Angela Duckworth is the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the co-host of the podcast No Stupid Questions. A 2013 MacArthur Fellow, Duckworth has advised the World Bank, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs. Prior to her career in research, Duckworth founded a summer school for underserved children that was profiled as a Harvard Kennedy School case study. She has also been a McKinsey management consultant and a math and science teacher in the public schools of New York City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia.

Duckworth completed her undergraduate degree in Advanced Studies Neurobiology at Harvard, graduating magna cum laude. With the support of a Marshall Scholarship, she completed an MSc with Distinction in Neuroscience from Oxford University. She completed her PhD in Psychology as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. Duckworth’s TED talk is among the most-viewed of all time. Her first book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, is a #1 New York Times best seller.

Emmy-nominated writer, producer, New York Times best-selling author, director, actor, and Tony award winner, Mindy Kaling has been named one of the brightest voices of her generation. At 24, Kaling joined the eight person writing staff at NBC’s The Office. During her eight seasons at the show, she wrote twenty-three episodes (far more than any other writer) and was nominated for an Emmy—the first for a woman of color in any writing category.

Next Kaling created the The Mindy Project for Universal Television, a show that she starred in and executive produced from 2012 to 2017. Kaling wrote 24 episodes of the 117 episodes created for the six-season series.

This year, Mindy received the Producers Guild of America’s Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television, as well as a National Medal of the Arts. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) medals are the highest awards given to artists and arts patrons by the federal government. In 2022, Kaling International was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential Companies. In 2012, Kaling was named to the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World List. She was honored with the 2014 Glamour Women of the Year Award and was a 2019 ELLE Women In Hollywood honoree.

In 2020, Kaling released the critically acclaimed series, Never Have I Ever for Netflix, which recently wrapped its fourth and final season. Season 1 reached 40 million homes in its first four weeks of release.

Kaling is also the co-creator and Executive Producer of The Sex Lives of College Girls, which in 2021 had the biggest premiere of any comedy on HBOMax. It was renewed for a third season in December 2022, after the success of the show’s season two premiere.

In between all her ventures, Kaling has released two New York Times bestselling comedic memoirs: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) and Why Not Me?, and in Oct 2020 she released a new collection of essays in partnership with Amazon called Nothing Like I Imagined. Most recently, Kaling launched her imprint Mindy's Book Studio for Amazon Publishing, with the mission of publishing titles from new and emerging diverse voices.

In 1987, John O’Leary was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing with fire and gasoline, John created a massive explosion in his home and was burned on 100% of his body. He was given less than a 1% chance to live.

This epic story of survival was first showcased in his parents’ book, Overwhelming Odds, in 2006. It was this book that first invited John to embrace his miraculous recovery and share it with the world.

Today, John inspires tens of thousands of people at more than 100 live and virtual events each year. He partners with companies and organizations across industries, such as: sales, healthcare, safety, marketing, finance, faith, education and insurance.

Consistently described as “the best speaker we’ve ever had,” John’s tireless schedule is a testament to the power of his message. His emotional storytelling, unexpected humor and authenticity make each presentation unforgettable.

John is a two-time #1 National Bestselling author. His first book ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life has sold 250,000+ copies and been translated into 12 languages. IN AWE: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning and Joy was published in May 2020 and was a crucial message during an unprecedented time.

His comprehensive Live Inspired Coaching program provides long-term engagement and a genuine, collaborative approach that takes his message from inspirational to transformational inside organizations. 

John’s award-winning Live Inspired Podcast has more than 5 million downloads and enjoys world-class guests like Brené Brown, Mitch Albom, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Shawn Achor. 

Regardless the professional accomplishments, John considers his greatest success to be his marriage to his wife Beth, their four children and his relationships with friends and family.

Dr. Daniel Wendler is a best-selling author, nationally recognized keynote speaker, and a proudly autistic advocate. He is the author of two books on personal development (Improve Your Social Skills and Level Up Your Social Life), a two-time TEDx speaker, and the co-author of the new Audible lecture series "Neurodiversity and the Myth of Normal." He's been invited to share his insights on neurodiversity with organizations including Google, AstraZeneca, Harvard University, and the American Psychological Association. In addition to his writing and speaking, Daniel works as a clinical psychologist specializing in autism, neurodiversity, and social relationships. Connect with him at DanielWendler.com.

Paul Daugherty is Accenture's Chief Technology and Innovation Officer (CTIO) and is a member of Accenture’s Global Management Committee. As a visionary in shaping the innovation of technology, Paul leads and executes Accenture’s technology strategy, leveraging the company’s leading-edge capabilities and research and development to reinvent the future of business.

As CTIO, Paul also leads Accenture’s Innovation strategy and organization, including Accenture Labs and The Dock in Dublin, Ireland. He directs Accenture’s global research and development into emerging technology areas such as generative AI, quantum computing, science tech and space technology. He leads a dedicated innovation group that not only designs and delivers transformational business and technology solutions, but also invests in, and partners with, pioneering companies to pilot and incubate new technologies. Paul also leads Accenture’s annual Technology Vision report, hosts its annual Innovation Forum event, and leads Accenture Ventures, which he founded to focus on strategic equity investments to accelerate growth.

Previously, Paul served as Accenture's Group Chief Executive – Technology, where he led all aspects of Accenture's Technology business. In this role, he led the formation of Accenture Cloud First to help clients across every industry accelerate their digital transformation and realize greater value at speed and scale by rapidly becoming “cloud first” businesses. He oversaw the launch of the Accenture Metaverse Continuum business group, which focuses market-leading capabilities in customer experience, digital commerce, extended reality, blockchain, digital twins, artificial intelligence and computer vision to help clients design, execute and accelerate their metaverse journeys. Most recently, he helped lay the groundwork for Accenture’s $3 billion investment in its Data & AI practice to help clients rapidly and responsibly advance and use AI, including Generative AI, to achieve greater growth, efficiency and resilience.

Paul is a passionate advocate for gender equality in the workplace and STEM-related inclusion and diversity initiatives. For more than six years, he has been a member of the board of directors of Girls Who Code, an organization that seeks to support and increase the number of women in computer science careers. Paul serves on the board of directors of Avanade, the leading provider of Microsoft technology services. He also serves on the boards of the Computer History Museum and the Computer Science and Engineering program at the University of Michigan.

In 2023, Paul received the prestigious St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal for Industry from Science Foundation Ireland as well as the Thinkers50 Digital Thinking award for Radically Human. He also accepted the FASPE Award for Ethical Leadership in 2019 for his work in applying ethical principles to the development and use of artificial intelligence technologies.

Paul is co-author of two highly acclaimed books: Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI (Harvard Business Review Press, 2018), a management playbook for the business of artificial intelligence; and Radically Human: How New Technology is Transforming Business and Shaping Our Future (Harvard Business Review Press, April 2022).

Paul joined Accenture in 1986. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan.

Christopher Nassetta is President and CEO for Hilton. He joined the company in 2007.

Previously, Mr. Nassetta was President and CEO of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., a position he held since 2000. He joined Host in 1995 as Executive Vice President and was elected Chief Operating Officer in 1997.

Before joining Host, Mr. Nassetta co-founded Bailey Capital Corporation in 1991, where he was responsible for the operations of the real estate investment and advisory firm. Prior to founding Bailey Capital Corporation, he spent seven years at The Oliver Carr Company, ultimately serving as Chief Development Officer. In this role, he was responsible for all development and related activities for one of the largest commercial real estate companies in the mid-Atlantic region.

Mr. Nassetta graduated from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce with a degree in finance. He currently serves on McIntire’s Advisory Board.

Ben Erwin was named CEO of Encore in August 2020. This leadership role follows him becoming President in October 2018. He is responsible for driving the strategic direction of the Company and overseeing the execution of its business plan.  

Erwin was hired as Encore’s Chief Financial Officer in February 2015 and was responsible for global accounting, treasury, financial planning and analysis, tax and product management. He has a proven track record of developing global corporate strategies, leading finance organizations, and building high-performance teams. 

Prior to joining Encore, Erwin served as Chief Financial Officer for TestAmerica Laboratories, where he led all accounting, finance, treasury, information technology and legal functions. Prior to 2011, he served as SVP Corporate Development for Cornell Companies, where he managed corporate strategy, financial planning and analysis, public market capital transactions, and investor relations. He has also held various positions at Enron Corporation and Trilogy Software. 

Erwin earned his bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science from Wake Forest University. He is a member of the U.S. Travel CEO Roundtable and a board member for the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).  

Outside of work, he is passionate about education and a board member for the YMCA Metro Chicago. He enjoys running, traveling, and following the Boston Red Sox. He lives in Chicago’s North Shore area with his wife and two daughters.

Anthony Capuano is President and CEO of Marriott International, Inc. In his role, Mr. Capuano presides over the world’s largest hospitality company and some of the most iconic brands in travel. The company now has nearly 8,600 properties across 139 countries and territories and over 30 brands. It also has the travel industry’s largest customer loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy, which has more than 186 million members.

Before his appointment as CEO in February 2021, Mr. Capuano was Group President, Global Development, Design and Operations Services where he led the strategic unit growth of all of Marriott’s brands while overseeing the global design team as well as Marriott’s global operating standards and protocols for thousands of properties around the world. Mr. Capuano was also responsible for oversight of the EDITION Hotels, a unique concept in the luxury lifestyle hotel space conceived by hotelier Ian Schrager and Marriott International.

Mr. Capuano joined Marriott in 1995 and was instrumental in its steady growth over the years which included the acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in 2016. Mr. Capuano began his Marriott career as part of the Market Planning and Feasibility team, where he helped the company assess the overall economic viability of new and existing hotels, balancing the company’s interests with the needs of hotel owners and developers, investors, lenders and operators.

That role prepared him to lead Marriott’s development efforts in the Western United States and Canada for its full-service hotel brands. Later, his responsibilities expanded to include North America, the Caribbean and Latin America. In 2009, Mr. Capuano assumed global development responsibility. He began overseeing global design in 2014 and global operations in January 2020.

Mr. Capuano earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Hotel Administration. He is an active member of the Cornell Hotel Society, The Cornell School of Hotel Administration Dean’s Advisory Board, as well as the Business Roundtable and the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s IREFAC Council. Additionally, Mr. Capuano serves on the Board of Directors for McDonald's Corporation and Save Venice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the artistic heritage of Venice, Italy. He resides in Potomac, Maryland with his wife and daughter.

DJ Casto is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Synchrony, one of the nation’s premier consumer financial services companies.

DJ is responsible for engaging employees in Synchrony’s strategic business imperatives and building people-led development programs that strengthen culture, drive business growth and nurture the company’s talent as a competitive advantage.

Previously, DJ led human resources for Synchrony’s global enterprise operations and served as HR client leader for the corporate governance functions, including credit, compliance, finance, internal audit, legal, regulatory and risk. In addition, DJ was a key leader driving the human resources and cultural aspects of Synchrony’s separation from GE in 2015.

He began his career at PepsiCo in human resources field operations, advancing to lead Labor and Employee Relations for the North American beverages business, where he managed union awareness strategies and programs. He was later responsible for global career development and succession planning as Senior Director of Global Organization Development.

DJ is passionate about helping every employee live Synchrony’s values and is committed to community service. He currently serves on the boards of Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) and buildOn, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering urban youth to transform their neighborhoods.

DJ earned a master’s degree in industrial relations and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from West Virginia University, where he serves on the Master of Science in Industrial Relations and Human Resources Executive Alumni Board.

He is married with three children.

Ellen McGirt is an author, podcaster, speaker, community builder, and award-winning business journalist. She is the editor-in-chief of Design Observer, an independent media company that has maintained the same clear vision for more than two decades: to expand the definition of design in service of a better world. In a previous life, Ellen established the inclusive leadership beat at Fortune in 2016 with raceAhead, an award-winning newsletter on race, culture, and business. In her nearly nine years at Fortune, she conducted in-depth interviews with more than 100 C-Suite leaders, offering real-time snapshots of how leaders were navigating the rapidly changing world. The Time, Money, and Fast Company alumna has published over twenty magazine cover stories throughout her twenty-year career, chronicling everything from the rise of social media to the new future of work. Ask her about fly fishing if you get the chance.

With more than 15 years of experience as an innovative operational leader and globally trusted advisor, Julian knows what it takes to inspire and lead high-performance teams. Working with top leaders from Fortune 100 companies, he helps connect the dots between superior business performance and a best-in-class employee experience. He earned an MA and MBA from the University of San Francisco.