Alicia Polak, CEO, Khaya Cookies

Alicia Danielle Polak is the dynamic founder of The Khaya Cookie Company, an innovative business with a social objective. A former investment banker turned social entrepreneur, Alicia launched the export-based Khaya Cookie Company in 2006 in collaboration with the Wharton Societal Wealth Program to provide sustainable job opportunities and job skills training in her adopted home of South Africa.

Alicia earned an MBA/MPA from New York University and The University of Cape Town, South Africa.  She has been featured in CNN Headline News “Small & Global” and in publications such as The Financial Times, Glamour (South Africa), O, the Oprah Magazine (South Africa), and Business 2.0. She received the Food Network Awards 2007 Edible Entrepreneur of the Year award for her “passionate pursuit of bright ideas.”

Alicia currently resides in Philadelphia and in her free time enjoys scuba diving, South African wine tasting, and traveling the world.

Sameer Mithal, Head of Business Development, WaterHealth International

Mr. Mithal is the EVP of Global Business Development for WaterHealth International, a company focused on providing affordable drinking water to communities in developing companies in Africa and Asia.

Prior to joining WaterHealth International, Mr. Mithal was a Senior Principal with IBB Consulting Group focused on strategy, new product definition and business development opportunities for companies in the cable, media and communications industries.

Mr. Mithal has also been a Managing Partner of a technology development company and VP of Business Development/Operations for a media focused start-up company  In addition, Mr. Mithal worked for several years with Booz Allen & Hamilton on projects in Asia, Latin America and Europe.

Mr. Mithal holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from The Wharton School, an MS in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor of Engineering from the Western Australian Institute of Technology.

Willa Shalit, CEO, Fair WInds Trading

Willa Shalit is an artist, theatrical and television producer, author/editor, socially-conscious entrepreneur and philanthropist.

To bring economic recovery to women in post-conflict zones, Shalit founded Fair Winds Trading, Inc. to create markets in the United States for products manufactured jointly by Palestinian and Israeli women, and by women survivors of the Rwandan genocide.  Fair Winds is a leading importer of handmade goods from Rwanda, partnering with Gahaya Linka, Utexrwa,  Macy’s, Starbucks and O: The Oprah Magazine.

Willa is editor of the book, Becoming Myself: Reflections on Growing Up Female, and author of Lifecast: Behind the Mask.   She has produced shows on Broadway and off-Broadway, and her travel photos have been widely published.

Shalit was one of the co-founders of non-profit V Day, served as Special Advisor to the United Nations Development Fund for Women, and was named by Women’s eNews as one of the "21 Leaders for the 21st Century" in 2006.

Anna Getaneh, Founder & Managing Director, African Mosaique, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Ethiopia

Anna Getaneh is a former acclaimed international model, a humanitarian and social entrepreneur. She is the founder and Executive Chairman of The Ethiopian Children’s Fund (ECF) as well as the founder and Managing Director of African Mosaique.

ECF Village is an integrated development project for children and young people in Aleltu, Ethopia. It comprises a school, a health clinic, a feeding centre, a vocational centre and environmental programmes for 400 poor, vulnerable children, mostly orphans.

African Mosaique is a private company that designs, manufactures, markets and retails high quality clothing and accessories. Its core philosophy is to help develop the African fashion industry and to help provide jobs and sustain traditions by manufacturing in Africa.

Anna speaks English, French and Amharic, and has a BA degree in Marketing and Business Management Studies, from the University of Maryland. She is the mother of two and currently resides in Johannesburg, South Africa.