Unlocking Financing for Universal School Connectivity

Carla is the Director of UNICEF’s Private Fundraising and Partnerships. Here she leads the organization's global strategy to leverage the private sector to generate sustainable income for UNICEF and drive partnerships for children worldwide. This includes engaging with the general public (UNICEF’s supporters and donors), philanthropists, foundations, and business to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for children. From 2018 to 2021, Carla served as UNICEF’s Director of the Public Partnerships Division in New York. Prior to joining UNICEF, Ms. Haddad Mardini had served at the International Committee of the Red Cross over a period spanning 17 years.

James Mwangi is a Kenyan born accountant, career banker, businessman and entrepreneur. He is the current CEO of Equity Group Holdings. Mr. Mwangi was included among The Financial Times' 2009 list of the top 50 thought leaders of emerging markets and the top 20 most influential people in Africa. He was the Founding Chairman of Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Board from 2007-2019, tasked with ensuring Kenya became a middle-income country with high living standards by 2030. Mr. Mwangi is a Presidential National Task force member on the Kenya COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund and Chair of its Health Committee. He is also the current Chancellor of Meru University. Mr. Mwangi graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, and passed the Certified Public Accountant of Kenya (CPAK). He also graduated from the advanced management programme at the IESE Business School in Barcelona.

Chris Fabian is a Tech Executive and co-founder of startups in GovTech, mobile networks, blockchain, applied ML, and other frontier technology. Mr. Fabian has built UNICEF’s Venture and Cryptocurrency Funds, as well as Giga, a universal access and school connectivity partnership between UNICEF and ITU building open-source solutions for last-mile connectivity.

Alex Wong boasts a remarkable career spanning over 30 years, marked by leadership roles focusing on global development challenges through strategic partnerships. Since 2019, he has served in the Office of the Director at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), overseeing transformative programs like Giga, aiming to connect every school to the internet, and Connect2Recover, ensuring resilient ICT infrastructure for crisis recovery. Prior to ITU, Alex Wong was President of CG/LA Infrastructure and a key figure at the World Economic Forum, contributing to global initiatives. Mr. Wong is a licensed Professional Engineer with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Public Administration from the University of Toronto and Harvard University, respectively. Alex Wong is a licensed Professional Engineer with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University.

Mr. Pasquier leads a team which covers both transversal issues such as peace/security, health, environment or digital policy and Geneva-based specialized organizations. Prior to this, he spent four years at the Mission of Switzerland at the UN in NY, where he led the political section and the Security Council team. His diplomatic career includes postings in Berlin and Bern. A political affairs and global governance specialist, Mr. Pasquier held previous positions at the University of Geneva’s and at the Swiss Parliament. He holds MA degrees from the Geneva Graduate Institute and the University of Geneva in political science and arts.

Karen is an expert on sustainable finance, ESG, impact investment and impact measurement, bridging the private, public and academic sectors. In addition to leading work at the OECD, she co-led the launch of the Impact Management Platform, which aims to provide coherence on sustainability standards for companies and investors. She is Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Impact Linked Finance Fund and serves on the Pictet Group Impact and Sustainability Advisory Board in addition to other boards. In 2022, she was selected by the Sorenson Impact Center as a Global Impact Leader.

Athaliah Molokomme was the attorney general of Botswana until 2017 and is the first woman to hold that position. Molokomme has been committed to advocacy for women's rights at conferences, workshops, and seminars around the world. Dr. Athaliah Molokomme was appointed as Permanent Representative of Botswana to the UN in Geneva and Ambassador to Switzerland in May 2018.