Opening Plenary | Skoll World Forum 2016
Speakers
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Former Vice President of the United States and Chairman of The Climate Reality Project, Office of the Honorable Al Gore
Former Vice President Al Gore is co-founder and chairman of Generation Investment Management. He is a senior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and a member of Apple, Inc.'s board of directors. Gore spends the majority of his time as chairman of The Climate Reality Project, a non-profit organization he founded that is focused on solutions for the global climate crisis.
Gore was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982 and the U.S. Senate in 1984 and 1990. He was inaugurated as the 45th Vice President of the United States on January 20, 1993, and served eight years.
He is the author of the bestsellers Earth in the Balance, An Inconvenient Truth, The Assault on Reason, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, and most recently, The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change. He is the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary and is the co-recipient, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for "informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change."
Former Vice President Gore was born on March 31, 1948, and resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Executive Director, Ripple Effect Images
One of the first women photographers to work for National Geographic, Annie Griffiths has photographed in nearly 150 countries during her illustrious career. She has worked on dozens of magazine and book projects for National Geographic, including stories on Lawrence of Arabia, Baja California, Galilee, Petra, Sydney, New Zealand, and Jerusalem.
In addition to her magazine work, Griffiths is deeply committed to photographing for aid organizations around the world. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Ripple Effect Images, a collective of photographers who document the programs that are empowering women and girls in the developing world, especially as they deal with the devastating effects of climate change. In less than five years, Ripple’s work has helped 24 non-profits raise over a million dollars.
Griffiths’ work has also appeared in LIFE, Geo, Smithsonian, Fortune, Stern, and many other publications. Along with author Barbara Kingsolver, she produced Last Stand: America’s Virgin Lands, a book celebrating the last pristine wilderness in North America. Proceeds from the book raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for grassroots land conservation. Griffiths is an accomplished speaker and a regular guest on NPR, The Today Show and other media outlets.
In 2008, Griffiths published A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel, a photo memoir about balance, and the joy of creating a meaningful life. In 2010, Annie authored the book, Simply Beautiful Photographs, which was named the top photo/art book of the year by both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Annie is currently at work on two new books.
Annie is a Fellow with The International League of Conservation Photographers and has received awards from the National Press Photographers Association, Heifer International, the National Organization of Women, The University of Minnesota and the White House News Photographers Association.
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Founder And Chairman Emeritus, Jeff Skoll Group
Founder and Chairman Emeritus
Jeff Skoll is an entrepreneur devoted to creating a sustainable world of peace and prosperity. Over the last 17 years, he has crafted an innovative portfolio of philanthropic and commercial enterprises, each a distinctive catalyst for changing the trajectory of issues that most affect the survival and thriving of humanity. This portfolio includes the Skoll Foundation, Skoll Global Threats Fund, Participant Media, and Capricorn Investment Group—all coordinated under the Jeff Skoll Group umbrella. The Skoll entrepreneurial approach is unique: driving large-scale, permanent social impact by investing in a range of efforts that integrate powerful stories, data, capital markets, technology, partnerships, and organized learning networks. Operating independently from one another yet deeply connected through a shared vision, Skoll organizations galvanize public will, influence policy, and mobilize resources to accelerate the pace and depth of change. Jeff was the first full-time employee and President of eBay, where he experienced firsthand the power of combining entrepreneurship, technology, and trust in people. His work today embodies those fundamental lessons. All of Jeff’s organizations rely on the premise that people are fundamentally good, and that given the opportunity to do the right thing, they will.
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Composer, Pianos for Peace
Hailed by BBC WorldNews as “an acclaimed pianist”, the music of German born, Syrian-American composer and pianist Malek Jandali has been described as “moving and thought provoking” by Bob Stevenson of NPR and “inspiring” by the Huffington Post. His most recent symphony was described by Thomas Ludwig of the LSO as a “new symphonic mastery that was clearly not brought about only by a reaction to contemporary events, but also by sustained contact with the well-springs of polyphonic elegant music.”
Malek’s hit album “Echoes from Ugarit” was recorded in Moscow with The Russian Philharmonic Orchestra and released in 2008. It includes original compositions based on the oldest music notation in the world discovered on a clay tablet in the ancient Mediterranean city of Ugarit. His 2012 album “Emessa” has received critical acclaim in major newspapers and is “hauntingly beautiful” according to The Stream AJ America.
Malek was the recipient of the 2011 “Freedom of Expression” award in Los Angeles and was recognized in New York City with the 2012 Arab-American Cultural Achievement Award. He was honored with the 2013 GUSI Peace Prize for his dedication to peace and the humanitarian causes featured in his 2013-2014 world tour “The Voice of the Free Syrian Children”. Malek was the recipient of the 2014 Global Music Humanitarian Award and in 2015, The Carnegie Corporation of New York honored him as a Great Immigrant, joining the ranks of other great American immigrants such as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and Ambassador Samantha Power.
Malek’s compositions not only integrate Middle-Eastern modes into Western classical forms and harmony, they echo UNESCO’s call to preserve and protect the rich cultural heritage of Syria and the Silk Road at a time when it is being eradicated. They range from chamber music to large-scale orchestral works including three symphonies and concertos for violin and piano. His compositions have been performed by numerous leading orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, The Stockholm Solister, and the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra. David Firman of the RPO describes Jandali’s music as “gorgeous, haunting, yearning and full of hope, with a pain more personal than that of Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninoff.”
His album “SoHo” was premiered on January 31, 2015 at Carnegie Hall. Featuring The Malek Jandali Trio and his chamber works for piano, oud and cello, “SoHo” is a departure from his previous albums. While it honors the rich heritage of traditional Syrian and Andalusian music and masterpieces of world poetry, it is clearly influenced by the American spirit of creativity and artistic self-expression. From the Silk Road, to Little Syria to SoHo, this album is a continuation of Jandali’s musical journey.
In 2015 Malek released his album “Syrian Symphony” at Carnegie Hall, described by Fanfare Magazine as “a major new addition to the 21st century’s symphonic literature.” American Record Guide hailed the album as having “heart-rending melodies, lush orchestration, clever transitions and creative textures.” The Syrian children were the inspiration for his second symphony, Luminosity, which was premiered on February 6, 2016 by the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and released in 2017 on his latest album also featuring “Symphony No. 3, Hiraeth”
His causes go beyond those of humanitarian activism, as he is regularly recognized by and invited to speak to key academic audiences at Harvard University, the Skoll World Form, Duke University, Aspen Ideas Festival and the United Nations headquarters in New York City and the Doha Debates at Georgetown University in Qatar. Malek’s diverse career remains truly international, as he continues to captivate audiences in concerts throughout North America and Europe at such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center, Wiener Konzerthaus, Stockholm Konserthuset and the National Auditorium in Madrid with the Queen of Spain in attendance.
Jandali is a magna cum laude graduate of Queens College and received his MBA from The University of North Carolina. In addition to his demanding tour schedule, he is a strong advocate for peace and human rights. He is the founder and CEO of Pianos for Peace, a non-profit organization dedicated to building peace through music and education. He embraces young talent through the Malek Jandali International Youth Piano Competition. Malek makes his home in both New York City and Atlanta, and is a member of The Recording Academy and The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). His music is published by Soul b Music and his albums are available on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon and at Virgin Megastores worldwide.
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Chair of The Elders, The Elders
Mary Robinson was elected Irish President in 1990 and served for seven years as a principled and transformative leader who fought for equality and women’s rights throughout her time in office. A firm believer in dialogue and reconciliation, she broke taboos by being the first Irish head of state to make official visits to Britain, as well as regularly visiting Northern Ireland. As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), Mary Robinson became renowned as an outspoken voice dedicated to investigating and exposing human rights abuses across the world.
Mary Robinson has been a member of The Elders since the group was founded in 2007 and was appointed Chair of The Elders in November 2018. She has travelled to the Middle East several times with The Elders to encourage peace efforts and support Israelis and Palestinans working for peaceful coexistence; visited the Korean Peninsula to help ease tensions between North and South Korea and learn more about North Korea’s chronic food crisis; joined an Elders' delegation to Côte d'Ivoire to emphasise the importance of reconciliation following widespread civil conflict.
Mary Robinson also founded The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice. Its work from 2010-2019 meant climate justice went from being effectively a taboo topic to being an approach to climate decision-making and action that is people-centered, rights-informed and fair.
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Director of the Arabic Language and Cultural Studies Program, Fordham University
MOHAMED A. ALSIADI was born in Syria and lived and worked in the Middle East before moving to NYC. He received his B.A. from Syrian’s most prestigious Institute of Music. As a gifted composer and artist he collaborated with some of the most renowned artists and musicians of the Damascus Spring. He is currently the Director of the US-MidEast Program for the Center for the Study of Genocide, Conflict Resolution and Coordinator and Senior Lecturer in the Arabic Language and Cultural Studies Program at Fordham University. He is also presently a doctoral candidate in the Program in American Studies at Rutgers University-Newark. His research interests include, Arabic language, literature, culture, Arab-American issues, issues related to Arab-American identity post-9/11; the impact of East-West relations on contemporary Arabic music and literature; Aleppian Waslah performance in the Diaspora; Arabic music composition, theory, and practice; and use of Islam to democratize groups and nations. Alsiadi has co-authored an Arabic language and culture book, articles on music and music theory in addition to translation of key works of important social and political figures of the Arab Spring and the Syrian revolution.
Professor Alsiadi has spent the last five years facilitating discussions, hosting meetings and conducting research with key members of the Syrian leadership in the diaspora. Since the start of the conflict in Syria he has provided academic leadership, engaged in discussions and offered advice and support to fellow Syrians in civic society, academia and political parties across Europe, the Middle East and the United States. He has also provided important commentary for journalists in the USA and around the world based on his research and expertise and reports from his contacts with academics and journalists within Syria. He has been interviewed and been an analyst on TV and radio for a wide range of media sources including appearances on PBS, HuffPost LIVE, ABC In
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Student, UWC Robert Bosch College
Selina Neirok Leem, an islander from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is currently attending her last year of high school in the UWC (United World College) Robert Bosch College in Freiburg, Germany. The school is a prestigious international program that offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Prior to her coming to Germany, she was a student of the Marshall Islands High School.
Until she was 16 and moved to Germany, she spent her entire life on her home atoll, Majuro, also the capital of the country. She grew up with her large family; her grandparents, her parents, her uncles and aunts, her cousins, and her six siblings. Selina was influenced a lot by her grandparents who would tell her Marshallese stories and legends before she went to bed. They also emphasized the importance of education, taught her Marshallese values, and so much more.
She credits her grandfather for her deep awareness of the increasing fate of her island home through his stories about how the ice in the North Pole and South Pole were melting and would soon flood the Marshall Islands. He helped her become much more aware of her surroundings, of the fact that she was literally surrounded by water.
Coming to Germany, Selina took on the role of a climate change advocate for her country. She saw all that had happened throughout her years of living on her atoll as the changing of the climate became more prominent and wanted to share with whomever she came across. She was even more inspired when she saw that she could reach a much wider audience here in Europe in order to spread more awareness.
Representing the Marshall Islands, Selina was the youngest delegate at the COP21 in Paris. During the closing remarks, then Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Tony deBrum gave her the opportunity to give the final statement on behalf of her country. She told the world that Paris agreement, “should be the turning point in our story; a turning point for all of us.”
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Cellist,
Sophie, originally from Cardiff, began learning the cello at the age of 8. By the age of 17 she had progressed through all of the local youth orchestras and gained a place in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. In 2014, her final year, she was principal cello, under the direction of Jac Van Steen.
Sophie studied at the RWCMD under the tuition of Rosie Biss and Richard May During her time there, she was a keen chamber musician and a member of the Scott Quartet. In April 2014, the quartet won the first annual Bridgewood & Neitzert String Quartet prize at RWCMD and were awarded scholarships to study at the Wintergreen Academy, Virginia, USA in summer 2014. They were also put forward for the prestigious Cavatina Intercollegiate String Quartet Prize 2014 in London and have given a wealth of performances around Cardiff and beyond.
Since graduating in 2015, Sophie is performing across Wales and England with various ensembles, including British Sinfonietta, Sinfonia Cymru, Welsh Sinfonia and acting as principal cello for the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra.
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Director, The Marshall Institute, London School of Economics
Stephan Chambers is the inaugural director of the Marshall Institute at LSE. He is also Professor in Practice at the Department of Management at LSE and Course Director for the new Executive Masters in Social Business and Entrepreneurship. From 2000 to 2014 he directed the University of Oxford’s MBA and was the founding Director of Oxford University's Executive MBA programme. Before joining the Marshall Institute Stephan Chambers was the Co-Founder of the Skoll World Forum, Chair of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Director of International Strategy at Saїd Business School, Oxford University. He is a Senior Research Fellow at Lincoln College, Oxford and a Director of the Documentary Society Foundation. Stephan Chambers wrote a regular entrepreneurship column for the Financial Times and, in 2014, was special advisor to the Skoll Global Threats Fund in California.
