Anantha Krishnan has over 36 years of experience in international development work, including over 15 years of work with the UN in in Nairobi Kenya ( UNEP and UN Habitat) engaged in Youth empowerment initiatives, policy and research, CSR, advocacy, program management including development and implementation of projects. Recent work includes a consultancy assignment for the Norwegian Government , a strategy document for UNIDO on youth employment and entrepreneurship. Very recently a position paper was developed by him for UN-Habitat on Urban Basic Services. he has also conducted housing market studies in Myanmar, Mozambique and Tanzania.

Currently associated with organizations in China and the UN on setting up a Youth entrepreneurship Award. Currently he is also associated with the International Centre for energy, environment and Development (ICEED Nigeria) engaged in clean and safe fuel and energy to internally displaced persons.

He has worked at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Environment. Other organizations that I has been with in Norway include the International Peace Research Institute, Forum for Environment and development and the Anti-racist Centre and NORAD, the Norwegian agency for international development. He has lived and worked in Tanzania, India, Kenya and the UK. He is a Rotarian in Nigeria. He is a Norwegian national of Indian origin with strong African connections. 

Julie was a Labour and Co-operative Party Member of the European Parliament for the North West of England, covering Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester. As such she was a member of the European Parliamentary Labour Party and, in turn, part of the second largest group in the European Parliament, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Julie served on the Parliament's Culture & Education Committee, the Regional Development Committee and the Committee on Gender Equality and Women's Rights. She is also a member of the Labour Party's Policy Commission on Education and Children. Julie is an active campaigner for equal rights and social justice, and was previously an organizer for One Billion Rising, the global movement to raise awareness of violence against women and girls. First elected in May 2014, Julie previously had a long career in the cultural sector, working with marginalized communities using arts as a tool for wellbeing, empowerment and social change. Prior to being elected as an MEP, Julie had been working with partners in the EU and beyond for more than a decade. For instance, she was involved in an international delegation to Belfast to participate in an all-party discussion about the role of the arts in peace-building processes.

Patrick Brown was elected Mayor of Brampton in October 2018 on a platform of getting Brampton back on track and receiving a fair deal from our provincial and federal governments.

Patrick was born in Toronto in 1978 of Irish and Italian descent. He graduated from St. Michael’s College, then studied political science at the University of Toronto and graduated with a law degree from the University of Windsor. He began his law practice in Brampton where his father Edmond has practiced for more than 40 years. Patrick’s mother Judy is a retired high school principal.

Patrick has had a long involvement in serving in government. He was first elected in 2000 as a Councillor in the City of Barrie. He served two terms on City Council before getting elected as the Member of Parliament. He was re-elected in 2008 by a landslide and 2011 by the largest margin in City of Barrie history. From 2006-2014 Patrick was the Chair of the Canada-India Parliamentary Association and he also served as Chair of the GTA Caucus from 2011-15.

In May 2015 Patrick was elected Leader of the Ontario PC Party. He became the Member of Provincial Parliament in September 2015 for the riding of Simcoe North. He served as Leader of the Official Opposition and Education Critic. Patrick’s focus in the provincial parliament was controlling sky rocketing hydro rates, enhancing mental health services, ending cash for access political donations and ensuring proper funding for autism support.

As Mayor of Brampton, Patrick is focused on creating the economic climate for new investment and jobs. Mayor Brown has added 86 new police officers to the Peel Regional Police as part of his plan to keep Brampton safe. Patrick will continue to fight for more funding for better healthcare, transit, affordable housing and education. With a very fast-growing youth and senior population, Patrick wants to expand the recreation facilities and programs so Bramptonians remain active. Mayor Brown and Council have passed two consecutive budgets with municipal tax freezes.

Patrick was recognized in 2013 with the Canadian Human Rights Voice Award for his role in exposing Tamil genocide. He was the first MP to talk about the Tamil genocide in the House of Commons.

Patrick organized Hockey Night in Barrie and since its inception 11 years ago, the game has raised more than $2 million for local charitable organizations. He has now started Hockey Night in Brampton to raise funds for the William Osler Health System Foundation. The first year raised an incredible $411,000.

Patrick and his wife Genevieve live in Downtown Brampton with their son Theodore. Patrick is also a best-selling author of the book Takedown: The Attempted Political Assassination of Patrick Brown released in November 2018.

Makis Voridis was born in Athens in 1964. He graduated from Athens College and obtained a degree in Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Athens. He holds a Master of Law from the University College London (LCL), specialized in International Commercial Law. He is fluent both in English and French. In 1992 he served in the Army, as a Cadet Reserve Officer of Artillery.He has been practicing Law in Athens for the last 30 years. He is married to Danai Michelakou, pediatrician and they have two children.

In September 2007 he was elected for the first time as a member of Greek Parliament and is being re-elected until today. In November 2011, he was appointed as Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and public transportation Networks, during the coalition Government of political parties PASOK-NEW DEMOCRACY-LAOS, under Prime Minister Loukas Papadimos. From 2012 until 2014 he was the Parliamentary Representative of Political Party “New Democracy”. In June 2013 he was assigned as President of the Political Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In June 2014 he was appointed Minister of Health by Prime Minister Antonios Samaras. In January 2016, the President of political Party “New Democracy”, appointed him as Divisional Director of Internal Affairs. Ιn July 2017 he was elected President of the Special Committee on Countering Terrorism the Parliament Assembly of OSCE. In July 7th 2019 he was appointed Minister of Rural Development and Food by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In January 5th 2021 he was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Rhonda L. Lenton is the eighth President and Vice-Chancellor of York University. She joined York in 2002 as Dean of the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies, and went on to serve as Vice-Provost Academic and then Vice-President Academic & Provost. A dedicated champion of community engagement and innovative partnerships, she has significantly expanded York’s institutional collaborations with government, business, community organizations, and other postsecondary education partners.

In addition to her roles at York, Dr. Lenton serves on Universities Canada’s Board of Directors and its Research Committee, the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) Government and Community Relations Committee, and she is both Chair of the COU Relationships Committee and Co-Chair of the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) Board of Directors. She previously served on the Executive of the Ontario Council of Academic Vice-Presidents and represented that Council on the eCampus Ontario Board and ONCAT.

Before joining York, Dr. Lenton was an associate dean and professor at McMaster University. A sociologist by training, her areas of teaching and research expertise include gender, family conflict, research methods and more recently, higher education.

In recognition of her leadership and service as a senior executive in higher education, Dr. Lenton was named one of the top 100 most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) in 2015, and in 2016 received the Angela Hildyard Recognition Award for the continual demonstration of innovative leadership in advancing the mission of, and achieving outstanding contributions to, her institution and to higher education.

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Kennedy Stewart was elected the 40th Mayor of Vancouver on October 20, 2018, and is the City's first independent Mayor in three decades. Born in Nova Scotia, he arrived in Vancouver with $100 in his pocket and worked odd jobs to pay his way through university, eventually earning a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics.

Mayor Stewart's priority is to work every day on building partnerships to deliver the housing we need, tackle the overdose crisis, and invest in transit to build sustainable and walkable communities.

As a long-time renter in downtown Vancouver, where he lives with his wife Jeanette, Mayor Stewart is focused on rapidly building housing in every neighbourhood to keep our city welcoming and vibrant. He believes that by driving the cost of living low while keeping the quality of public services high, we can build a Vancouver that works for everyone.

Eduardo López Moreno, is an architect from the University of Guadalajara with more than 25 years of academic and professional experience in the areas of urban development and housing policy, poverty reduction, governance and institutional analysis. His studies include a Doctorate in urban geography at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France and a master's degree in urban sociology from the University Paris, Saint Denis, France. Eduardo López Moreno has five books on issues related to social housing, land policies, urban development and urban history. His book "The Grid in the Development of the Hispano-American City" received the Jalisco Research Award and has been published in several editions. He has published more than 30 articles in national and international magazines on urban policies, urban history, poverty and housing financing.

Born and raised in Toronto, Mayor Tory has spent his life giving back to the city he loves, through his tireless work in public, private sector and philanthropic roles.

Elected as the 65th Mayor of Toronto in 2014 and re-elected in 2018, John Tory is making the city more liveable, affordable and functional.

He has improved the way people move around this city, fighting traffic congestion and speeding up major construction projects; introducing free transit for kids 12 and under and discounted transit for low income residents; championing a transit network expansion plan that includes the Relief Line, SmartTrack, the Eglinton East and Eglinton West LRT, Bloor Danforth Subway Extension to Scarborough and the Waterfront Transit Network; and securing $9 billion in transit investments from other levels of government – the single biggest infrastructure investment in this city’s history.

He has kept taxes low, while investing in priority services including affordable housing and poverty reduction, and modernizing the government services on which people rely.

Under his leadership, Toronto has attracted jobs and investment and emerged as an undisputed centre of innovation and opportunity on the world stage.

Mayor Tory and his wife Barbara have been married for 42 years and have four children and five grandchildren.

Mr. Kamran is a network system and industrial engineer who has been involved in designing and executing business and development initiatives. He comes with academic knowledge along with comprehensive professional experience in the network, database, feasibility study, business plan and development projects. He is a professor at CDI College and continues to engage in development projects.

Mr. Jan Vapaavuori became the first Mayor of Helsinki in June 2017 after winning the election with a record number of support. As his first task he set forth a city strategy, laying ground for an ambitious four-year agenda. The strategy champions Helsinki as the “most functional city in the world” with a special focus on sustainable growth, digitalization, global problem solving, creativity and the best possible conditions for happy everyday city life. The strategy also defined Helsinki as a test-bed for start-ups and smart city development projects resulting in an increased global relevance for the city. From 2012 to 2015 Mr. Vapaavuori served as the Minister of Economic Affairs in the Finnish National Government, responsible for international trade and innovation. In 2007 – 2011 he was the Minister of Housing. Since 2015 he worked as Vice President of the European Investment Bank. As Minister of Economic Affairs, he negotiated the Meyer Turku shipyard sale that played a key role in renewing the Finnish maritime industry. As the Minister of Housing Mr. Vapaavuori created a program that resulted in a decrease of long-term homelessness by fifty percent - a model that has since gained international recognition.

Reza Pourvaziry is an architect holding a master’s degree in Architecture  from Iran, as well as an urban researcher working in this field for over 25 years. His research focuses on the concept of architecture and process of design and sustainability which were presented in articles at international conferences and featured in newspaper. He established International Art & Architecture Research Association (IAARA) in 2002 to work and research about urban architecture about habitat and settlement with focus on sustainability. He has done architecture projects that he received international architecture awards, including world architecture community for Nashr Yadavaran Administrative Building and housing project for Atlas of unbuilt world by British Council. He was part of jury and steering committee and scientific committee of programs in the field of art & architecture and urbanism. He created different development projects and programs and started working as member of Steering Committee of UN-Habitat’s best practices since 2004. He continues to work closely with UN-Habitat and was designated by under-secretary-general of UN and former Executive Director of UN-Habitat as First Global Advocate of UN-Habitat in 2016 and was introduced at 40th anniversary of UN-Habitat which was celebrated at Habitat III conference in Quito in 2016. He established Middle East Regional Center for Best Practise and Local Leadership in 2012 –2014. In 2014, Ministry of Housing and Urbanism of Iran recognized him as one of the contemporary architects in the book ‘contemporary architecture’ and since then he worked as president and co-founder of International City Leaders and he was designated for City Prosperity Initiative –Metropolitan Cities initiative by UN-Habitat. ICL and UN-Habitat work together on various research, workshops and conferences and one of the main publications is World Cities Report launched in 2016. At present he is chair of Urban Economy Forum working on urban architecture projects globally.