Nadja Swarovski is the first female member of the Executive Board of Swarovski, the world's leading crystal manufacturer, which was founded in the Austrian alps by her great-great-grandfather Daniel Swarovski in 1895. Nadja’s career at the family business started in the mid-1990s, when she began showcasing Swarovski's vast product range to the fashion, jewelry, architecture, lighting and home décor industries, encouraging designers to experiment with crystal's creative potential.

Her collaborative relationships with a series of exceptional creative talents have established her as one of the 21st century's most significant patrons of design. Today she drives the brand strategy of the company, which turns over €3.5 billion a year. Since 2012, Nadja has also led Swarovski’s global sustainability efforts, embedding responsible, ethical and environmental standards into the company’s business practices. She continues to advocate for conscious luxury and strives to ensure that sustainability is built into all key business decisions to align Swarovski’s efforts with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Nadja is also Chairperson of the Swarovski Foundation, which she established in 2013 to consolidate Swarovski’s long-term commitment to charitable giving, by supporting projects that foster culture and creativity, promote human empowerment and conserve natural resources.

Jonathan Baillie is President of Natural State, an organization that leverages technology to achieve large scale protection and restoration. Baillie was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist of the National Geographic Society where he oversaw Grants, Impact Initiatives, National Geographic Labs, Explorer Programs and the International team.

Baillie joined the National Geographic Society in 2016 after 20 years at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), where he served as Conservation Programmes Director, overseeing conservation projects focused on threatened species and their habitats in over 50 countries. As a leader in conservation science, Baillie has authored several key publications on the status and trends of the world’s species and ecosystems.

He was instrumental in developing the Living Planet Index, Sampled Red List Index and Wildlife Picture Index.

Early in his career, he worked with a network of 8,000 scientists to produce the first International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species using quantitative criteria to assess extinction risk. Baillie completed his undergraduate studies in geography at Queen’s University in Canada.

He received a master’s degree in conservation biology from Yale University and a Ph.D. in biology from Silwood Park, Imperial College London. He has been a visiting professor of zoology at the University of Oxford since 2009.

MELLI INK (artist name) studied theatre design at Central St. Martins College in London. She worked in theatre, opera and film, designing both sets and costumes, before venturing on becoming a fine artist. Her background of theatre design informs her work as fine artist to this day. Her media include sculpture, film and performance.

Amongst other focuses Melli Ink’s work is influenced by the Alpine folk art of her native Austria, which is reflected in the value she places in the craft of the artisan. She works with glassblowers and other artisans representing dying professions to produce her work, thus incorporating traditional techniques and repurposing them for contemporary art. She draws inspiration from art history, literature, film and music,but also from popular culture. She specialises in juxtaposing materials such as glass and mountain crystal, metal and ceramics.

For information on her exhibitions please visit www.melli-ink.com

Parallel to her career in the arts, Melanie Grieder-Swarovski has engaged in community projects ever since she was a student in London (1993-2003). In recent years she has focused on supporting Tibetan refugees in India, in an effort to provide better living conditions and education for children. Additionally, she supports dog shelters in Spain.

Her main focus as Trustee of the Swarovski Foundation are projects concerning women empowerment, refugee communities in Europe and internationally, as well as contributing ideas for art education programs with museums.

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Marisa Schiestl-Swarovski is a fifth-generation member of the Swarovski family. She studied international business in Vienna and New York and graduated from Durham University in the UK with a Bachelor of Business.

Her professional career began as an events and marketing manager in Austria, organizing e.g. a large cultural event for the city of Vienna. Marisa completed her education with a master’s degree from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna with a focus on exhibition and cultural communication management. During her master’s degree, Marisa realized several projects for cultural institutions across Austria.

In 2010, Marisa founded the Swarovski Family Council, which aims to foster bonds between the widespread members of the Swarovski family, to improve the understanding of the family business among shareholders, and to prepare successive generations for their role as owners. After several years in Spain and Switzerland, Marisa now lives again with her family in Vienna, Austria and acts as Chairwoman of the shareholders of the Swarovski group.

UCLA Professor Teri Schwartz served as the Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT) from 2009-2019 where she launched a new vision and long-range plan that re-imagines entertainment and performing arts education as an interdisciplinary enterprise grounded in humanistic storytelling, social impact, technology and innovation, and diversity/global diversity. Her overarching mission has been to nurture and develop outstanding, diverse artists, industry leaders and scholars to use the power of story to enlighten, engage and inspire change for a better world.

Prior to becoming UCLA TFT’s dean, she successfully served as the founding dean of the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television. Teri is an award-winning feature film producer whose many films have garnered nominations for Academy, Emmy, Golden Globe, Grammy Clio and MTV awards. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America; Directors Guild of America; Academy of Television Arts and Sciences; the Governing Council of the Los Angeles-India Film Council; Creative Visions Board of Directors; the NAACP Entertainment Industry Advisor Board; The Storytelling Institute in Cannes, France Executive Board.  She has been a University of California Regents appointee to the Board of Trustees of the California State Summer School of the Arts where she now serves on CSSSA's Foundation Board of Directors. Recent awards: the 2018 UCLA Community School Bruin Partnership Award for Service and Dedication; 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award for Feature Film Producing from CAY/FILM; the 2013 American Spirit Award from the Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors for her Special Achievement in Educating New Filmmakers; and Variety’s 2012 Media Mentor of the Year.

From 1995-1998, Paul, a South African, served as the Executive Secretary of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was charged with investigating Apartheid-era crimes. He helped to establish the commission, develop its structure and modus operandi, and manage its operations. In 2001, Paul co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) in response to a growing recognition that facing legacies of past abuse and injustice is crucial to protecting human rights around the world. Paul was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Santa Clara School of Law for his work on human rights.

Paul accepted a Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2009 for pioneering approach to social change through transitional justice and was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and served on its Global Agenda Council on Fragile States. He also co-founded Maiyet, a luxury fashion brand that celebrates and cultivates traditional design and culture by partnering with global artisans to incorporate exquisitely handcrafted details into the collections.

More recently, Paul Co-founded The Conduit which serves as a home for those committed to improving the world by harnessing the power of creativity and entrepreneurship. The Conduit connects thinkers, leaders and innovators in social change, business and the arts to force impact for the greater good and opened in Summer 2018. Paul was also announced by London Tech Week as one of its 30 Change Makers 2018, celebrating the companies and people harnessing technology to inspire social and economic impact and drive global innovation.

Mimma Viglezio is a creative consultant, editor and broadcaster. She currently advises companies, boards and CEOs on matters related to organization, strategy, product and communications. She is a contributing Editor of SHOWstudio, Nick Knight’s digital platform.

Born and raised in Lugano, Switzerland, she started her career in marketing advising clients such as Bulgari and Celine. Mimma then went from overseeing global communications for Bulgari to taking over the role of worldwide communications director at Louis Vuitton, and from June 2005 was Executive Vice President of global communications for Gucci Group (now Kering), controlling and coordinating the activity of eight brands. A former Editor in Chief of Lula Magazine and then SHOWstudio, she is now Editor for the content of Tomorrow Ltd Digital Showroom.

 She is a Board Member of Tomorrow Ltd and of BirdSong Fashion; she is a Member of the Advisory Board of ModernMeadow and of RETURE.net.

 She is an advisor of the Fund for Global Human Rights and a Member of the Leadership Committee of Women for Women UK.

Ambassador Helene von Damm grew up in a small town in Austria and immigrated to the United States as a young woman.

After becoming a US citizen, she became interested in politics and began working at the American Medical Political Action Committee. There she met Ronald Reagan who had just announced his candidacy for Governor of California. Being inspired by his vision for America, she joined his campaign and stayed at his side in a variety of positions during his entire political career.

They included Personal Secretary, Northeast Regional Finance Director during the 1976 presidential campaign and, as the first woman, Assistant to the President for Personnel in the White House.

She ended her political career with her appointment as US Ambassador to Austria in 1983 before becoming an international business consultant. Helene attended Northwestern University in Chicago and the University of California in Los Angeles. She has participated in the prestigious Business Executive Seminar of the Aspen Institute in Colorado and has an honorary doctorate in Law from the University of New Hampshire. Her hobbies include mountaineering and reading, and she has a single engine pilot's license.