Sarah Robb O'Hagan

Sarah Robb O'Hagan is Gatorade president North America and global chief marketing officer, Sports Nutrition of PepsiCo, which owns the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines, each of which generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales each. PepsiCo's main businesses - Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi Cola - also make hundreds of other enjoyable and wholesome foods and beverages that are respected household names throughout the world. With net revenues of approximately $60 billion, PepsiCo employs nearly 300,000 people worldwide.

Robb O'Hagan assumed this role in January 2011, and is responsible for the North American Gatorade business and the global brand management of Sport Nutrition. In this new role, O'Hagan will assume responsibility for the marketing and operations of the entire Gatorade business in North America and will lead the development of sports nutrition on a global scale, including the launch of Gatorade's G Series in several markets in 2011.

Robb O'Hagan joined PepsiCo in June 2008 as chief marketing officer, Gatorade, where she oversaw the business' strategic direction, product innovation, and consumer, shopper and sports marketing communications. In this role, Robb O'Hagan led Gatorade's transformation from sports drink company to sports performance innovator, which included the launch of the brand's G Series - a line of products that delivers fuel, fluid and nutrients to athletes before, during and after physical activity.

Before joining PepsiCo, Robb O'Hagan worked for Nike, Atari Interactive, Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand.

Robb O'Hagan is based in Chicago.

Click here to view and listen to Forbes magazine recent interview (13-Jan-12) of Sarah Robb O'Hagan by Forbes staff reporter Jennifer Rooney.

Avirama Golan

Avirama Golan is a senior correspondent for Haaretz Newspaper, columnist, member of the newspaper's editorial board, and blogger for the Haaretz website in Hebrew. She writes mainly on welfare and society issues, the Jewish Orthodox Sector, issues of church and state in Israel, and feminist issues. Since 1999 she has her own weekly TV show "Bikria Rishona" ("First Reading"), where she interviews writers and readers of new books. Golan moved to Haaretz in 1991, as a social affairs correspondent. In 1996, she joined the editorial board of the newspaper, becoming the first woman ever to do so. Golan spent three years in Paris in the 1980s, completing her studies and working as a correspondent for a weekly magazine. Upon her return to Israel in 1987, Golan joined "Davar" newspaper as a reporter, and editor of its weekend edition. Since 1974, she has been involved in the translation of children's books into Hebrew, primarily from English, and is behind the translations of such classics as Winnie-the-Pooh, the House at Pooh Corner, and Peter Pan. Golan has written two widely acclaimed and bestselling novels, which have been translated into several languages, as well as two children's books. Golan was born in Israel in 1950, and grew up in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. She now lives in Sderot, and is married with two children and one grandchild.

Roxane Assaf

Roxane Assaf is a native of New Orleans living in Chicago for 24 years minus a year in Bethlehem and Jerusalem writing for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs magazine. She co-authored an edition of the Lonely Planet travel guidebook Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Roxane is a professional singer, actor, talkshow producer and video documentarian. Her works include a documentary about Christians in Palestine and also a history of the Wilson Corridor of Uptown Chicago. Roxane teaches media and Middle East-related subjects at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Elmhurst College and produces the summer festival Chicago Arabesque on Daley Plaza. The creation of her own company Roxane Assaf Consulting follows her work with the City Colleges of Chicago in faculty professional development and the design and construction of revolutionary classrooms and science labs of the 21st century.

2011: Deborah L. DeHaas, Vice Chairman and Regional Managing Partner at Deloitte (Topic: "The Business Case for Diversity: Why Developing Women Leaders is Imperative to the Success of Global Companies")

Deb is the Vice Chairman and Midwest Regional Managing Partner for Deloitte LLP, which includes offices in Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Omaha, Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Des Moines.  With 5,000 professionals, Deloitte is the largest Big Four firm in the region...

2011 Master of Ceremonies: Ms. Diann Burns, NEXT TV

Diann is the host of NextTV, an Emmy-Award Winning business and lifestyle program focusing on the urban community. She partners with the Chicago Urban League to showcase transformation of entrepreneurs, as they grow their businesses, makeover their careers, in a hip, sophisticated and fast-paced half-hour weekly program, broadcast on FOX 32 on Sundays...