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Giovanna Faso (Class of 2001) - Moderator
Head of Engineering Operations, Tech Excellence, OLX Group

Giovanna received her BA/BSc (Hons) Events Management and Mass Communication from tin London Metropolitan University in 2006, her Master of Business Administration, MBA from Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School in 2018, her Master’s Degree
Digital Media; Technology and Cultural Performance from Goldsmiths, University of London, and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science, BS - Computer Science at IU International University of Applied Sciences.

Giovanna is a practitioner currently based in Lisbon leading Tech Excellence at the OLX Group. With over 15 years experience of working in Product&Tech in London, she finds herself specialising in organizational behaviour with a focus on the product and software delivery arena. Her experiences range from small start-ups all the way to publicly traded global corporations.

Diva Tommei (Class of 2001)
Investment Director Information Technology ICT, Enea Tech

Diva received her B.S. in Biotechnology from the Sapienza University of Rome in 2005, her M.S. in Genomic Technology from the Sapienza University of Rome in 2007, and her Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from the University of Cambridge in 2013. Diva attended the NASA university program Singularity University in 2010 and has been an honorary member of the Cambridge University Technology and Enterprise Club since 2013.

Diva has over ten years of experience as an entrepreneur and investor. She is currently the Investment Director for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at Enea Tech.

She was nominated “Top 50 Women in European Tech” by Forbes in 2018 and has given two TEDx talks, one in Rome (2017) and one in Matera (2018). She was also awarded the Young Global Innovator Award by MIT Tech Review in 2017 and has worked with Huawei on their artificial intelligence campaign (2017) as well as with Land Rover on their sustainability campaign (2019). In 2019 Diva was awarded the Pleiade International Award in the field of Innovation and New Technologies.

Varun Baker (Class of 2001)
Co-founder & Managing Director, Farm Credibly

Varun received his Bachelor of Science and Computer Science and Electronics in 2006 from The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.

Varun, has over 15 years of enterprise-level industry experience in business communications and operational management, with a strong focus on software engineering. He designs and builds web services, mobile applications, and website architectures based on open standards.

Varun‘s experience in applying technology to solve agricultural issues started over 12 years ago as co-founder of the Slashroots Foundation where he was tackling issues such as the theft of crops and livestock from farms in Jamaica. Benefitting from close interactions with farmers who have shared their challenges has provided insights that help to shape the work that Farm Credibly is doing today. Farm Credibly leverages blockchain technology to provide access to loans for unbanked farmers in Jamaica.

Karim El Malki (Class of 1990)
Founder, Athonet

Karim received his B.Eng. (Hon.s) in Electronic & Electrical Engineering - Microelectronics/Communications from Brunel University London in 1994 and a PH.D. in Telecoms - Computer Science from The University of Sheffield in 1998.

In his earlier career, Karim was a University Lecturer in Mobile Communications (U.K.) with a research focus on IP Mobility & VoIP and then became responsible for Ericsson’s earliest efforts on Mobile Network evolution and "All-IP" migration. He also has previous experience in product development including DSP coding (author of IPR, implementor, and designer of widely adopted echo cancellation algorithm), ASIC/FPGA design, ATM Access Network design, and standardisation.

Karim is the Founder of Athonet - Private 5G & LTE. Previously President of Athonet USA and President of Athonet Italy. Winner of 4 prestigious GSMA Global Mobile Awards 2019 for their innovative Athonet Connectivity Platform: putting you in control of your Private LTE network.
Athonet provides a complete in-house software-based LTE/5G connectivity platform that runs in cloud or virtualised data centre environments and on ruggedized hardware. Athonet platform allows customers to break free from the restrictive, expensive, proprietary telco-centric architecture of legacy solutions and embrace the true potential of wireless networks – capturing new sources of revenue whilst also massively reducing CapEx and OpEx.

Karim was selected by WIRED magazine in 2015 as one of the 17 leading global influencers expanding human possibility through technology. Awarded a Medal from the President of the Republic of Italy.

Mattias Ljungman (Class of 1991, St. Stephen’s School Trustee)
Founder and Partner, Moonfire Ventures

Mattias received his Honours BA in Geography and Economics from McGill University in 1996 and a Masters in Business and Economics in 1999 from the Stockholm School of Economics.

Mattias is the Founder of Moonfire Ventures, a European seed fund focused on helping founders at the very start of their journeys to create the right foundations for exponential growth. Before Moonfire he co-founded the multi-billion-dollar fund Atomico with Niklas Zennstrom, the founder of Skype. At Atomico, Mattias and his team worked hard to inspire founders to think even bigger and Mattias aims to do the same at Moonfire, founded in 2019. Mattias firmly believes that VCs need to create powerful tech platforms to hone, scale, and optimise everything they do. Every work process at Moonfire from discovery to evaluation to support is tech and data-driven approach.

His key investments include Supercell, Klarna, Truecaller, Viagogo, and Climate Corp.

Harinda Katugaha (Class of 1998)
Founder, Qlik.me

Harinda received his B.Comm. in Finance from the University of Windsor in 2003, his Executive MBA from INSEAD in 2013, and has currently paused his Doctorate at Bocconi University to work on his latest startup.

Harinda bootstrapped his first start-up, IDAMA, and spun it off after 2.5 years of rapid growth. More recently, he launched Qlik.me, the first programmatic advertising platform for the Influencer community. He works with Gaming and media companies such as Warner Bros., Wargaming, and Traplight. He has appeared as a guest lecturer at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and Loyola University Chicago. He was also a TedxSpeaker at TedxColombo in 2017 where he gave a talk on the importance of diversity of life experience which goes to broaden neurodiversity.

Harinda has over 16 years of management and consulting experience working with a variety of organizations on 4 continents. His experience spans startups (both operating and advising) and in a previous life, managed over $4B in various financial assets.

The Future of Art: How can we create more inclusive spaces in the art world?

In this online event, we examined the current state of the art world and creative industries with a focus on inclusivity--from racial and gender inclusivity to sustainability featuring St. Stephen's Alumni.

Isotta Page ‘14
ARTIST / PODCASTER

Isotta Page is an artist and podcaster. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh (MA Fine Art) in June 2020. In April 2021, she launched ‘Art Is…a podcast for artists’, an open-ended channel for emerging artists to brainstorm the future of the art world and the creative industries. What began as an initiative to reclaim control over her professional and creative development in the wake of the pandemic grew into a public research project fostering transparency and open dialogue in the art world. The focus of Isotta’s podcast, now in its third season, has been showcasing creative thought leaders, demystifying art business practices and exploring innovative tech tools from NFT’s to the Metaverse.

Isotta recently launched ‘Intention’, a digital first community for emerging artists and art enthusiasts. She is working with a software developer to build bespoke features for creatives to more effectively build professional networks, share ideas, constructive feedback and foster interdisciplinary creative collaboration online.

Isotta’s art practice currently investigates classical and industrial motifs through sculptural forms. She seeks to reinterpret these opposing visual languages by playfully subverting them as architectural and archeological tropes. Isotta enjoys working with reclaimed materials, cold cast resin and metal. Her most recent focus has been developing a large-scale sculpture garden in Umbria along with an upcoming series of portable outdoor sculptures.

Rachel Nicholson ‘06
DIRECTOR, VISITOR ENGAGEMENT AND RESEARCH AT THE NELSON ATKINS MUSEUM, FORMER ART HISTORY TEACHER AT ST. STEPHEN’S SCHOOL

Rachel Nicholson is currently Director of Visitor Engagement and Research at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. In this role, she provides strategic leadership on exhibition and collection interpretation, digital learning, visitor research, and evaluation to make the museum experience accessible, relevant, and meaningful to a diverse public.

Rachel previously worked in Interpretation at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and earned her MA in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Nicola Formichetti ‘96
FASHION DESIGNER / STYLIST / CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Uber stylist and creative director Nicola Formichetti has positioned himself at the center of the fashion industry by engaging effortlessly with millennial consumers, through his use of social media and his engagement with global aesthetics and demographics. He is an award-winning and acclaimed fashion designer, creative director, stylist and editor, responsible for well-known cultural flashpoints including Lady Gaga’s “meat dress” and boundary-pushing visual campaigns.

Nicola has held top design roles at Uniqlo, Diesel, Mugler and Haus of Gaga. He has imagined visual collaborations with Pepsi, Nike, MAC, Barney’s and H&M and had editor positions at Vogue Japan Hommes, Dazed and Confused, V, Another Magazine, Arena Homme +, and Harper's Bazaar. Nicola is also the creator of Nicopanda, a gender-neutral high concept streetwear brand, modeled after Nicola’s own image.

Nicola was among the honourees for the 2018 Emery Awards, which recognise individuals and organizations that demonstrate outstanding leadership within the LGBTQ+ community. Since 2009 he is Lady Gaga’s Fashion Director and recently oversaw her collaboration with Dom Perignon.

Pietro Pantalani ‘13
MODERATOR
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AT LGDR, London

Pietro is Associate Director of LGDR, a modern and contemporary art gallery and dealership founded by Dominique Lévy, Brett Gorvy, Amalia Dayan, and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn. Previously, Pietro held positions at Lévy Gorvy, ML Fine Art, and Phillips Auctioneers.

Pietro obtained an MSt in History of Art and Visual Culture from the University of Oxford with a dissertation titled "Politics of Ecology in the Global Present: A Cause for Curatorial Concern.” He holds a BA in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art.

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Chapter 13: Celebrating Faculty | Celebrating Lucy Clink

Lucy Click

2-D and IB Art Teacher

By Natalie Edwards '14 - City of Rome I, Core 9 Teacher and member of the Boarding Faculty
Aggarwala Rohit Headshot
Chapter 14: Alumni Spotlight | Alumni Spotlight Interview, Cortile 2022 Highlights

 Rohit Aggarwala ‘89

Chief Climate Officer and Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection

By Natalie Edwards '14 - City of Rome I, Core 9 Teacher and member of the Boarding Faculty
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Chapter 14: Alumni Spotlight | Alumni Spotlight Interview

Varun Baker ‘01

Co-Founder & Managing Director Farm Credibly

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Chapter 14: Alumni Spotlight | Alumni Spotlight Interview

Rachel Nicholson ‘06

Director, Visitor Engagement and Research at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art

By Natalie Edwards '14 - City of Rome I, Core 9 Teacher and member of the Boarding Faculty
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Chapter 14: Alumni Spotlight | Alumni Spotlight Interview

Brian McKenna ‘00

Music Producer

By Natalie Edwards '14 - City of Rome I, Core 9 Teacher and member of the Boarding Faculty
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Chapter 15: Alumni Stories | Visiting Family Stories, Alumni Stories

Visiting Sully Plantation, Visiting Family Secrets

I stood in the thick green grass, looking at a slave dwelling at Sully Plantation, Chantilly, Virginia.

The cabin was built to replicate one that had housed the people my ancestors enslaved. It was a hot August day in 2021, 95 degrees with Virginia’s drenching humidity. I heard the loud chorus of crickets, the leaves shifting in the nearby copse, felt the heat in the breeze.

By Sarah Fleming ‘71
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Chapter 15: Alumni Stories | Science Stories for Grown-Ups, Alumni Stories

Science Stories for Grown-Ups

Everything ended with a book.
No wait.
Everything started with a book.

By Guilia Sebastio
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Chapter 15: Alumni Stories | St. Stephen's Community, A Small World, Alumni Stories

The Small World of Serendipity

This story is equal parts chance, serendipity, a small world, and the St Stephen’s community.

I am a musician and young entrepreneur, and when I was based in London, I was searching for ways to build connections.

By Edoardo Pariante ‘15