Dr. Lola Woetzel is an expert on urban development, economic master planning and sustainability. She has worked with local and national governments in Asia, Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas to improve productivity, attract domestic and foreign investment, and deliver on environmental and social goals for more than 40 years. As a Director of the McKinsey Global Institute, she led research on productivity, urbanization, infrastructure, inequality and regional economies. She has extensive experience in real estate, particularly affordable housing, commercial revitalization, and sustainable infrastructure. Dr. Woetzel holds a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Southern California. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a recipient of the Silver Magnolia Award from the Shanghai City Government and of Consulting Magazine’s 50 Most Influential Consultants award. She is currently a Visiting Professor of Global China Studies and Business at New York University in Shanghai, and lectures at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Business, Tsinghua University’s Schwarzman College, and the China-Europe International Business School. She is also a member of the Board of Project Drawdown, the Chair of Delterra, and an Advisor to the Tianjin Juilliard School. She is fluent in Mandarin, Spanish and German and has written five Amazon bestsellers.

Deadra Henderson is an operations leader with more than two decades of experience managing people strategy, finance, professional development, and firmwide operations in complex, global environments. As Chief Administrative Officer at Global6, she oversees the firm’s internal operations, talent infrastructure, and organizational effectiveness—ensuring the systems and people behind the work are aligned to deliver high-impact results for cities and urban leaders. Prior to joining Global6, Deadra served for over 20 years as the Global Manager of Professional Development and Operations at the McKinsey Global Institute, the research arm of McKinsey & Company. There, she led talent, performance development, finance, and global staffing operations—partnering closely with senior executives to shape strategy, support leadership transitions, and build high-performing teams across continents. A trusted advisor to senior executives, Deadra brings a values-driven, collaborative approach and is known for her ability to drive operational excellence, champion inclusive practices, and cultivate environments where people and systems thrive together.

Bert Hofman, a Dutch national, is Adjunct Professor at the East Asian Institute (EAI) at National University of Singapore (NUS). He was Director of EAI and Professor of Practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy from June 2019 to December 2023. Before joining NUS, he was with the World Bank for 27 years, 22 of which in Asia, and 12 of which on China. Professor Hofman was the World Bank Country Director for China 2014-2019, the Country Economist 2004-2008, and the Chief Economist for the World Bank in the East Asia and Pacific region 2011-2014. He also worked on Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea and Mongolia. He has extensive experience in advising governments around the region on a wide range of development issues, and published on fiscal policy, debt issues, and China’s and Indonesia’s recent economic history.

Dag is the principal of Detter & Co., advising private and public sector clients worldwide to generate non-tax revenues by unlocking value from public assets. He led the comprehensive restructuring of Sweden’s USD70bn national portfolio of commercial assets, the first attempt by a European government to systematically address the ownership and management of government enterprises and real estate. This led to a value increase of the portfolio twice that of the local stock market and helped boost economic growth, fiscal space and improve debt sustainability. He is the author of ‘The Public Wealth of Nations’ – The Economist and Financial Times’ best book of the year and ‘The Public Wealth of Cities’, as well as the recent ‘Public Net Worth’ the Financial Times’ best summer book 2024.

Michael Anderson has more than 35 years of diverse experience in architecture, urban planning, transit and community development. He has been design principal for projects in aviation, transit, civic administration, education, and commercial, residential, and municipal infrastructures. “As an architect, my purpose is to advocate for, design, and seek funding for projects that benefit the greater public needs, including economic and redevelopment strategies within challenged communities. My belief is we can utilize the city’s diversity of culture and income to create memorable and beautiful communities that support positive living for every person while producing new revenue for local government.

Most recently the Associate Deputy Commissioner - Technology, Analytics and Digital Transformation at the DOL, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Bill is a former McKinsey Digital Expert and Microsoft Technology Leader. He is a digital transformation expert in technology strategy and new product launch leadership - primarily in data, SaaS/PaaS, IoT, robotics and AI. He has led product and strategy at startup, growth, and mature businesses with revenues ranging from $100K - $2.7B, leading teams from 4 to 60+ people, launched new businesses and drove buy and sell-side technology acquisitions.

Guy Perry is an architect, urban designer and developer with global experience in conceiving and realizing market-leading environments that foster sustainable human well-being. For over three decades, Guy has set new standards for development and urban design in a wide range of urban settings around the globe, receiving top accolades from ULI, ISOCARP, International Academy of Health and Design and the SOM Foundation. He combines design and development expertise to create economically viable, environmentally sustainable, human focused environments.

Janamitra (Dev) Devan, a US National, mostly recently served as the CSO and Head of Economic Development of the NEOM Company in Saudi Arabia. Prior to that, Dev was the Joint Vice-President of the World Bank and the IFC and serving in their Senior Management Team and overseeing its Financial & Private Sector Development arm (2009-2013). Dev was also a Director of Practice Management of McKinsey’s Global Strategy Practice and Sr. Fellow of its Think-Tank, the McKinsey Global Institute. Significant accomplishments in his 35 year career included leading Malaysia’s 2nd Industrial Development Plan in the 1990s, overseeing the World Bank’s response during the Financial Crisis, and contributing to numerous knowledge initiatives at McKinsey covering Strategy, Corporate Performance, and significantly work on Chinese Urbanization. Dev was a member of the Financial Stability Board in Basel, Chair of CGAP of the World Bank Group, and a member of the Board of Mary Washington Hospital in Virginia. He obtained his PhD in Economics and International Business from Indiana University.

Stefano is an advisor to companies and governments onstrategy and economic development. Stefano brings 10+ years at the World Bank, where he managed its US$ 3Bln portfolio on competitiveness and innovation; he founded the Competitive Cities Service Line; and he led strategic programs for the CEO. Previously, Stefano worked for 10 years at McKinsey & Co. in Italy and China, where he advised firms in the manufacturing, airline and telecom industries, and governments on urbanization and public sector reform. Stefano is co-author of “Competitive Cities for Jobs and Growth” (World Bank, 2015) and of “Preparing for China’s Urban Billion” (McKinsey Global Institute, 2009). He featured as speaker in events organized by the World Bank, the EU, the WTO, Harvard Business School, CEIBS Shanghai and others. Stefano holds a MSc in Environmental and Land Planning Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and an MBA from INSEAD Singapore.