Day 2 Session Speakers

Subodha Charles, Co-Founder, Pearl Cluster

Track C: Career Readiness & Mentorship

Essential Professional Skills in the AI Era: An IEEE Perspective on Preparing Engineers for What’s Next

Sunday, October 4 | 1:00 – 1:45 PM CET

Biography: Subodha Charles is co-founder of Pearl Cluster, a Sri Lankan group of companies spanning energy, healthcare, construction, and digital solutions, and serves as Chair of the 2026 IEEE MGA Student Activities Committee and Chair of

Preeti Bajaj, Global Higher Education Strategist | Ranking & Accreditation Expert

Track B: Innovation, Industry Entrepreneurship

Technology for Humanity: Empowering Future Engineers for Healthcare Innovation and Medical Device Development

Sunday, October 4 | 1:00 – 1:45 PM CET

Biography: Preeti Bajaj -a seasonal IEEE volunteer, advocate for technology-driven societal transformation, with over 35 years of leadership in engineering education has created scalable IEEE and innovation ecosystems. Currently

Margot Halstead, Leadership Communication Strategist | Executive Coach | Author

Track C: Career Readiness & Mentorship

The Competency That Got You Promoted May Not Be Yours to Keep

Sunday, October 4 | 2:00 – 2:45 PM CET

Biography: Margot F.W. Halstead, MCC, PMP, MBA, is a leadership communication strategist, executive coach, keynote speaker, and author of Owning Your IT. She has spent decades in government contracting and technical environments, including

Bhaskara Raju Rallabandi, Principal & CTO, Invences Inc.

Track B: Innovation, Industry & Entrepreneurship

From Engineer to Entrepreneur: Building AI-Native Connectivity Ventures for Digital Equity

Sunday, October 4 | 2:00 – 2:45 PM CET

Biography: Bhaskara Raju Rallabandi is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Invences Inc. and a Senior Member of IEEE. He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers. With

Boudewijn Bertsch, Leadership Consultant and Somatic Coach

Track A: Career Readiness & Mentorship

Sunday, October 4 | 3:00 – 3:45 PM CET

 Biography:  Coming Soon

Marisa Zalabak, Founder & CEO Open Channel Culture

Track D: Global Impact & Inclusion

The Human Readiness Gap in AI Ethics and Machine Systems Design

Sunday, October 4 | 3:00 – 3:45 PM CET

Application:

Marisa Zalabak, AI ethicist, educational psychologist, and transdisciplinary practice leader with three decades of experience across education, psychology, leadership, and ethics. Founder and CEO of Open Channel Culture–Human Arts Lab and Co-