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 Millennium Leadership Program alumni, 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. Select programming will be livestreamed. Sign up to watch online.
Speakers
Agenda
9:00–9:15 a.m. | Welcome remarks
Speakers
Jonah Fisher
Senior Director, Millennium Leadership Program,
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
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
Ricardo Baptista Leite
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
Senior Director, Millennium Leadership Program,
Atlantic Council
12:30–1:30 p.m. | Lunch
Please join us for lunch.
1:30–1:40 p.m. | Room warm-up
Speakers
Jonah Fisher
Senior Director, Millennium Leadership Program,
Atlantic Council
Aalaa Abuzaakouk
Deputy Director, Millennium Leadership Program,
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
Featuring
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
Damon Wilson
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
4:30–4:35 p.m. | Fellow spotlight: Mark Boris Andrijanič
Featuring
Mark Boris Andrijanič
Former Minister for Digital Transformation, Republic of Slovenia;
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Europe Center, Atlantic Council;
2017 Millennium Fellow,
Atlantic Council
4:35–5:00 p.m. | Closing remarks
Speakers
Aalaa Abuzaakouk
Deputy Director, Millennium Leadership Program,
Atlantic Council
Jonah Fisher,
Senior Director, Millennium Leadership Program
Atlantic Council
Ilker Baburoglu
Chief Executive Officer, MedTrade Energy & Commodities;
2022–23 Millennium Fellow,
Atlantic Council
Meet the MLP Community
Oleksandra Matviichuk
Head, Center for Civil Liberties (Recipient of Nobel Peace Prize), 2024 Millennium Fellow
I am honored to be a part of this global network. When I travel the world to various conferences and meetings, I almost always encounter a Millennium Leadership Program alumnus, and it is immediately clear that we are connected in a meaningful way through this special community.
MLP leverages the Atlantic Council’s convening power, nonpartisan thought leadership, and global community to connect leaders, foster collaboration, and strengthen global networks. The MLP 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 Millennium Leadership Program aims to foster, connect, and empower the next generation of global leaders.