Professor Soumitra Dutta

Dean, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Soumitra Dutta is Dean of Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. Previously he was the founding Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University. He is the President of Portulans Institute, Chair of the Board of the Global Business School Network and member of the Global Board of Dassault Systemes.

Professor Dutta is an authority on innovation in the global knowledge economy. He is the co- editor and founder of the Network Readiness Index, published by Portulans Institute and the Global Innovation Index, published by the WIPO.

Professor Dutta received a B. Tech. in electrical engineering and computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi a MS in both business administration and computer science, and a PhD in computer science from the University of California at Berkeley. In 2017 he was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus from his alma mater IIT Delhi.

Lord Jitesh Gadhia

Parliamentarian, House of Lords

Lord Jitesh Gadhia is an investment banker and businessman and has been a Member of the House of Lords since 2016. Jitesh was previously Senior Managing Director at Blackstone based in London and has over 30 years' financial services experience, having also held senior positions at Barclays Capital, ABN AMRO and Baring Brothers. He has advised on a wide range of high-profile M&A transactions across developed and emerging markets. He recently stepped down from the Board of UK Government Investments and is currently a Board Member of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, Taylor Wimpey plc and Compare The Market Limited. He is also Chair of the British Asian Trust, a foundation establishes by HRH The Prince of Wales. Jitesh graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in economics and attended the London Business School as a Sloan Fellow.

Kate Hampton

CEO, Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)

Kate became CEO of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation in March 2016.

Kate sits on the board of the European Climate Foundation and WeProtect. Current advisory roles include to the Observer Research Foundation and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development. She has been featured in the top 100 Profiles of Paris, a collection of stories from the key people who created the Paris Agreement, and is a Friend of COP26.

Kate’s career spans roles in government, finance, consulting, a think tank and NGOs, including at Climate Change Capital, where she was Head of Policy.

She holds a BSc from the London School of Economics and a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Harpreet Kaur

British Asian Winner of BBC Apprentice 2022, Owner Oh So Yum

Harpreet is the first British Asian Winner of BBC Apprentice 2022, owner of Oh So Yum and business partner to Lord Sugar. She gained investment for the expansion & growth plans for her dessert business, with future store openings planned & the launch of a nationwide delivery service. She aims to inspire other young entrepreneurs, having started her own journey 6 years ago in the world of business.

Andy Street

Mayor of the West Midlands, West Midlands Combined Authority

Andy Street was elected as the first Mayor of the West Midlands in May 2017. Andy was re-elected to serve a second term as Mayor in May 2021. The primary function of the role is to chair the West Midlands Combined Authority and brings with it significant powers over transport, housing, skills and jobs.

Before becoming Mayor, Andy combined a career with John Lewis, Britain’s most successful workers’ co-operative, with a host of high-profile economic development roles, working with local and national government.

Starting on the John Lewis graduate scheme, Andy rose through the ranks to become Managing Director, overseeing one of the most successful periods in the company’s history.

He was the Chair of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership between 2011 and 2016, helping to build the relationships that have underpinned the economic growth of the region. Additionally, he has been lead non-executive director for the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group.

Outside of work, Andy is passionate about the arts, particularly in the West Midlands, having previously served as Vice Chairman of Performances Birmingham Limited, which is responsible for running the City’s Symphony and Town Halls.

In June 2015, Andy was awarded the CBE for services to the national economy. He was named the ‘Most Admired Leader’ of the year by business magazine, Management Today in 2014. He received the ‘President’s award’ from the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce in for his work in the region. He holds three honorary degrees, from Birmingham City University, Aston University and the University of Birmingham.