His Excellency Sheikh Meshal Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the United States of America, assumed his post in Washington D.C. in December 2016. Prior to serving as the lead Qatari diplomat in the U.S., Ambassador Al-Thani was the Qatari Ambassador to France from November 2013 to October 2016. For three years, he dedicated his expertise and efforts to strengthening the Qatari-French bilateral relations and the EU-Qatari relations at large.

Dr. Kent Davis-Packard launched Women Forward International as an initiative at the Aspen Institute in 2019. Most recently, she initiated and developed the SAIS Women Lead curricular program at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), launching a practicum program that partners students with public and private organizations on research that advances women. Previously she was co-Executive Director of Women's Learning Partnership, and a 2014-2015 Council on Foreign Relations Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Guest Scholar and lecturer at the American University in Cairo. As a Presidential Management Fellow, Dr. Davis-Packard played a key role in launching the State Department’s Women in Public Service Project and managed the Egypt Desk's human rights portfolio. She served as a Political Officer in Syria and Department of Defense Desk Officer for Iraq. Dr. Davis-Packard received her Ph.D. in international relations and Middle East studies and master's degree in conflict management and economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Fatma Hassan Al Remaihi, is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of the Institute, maintaining its focus on promoting film culture in Qatar and establishing its presence on the regional and international stage. Al Remaihi also serves as Director of the Institute’s annual film events, Qumra and the Ajyal Film Festival, guiding the artistic, strategic, and operational aspects of both events, designed to nurture the next generation of creative professionals and strengthen Qatar’s position within the international film community. Part of the Institute’s team since its inception in 2009, Alremaihi led key programs focused on developing local talent and building key relationships with the global film industry.

Zakhary is Egyptian-American, born in New York City and raised throughout East Africa & the Middle East. Molded and shaped by the cross-cultural landscape of her upbringing, Zakhary’s body of work and initiatives focus on cultural authenticity. Her portfolio includes collaborations with the likes of Donald Glover, Alicia Keys, Ethan Hawke, Rosario Dawson and Olivia Colman. In September 2019, Zakhary was celebrated by Variety Magazine as one of the Top Ten Storytellers to Watch in 2020, while Mamag was awarded The 4th Fastest Growing Agency Worldwide by Adweek Magazine that same year. Her most recent producing credits include BLACK IS KING by Beyoncé, winner of the 2021 NAACP Award for Best Special. Zakhary resides in Los Angeles. 

Naziha Arebi is a BAFTA-nominated British-Libyan artist and filmmaker. Coming from a theatre background, Naziha returned to Libya during the revolution to work and explore her father’s homeland. In 2012 she co-founded HuNa Productions, a Tripoli-based production collective, working at the intersection between art and activism, creating films around identity, gender and reconciliation with BBC, Al Jazeera, Hivos, Oxfam, UN Women and NGO’s, as well as a TV hr on the Tabu tribe of Libya for Al Jazeera and a 24min on Salwa Bughaighis. Naziha is a HotDocs Blue Ice and a Sundance Lab fellow, a WEF Global Shaper, a member of Lumiere D’Afrique and co-founder of Bad Donkey Films. She also works as a cinematographer in the MENA region, and her artwork has been published extensively in print and exhibited globally. Alongside her award-winning feature ‘Freedom Fields’ (world premiered TIFF, LFF, IDFA, CPHdox and opening film of Ajyal 2018), she is also producing Giovanni Buccomino’s feature film ‘After a Revolution’ and working on her first hybrid fiction feature film.

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra performs and promotes western and Arabic music in order to inspire the children and adults of Qatar and the Arab world to create and enjoy music. The Philharmonic is a member of the Qatar Foundation, which is supporting Qatar on its journey from carbon economy to knowledge economy by unlocking human potential. The orchestra was founded by Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser in 2007. The orchestra of 101 musicians was chosen by a jury of international music professionals through auditions held in European and Arab countries. Selection criteria were driven by musician quality. The Philharmonic held its Inaugural Concert on October 30th, 2008, conducted by Lorin Maazel.

MAias is considered one of the foremost Arab artists of today. He has performed as soloist and improviser all over the world with such leading musicians as Yo-Yo Ma, Daniel Barenboim, Gidon Kremer; Projects with Orchestras such as Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna ; Orchestra Royal de Chamber de Wallonie; Leading Jazz/World-Music artists like Winton Marsalis, Joe Zawinul, Fairuz; With notable appearances at Berlin Philharmonie, Konzert Haus and Boulez Saal in Berlin, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Bozar in Brussels, Konzert Haus and Musik Verein in Vienna. MAias received high-profile commissions to compose music for the Inauguration of Damascus Opera House in Damascus and Arab Olympic Games Opening in Doha, Onboard music by Qatar Airways, Lusail Stadium Launching Music of Worldcup 2022 among many others. MAias successfully built a large following whilst popularizing classical music in the Arab world through own compositions. MAias is a prolific recording artist and has released over 20 of albums commercially. In 2006 Maias established a flexible music group "MAqam Ensemble" in Vienna, specializing in classical Arabic music; since its inception, the ensemble had enjoyed tremendous success in Europe and the Middle-east. Overseen by Winton Marsalis and collaborating with Dominick Farinacci, MAias has curated "Arabic Nights at Jazz at Lincoln Centre Doha” in 2014 &15 presenting Arabic music fusions to new audiences.

Dmitri Torchinsky was surrounded by music from a very early age. His father was the leader of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre orchestra and his mother was a flute teacher. He started to play the violin at the age of 5 under careful guidance of the best teachers, curators of the Russian violin tradition. At the age of 14 Torchinsky left Moscow and attended the Purcell School of Music and the Royal College of Music in London, as well as the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna. Having won several violin competitions, he enjoyed a busy international career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, before joining the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, and the faculty of the Qatar Music Academy. Dmitri is a member of the Doha String Quartet which is a flexible music ensemble that is highly in demand in Qatar and further afield. As well as performing, Dmitri is much in demand as a successful teacher. His students have won numerous prizes all over the world. In what little free time he has left, he is busy with his three children.

Zuhal Feraidon was born in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. After the invasion of Afghanistan by the Taliban Zuhal and her family were forced out of their homeland. She immigrated to the United States in 2005 as a refugee and became a U.S. citizen in 2011. In 2015 she traveled back to Afghanistan, as part of an independent study, with research focused on identity in one of the most difficult environments that women have to endure. In 2016 Zuhal was the recipient of the Aunspaugh Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship in Studio Art through the McIntire Department of Art at the University of Virginia. She received her MFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2019. Her selected exhibitions in the United States include Monya Rowe Gallery and Field Projects Gallery in New York City, Glendale Central Library California, The Rhode Island Convention Center, and IX Art Park Virginia among others. She has shown at Balkh University in Afghanistan and has been featured by The University of Edinburgh's The Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities in Scotland, U.K. Her work has been featured in a book titled "The Art of Being Dangerous: Exploring Women and Danger through Creative Expression.

Yusuf Misdaq has been implementing his own unique blend of spirituality and contemporary art for over 20 years in both his writing, music and visual art. He has written and published 3 novels, 7 volumes of poetry, 7 albums of music, and displayed his visual and film work in various unconventional settings. Oscillating between two very distinct audiences - Spiritual communities (most notably Sufis) and the Western contemporary art world - Yusuf's voice and style have found increasing appeal in these pandemic times, as those two, largely unrelated worlds, have begun merging - amidst the more broadly increased cultural appreciation for art, creativity, and indigenous spiritual traditions.

His music is truly genre-less but carries Pop, Hip-Hop, and R&B influence. Anees is known for a fusion of freestyle melodies, sublime rhyme-scheming and conscious lyricism. He is often compared to artists such as Mac Miller, Russ, and Chance the Rapper.

Zach has shared U.S. stages with Ellie Goulding, 47 Soul, Fetty Wap, Fifth Harmony, Sabrina Carpenter, Mario and Ziggy Marley. This 3-time John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner's 2020 single, "Yalla," went viral on TikTok, with over 10 million video views, helping Zach garner a strong international following. His latest song, “Flip It" is featured on playlists worldwide and is projected to be his biggest song yet. Zach aims to inspire the world with his unique sound and profound lyrics.