About the Forum
Global challenges are multiplying.
What kind of leadership is needed to
meet this moment?
Hosted at the Atlantic Council headquarters in Washington, DC, the inaugural Global Leadership Forum brings together Global Leadership Center community, Atlantic Council experts, and partners for substantive dialogue on the challenges shaping leadership in today’s fast-moving global landscape.
The 2026 Global Leadership Forum is an invite-only event. If you’re interested in learning more about the public livestream of select sessions and/or other GLC opportunities, please fill out the interest form here.
Speakers
Agenda
9:00–9:15 a.m. | Welcome remarks
Speakers
Frederick Kempe
President and CEO,
Atlantic Council
Jonah Fisher
Alan Yang Global Leadership Chair, Global Leadership Center,
Atlantic Council
Ilker Baburoglu
CEO, MedTrade Energy & Commodities;
2022 Millennium Fellow,
Atlantic Council
9:15–9:45 a.m. | 2026 Edelman trust barometer: Trust amid insularity amid insularity
Speaking
Amanda Edelman
2022 Millennium Fellow; Chief Operating Officer, Gen Z Lab,
Edelman
Richard Edelman
President and CEO,
Edelman
9:45–10:30 a.m. | Leading first: Dalia Grybauskaitė on the responsibility to serve
Featuring
Dalia Grybauskaitė
Former President,
Republic of Lithuania
Moderated by
Jenna Ben-Yehuda
Executive Vice President,
Atlantic Council
10:30–10:35 a.m. | Fellow spotlight: Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir
Featuring
Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir
Former Minister of Higher Education,
Science and Innovation,
Government of Iceland
10:35–11:00 a.m. | Coffee break
Please join us for a coffee break.
11:00–11:40 a.m. | Ambassador to executive: Richard Verma on steering organizations through change
Featuring
Richard Verma
Chief Administrative Officer, Mastercard;
Former Deputy Secretary of State,
Management and Resources;
Former US Ambassador,
India
Moderated by
Zeina Boustani
Director, Government Affairs and Policy,
Mastercard;
2024 Millennium Fellow,
Atlantic Council
11:40–11:45 a.m. | Fellow spotlight: Ricardo Baptista Leite
Featuring
Chief Executive Officer, HealthAI – The Global Agency for Responsible AI in Health;
2017 Millennium Fellow,
Atlantic Council
11:45–12:30 p.m. | Behind the curtain: Atlantic Council experts on shaping the global future
Speakers
Jörn Fleck
Senior Director, Europe Center,
Atlantic Council
Melanie Hart
Senior Director, Global China Hub,
Atlantic Council
Jason Marczak
Vice President and Senior Director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center,
Atlantic Council
Rama Yade
Senior Director, Africa Center,
Atlantic Council
Moderated by
Jonah Fisher
Alan Yang Global Leadership Chair, Global Leadership Center,
Atlantic Council
12:30–1:30 p.m. | Lunch
Please join us for lunch.
1:30–1:40 p.m. | Room warm-up
Featuring
Aalaa Abuzaakouk
Deputy Director, Global Leadership Center,
Atlantic Council
1:40–1:45 p.m. | Fellow spotlight: Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers
Featuring
Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers
Former Minister of Education and Social Development, Government of Anguilla;
2021 Millennium Fellow,
Atlantic Council
1:45–2:30 p.m. | The ABCs of leadership: Driving innovation with Linda Hill
Speaking
Ilker Baburoglu
CEO, MedTrade Energy & Commodities;
2022 Millennium Fellow,
Atlantic Council
Linda A. Hill
Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration and Faculty Chair,
Leadership Initiative,
Harvard Business School
2:30–3:10 p.m. | Leading without a title: Bobi Wine on building a people’s movement
Featuring
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine)
President, National Unity Platform,
Uganda
Moderated by
President and CEO,
National Endowment for Democracy
3:10–3:15 p.m. | Fellow spotlight: Lima Halima-Khalil
Featuring
Lima Halima-Khalil
Co-Founder and Program Director,
ArtLords;
2025–26 Millennium Fellow,
Atlantic Council
3:15–3:45 p.m. | Coffee break
Please join us for a coffee break.
3:45–4:30 p.m. | Power and platforms: Nick Clegg on leadership in a digital world
Featuring
Sir Nick Clegg
Former Deputy Prime Minister, United Kingdom;
Former President of Global Affairs,
Meta
Moderated by
Frederick Kempe
President and CEO,
Atlantic Council
4:35–5:00 p.m. | Closing remarks
Speakers
Julie Varghese
Chief Operating Officer,
Atlantic Council
Aalaa Abuzaakouk
Deputy Director, Global Leadership Center,
Atlantic Council
Chief Executive Officer, MedTrade Energy & Commodities;
2022–23 Millennium Fellow,
Atlantic Council
Meet the GLC Community
GLC leverages the Atlantic Council’s convening power, nonpartisan thought leadership, and global community to connect leaders, foster collaboration, and strengthen global networks. The GLC network includes more than five hundred alumni worldwide, including Nobel laureates, heads of government, senior executives and entrepreneurs, and civil society leaders across every region.
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The Global Leadership Center aims to connect and empower international leaders.