08:00 - 09:00 | Welcome Registration

09:00 - 09:30 – Opening Ceremony: A New Digital Era
A powerful ceremonial start bringing together global leaders, diplomats, and innovators to set the tone for a shared digital future rooted in inclusion, peace, and prosperity. Through music, storytelling, and national symbols, we celebrate the collective ambition to shape technology that serves people and planet.

09:30–10:00 – Welcome & High Patron Addresses: Why This Summit Matters Now
Founders, city leaders, and diplomatic representatives outline the urgency of aligning tech innovation with public interest, gender equality, and global cooperation. These remarks frame the summit as a platform to turn vision into commitments for a fairer digital world. 

10:00–10:30 – Ministerial Spotlight: Governing the Digital Age
A high‑level ministerial tribune explores how governments can steward digital transformation while protecting rights, fostering innovation, and closing global divides.

• • Deputy Minister Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, Ministry of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Republic of South Africa
  • Deidré Baartman Western Cape Minister of Finance
  • Dr. Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director General UNESCO, Chair of the Supervisory Board, Tech Diplomacy Global institute
  • Virginia Blaser, Ambassador Invest in Cape Town

10:30 - 10:45 – Talk: What Are We Becoming? Human Agency, Intelligence, and the Futures We Shape
As AI and emerging technologies accelerate and transform our lives, bodies, societies, and futures, the most urgent questions go beyond what these systems can do to what they are doing to us, what they are making possible, and how we may consciously and collaboratively shape what emerges. Step inside the questions internationally acclaimed artist Amy Karle asks through her artwork in this visually immersive talk exploring intelligences, agency, and technology across scales and systems, inviting us to co-create more preferable futures.

Amy Karle, Artist and Designer

10:50 - 11:00 - Honorary Guest Keynote
H.E. David Martinon, Ambassador of France to South Africa

11:10 - 11:30 | COFFEE BREAK

11:30 - 12:10 | Plenary Panel: What If the Global South Led the Next Digital Order?
A high‑level conversation imagining a world where the Global South sets the digital agenda, standards, and platforms of tomorrow. Leaders discuss data sovereignty, AI governance, and investment models that unlock local innovation while reshaping global power dynamics.

• • Dr. Eugenio V. Garcia, Tech Ambassador, Director of Department of Science, Technology, Innovation and Intellectual Property, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Member of the Supervisory Board, TDGIDr.
  • Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u, DPI Safeguards Strategic Advisory Board, United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies
  • Prof Corneliu Bjola, Professor of Digital Diplomacy, University of Oxford
  • Akua Gyekye - Senior Director and Head of Government Affairs, Corporate, External & Legal Affairs - Microsoft
  • Sarah Al Feghali, Chief innovation Office, Tech Diplomacy Global Institute

12:10 - 12:30 – Oxford Style Debate
An energetic, high‑level debate where experts argue for and against the motion that AI poses an existential risk to our species.

• • Nerushka Bowan (Proponent), Founder and MD, LITT Institute
  • Sanaé-Lys Issartier (Proponent), Criminal Law Graduate, SciencePo Paris
  • Mark Gaffley (Opponent), Director, Global Center on AI Governance
  • Titi Akinsanmi (Opponent), Founder, Demistef.ai, AI Strategy & Governance
  • Lora Gailly, Associate Project Officer, Gender and Science, UNESCO

12:30 - 13:15 – Plenary Dialogue: Building a Human‑Centric Digital Economy
This cross‑sector dialogue brings together technologists, policymakers, and innovators to explore how to design digital economies that are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. It examines how financial inclusion, skills, and infrastructure can close the digital divide, while a strong gender lens ensures women and girls are not only connected, but leading, shaping, and benefiting from the next wave of digital transformation.

• • Manuel Schiappa Pietra, President and CEO FreeBalance
  • Julio Pertuze, Associate Professor, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
  • Tsebeletso Mashau, Group CIO Standard Bank
  • H.E. Ana Maria Pesantes: Ambassador of Ecuador to France
  • Sïmon Saneback, COO Tech Diplomacy Global Institute

13:15 - 14:00 | LUNCH BREAK

14:15 - 15:15 | Breakout Sessions - Round 1

TRACK A: Personality Types in Tech Leadership
Understanding diverse personality frameworks and how they influence team dynamics, communication, and leadership effectiveness. Led by Viola Edward.

TRACK B: The Female Wellbeing Stack: How inDrive and Soula Are Using AI + Neuroscience to Rewire Burnout Across Emerging Markets
A hands-on playbook for People leaders building measurable, culturally-aware mental health infrastructure for women in global teams.
Natallia Miranchuk (Soula) + Vera Solomatina (inDrive)

TRACK C: Inside AWS: Building What's Next While Everything Changes
AI isn’t just changing how we write code — it’s transforming how we run businesses, build platforms, measure success, and make engineering decisions at scale. Live demo using Kiro. Kiro is AWS's revolutionary agentic Integrated Development Environment (IDE) designed to take developers beyond "vibe coding" and into structured, production-ready software delivery — faster than ever before.
Daryl Hammett (opening remarks)
Bianca Haarhoff, Imogen Wright (facilitators)

TRACK D: Career Enhancement
Building clarity, confidence and momentum in your Tech career. Led by Sally Spicer . Led by Sally Spicer (UK).

TRACK E: The Adaptive Leadership Lab
In today’s fast-changing world, leaders are constantly confronted with uncertainty, pressure, and complex decisions. Resilience has therefore become one of the most important leadership competencies. But resilience does not mean being rigid or unbreakable. Instead, it means remaining flexible, grounded, and able to recover quickly—much like bamboo in a storm.In this interactive one-hour session, participants will explore the concept of resilience through the powerful metaphor of bamboo: strong roots, flexibility under pressure, and the ability to grow even in challenging environments. The session combines concise theoretical input with practical reflection exercises that participants can immediately apply in their professional and personal leadership journeys. Led by Ivo Haase.

15:45 - 16:45 | Breakout Sessions - Round 2

15:15 - 15:45 | COFFEE BREAK - Workshops Transition

TRACK A: Personality Types in Tech Leadership
Understanding diverse personality frameworks and how they influence team dynamics, communication, and leadership effectiveness. Led by Viola Edward.

TRACK B: Glow from Within - The Science of Skincare, Self-Care & Mind-Body Connection
Exploring holistic wellness, stress management, and maintaining peak performance. Led by Dr. Juliet Bond

TRACK C: Venture Capital: The Inner Game No One Talks About 
Understanding how VC works, where disconnects arise, and how the inner game shapes the thinking, decisions and performance behind exceptional outcomes. Led by Dr. Jana Reuther

TRACK D: Youth Lab Round 2 
Continued youth-focused programming with hands-on activities. Led by Anna Ambrozevich, Michelle Bassett & Jade Eybers

TRACK E: Intra-Africa Trade Framework - Blockchain-Enabled Commerce & Tokenization
Examining how emerging technologies can unlock cross-border trade and financial inclusion for the Global South. Led by Frances Regina.

TRACK F: Steady Leaders in Unsteady Times
In today's fast-paced and unpredictable environment, leadership requires adaptability, resilience, and a proactive approach to change. This session, "Steady Leaders in Unsteady Times," will equip leaders with strategies to effectively guide their teams through uncertainty. By understanding the VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) framework, leaders can foster a culture of agility and innovation, ensuring their teams remain motivated and focused during challenging times. Led by Alejandra Leyva.

16:45 - 17:30 | Interactive Closing Plenary
Women in Tech Global Directors & Delegations
Celebrating Women in Tech Global Directors, Chapter Leads, and national delegations representing 60+ countries in the global network.

19:00 - 21:00 | Welcome Reception