Rakan AlSheikh

Deputy Minister
Ministry of Economy and Planning, Saudi Arabia

Rakan is a Deputy Minister for Policies and Economic Planning at the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning. He oversees functions that include applied research and analysis of several initiatives and reforms that are currently underway in the Kingdom, spanning fiscal, structural, and distributional policies and programs. His responsibilities also involve active participation and policy design of several economic and social programs. Rakan also worked for the Ministry of Labour and Social Development as an economic advisor on policies, trends, and initiatives that are impacting the Saudi labor market. Rakan's previous work experience also includes economic consulting for the World Bank's transport sector (MENA region) in Washington, DC, and economic research at Jadwa Investment, with 70+ published reports covering key macroeconomic topics related to Saudi Arabia and regional economies.

Rakan holds a master’s degree in international economic policy analysis from Brandeis University.

Rakan's fields of interest include macroeconomic policy, development economics, and labor economics.

Abdulaziz Bin Hassan

Board Commissioner
Capital Market Authority (CMA)

Mr. Abdulaziz Abdulmohsen Bin Hassan, is a board commissioner at Capital Market Authority who has 33 years of experience in financial markets, investment management, asset management, investment banking and alternative investments. He has previously served as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Saudi Arabia and Member of Credit Suisse MENAT Operating Committee, MD & CEO of Arabian Capital and Rana Investment Company and has held various leadership positions at Samba Financial Group and Bank Muscat.

He served as a member of the Board of Directors at the Saudi Stock Exchange – Tadawul. He also was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Alamiya for Cooperative Insurance Company and a member of the Board of Directors of Saudi Fransi Capital, Al Faisaliah Group and member of the Audit Committee at Arab National Bank.

Mr. Abdulaziz received a Bachelor's Degree in Law from King Saud University, in addition to attending several executive programs at Oxford University – Saïd Business School, and Several training courses at The New York Institute of Finance, Euromoney and CitiBank training centre, beside working on job trainee at Lehman Brothers, London, Salomon Smith Barney, London and CitiBank, New York.

Dr. Ammr Kurdi

Assistant Governor of Financial Sustainability and Risk Management
The General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI)

Dr. Ammr K. Kurdi holds more than 20 years of professional and executive experience in accounting, finance, and auditing with a proven track record of success in business strategy setting, leading complex organizational roles, and analysis. He is currently the Assistant Governor for Financial Sustainability and Risk Management (FSRM) in General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), and a member of multiple boards and audit committees, and investment committees for various organizations, such as the National Development Fund, the Insurance Authority (IA), Saudi National Bank (SNB), Saudi Telecom Co. (STC), Saudi Electricity Co. (SEC), and The Company for Cooperative Insurance (Tawuniya), among others. Dr. Kurdi also held multiple positions previously as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Audit Executive, and Chief Corporate Services Officer for publicly listed, privately-held, and government organizations. These included The Company for Cooperative Insurance (Tawuniya), the Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company (Dussur) (PIF, Aramco, and SABIC joint venture), and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM). Dr. Kurdi earned his Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of North Texas, USA, a Masters’ degree in Accounting from the University of Arizona, and Bachelors’ degree in Accounting from KFUPM. He is also a Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Dr. Hotham Altwaijry

Deputy Chief Executive Officer at National Center for Artificial Intelligence
Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA)

Dr. Hotham Altwaijry is the Deputy CEO of the National Center for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI), Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), where he plays a key role in shaping strategy and ensuring that data and AI initiatives deliver measurable national impact.

He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine, and offers technical depth informed by executive leadership experience. His career includes a progression of senior roles contributing to Saudi Arabia’s data and AI ecosystem, including Assistant Director for Digital Identity and Advance Recognition Technologies (iDART) in the National Information Center (NIC) and Deputy Supervisor for the Centers of Excellence Program (JCEP) in King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).

In his leadership role, Dr. Altwaijry contributes to the strategic guidance, innovation, and executive stewardship for data and AI initiatives aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and long-term national priorities. At the Capital Markets Forum, he shares an executive perspective on how leaders guide data and AI to support sustainable and impact-oriented decision-making.

Adena Friedman

Chair & Chief Executive Officer
Nasdaq

Adena Friedman has been the Chief Executive Officer of Nasdaq since January 1, 2017 and was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors on January 1, 2023. She brings more than 20 years of industry leadership and expertise, and is credited with significantly shaping Nasdaq’s transformation into a leading global exchange and technology company serving the financial industry.

Prior to her current role as Chair and CEO, Adena held several senior leadership roles at Nasdaq including President and COO where she was responsible for the operations of the company’s business segments with a focus on driving efficiency, product development, growth and expansion.

She rejoined Nasdaq in 2014, after serving as Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director of The Carlyle Group from March 2011 to June 2014 and playing a critical role in taking the company public in May 2012.

Before Carlyle, Adena was a key member of Nasdaq's management team for over a decade, serving in a variety of roles, including head of the company's data products business, head of corporate strategy and Chief Financial Officer. She played an instrumental role in Nasdaq’s acquisition strategy, overseeing the acquisitions of INET, OMX, and the Philadelphia and Boston Exchanges. She originally joined Nasdaq in 1993 as an intern.

Since December 2018, Adena has served as a Class B director to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In January 2024, Adena was elected to the Business Roundtable (BRT) Board of Directors and currently serves as the Chair of the BRT's Technology Committee.

In July 2020, Adena began her term as a member of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Williams College in Massachusetts and a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

Mohammed AlRumaih

Chief Executive Officer
Saudi Exchange

Mohammed Al-Rumaih is the Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Exchange. Since joining the Exchange in 2009, he has held several key leadership positions including Chief of Markets, and Chief of Sales and Marketing.

Mr. Mohammed has been instrumental in driving the Exchange’s growth and transformation. Under his leadership, the Exchange has implemented significant market enhancements and introduced innovative financial products. Among his notable achievements during his tenure are the Saudi Exchange’s inclusion in major emerging market indices, the successful launch of the Nomu-Parallel Market, and facilitating the seamless public listing of Saudi Aramco in 2019 – the world’s largest IPO.

He also serves as a board member of the Securities Clearing Center Company (Muqassa) and is a member of the Audit committee for the Securities Depository Center Company (Edaa) and Tadawul Advanced Solutions Company (WAMID).

Al-Rumaih holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and an Executive MBA from Manchester Business School.

Catherine Clay

Chief Executive Officer
S&P Dow Jones Indices

Catherine Clay is the CEO of S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI), a division of S&P Global and the world’s leading index provider, offering investment professionals across the globe an array of products from core indices such as the S&P 500® to broad comprehensive benchmarks. She is responsible for all aspects of the index business globally.

Ms. Clay joined S&P Global from Cboe Global Markets, where she was Executive Vice President and Global Head of Derivatives, leading the Exchange's global options and futures businesses as well as its Data Vantage business across the U.S., Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. She has a wealth of experience across derivatives markets, digital assets, data analytics and financial technology. Prior to this role, she served as Executive Vice President of Global Digital and Data Solutions, leading Cboe's efforts to align the company's digital assets, data & analytics product suite and market data services.

Before joining Cboe, Ms. Clay was the CEO of LiveVol, a pioneering derivatives and analytics company that was acquired by Cboe in 2015. Cathy began her career as a clerk in Interactive Brokers’ market-making unit, Timber Hill, and progressed to lead market maker and director of floor trading and operations. In 2006, she left Timber Hill to co-found Thales LLC, a market-making firm on the NYSE Options Floor and on the OneChicago single stock futures exchange.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colorado. She serves on the board of directors for the Greenwood Project, an organization working to create career pathways in the financial services industry for diverse, underrepresented students.

Tal Cohen

President
Nasdaq

Tal Cohen is President of Nasdaq, leading Nasdaq's Market Services and Financial Technology divisions. In this capacity, he is responsible for Nasdaq’s North American and European Market Services businesses as well as the company’s portfolio of marketplace technology, surveillance, risk management and regulatory reporting solutions.

Prior to joining Nasdaq in April 2016 as the Senior Vice President of North American Equities, Tal was the Chief Executive Officer of Chi‐X Global Holdings, LLC from 2010 to 2016. From 2008 to 2010, he served as CEO of Chi‐X Americas.

Before joining Chi-X, Tal held several senior leadership roles at INSTINET, including Senior Vice President of Business Development and Product Strategy and Co‐head of electronic trading for North America, from 1999-2008. Before joining Instinet, he served as M&A Manager at American Express, building out its strategic investment portfolio. Tal started his career at Arthur Andersen as an Auditor and Senior Business Advisor focused on the Financial Services and Telecom industries.

From 2009-2016, Tal served as a Director on the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) Board. He additionally served as a Director on the Canadian Depository for Securities (CDS) Board from 2013-2016.

Tal holds a B.A. from SUNY Albany, an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and is a Certified Public Accountant. He also holds FINRA Series 24, 7 and 63 licenses, the CSI Partners, Directors, and Senior Officers Designation (PDO).

Mohammed AlShammasi

Chief Executive Officer
Derayah Financial

The CEO of Derayah where he is responsible for the company’s strategy and overall business and commercial activities. Mohammed has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of financial services, financial markets, corporate strategy and investment management and advisory. Previously Mohammed was Chief Investment Officer for Derayah since 2014. He was responsible for the overall investment activities covering multiple asset classes. Before that he was Head of Investment Management at a leading bank affiliated investment company where he managed multiple teams with more SAR 30 billion of assets under management. Prior to that, he was a Portfolio Manager at leading local bank. Mohammed has a successful track record of generating superior investment results, building investment processes and teams and providing professional advice. Mohammed structured award winning investment products and strategies. Mohammed graduated with honors from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He attended several management and leadership programs at Stanford University, Harvard Business School, Duke University and INSEAD Business School.

Christina Qi

Chief Executive Officer
Databento

Christina Qi is the CEO of Databento, one of the fastest-growing market data providers in the world. She formerly founded Domeyard LP, a hedge fund focused on high frequency trading (HFT) that traded up to $7.1 billion USD per day. Christina is a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Board of Trustees and the Duke University Pratt School of Engineering Advisory Board. She was Co-Chair of the Board of Invest in Girls and served on the Boards of Forbes Under 30, The Financial Executives Alliance (FEA) Hedge Fund Group, the MIT Sloan Boston Alumni Association, and the U.S. Non-Profit Boards Committee of 100 Women in Finance. Christina earned a Bachelor of Science in Management Science from MIT in 2013 and earned her CAIA designation in 2015. She lives in her home state Utah with 10 chickens, 2 turtles, and a 15-year-old dog.

Jemma Wolfe

Chief Operating Officer
PACT Capital Partners

Jemma Wolfe is the Chief Operating Officer at PACT Capital Partners, a GP stakes and seeding platform that invests in and partners with middle-market private investment firms. In her role, she leads capital formation, investor relations, business development, and firm operations.

Prior to joining PACT, Jemma spent 14 years at Goldman Sachs, most recently as global head of commercial strategy for the Alternatives Capital Formation business, where she directed client strategy, product prioritization, and go-to-market initiatives across the firm’s alternative investments platform. Her earlier roles at Goldman Sachs included global chief administrative officer of Platform Solutions and global co-head of strategy for Consumer and Wealth Management. She also built and led Launch With GS, a $1 billion initiative to invest in companies and fund managers with diverse leadership teams.

Jemma’s background spans strategy, product innovation, and wealth management, with a foundational career in advising family offices and ultra-high-net-worth clients on complex capital solutions.

Jemma earned a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University and served as a corporate term member at the Council on Foreign Relations representing Goldman Sachs.

Ashok Krishnan

Head of Platforms
Bank of America

Ashok Krishnan is head of Platforms at Bank of America, where he leads strategic initiatives to simplify and modernize infrastructure, enhance automation and improve operational efficiency across business lines and support functions. In this role, he partners with leaders across the company to drive enterprise-wide transformation. Under his leadership, the firm has advanced innovation and industry-leading change, including the rollout of generative AI tools and specialized solutions.

Krishnan also is responsible for all electronic trading globally within Global Markets, including direct market access and algorithmic trading, and leads market structure strategy for the business. Additionally, he manages the Global Markets platform function, covering technology prioritization and strategy, and oversees the Quantitative Strategies and Data group.

Krishnan joined Bank of America in 2005 from Lehman Brothers where he served as vice president of EMEA Electronic Product Development, responsible for developing Lehman’s electronic trading platform in Europe. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications and an MBA from London Business School.

Oliver Albers

Chief Product Officer, Capital Access Platforms
Nasdaq

Oliver Albers is the Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer for Nasdaq’s Capital Access Platforms (CAP) division, where he leads the strategic direction, development and execution of Nasdaq’s Data, Index and Workflow & Insights businesses that serve 10,000+ corporate clients, 5000+ investor clients. Nasdaq’s innovative products increase transparency between corporates and investors and empower them to effectively navigate the capital markets, accelerate their sustainability goals and drive governance excellence.

A veteran of Nasdaq for more than two decades, Oliver has developed a deep understanding and expertise from various leadership roles across research, product management, sales, and operations. Previously, Oliver served as Executive Vice President and Head of Nasdaq Investment Intelligence and prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and Global Head of Data. He has launched numerous innovative, client-centric solutions and expanded the business through several key acquisitions that continue to shape the team today. Additionally, Oliver has been an instrumental driver in the launch of various industry-shifting milestones such as the Nasdaq Closing Cross, Net Order Imbalance Information, Nasdaq Basic, Nasdaq Last Sale, Asset Owner Peer Benchmarking, and alternative data products.

Oliver earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and International Business from Ohio University and an MBA from George Washington University.

Mohammed Zarook

Chief of Market Information & Indices
Wamid

Mohamed joined Saudi Exchange in March 2023 as Chief of Market Information & Indices. He oversees data strategy and implementation for the Group.

He led the Group’s data transformation efforts over the past two years, transforming core market datasets into commercial data products that support the growth and development of Saudi capital markets. He has also overseen the migration and transformation of the Group’s data platform to the cloud, enabling scalable analytics, improved accessibility, and faster delivery of data services to market participants.

Mohamed has more than 20 years of experience in developing businesses in data, technology, and indices across developed and emerging markets. He brings extensive expertise in strategy development and execution, product development, and identifying new business opportunities. In addition, he has led partnerships with financial institutions, central banks, and regulators to enhance automation and transparency in financial markets.

Mohamed holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computing from the National University of Singapore and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from IE Business School (Instituto de Empresa), Spain.

Dr. Dara Sosulski

Global Head of Artificial Intelligence and Model Management
HSBC

Dr. Dara Sosulski is a Managing Director and Head of AI and Model Management for Markets and Securities Services at HSBC. She received her PhD from Columbia University in Neurobiology and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at University College London in their Neural Computation Group before joining the bank. Over the course of her career at HSBC she has led AI and analytics teams across a variety of businesses and functions. She is the recipient of several awards for data, technology, and research and is a popular speaker and advisor on all things Artificial Intelligence.

David Wu

Head of Firmwide AI Product and Architecture Strategy
Morgan Stanley

David Wu is Head of Firmwide AI Product & Architecture Strategy where he is responsible for Morgan Stanley’s GenAI platforms. In this capacity, he works closely with Technology to establish the technical solutions and framework that will support current and future use cases, inclusive of build and buy strategies. David also partners with business areas to develop and source AI solutions, execute a rigorous evaluation process, and drive towards deployment.

Previously, he was Head of Wealth Management Generative AI & Knowledge Management, where he was responsible for the deployment of Generative AI capabilities across the broader WM organization. In this capacity, David was responsible for building technologies that utilize Generative AI, partnering closely with control partners to ensure appropriate approvals / oversight, and scaling the launch of use cases through ongoing training and enablement support of different business units as they execute on their respective use cases. In 2023, David and his team were the first in financial services to fully deploy a Generative AI solution to employees, the AI@MS Assistant, which provided answers to questions on internal content. In 2024, he oversaw the deployment of AI@MS Debrief to Financial Advisors, which enabled summaries and emails from client meetings, a first of its kind for WM.

Alastair Pinder

Head Emerging Markets and Global Equity Strategist
HSBC

Alastair Pinder is Head EM and Global Equity Strategist for HSBC. He started his career at HSBC in 2014 and has worked in the London, Hong Kong and New York. His work focuses on how policy shifts, capital flows and new technologies shape investment opportunities across global equity markets.

Ahmad Kordi

Head of Investment Research & Decision Support, MENA Investments Division
Public Investment Fund (PIF)

Ahmad is a distinguished investment professional, currently serving as the Head of Investment Research & Decision Support at the Public Investment Fund (PIF), with over a decade of experience in fundamental analysis research and investment management.

At PIF since April 2019, Ahmad has played a pivotal role in establishing and leading a world-class buy-side research team covering MENA markets. Ahmad's leadership extends to performance analytics and business support functions, where he has successfully implemented advanced analytics tools including artificial intelligence applications to enhance the investment decision-making processes. Moreover, Ahmad represents the Public Investment Fund on a number of boards and committees.

Prior to his tenure at PIF, Ahmad was a Senior Investment Manager at GIB Capital, and a founding member of their asset management capabilities in Saudi Arabia. His earlier experience includes serving as an Equity Research Analyst at HSBC Saudi Arabia.

Ahmad is an Executive MBA candidate at HEC Paris and holds an Msc in Financial Analysis and Fund Management from the University of Exeter. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Aberdeen. Moreover, Ahmad is a CFA Charterholder, and served multiple positions including the chairmanship of CFA Society Saudi Arabia.

Nayef AlAthel

Group Chief Sales & Marketing Officer
Saudi Tadawul Group

Nayef Al-Athel is the Group Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Saudi Tadawul Group (STG). With a proven track record in the global financial industry, he oversees Group-wide sales, the commercialization of STG’s subsidiaries and the development of the Group’s customer-centric strategies across marketing, branding and communication. Additionally, his role encompasses the management of the Group’s international corporate partnerships and CSR initiatives. Al-Athel also spearheaded the establishment of the Capital Markets Forum (CMF) as one of the world’s largest capital markets event platforms.

Before assuming his current role within the Group, Al Athel served as Chief of Listing at the Saudi Exchange, he was instrumental in launching Single Stock Options (SSOs) on the Saudi Exchange and facilitating the first international cross-listing.

Prior to joining Saudi Tadawul Group, Nayef held leadership positions at Morgan Stanley, and started his career at Venture Capital Bank. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance & Economics from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and has completed executive education programs at INSEAD, the London School of Economics, and the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute.

Nikhil Deogun

CEO of the Americas and U.S. Senior Partner
Brunswick Group

Nikhil Deogun has served as CEO of the Americas and U.S. Senior Partner for Brunswick Group, a critical issues advisory firm, for seven years, following a 25-year career as a media executive and journalist.

From Brunswick’s New York office, Nik leads the firm in the region, overseeing its core advisory, as well as creative, arts, research and digital practices in the Americas and has navigated a transformational period of growth since he took the helm in 2018. Nik is also an advisor to the leaders and boards of corporations, universities, nonprofit organizations and cultural institutions, drawing on his nearly thirty-year career at the intersection of journalism and business to counsel them on their most reputation-defining moments.

Nik joined Brunswick from CNBC where for nearly nine years he held several senior management and leadership roles, including Editor in Chief and Senior Vice President, Business News. In this role, he managed the network’s news content, coverage and production. He was responsible for all the editorial content for daily live news programming, working closely with anchors, reporters and producers, as well as CNBC’s award-winning network specials, documentary and news programs. He also helped build and lead CNBC’s events and conference business.

In addition to his management roles at CNBC, Nik previously held senior management and leadership roles in a long and distinguished career at The Wall Street Journal. He was Deputy Managing Editor and international editor of The Wall Street Journal overseeing the Journal’s network of international bureaus and correspondents as well as its Money & Investing section during the 2008 financial crisis. Prior to this, he was a well-respected M&A reporter for the paper, before becoming editor of the Media  & Marketing group, where he oversaw all news coverage of the media, entertainment, consumer products, fashion and retail sectors. He also served as Deputy Bureau Chief in Washington, D.C. for three years where he oversaw regulatory and investigative coverage for the paper.

Nik is actively involved in a number of civic causes, serving on the Board of Directors of the US India Strategic Partnership Forum. He is on the American Board of Trustees for the Arthur F. Burns Fellowship, the Board of Trustees of Muskingum University, his alma mater, the Board of Advisors of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia University, and the Board of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. He received his master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

George Harrington

Managing Director, Global Head of Fixed Income & Derivatives
MSCI

George has over 20 years of experience in financial markets, financial technology, and global exchanges, most recently, he was in an advisory role as the Head of Global Business Development for Eris Exchange LLC. While at Eris he was responsible for overall business strategy in rates, credit and FX markets.

Prior to Eris, George was at Bloomberg, LP for over nine years where he held a variety of positions including Head of Derivative Trading, Head of Fixed Income Trading, Head of Fixed Income, Currency and Commodity Trading and most recently Head of Global Markets Mr. Harrington is responsible for global derivatives and fixed-income indexes of MSCI. In derivatives his team supports MSCI linked listed futures and options, and all exchange partnerships. In addition, he is in charge of building the MSCI product ecosystem and leads OTC Derivatives globally to drive maximum revenue for the firm and to create compelling value propositions for clients. In Fixed-Income, he leads both the MSCI proprietary Fixed-Income index business as well as the partnership strategies with Bloomberg, Markit, ICE and others.

He had many accomplishments at Bloomberg including growing execution platforms to leadership positions and leading Bloomberg STP to be only the second SEC licensee for post-trade matching.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Harrington worked at Tradeweb as Head of Credit Derivative Trading. He also worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers/Standard & Poor’s, Thomson Financial, and he began his career as a senior mutual fund accountant for JP Morgan Chase.

George obtained an MBA in finance from Boston College and a BA degree in Economics from Old Dominion University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a former member of the CFTC Global Markets Advisory Committee.

Maxence Hardy

Markets Chief Data Officer, Global Head Equities Quant Research
J. P. Morgan

Max Hardy is the Chief Data Officer for J.P. Morgan’s Markets Division, and the Global Head of Equities Quant Research (QR).

His QR team develop models and analytics to support the CIB Sales and Trading businesses (pricing, electronic trading, optimization, risk management, etc.), as well as facilitate their Data & Analytics transformation journey. Additionally, in his CDO capacity, he is responsible for the development and execution of the Data Strategy that underpins the analytics, automation and optimization programs in Sales and Trading.

Max joined J.P. Morgan in 2010 as an eTrading quant as part of the initial build out of the Equities agency electronic execution franchise, before expanding his scope across the whole QR Equities in roles in New York and Hong Kong. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Max worked at Société Générale on the equities Program Trading desk. He holds a Master’s Degree in Quantitative Finance from Paris Dauphine University.

Sonali Basak

Chief Investment Strategist
iCapital

Sonali Basak is the Chief Investment Strategist at iCapital®, a global fintech leader transforming access to alternative investments. In her role, Sonali leads the firm’s strategic thought leadership across public and private markets, delivering data-driven insights and actionable content to financial advisors, investors, and asset managers. She plays a pivotal role in shaping iCapital’s investment outlook and strengthening its position as a trusted voice in the global investment ecosystem. Prior to joining iCapital, Sonali was Bloomberg Television’s lead global finance correspondent and anchor. She covered major financial institutions, hosted the flagship morning show Open Interest, and led Bloomberg’s premier annual conference Bloomberg Invest. Her newsletter, Wall Street, By Basak., earned acclaim for its sharp commentary on market trends and industry shifts. She also created and hosted Bullish, a docuseries spotlighting influential voices in finance. Renowned for securing exclusive interviews with top Wall Street CEOs and breaking news on market-moving deals, Sonali has built a reputation as one of the most insightful voices in financial journalism. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University, a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School, and an MBA in Quantitative and Corporate Finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business. She is based in New York City.

Mohammed Islam

Host & Founder
The Mo Show

Mohammed Islam is a passionate communicator and marketing leader who blends over a decade of brand-building experience with a mission to amplify real, authentic voices from Saudi Arabia through modern media. He is the Founder and Host of The Mo Show Podcast, Saudi Arabia’s leading English-language podcast dedicated to reshaping global perceptions of the Kingdom by showcasing stories of progress, ambition, and transformation. Since launching The Mo Show in 2020, Mohammed has produced over 165 episodes, attracting more than 22 million YouTube views and 3.8 million audio downloads, establishing one of the most influential podcast platforms in the region. His thoughtful long-form in-depth conversations with trailblazing figures across sectors have made The Mo Show a go-to destination for authentic Saudi storytelling and cross-cultural dialogue. Before founding The Mo Show, Mohammed spent 13 years at APSCO (Arabian Petroleum Supply Co.), where he rose from Brand Manager to Marketing & Business Development Manager. There, he led brand strategy, campaign execution, and customer engagement initiatives that strengthened APSCO’s position in the competitive energy sector. Mohammed’s unique combination of media presence, marketing insight, and cultural fluency makes him a compelling voice in modern storytelling. His ongoing mission is to bridge perspectives, celebrate local achievement, and drive narrative transformation across the region.