The Journey to Davos
Attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos for the first time has been a profound honor. Collaborating with global leaders and innovators to address some of the world’s most critical challenges has been an inspiring and fulfilling experience.
In Davos, I was proud to join Asheesh Advani, CEO of JA Worldwide, alongside other remarkable JA leaders, including Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe; Diana Filip, Deputy CEO of JA Europe; Leo Martellotto, Chief Development Officer of JA Worldwide; and Ana Martiningui, Vice President of Global Development at JA Worldwide.
Before arriving in Davos, I connected with Dr. Anino Emuwa, the incredible force behind 100 Women in Davos, a movement uniting influential women leaders. It’s an honor to be counted among these trailblazing women committed to driving gender equality and inclusive leadership worldwide.
The theme of WEF 2025, “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age,” focused on responding to geopolitical shocks, stimulating economic growth, and advancing a just and inclusive energy transition.
Monday, January 20, 2025
Simi in Davos Day 1
Although the WEF Annual Meeting officially begins on Tuesday, there are now so many important side events that kick off the week on Monday that I was spoilt for choice. I visited several pavilions along the Promenade but my first session of the day was at the Social Innovation House where I met several social entrepreneurs doing great work across the globe. I was particularly delighted to meet Cheryl Dorsey, President of Echoing Green, and Luvuyo Rani, Executive Director of Africa Forward, with whom we plan to build a partnership to equip more marginalized youth in Africa to become change makers within their communities and across the continent. I ended the evening at the 100Women@Davos welcome dinner.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Simi in Davos Day 2
Under the dynamic leadership of Asheesh Advani, JA Worldwide made a strong impression at Davos. My day was filled with meaningful engagements, including two thought-provoking panel discussions.
In the session “Empowering the Next Billion: Financial Literacy and Inclusion for Generation Z,” I joined Diana Filip, Robin Krambroeckers, and Leo Martellotto to discuss strategies for equipping young people with financial skills.
This conversation took me back to a valuable collaboration between JA Nigeria and the Central Bank of Nigeria, which mobilized 30 banks to adopt 30 schools each. During Global Money Week, bank executives taught JA’s financial literacy curriculum in these schools. The interaction was transformative—students asked challenging questions, such as why age restrictions prevented them from opening accounts independently or why banking couldn’t be fully digital. These conversations spurred innovation, leading to the development of new, youth-focused financial products. This initiative demonstrated the power of equipping young people with financial knowledge while simultaneously driving systemic change.
The 10MBG Campaign is our promise to deliver these tools directly to underserved communities—empowering girls to stay, lead, and build locally. With $25 million already committed to launching this transformative initiative for 60,000 girls, we’re proving that real change happens when we shift the focus from barriers to boundless opportunities.
Day 1 was an inspiring and action-packed introduction to the World Economic Forum. It set the tone for meaningful conversations about financial literacy, inclusion, and the role of innovation in shaping a brighter future.
After the panel session, the JA delegation had a bilateral meeting at the SAP House with Alexandra van der Ploeg, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP, to discuss a global partnership that would lead more young people into productive employment.
I ended the day at the Goals House attending a roundtable dinner event focused on “Unlocking Opportunity: How Education is Accelerating the Development of Tomorrow’s Workforce in Developing Markets.”
I enjoyed stimulating discussions with Rwanda’s Minister of Education, Hon. Joseph Nsengimana; Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire; Andrew Monu and Dan Shapero from LinkedIn; my BGIE professor from Harvard Business School, Professor Deb Spar; and the leaders of WorldQuant University, Daphne Kis and John Endrud.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Simi in Davos Day 3
The highlight of Day 3 was the glorious ride up to the Schatzalp to attend the Swedish Lunch, a Davos tradition I was advised not to miss and how glad I am that I took that advice! Yummy (and warm!) food on top of a beautiful (and cold!) mountain was what I didn’t know my heart needed. A brief break from running from one session to another to just enjoy the view, the food and the serendipitous moments created by running into people just as passionate as you are about something or the other! I definitely urge anyone going to Davos to participate in this tradition.
My last session of the day was my favorite because it was about women! Under the topic, Representation Matters, various women leaders shared their thoughts on a new study that revealed what we all know — when women are in leadership positions, things just get better (whether in government, in companies or in communities). I was delighted to hear interesting perspectives from Dr. Anino Emuwa, Managing Director, Avandis Consulting and Founder of 100 Women @ Davos; Mrs. Cherie Blair, Founder of Cherie Blair Foundation for Women; and Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Founder and CEO of Human Capital Africa.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Simi in Davos Day 4
Later in the day, I had the honor of speaking at Ignite Talks during unDavos—a platform where bold ideas are delivered in just five minutes. Sharing the stage with thought leaders like Deepak Chopra, I outlined a bold argument for ending extreme poverty in the world by empowering African girls.
