Principal of William McDonough & Partners, William McDonough is focused on designing environmentally sustainable buildings and transforming industrial manufacturing processes. In 1996 he became the first and only individual recipient of the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development. Author of Cradle to Cradle: Remarking the Way We Make Things, he envisions a society that does not produce waster but instead produces nutrients from former waste products.

Co-Founder of Architecture for Humanity, Cameron Sinclair's work is to find architectural solutions for humanitarian crises and to bring design services to communities in need. A 2006 TED Prize, Sinclair has been honored as a visionary who seeks to "positively impact life on this planet."

Jessica Jackley Flannery first saw the power and beauty of microfinance while working in rural Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Co-founder of Kiva with her husband Matt, Jessica speaks widely on microfinance and social entrepreneurship. She serves on a number of non-profit boards, including Opportunity International.

Richard Branson is the man behind one of the world's most recognized and respected brands, Virgin. His Virgin Group has a presence in international retail, air travel, mobile communication, music, resorts, clean fuel, space travel, and many other areas.

C.K. Prahalad has been named a 2001 top-10 worldwide management thinker by the Financial Times, UK Observer and BusinessWeek. His 1990 co-authored essay on 'core competence' is the Harvard Business Review's most reprinted article ever. Dr. Prahalad specializes in corporate strategy and the role and value of top management in large, diversified, multinational corporations.

Dr. Philip Kotler is the author of the most widely used marketing book in graduate business schools worldwide. His efforts as the Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Northwestern University has helped put his school at the top of the "Best Business Schools" list in Business Week's survey for six years in a row.

Author and co-author of 29 books and renowned experimental physicist, Amory Lovins' work is consistently focused on harnessing market forces to promote resource efficiency as a solution to a variety of economic, social, and environmental problems. A highly sought-after speaker, Mr. Lovins has addressed many leading U.S. and overseas business, policy, energy, automotive, environment, and development groups.

John Wood is the founder and CEO of Room to Read, a non-profit organization that brings books, libraries, schools and computer rooms to underprivileged children in third-world and developing countries. He is author of the book Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, which describes his journey to Nepal, and how he left a high-paying job at Microsoft to start Room to Read.

With a gift for designing innovative organizations to support a product or idea, Rod Beckstrom is on the cutting edge of organizational structures through his work with Silicon Valley companies. Rod designed and helped launch a decrentralized network of CEOs working for peace and economic development, as well as a network of Indian and Pakistani CEOs which is widely credited with opening the borders between the two countries.

Author of Developing Green: Strategies for Success and The Insider's Guide to Marketing Green Buildings, Jerry Yudelson is a leading green building expert in the US and has trained 3,000 people in the LEED rating system. He was the co-founder and director of the Green Building Services consulting unit.