Riera is also an alumnus of Asunción’s Catholic University, graduating from the Faculty of Juridical and Diplomatic Sciences in 1982. Between 1983 and 1987, he led the Youth Section of the Colorado People’s Movement, and went on to be Deputy Minister of Youth in the Ministry of Education from 1994 to 1996. A lawyer by profession, in 2001 he was elected Mayor of Asunción, serving until 2006. He was sworn in as Minister for Education last year after student pressure led to the resignation of the previous Minister, Marta Lafuente

A graduate in Economics from the Catholic University of Asunción, and a testament to that university’s importance in Paraguayan development, Mr. Peña took his Master’s degree in Public Administration at Columbia University, New York. He taught Economic Theory at the Catholic University before taking a post as an analyst with the Industrial Development Fund in 1999, and served as an economist at the Central Bank of Paraguay from 2000 until 2009. Following a spell working in West Africa with the IMF, he returned to Paraguay and was made a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank. On his appointment as Minister of Finance in January 2015, aged 36, he became the youngest Finance Minister in the region.

As Chief Project Officer of Madinat Al Irfan, Hinai is charged with overseeing one of Oman’s most important developments. Holder of a degree in Architecture from the University of Oklahoma, he has been a part of the Sultanate’s architecture and design industry for over 25 years. He joined OMRAN in 2012 as Senior Vice President & Executive Director of the Al-Irfan Urban Development Project, which is designed to reposition Muscat’s now-congested central business district in Ruwi and transform the image of the city as a whole.

Hemant Murkoth hails from the city of Pondicherry, India, and has been working in the IT industry since 1988. With a wealth of experience in tech-management, Murkoth founded Business Gateways International himself in 2010 and is its acting CEO. Passionate about innovation and implementing new business models, he is admits that the challenges of his profession give him many sleepless nights! An expert on computer-aided design (CAD), for which he has a ‘soft spot’, he gives seminars on the subject from time to time.

Raad Al Farsi is the Business Development Manager at Hayut Tech, Hayut International LLC. Hayut Tech is a division that aims to supply smart technologies to the Sultanate of Oman.  Its renowned product, the Smartflower, is distinguished for its ability to adjust its solar panels according to the sun’s position in the sky. The device, with a geometric shape of a flower, retracts its panels at night and blooms again each morning as the sun rises. Al Farsi has recently developed two additional Smartflower devices and added them to the market for renewable energy. While his focus is primarily on Oman, he has begun to promote Smartflower internationally.

Mr. Farei is Managing Director of Zeenah Group, BAZ Publishing, and Photocentre.  A graduate of The London School of Economics and Political Science, New York University, and HEC Paris, Farei’s intellect is showcased in his work. Along with directing multiple companies, Farei also commits time to charitable ventures. As a project leader in the Ministry of Social Affairs, Farei took part in raising over half a million USD to build mobility aids to help disabled children in Oman. Farei is also a founding partner in the Lavoisier Charitable Foundation, a charity focused on generating lasting change in the education system in Africa.