Czech Ambassador Jana Šedivá is a veteran career diplomat and expert on Chinese study. She is a graduate of Charles University and Beijing University and has a two- decade experience in the Foreign Service. Prior to her assignment as Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines with concurrent jurisdiction to Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, and Palau, she was the Deputy Director of the Asia and Pacific Department from 2016 - 2018. She has also worked in the EU’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust) as Head of Czech National Member’s Cabinet, Deputy Director of the Czech Centre in The Hague, and at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Jakarta, Indonesia. Apart from her dedication to pursue innovative ways to enrich the relations of the Czech Republic and the Philippines, Ambassador Šedivá is also committed to working on advocacy areas related to gender equality and children’s rights. Aside from being a formidable career diplomat, Ambassador Šedivá is also a loving and devoted mother to her daughter.

From 2019 – 2019 she was the Head of the Division of Humanitarian Assistance and Humanitarian Demining (Operations) at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. The Division is part of the Directorate General for Humanitarian Assistance, Crisis Prevention, Stabilization and Post-Conflict reconstruction. She has dealt with humanitarian assistance since 2012, when she became Deputy Head of this division (2012-2016).

Anke Reiffenstuel has worked in the diplomatic service since 1993; her postings included the German embassies in London, New Delhi, Cairo and Manila.

During her first year as German Ambassador in the Philippines she had the chance to get to know different places, where she met with Representatives and Officials to not only strengthen the bilateral relationship between both countries, but also to get to know better its people and their culture. Her journey lead her to Mindanao, Iloco South & North, Cebu, Palau, Cavite and hopefully there will be more to come in the next couple of years.

Stella Luz A. Quimbo is the duly elected Representative of the 2nd District of Marikina City and Deputy Minority Leader of the 18th Philippine Congress. She is an academician who served as Professor and Department Chair of the University of the Philippines School of Economics.

In 2016, she was appointed Commissioner of the Philippine Competition Commission, where she served for three years. From 2011 to 2013, she was a Prince Claus Professorial Chair Holder at Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Dr. Quimbo has an extensive research portfolio in the field of Health Economics, Industrial Organization, Microeconomics, Education, Poverty, and Public Policy and Regulation. This includes her attendance in a succession of both international and local academic conferences, and authorship of numerous scientific and technical publications, one of which was acclaimed 2015 Outstanding Scientific Paper Awardee by The National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). Later, NAST also conferred on her the Outstanding Youth Scientist Award. She was also a Freedom Flame Awardee of a German foundation for liberal politics, the Friedrich Neumann Foundation for Freedom, and a recipient of the UP President Edgardo J. Angara Fellowship and UP Diliman Centennial Faculty Grant.

She holds an MA in Economics for Competition Policy (with Distinction) from King’s College London. She obtained her BS in Economics (summa cum laude), MA in Economics, and PhD in Economics from the University of the Philippines.

Jeannie Javelosa is an Advocate-Thought Leader for culture, sustainability and gender. She is also a Writer-Artist, Awarded Book Author and Speaker. She is co-founder of ECHOstore Sustainable Lifestyle and GREAT Women, social innovation enterprises that support market access for community products. She is also co-founder of the multi-awarded communications agency, The EON Group.

Jeannie was Asia-Pacific Finalist Winner to the 2012 Cartier Women’s Initiative Award in Paris; 2018 Go Negosyo Outstanding Women’s Entrepreneur Awardee; 2018 Outstanding ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Awardee from Bangkok; For GREAT Women, she won the 2020 UN WEPs Asia Pacific Award Philippine Champion for two categories: Leadership Commitment and Gender Responsive Marketplace; and 2nd Runner up in the Regional awards for Gender responsive Marketplace. Jeannie is also Founding Director for the Philippine Women Entrepreneur Network (PHILWEN) and a Board member of the Womens Business Council of the Philippines.

Jeannie graduated with her Bachelors Degree Magna Cum Laude and Outstanding Leadership Award in the Philippines, and followed with a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Rosario “Ros” Juan is a third generation entrepreneur who always dreamed of opening her own cafe. She interned for a coffee company as a teen and has since been immersed in the realities of the Philippine Coffee Industry. She has spent more than half her life in coffee, working in marketing, communications, community engagement and store operations in Manila, Philippines and in Shanghai, China. She took a brief hiatus from the coffee world to do pioneering work in the local digital advertising industry, launching corporate campaigns and social media for social good initiatives. In 2013, she returned to her first love, coffee, and finally opened her own cafe, Commune. Ros still dreams of the day when Philippine coffee will be internationally-recognized. She is a volunteer of the Philippine Coffee Board and a member of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance.

Since the pandemic, Ros helped launch and operate Frontline Feeders Philippines and grow the “Coffee Home Brewers” community, now 23,000 members strong.

Ros is a social media strategist, cafe operator, coffee roaster and cat lover. She has a weekly Facebook Live session where she simulates the feel of being in Commune, right out of her kitchen.

Sheila Lobien is currently the Chief Executive Officer and
the main force in putting up Lobien Realty Group, Inc., a full-service real estate consultancy and property investments strategy firm engaged in commercial and office space leasing, capital investments optimization and property acquisition and sales.

Prior to Lobien Realty Group, Sheila was a Regional Director and Head of Project Leasing of a Fortune 500 property consulting firm. She was also a General Manager of Regus Manila and was one of those who spearheaded Regus' then-novel concept of co- working and plug-and-play office space in the early 2000's.

Sheila advocates women empowerment and currently chairs the Women in Business Committee of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP), whose key activities provide an avenue for mentoring, networking and other social activities geared towards uplifting women professionals in the Philippines.

Sheila graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Tourism degree from University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City and took up Management Development Program at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), Philippines, Master of Business Management at the University of the Philippines in Manila, Management Executive Program at National University of Singapore (NUS) and INSEAD Business School.

Naida Pasion is the Chief Business Development Officer of Save the Children Philippines. She leads the team that mobilizes resources to ensure that the most deprived children in the country survive, learn and are protected.

Naida has worked in Myanmar as Program Director of Save the Children, as well as in the Asia, and West and Central Africa Regional Offices of Save the Children, covering a total of 27 countries for both regions. As Program Director, she led in the development of leading-edge initiatives for children including urban and climate resilience. She has conceptualized an approach called Appreciative Community Mobilization (ACM) that builds on the strengths and highest aspirations of poor communities. She has served in the Board of the 800-member global Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

Naida loves reading, gardening and ladies’ fashion design.

Sheri Scott-De León is a strong advocate for women’s empowerment and creating economic opportunities for women. She runs the social enterprise, Notadaydream – whose mission statement is empowered women empower women. Through the Notadaydream brand, Ms. Scott-De León and co-owner, Martine de Leeuw create aspiring opportunities for women living in Tondo, Manila to become bagmakers. Partnered with the Bless the Children Foundation, women working for the Notadaydream brand are able to receive a sustainable income and send their children to school while the whole community benefits.
The Notadaydream brand was a 2020 Finalist in the IHDA (International Handbag Designer Awards) for the Most Socially Responsible Bag – handmade by the team in Tondo.
Ms. Scott-De León is a firm believer in order to realize sustainable change we as women have to empower each other and lift each other up - with this we can all realize all our dreams.

Dr. Gia B. Sison is a practicing medical doctor specializing in Occupational Medicine and is a graduate of the University of Sto. Tomas. She herself is a breast cancer survivor for almost four (4) years now and is currently the Philippine Leader for Livestrong Foundation and the National Adviser of the Youth for Mental Health Coalition. She is the former Chief Medical Officer of Global Telehealth Incorporated and a co-founder of #HealthXPh which promotes the responsible use of social media in healthcare amongst others. She was a previous project consultant to the World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office on Health Lifestyle in the Workplace. She is currently the Head of Makati Medical Center’s Wellness Center. She is a staunch mental health advocate and life and leadership blogger at her personal page entitled Sand and Stone at http:///www.giasison.com and her brainchild Unsaid Feelings at www.unsaid-feelings.com which serves as a platform where individuals can write and let their feelings out with no judgment.

Dr. Sison also hosts her own digital series on CNN Philippines, G Talks which talks about life, love and anything mental-health related. She has also launched a project called Padayon PH at padayonph.com which aims to serve as a mental health resource hub hoping that more people gain access to.