately 3,700 applicants — the largest in its history.

Janne Hietala is the CEO of Kelluu, a Finnish company building autonomous hydrogen-powered airships for persistent aerial monitoring, based in Joensuu just 80 km from the Russian border. Kelluu's 12-metre airships achieve 12-hour continuous flight — far exceeding conventional drones — delivering centimetre-level mapping resolution for both civilian and defence applications. The company was selected for NATO's DIANA accelerator from over 2,600 applicants and became the first DIANA company to secure a Rapid Adoption Service deal with a NATO Ally. Before Kelluu, Hietala built a career in EdTech and was named Finland's Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012.

Madeleine is a growth-driven marketing and commercial leader with over a decade of experience building and scaling brands. Her passion lies in connecting strategic clarity with creative excellence — and leading teams that turn brand potential into real business impact. From launching award-winning concepts like Volvo On Demand to driving international expansion at Bisnode and now leading and launching Kyndryl Vital in the Nordics & Baltics.

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Ola Ahlvarsson is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and digital transformation expert, best known as the founder of Epicenter, a hub for innovation and scale-ups. With a background in technology, business strategy, and leadership, he has built and scaled numerous companies across industries.

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With over 15 years building enterprise sales and strategic partnerships across UK and EMEA, Stuart has worked with some of the world's most recognised brands helping them move faster, sharpen their positioning and modernise how they operate.

Understanding and connecting to people’s needs and experiences has been a common thread throughout Tom’s career in financial services, technology, and education. Tom is particularly passionate about the value that design, in its many disciplines, can bring to organizations and human experience and is the executive sponsor of the Design Profession at Kyndryl.

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He is a consummate storyteller, a skill he uses to help colleagues grasp essential ideas and communicate in compelling and memorable ways. A lifelong learner, he believes that all our experiences have value but that unlearning old habits can be every bit as important as acquiring new skills. A champion for diversity and inclusion, he is an ally and mentor with a particular emphasis on gender and neurodiversity. Tom co-hosts the Progress Report Podcast.