Agenda

Peter A. Bruck is an entrepreneurial scholar with a strong interest in media and tech systems and social transformation and justice. As an entrepreneur he has founded and created 4 research companies in applied Information and Communication Technologies and smart digital solutions and two start-ups in the eduTech space. His research work is focused on translational effectiveness between universities and markets with a particular interest in the interaction between cultures and technologies. He founded several research centers in universities in Canada and Austria and directed research programs all directed towards making academic work more relevant and impactful for advancing social justice, democratic participation and cultural sovereignty.

Bruck is particularly interested in understanding what creative people can do innovatively for the social good with technologies and how media shape minds and social practices. He studied law, economics, sociology, and communications at the universities of Vienna, Iowa and McGill and holds doctorates in law and communications.

Bruck is a enthusiastic university teacher and has taught at universities in Canada, the US and Western Europe plus Israel and Poland holding chairs in communication theory, mass communication sociology, media economics and new media technology.

He has nearly 40 years’ experience in founding and managing academic and business-oriented research centers and IT companies. He created the University of Applied Sciences in Salzburg and its first programs with focus on information economy and multimedia. He has acted as business consultant and policy advisor in digital technologies in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Portugal, the US and Canada.

His rich experience includes working as the Chief Content Officer as part of the Board of management of the Telekom Austria Group where is also lead the business unit on Interactive Media. He founded and managed for 20 years as CEO and Chief Researcher the Research Studios Austria FG, bringing digital innovations from universities into markets. He successfully started up several companies in the research and educational tech space and effectively concluded M&A deals.

Peter A. Bruck founded the World Summit Awards as Austrian Member State’s initiative for the UN World Summit on Information Society in 2003, with a current reach in and participation from 187 countries from around the global. This work built upon the success of the Austrian State Prize in MuliMediArt and the EU’s EUROPRIX MultiMediaArt from 1998- 2005

In 2024/25, his main interest focuses on purpose driven global digital innovation and social impact ventures, the development of DataSpaces for sustainability and mitigating the climate crisis and the future of Digital Democracy.
 
 
 

Arpita heads the Research & Communications Division at the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), where she leads critical work at the intersection of digital rights, equity, and inclusive development in India. In addition to her research and programmatic leadership, she spearheads strategic partnerships, working closely with civil society organisations, government bodies, and industry stakeholders to advance collective advocacy efforts. 

She is a researcher and writer who brings academic depth and grassroots insight to the discourse on technology, justice, and social transformation. With a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics, Arpita works at the convergence of language, identity, and digital empowerment, advocating for rights-based, people-centric approaches to digital policy and practice.

Her leadership at DEF spans a wide range of initiatives, from strengthening last-mile connectivity and advocating for online safety and data protection, to examining the environmental impact of digital technologies and exploring economic alternatives for coal-dependent communities. She has anchored the Digital Swaraj Fellowship, shaping experiential learning journeys for youth, and currently leads the Just AI Initiative, which focuses on data and algorithmic accountability grounded in community realities.

Arpita is actively involved in several international and regional platforms. She is a key organiser of the Digital Citizen Summit in India and a member of the Secretariats of the ARISE Network and the Digital Just Transition Task Force, where she contributes to shaping inclusive and sustainable digital futures. She is also a member of the South Asian Chapter of the Women for Ethical AI Network (W4EAI), led by UNESCO towards promoting gender-inclusive and ethically responsible approaches to AI development and deployment.

Her work is informed by a long-standing engagement with questions of marginality, access, and constitutional morality. Her research has critically examined the historical and political dimensions of the transgender community’s struggles in India, contributing to broader conversations on gender, sexuality, language, and structural injustice. She has authored numerous academic and policy publications, contributing to national and international dialogues on digital inclusion, human rights, and social equity. Her approach consistently centres the lived experiences of marginalised communities, making her a powerful voice in reimagining the digital as a space for empowerment, justice, and democratic participation.

Jennifer Corriero is co-founder and Executive Director of TakingITGlobal, a non-profit organization that empowers youth to understand and act on the world’s greatest challenges. In 2013, TakingITGlobal was a recipient of the Intercultural Innovation Award by BMW Group and the UN Alliance of Civilizations. In 2007, TakingITGlobal was recognized by the Tech Museum Awards as the Education award winner.

Jennifer was named as Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network in 2007. Over the past decade she has developed youth engagement programs supported by a range of foundations and has presented at conferences and events in over 30 countries. In 2003, Jennifer was a member of the Official Canadian Government Delegation to the World Summit on the Information Society. She has supported civil society engagement as part of various UN processes including the UN High Level Meeting on Youth, UN Climate Change Conference, World Urban Forum and International AIDS Conference.

Jennifer has a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University, where she has also been appointed as Adjunct Professor to the Faculty of Health. In 2011, Jennifer served as a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Youth Unemployment and was the Canadian Country Chair for Global Dignity Day. Jennifer is also the founding Curator for the Global Shapers Toronto Hub and continues to provide support as a mentor.

Osama Manzar is a global leader on the mission of eradicating information poverty from India and the global south using digital tools through an organisation he co-founded in 2002.

With over 25 years of experience, Osama has worked in the areas of journalism, new media, software enterprise before he established DEF to digitally empower the masses (so far 20 million directly) with a footprint of 1000 locations and 9000+ digital foot soldiers across 130 districts in 24 States.

A British Chevening Scholar and an International Visitors Leadership Program Fellow of the US State Department, Osama is a social entrepreneur, author, columnist, impact speaker, angel investor, storyteller, mentor, and sits on several government and policy committees in India and on international organisations working in the areas of Internet, access, digital inclusion and Misinformation.

Osama Manzar was instrumental in making National Digital Literacy Mission for DEF and its co-creators which later got adopted by Indian government. He also was a part of the team that developed India’s one of the biggest schemes called Common Service Centers. Recently, in 2020 government of India declared PM-WANI to decentralise and democratise last mile wifi based on DEF’ Wireless for Community program conceived by Osama. He also contributed in designing video call-based mentorship program for tribal girls in remote areas called GOAL (going online as leaders) which got adopted by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

He has co-authored more than six books, including Internet Economy of India and Netchakra: 15 Years of Internet in India. His latest book as a co-editor is COVID-19 – The New Normal: How to Survive a New World Order. Osama has instituted 10 awards for recognising digital innovations for development in South Asia.

He served as a Member of Advisory Board at Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) and a member of the Board at APC (Association of Progressive Communication); is Member of Media & Information Literacy Experts Network (MILEN) and Member of the Board/Advisory at various organisations such as: Association of Progressive Communication (APC); Global Network Initiative (GNI); World Summit Award (WSA); Ibtada; Society for Labour & Development (SLD); Down To Earth; Missing; Swaraj University, Proto Village and Protsahan Sanstha.

Osama Manzar has travelled to more than 10,000 villages across India and 50 countries and specialises in advising digital models for underserved communities. He writes regular columns in various publications including Mint.

Osama Manzar is a physics graduate and also PG Diploma in Journalism from AMU. He also accomplished Advance IT Management Program from Manchester Business School with Chevening Scholarship.

Lilan Dayananda is a highly accomplished social tech entrepreneur, recognized internationally for his innovative contributions to the social impact sector. He has been named among the top ten Social Entrepreneurs of the Global South by the United Nations Youth Envoy’s Office, UNFPA, ITU, and UNDP Youth Co: Lab.

In 2022, Lilan became the only Sri Lankan recipient of the prestigious Commonwealth Youth Award for excellence in development work. He was also nominated for the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust Youth Award in recognition of his extensive reach and profound impact on his community.

Lilan is featured in Ernst & Young's (EY) 2023 list of the top 100 meaningful businesses, alongside Hogan Lovells, Babson College, and the Meaningful Business Community, highlighting his work’s significance and impact.

A successful graduate of the Silicon Valley-based Founder Institute’s accelerator program, Lilan holds a Business Management (Special) Degree from the University of Kelaniya. He has earned over 600 course completion certificates, including 300+ from Coursera. Additionally, he is an ALS Fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago, and a Stanford Seed Spark Fellow.

Throughout his career, Lilan has led multiple award-winning social initiatives focused on food security, climate action, peace, and sustainability. One of his ventures developed the world’s first validated methodology for quantifying the human contribution to Primary Ecosystem Services. His ongoing work also aims to provide sustainable solutions to eradicate hunger in all its forms.

Lilan is the leading technology partner for the International Analog Forestry Network, where he collaborates closely with marginalized communities across 22 countries, including Costa Rica, Cameroon, Peru, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Through his initiatives, he reaches more than 100,000 marginalized farmers from diverse backgrounds, including various geographical locations, cultures, religions, income classes, races, and genders.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the community, Lilan Dayananda was exclusively invited to the 18th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Gangwon, South Korea, by the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates.

Rodrigo Assumpção is the president of Dataprev, an IT company focused on the social area of the Government of Brazil, since December 2008.

Previously, he held the post of Deputy Secretary of Logistics and Information Technology in the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management of the Brazilian government, for which he was appointed in 2003. Ahead of Dataprev, he received for three consecutive years the Professional Award for Information Technology, granted by the Editorial Forum.

He was director at the Florestan Fernandes Institute and at the Sampa.org, NGOs located in Sao Paulo; an educator in Cajamar Institute; and the e-Government coordinator of the Municipality of Santo Andre, in the Metropolitan Region of Sao Paulo. He holds a degree in History and a master's degree in Communication Sciences from the University of Sao Paulo (USP), with a dissertation on digital division.

orayadebie Jhagroe is a highly driven and inspired changemaker towards the SDGs. Born and raised in Suriname, her passion is to contribute to the development of the community, with focus areas related to youth development, climate action, energy, environment and gender.

Soraya holds a BSc. degree in Infrastructure (2015). Additionally, she completed a certificate course in Pedagogics (2017). In 2020, she accomplished her MSc. degree in Sustainable Management of Natural Resources. Her passion for learning led her to complete many personal and professional courses, which is still ongoing. Currently, she studies Bachelor of Law and aspires a doctorate degree in the near future.

While combining her study with work, Soraya started as a company assistant and PR officer. Her BSc. degree led her to excel in project management and technical drafting at a construction company. Afterwards, she enriched her experience at the Secondary Technical Vocational Education Institute (NATIN) as a teacher/tutor/supervisor and management member for the faculty of natural resources (4+ years). Currently, she holds the position of Economic Regulation and Supervision Specialist at the Energy Authority of Suriname.

Over the past decade, Soraya has been actively involved in various (inter)national social-community activities and youth empowerment organizations. She is well-known for her multidisciplinary approach with successful execution of projects varying in scale. Leading by example, she encourages others to actively participate in addressing pressing developmental challenges. She has been able to contribute through her different roles: (board)member of the Cultural Union Suriname (4 years); Lions Clubs International Suriname Leadership Team as the Leo Associate, chair of the Leo Clubs; (vice)president and current member of Leo Club Campus Plus (5+ years); Suriname America Alumni Association since 2022 (secretary) and senior lead at Foundation Young Help Suriname (6+ years). She was an elected Youth District Council member for approximately 3.5 years.

Recently, Soraya joined the Suriname Business Association - Young Management division. Engaging in the United People Global Network, Lights on Women's Energybase and platform of the Global Women's Network for the Energy Transition allows her to actively participate in worldwide challenges. Soraya is the recipient of the CARICOM Women in Sustainable Energy Award (2022) in the category Youth Leader, which she considers a significant milestone. By being a member of the Caribbean Development Bank’s Future Leaders Network, she wants to be a champion for the Caribbean in youth development challenges and her selection in the prestigious 35 under 35 Caribbean Cohort underscores her commitment to leave a lasting impact and make valuable contributions to the region.

Apart from her professional pursuits, Soraya enjoys Indian dance and Zumba. She's a nature and meditation lover who also likes networking, socializing and spending quality time with family. Her life motto: "God, Positivity, Happiness & Inner Peace" guides her journey. Soraya's unwavering leadership commitment and strong desire to contribute to the growth of responsible world citizens keeps her energized. She aims to make a profound impact on sustainable development at every level. Her remarkable drive, expertise and personal characteristics position her to make an invaluable contribution to the world.

Abner Manzar has traveled across 16 countries and 28 Indian states covering more than 50 districts and documented the story of digital divide and digital development in India through 16 articles, 150 short films and documentaries and a book published by the Centre for Development Policy & Practice.