Silvia Sartori was awarded a bachelor's in international diplomatic sciences from Trieste University, a post-graduate certificate on business in China from the Milan-based Institute of International Political Studies and a master's in Asian studies from Lund University. During a three-year residence in China, she worked in the private sector before joining the European Union Chamber of Commerce. She was also deeply involved with local and foreign nonprofit groups. She has contributed to Italian and foreign media with articles and reports from Asia. Silvia served as a Devex fellow in the first half of 2008. Silvia is fluent in Italian, English French and German and has a working knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.

Sima Bahous is UN Women’s executive director. Bahous brings to the position more than 35 years of leadership experience at the United Nations, as well as in ministerial posts in her home country of Jordan. Bahous holds a doctorate in Mass Communication and Development from Indiana University, a master’s degree in Literature and Drama from the University of Essex, and a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from The ​​University of Jordan.

Simin Haidary is a women's rights advocate from Afghanistan. She is a social entrepreneur who is working with women to discover their true potential. She believes that an Afghan woman will shine beyond her survival mode if she learns to unlearn herself.

Simon Bland is the CEO of the Global Institute for Disease Elimination, or GLIDE. Simon has over 40 years of international development experience. He joined GLIDE as CEO in 2019 after six years as the director of UNAIDS New York Office. Before that, he spent 30 years working with the British government at the now-defunct Department for International Development. He was chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria from 2011 to 2013, served on the boards of Gavi, UNITAID, UNAIDS, RBM Partnership to End Malaria, and Malaria No More UK. He was awarded a CBE — Commander of the Order of the British Empire — in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2013 for services to global health.

Simon Carpenter is the chief technology adviser at SAP Africa. Simon has 33 years of wide-ranging experience in the IT sector. The last 21 years have been with market leader SAP’s African business where he has held a number of leadership positions.

Simon Cooke is CEO of Marie Stopes International. He joined the organization in 2013 with over 20 years of international management, marketing and sales experience in developed and developing countries in North Africa, Asia, Latin America, Scandinavia and the Persian Gulf. Cooke is the former CEO of SuperMax, a personal care product marketing organization based in the Middle East, and has also held senior leadership positions at both Procter & Gamble and Reckitt Benckiser.

Simon Gill is the managing director of the Overseas Development Institute and has over 30 years’ experience working in international development and public financial management in numerous countries across Africa and Asia. Since joining ODI in 2012, Simon's work has focused on strengthening budget processes in fragile and conflict-affected states working with finance ministries, principally in sub-Saharan Africa.

Simon Heck is senior director at CGIAR and was appointed director-general of the International Potato Center in February 2023.

Simon Lewis is a freelance journalist covering Southeast Asia. Following a stint as business editor of The Cambodia Daily newspaper in Phnom Penh, he has been based since 2013 in Yangon, where he also worked as an editor and reporter for The Irrawaddy news magazine. He has reported on development, business, human rights and religion in the region.

Simon Lucas is CEO of Reltex, a Kenya-based manufacturer of plastic sheeting, tarpaulins and buckets especially designed for the relief aid and emergency sector. Lucas is also a member of the Steering Committee for AidEx. Find out more: www.aid-expo.com.