Prof. Dr. Mitsunobu Kano

Japan

Executive Director, Honda Foundation   Dr. Kano has extensive experience in clinical practice, research, and education, as well as involvement in public activities. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo in 1999 and gained clinical experience in various departments at St. Luke's International Hospital. He then obtained his degree from the Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo (Gerontology), participated in a medical-engineering collaboration project, and became a full-time faculty member at the University of Tokyo's MD Researcher Training Programme, established to address the declining number of more...

Dr. Hiroto Yasuura

Director, Honda Foundation Vice Director-General of the National Institute of Informatics Professor Emeritus of Kyushu University   Dr. Hiroto Yasuura serves as Vice Director-General of the National Institute of Informatics. He is a Professor Emeritus of Kyushu University where he served previously as an Executive Vice President.    Doctor Yasuura received the B.E., M.E. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science from Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, in 1976, 1978, and 1983 respectively.  He was an associate professor in Kyoto University and moved to Kyushu University in 1991.   Dr. Yasuura is the research director more...

Dr. Kazuko MATSUMOTO

Japan

Kazuko Matsumoto was born in Tokyo, Japan. She was educated at the Department of Chemistry, the University of Tokyo for B. S. in 1972, M. S. in 1974, and PhD in 1977.  She joined the same department as research associate in 1977, then moved in 1984 to Department of Chemistry, Waseda University in Tokyo as associate professor, where she was promoted to a full professor in 1989. During these years, she spent also several short periods as visiting scholar or visiting professor at MIT, USA, Institute of Molecular Science, Japan, and several major universities in Japan. During 2002–2005 she served... more...

Mr. Hiroto Ishida

Japan

President, Honda Foundation Chairman, Komatsu University Hiroto Ishida has been President of Honda Foundation since 2011. He received his B.A. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Engineering in 1964 and obtained M.A. in Political Science at the University of Illinois in 1970. In 1964, Ishida joined Science and Technology Agency (“STA”). After Vice Minister of STA from 1995 to 1998, he was appointed to the Ambassador to Czech Republic from 1999 to 2003. In 2004, he was appointed to President of Kanazawa Gakuin University, in 2005 he was appointed to the General Manager of National Museum of... more...

H E Professor Muhammad Yunus

Chief Adviser, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate, Bangladesh Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh since 8 August 2024. Professor Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Laureate, is renowned as the pioneer of Social Business and Microcredit. He is the esteemed founder of Grameen Bank and has established over 50 other companies in Bangladesh. Professor Yunus has been recognized by Fortune Magazine as "one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time" due to his unwavering innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. In 2006, Professor Yunus and Grameen Bank were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Pri more...

Feroz Mahmud

Managing Director of Grameen Communications Mr. Feroz Mahmud is a seasoned technology leader and former Country Manager of Microsoft Bangladesh. He was responsible for Microsoft business in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. Before joining Microsoft, he worked for IBM for about 13 years in different technical and management roles. During his tenure at Microsoft, he played a pivotal role in driving digital transformation initiatives across the country. With extensive expertise in technology strategy and business development, Mr. Feroz fostered partnerships between Microsoft and local industries, contributing to the growth of Bangladesh's IT ecosy more...

Farhia Tabassum Hoque

Farhia Tabassum Hoque is a social entrepreneur with over seven years of experience in building businesses and developing the startup ecosystem. As the Programs Coordinator at YY Ventures, she manages entrepreneurship support programs that benefit early-stage social entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, East Africa, and Latin America.  She previously managed shuttles for school to provide safe transportation for students and co-founded CHAYA, a co-living startup in Bangladesh that provided housing to a largely underserved group—bachelors in Bangladesh, especially women. Farhia is also building Working Women Bangladesh, a resource-sharing com more...

Dr Ashir Ahmed

Keynote Speaker

Associate Professor, Faculty of Advanced Information Technology, Kyushu UniversityJapan Ashir Ahmed, a Bangladeshi-born researcher based in Japan, is a pioneer in digital health innovation and a passionate advocate for inclusive technology. As a professor at Kyushu University, he leads the development of the Portable Health Clinic (PHC), a compact, AI-powered diagnostic system designed to bring essential healthcare to underserved communities. His work bridges academia, grassroots initiatives, and international collaboration, connecting technology with human dignity. The PHC system, resembling a portable suitcase, enables early disease detec more...

Dr. Mohammed Ziaul Haque

Transportation, Bangladesh

Dr. Mohammed Ziaul Haque is a civil servant in Bangladesh. At present he is working as Additional Secretary, Road Transport and Highways Division where he heads both planning and administration wings.  In the public sector he has experience at field administration, project management, training institutes and secretariat. He studied International Relations at University of Dhaka and Development Administration at Carleton University, Canada.  Later he completed his doctoral research in Management from Monash University, Australia. His areas of interest include development administration, economic diplomacy, political economy of the a more...

Dr. Md. Shamsul Hoque

Transportation, Bangladesh

Dr. Md. Shamsul Hoque obtained his B.Sc. Engg. Degree (Civil) in 1984 from BUET, M.Sc. Engg. in Transportation Engg. from the same university in 1987 and PhD in 1994 from University of Southampton, UK. The title of his PhD thesis was “Modeling of Signalized Intersection in Developing Countries”.  Now he is the Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, BUET and University Associate of Dept. of Civil Engineering, Curtin University, Australia and Sch. of Civil Engg and University of Queensland, Australia. He has written a book on ‘Highway & Railway Engineering (Part-1)’, Published by Education and Trainin more...

Dr. Nizam Uddin Ahmed

Health Care, Bangladesh

CEO, Synesis Health & IT Chair, GAVI CSO Steering Committee, Member, NITAG STAGE Member, World Health Organization    Dr. Nizam Uddin Ahmed is a highly respected global health leader, social entrepreneur, and public health expert with over 35 years of experience in strengthening health systems across Asia and Africa. He currently serves as CEO of Synesis Health & IT, a pioneering health innovation and technology enterprise, where he leads digital transformation and leveraging technology for equitable immunization and sustainable health outcomes.  Dr. Ahmed’s multidisciplinary expertise covers immunization, ma more...

Professor Dr. Md. Sayedur Rahman

Health Care, Bangladesh

Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Interim Government,Bangladesh Professor Dr. Md. Sayedur Rahman is serving as Special Assistant (State Minister status) at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Interim Government of Bangladesh. A distinguished leader in medical education and health governance, he is the former Vice Chancellor of Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), where he also served as Chairman of Pharmacology, Registrar, and Founding Director of ICT. A pioneer in digital transformation in medical education, he played a crucial role in establishing Bangladesh's first Biobank.  more...

Mr. Tatsuki Yamanami

Transportation, Japan

CEO, scheme verge, Inc.  After graduating from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Engineering, he engaged in analytical work for research projects at the university's graduate school and at ride-sharing companies. From 2016, he participated in social acceptability surveys for the Cabinet Office's Strategic Innovation Promotion Programme (SIP-adus), envisioning autonomous, decentralised cities based on the development of autonomous driving and platform strategies. Recognising the necessity of gathering diverse knowledge, he assembled founding members from various fields including computer science, architecture and civil engineering, an more...

Mr. Hisashi Kamio

Transportation, Japan

iMago Co., Ltd. President and Representative Director / Senior Consultant / Co-Representative of iQLab After working on new business planning and marketing at a major telecommunications company, I became an independent journalist. Focusing on advances in IT technology, I conduct multifaceted reporting on their impact on business, services, and society. My specialist areas are mobile IT business, automotive/transport business, and cashless payment business. Within the cashless payment field, I have focused on reporting and research into the cashless payment market since 2001. more...

Dr. Yasunobu Nohara

Health Care, Japan

Associate Professor, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI), including ChatGPT, has garnered tremendous attention. My research focuses on the practical application of machine learning, its core technology, in real-world contexts such as healthcare. In my previous role, I worked at a university hospital for ten years, involved in developing lifestyle disease prevention programmes utilising information technology in developing countries. I am engaged in research on XAI (Explainable AI), which explains why machine learning produces certain results, aiming to make AI more acc more...

Dr. Hiroko Akiyama

Health Care, Japan

Visiting Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo, Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo, Project Professor at Institute of Gerontology, The University of Tokyo. Speciality: gerontology.   For 35 years since 1987, she has been following more than 7,000 elderly people to study the dynamic changes among health, economy, and human relations, which are the main factors of well-being of the elderly, in order to accumulate scientific data on the changes in the lives of the elderly as they age, to systematically understand the interconnections, and to identify issues.   Since returning to Japan, she ha more...