Twenty-seven Fellows from Across Europe Commenced a Year of Fellowship at the International Strategy Forum Convening in Salzburg

SALZBURG, AUSTRIA, June 27, 2022 – Schmidt Futures, with the support of the European Council on Foreign Relations, announced today the inaugural class of European Fellows as part of the International Strategy Forum (ISF). The group convened in Salzburg, Austria, from June 20-23 for the premiere European forum.

The International Strategy Forum aims to forge an interdisciplinary network of rising leaders to strengthen progress and security amid technological innovation and a changing world order. ISF seeks out non-traditional talent across boardrooms, newsrooms, laboratories, policy-making councils, government, foundations, and more from North America, Asia, and Europe, with the aim to knit talent together into a lifelong community by facilitating connections within and between regions.

“In a world of uncertainty and multiplying risks, it is abundantly clear that we cannot take peace and stability for granted. For all the benefits of globalization, the information revolution, and democratization, we face the ongoing impacts of rising populism, misinformation, war in Europe, and devastating global pandemics,” said Fareed Zakaria, Senior Advisor to Schmidt Futures. “The talents gathered by the International Strategy Forum will help us to navigate these risks, and act with purpose to better understand events which affect us all.”

The Forum now includes 67 active Fellows from North America, Asia, and Europe, following earlier convenings in Singapore and Colorado.  As a global community, the Forum will seek to equip its talent with the knowledge, resources, and network to solve complex problems together at the intersection of technology and geopolitics. ISF Fellows are already making an impact in many fields, including climate change, cyber security, and evidence-based foreign policy.

“At a time when war has returned to Europe, and a lingering pandemic feeds new geostrategic tensions, the need to bring bright people together to solve problems for the long term is clearer than ever,” said Barbara Bush, Acting Leader of the International Strategy Forum and Executive-in-Residence at Schmidt Futures. “We bet early on rising leaders with extraordinary potential in public service and leadership, technological innovation, and strategy from across Europe, bringing them together to address pressing issues on a global scale. By convening and connecting leaders early in their careers, we hope to play some part in strengthening connections across nations, generations, and disciplines. The relationships they build will be vital to solving the world’s hardest challenges.”

Representing more than half of the countries in Europe, the 27 fellows hail from 22 different countries. From across the European continent, the ISF 2022 Europe Fellows are a diverse cohort composed of business professionals, technologists, security experts, government leaders, academics, and more. ISF extends its congratulations and warmest welcome to the following individuals: 

International Strategy Forum 2022 Europe Fellows

Agnė Rakštytė 

Alejandro Cainzos 

Alena Kudzko 

Anastasia Gnatenko 

Anders Storgaard 

Atanas Pekanov 

Bartu Kaleagasi 

Bora Muzhaqi 

Christian Schroeder de Witt 

Francesco Cerruti 

Francesco Giorgi 

Frederico Mollet 

Harrison Steel 

Heta-Elena Heiskanen 

Joanna van der Merwe 

Joséphine Goube 

Katharina Lix 

Laurence Meyer 

Lucas Tse

Magali Van Coppenolle 

Márton Gulyás

Natia Seskuria 

Risto Uuk 

Ruy Sebastian Bonilla 

Stephanie Ifayemi 

Vuk Velebit 

Will Hawkins

About Schmidt Futures:

Schmidt Futures bets early on exceptional people making the world better. Founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, Schmidt Futures is a philanthropic initiative that brings talented people together in networks to prove out their ideas and solve hard problems in science and society. To learn more about our method and the diverse types of capital and tools that we deploy, visit https://www.schmidtfutures.org.