In an era defined by complex global challenges, the Resilient Futures Consortium stands as a collaborative force for innovation and sustainability. Recognizing the intertwined nature of climate change, digital transformation, and energy transitions with broader societal concerns, we are driven by a commitment to holistic solutions and collective action. Our mission is to navigate these challenges together and identify solutions, policies, and open knowledge that would contribute to forging a path to a resilient and equitable future.
Who We Are
We are a collective of visionaries, innovators, and change-makers, united by the urgent need to address the multifaceted challenges that define our time. The Resilient Futures Consortium harnesses the power of diverse expertise, embracing a holistic approach to create sustainable, inclusive solutions. Our foundation is built on the principles of collaboration and shared vision, aiming to transform the landscape of global challenges through strategic action and mutual support.
Our Journey
Our journey is propelled by the belief that the interconnected challenges of today demand a synergistic, unified response. By bringing together stakeholders from across sectors and regions, we leverage our collective strengths to confront immediate threats and navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing world. Through innovative, scalable solutions that transcend traditional boundaries, we embody a commitment to a future where sustainability and progress are harmoniously intertwined. Our endeavors aim not only to address the pressing issues of our era but also to inspire a global movement towards resilience, equity, and shared prosperity.
What We Do
Our initiatives are designed to be as multifaceted as the challenges they address. From Innovation Challenges that inspire groundbreaking solutions in sustainability and technology, to Policy Sprints that advocate for robust, evidence-based reforms; from Knowledge Hubs that serve as crucibles for shared learning and action, to Coalition Building that strengthens the fabric of our global community. Each program and project within the consortium is a testament to the power of collaboration in fostering a resilient, equitable, and technologically empowered future.
Mission & Vision
Vision Statement
A world where global challenges are met with global solutions — fostering a resilient, sustainable, and inclusive future through the power of collective action and innovation.
Mission Statement
To galvanize a worldwide alliance of visionary organizations and individuals dedicated to confronting global challenges head-on. By harnessing diverse expertise, fostering collaboration, and driving innovation, we aim to create impactful solutions across the spectrum of sustainability, resilience, and digital inclusivity. Our mission is to inspire action, facilitate knowledge exchange, promote agency, and advocate for standards and policies that ensure a prosperous future for all.
Leadership
Konstantinos Karachalios
IEEE Standards (IEEE-SA)
Chair
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Konstantinos Karachalios
A globally recognized leader in standards development and intellectual property, Prof. Dr Ing. Konstantinos Karachalios was the managing director of the IEEE Standards Association and a member of the IEEE Management Council.
As the leader of an organization that impacts the lives and imaginations of almost every person on earth, he was constantly pushing the global techno-scientific community to accept their share of responsibility for the outcomes of the socio-technical systems we create. This involves challenging and reframing the commonly-held belief that science and technology are neutral, and instead adopting a paradigm of enhanced awareness and holistic responsibility.
To this end, he worked to create appropriate methods and tools to move from principles and good intentions to practically implemented frameworks and solutions. For example, his efforts have contributed to the proliferation of “AI Ethics” and technology ethics more generally, as well as the passage of legislation around Age-Appropriate Design Codes in the UK and California. These codes seek to protect children’s online data and pave the way for global governance systems for ICT platforms and the internet as a whole, moving beyond its “wild west” era.
He has also successfully convinced the Indonesian government to adopt a similar legal-regulatory framework for Indonesia.
Another notable achievement is the milestone of establishing better governance at the interface of standardization and IP law, the two pillars of global markets and trade. IEEE SA, through a consensus-based process and over a decade of effort, validated a patent policy offering more clarity, a feat that no other major standards development organization has achieved to date. This is a unique example of courageous and ultimately successful leadership against some of the most powerful contemporary lobbies.
Before IEEE, Konstantinos played a crucial role in successful French-German cooperation in coordinated research and scenario simulation for large-scale nuclear reactor accidents. And with the European Patent Office, his experience included establishing EPO’s patent academy, the department for delivering technical assistance for developing countries and the public policy department, serving as an envoy to multiple U.N. organizations.
Konstantinos earned a Ph.D. in energy engineering (nuclear reactor safety) and masters in mechanical engineering from the University of Stuttgart.
Amir Banifatemi
Founding and Interim CEO/ED
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Amir Banifatemi
Amir Banifatemi is an accomplished technology executive and strategist with over 25 years of experience creating and managing companies and projects that generated thriving ecosystems for emerging technology ventures.
He recently spearheaded large global competitions focused on catalyzing innovations in AI and robotics, as Chief Innovation Officer at XPRIZE.
Amir co-founded and curated the annual AI for Good Global Summit held in Geneva to drive discussions on human-centered AI advancement and SDGs. He chairs the UN ITU’s Global Initiative on AI and Data Commons shaping AI for the public good, chairs the IEEE AI Innovations for cities and people, and co-chairs GPAI’s project on scaling responsible AI solutions. He also cofounded AI Commons with top AI figures to advocate for AI as a public good.
His career reflects extensive expertise forming alliances, forming private and public investment funds, and advising organizations internationally on business and technology strategy. Amir shares his knowledge through lectures at University of California colleges, Chapman University and other institutions. He holds advanced degrees in engineering, cognitive science, and an MBA from HEC Paris.
Advisors
Max Cappellari
Amazon
Lead Digital Platforms
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Max Cappellari
Max Cappellari is an accomplished technology leader with over two decades of experience in software development leadership roles. Most recently Max served as a Senior Leader at Amazon, where he led strategic initiatives, including the development of a groundbreaking Generative AI systems and Machine Learning inference pipelines.
Previously, Max was the CTO at XPRIZE, where he led transformative technology strategies and innovations, including the development of the Xprize Data Platform and Executive Director of Technology at 20th Century Fox, overseeing the development of content delivery and digital supply chain systems for global distribution, as well as digital rights management solutions.
Throughout his extensive career, Max has consistently demonstrated his ability to drive technological evolution, manage high-performing teams, and align technology initiatives with strategic goals. His expertise spans Cloud Computing Architectures, AI/ML, large-scale distributed systems, and full lifecycle development.
Dan Miller
MD Roda Group
Lead Energy Transition
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Dan Miller
Dan Miller is Managing Director of The Roda Group, a seed-stage venture capital group focused on clean technology. Mr. Miller serves on the Board of Directors of Gridtential, a Roda affiliate that will fundamentally advance the way we store energy.
Mr. Miller was previously the president and member of the board of Ask Jeeves, Inc. (now Ask.com), a former Roda Group affiliate. He has served on the boards of other former affiliates including PolyServe (now owned by HP), SightSpeed (which was acquired by Logitech), and Solazyme (IPO May, 2011).
Prior to The Roda Group, Mr. Miller was Executive Vice President of TCSI Corporation, a company he co-founded with his Roda Group partner, Roger Strauch. TCSI (now owned by Rocket Software) is a leading provider of integrated software products and services for the global telecommunications industry. Prior to TCSI, Mr. Miller was a systems engineer at Hughes Aircraft’s (now Boeing) Space and Communications Group where he was responsible for designing communications payloads for commercial communications satellites.
Mr. Miller is a member of Cornell University’s Faculty Computing and Information Science and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Boards. He is also was a founding board member of the Pacific Pinball Museum, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching art, history, and science through pinball.
Mr. Miller was a 20-year member of the board and former President of the Foundation Board of Trustees of the Chabot Space & Science Center. At Chabot, Dan spearheaded the development of a climate change exhibit and web site for kids called Bill Nye’s Climate Lab, featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Dan is a leading speaker on the urgent need to address climate change, including at the COP15 conference in Copenhagen. An online version of his talk is considered one of the top climate talks by The Sanders Institute and other groups. Mr. Miller was a volunteer member of the Biden-Harris energy and environment policy committee prior to the election. Dan collaborates with world renowned climate scientist James Hansen on advancing Fee and Dividend carbon pricing policies.
Dan received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, with distinction, from Cornell University and his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He holds three patents in the areas of compression technology and wireless communications systems.
Xavier Henri Herve
ED District 3
Lead Bioeconomy & Health Tech
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Xavier Henri Herve
Executive Director, District 3, Board Member AI Commons
Guided by his passion for advancing emerging technology, his career is rooted in strategic partnerships and community building. Xavier is the Executive Director of District 3, and the 1000+ tech startups that have come through its doors in 10 years. Xavier is committed to growing the bioeconomy in Quebec–which at this very second, is revolutionizing the world. Equivalent to what happened in IT 50 years ago, the same is occurring in biological engineering-“it’s going to change everything”. The next bioeconomy ventures are led by scientific entrepreneurs with deep expertise in their respective domains — fields like AI in biological engineering, healthtech, clean tech, agri-foods — are all key innovation drivers.
Team
Denia Psarrou
Research
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Denia Psarrou
Researcher and Advisor on Governance and Emerging Technologies, AI & the Law
Lloyd Green
Operations Lead
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Lloyd Green
IEEE SA
Lloyd Green is the Director, Global Market Engagement & Membership. In this role, Lloyd is responsible for directly engaging with IEEE Members to create greater ongoing engagement, identify new product and service opportunities, and expand IEEE’s market share across geographic regions of membership engagement and revenues. Lloyd’s previous roles included responsibility for managing strategic industry-orientated partnerships while developing engaging approaches to foster industry participation In addition, Lloyd was responsible for identifying, delivering, and evangelizing IEEE-SA digital and marketing services to drive growth, innovation, and brand recognition. He brings a wealth of technology-related experience in the areas of strategic partnerships, marketing, corporate communications, market intelligence, business development, and product marketing.
Mila Aliana
Partnership Development
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Mila Aliana
In
In her professional capacity, Mila is a global senior consultant and leader for close to 30 years. She has a wealth of commercial acumen, connecting people and projects (programs) for ecosystem collaborations whilst navigating complex, dynamic, and adaptive systems. As an Executive Director, leading global teams and delivering multi-million dollar initiatives, Mila has an intimate knowledge of leadership, management and business issues at global scale and overcoming the barriers to change. She provided strategic thinking and execution for the delivery of global business change transformations within the financial services, banking, telecoms, transportation, not-for-profit and public sectors.