Kristalina Georgieva is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She is the first person from an emerging market economy to lead the IMF since its inception in 1944. Before joining the Fund, Ms. Georgieva was Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank and also served as Interim President for a time. Previously, she served at the European Commission as Vice President for Budget and Human Resources – and as Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. She was named “European of the Year” and “Commissioner of the Year” by European Voice for her leadership in the European Union’s humanitarian response to crises.
Ekniti Nitithanprapas
Minister of Finance, Thailand
Ekniti Nitithanprapas was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on September 22, 2025. Ekniti was Director-General of the Revenue Department, Excise Department, Treasury Department, and State Enterprise Policy Office. Previously, he served as Minister for Economic and Financial Affairs to the United Kingdom and Europe, Senior Advisor to the Executive Director at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance. In addition, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors in various organizations including Krung Thai Bank Public Company Ltd. and Thai Airways International Public Company Ltd. Ekniti holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Claremont Graduate University, a Master’s from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Thammasat.
Ajay Banga
President, World Bank Group
Ajay Banga most recently served as Vice Chairman at General Atlantic. Previously, he was President and CEO of Mastercard, a global organization with nearly 24,000 employees. Under his leadership, MasterCard launched the Center for Inclusive Growth, which advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. He was Honorary Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, serving as Chairman from 2020-2022. He became an advisor to General Atlantic’s climate-focused fund, BeyondNetZero, at its inception in 2021. Banga served as Co-Chair of the Partnership for Central America, a coalition of private organizations that works to advance economic opportunity across underserved populations in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. He was previously on the Boards of the American Red Cross, Kraft Foods, and Dow Inc.
Ajay Banga is a co-founder of The Cyber Readiness Institute and was Vice Chair of the Economic Club of New York. He was awarded the Foreign Policy Association Medal in 2012, the Padma Shri Award by the President of India in 2016, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Business Council for International Understanding’s Global Leadership Award in 2019, and the Distinguished Friends of Singapore Public Service Star in 2021.
Riikka Purra
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Finland
