Maryam Ishani is an educator by training with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in curriculum development from McGill and Columbia University, respectively, focusing on school systems fighting to protect and support children who are growing in conflict zones as victims of war or as child soldiers.

She has created educational curriculum for organizations like the United Nations, the Watchlist for Children and Armed Conflict and the International Rescue Committee serving communities in emergency situations, often war or natural disaster.

Her reporting on the preservation of culture, the arts, and school systems in areas of conflict has been published by Reuters, the Guardian, the BBC and Agence France-Presse. She is also the director of the feature-length documentary “Changing the World One Wall at a Time”, telling the story of the largest ever global street art campaign, a campaign that focused on the right to education.

Howard Thompson is a strategist and storyteller with two decades in media and advertising, crafting strategy and leading campaigns across the UK, Europe, China, and the wider APAC region. He has partnered with exceptional teams and clients on award-winning work for brands including Google, Land Rover, Nike, and Johnnie Walker Blue Label, spanning luxury, travel, FMCG, retail, gaming, and non-profit sectors.

Storytelling has always been his centre of gravity, how to connect, inspire, and move people. Over time, as people were reduced to metrics and creativity bent toward algorithms, he began asking different questions: What does meaningful connection look like in a digital world? How do we nurture intention, not just attention? How can creativity help people live with character, clarity, and conscience? in a world that needs more depth, not more noise.