With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Natasha Krol's work has included facilitating collaboration across distributed higher education systems, supporting the government of Nigeria in reducing poliovirus cases, and designing innovation labs. Recently, Krol supported Chicago and UILabs in their winning bid to launch a $320M public-private "Digital Lab" to support advanced manufacturing technology research, development, and demonstration.
Shermin Kruse is also a TEDx speaker; an accomplished negotiator, facilitator, and mediator; the author of the critically acclaimed, best-selling novel Butterfly Stitching; a contributor to the Huffington Post; a director of the ACLU of Illinois; cofounder and director of Pasfarda Arts and Culture Exchange; a director of Heshima Kenya; and a mother of four.
Alex Kruzel is an author, entrepreneur, business advisor, and CEO and founder of Telesto Strategy, a Chicago-based management consulting firm. Her recent book, The Courage to Continue: Stay the Course on Sustainability to Secure our Future, explores how businesses can integrate sustainability into risk management as well as align environmental security with national security priorities.
Seema Kumbhat's experience includes directing medical device innovation, in addition to performing due diligence for strategic alliances and risk management activities, for the global pharmaceutical and medical device company Hospira. She's licensed to practice medicine and surgery in the state of Illinois and has traveled the world to examine healthcare disparities in other countries.
Abin Kuriakose is the first-ever chief strategy and innovation officer for World Business Chicago (WBC), the city's economic development organization, chaired by the mayor. In this role, Kuriakose and his team manage a portfolio of high-impact economic development programs to grow the region’s tech, innovation, and startup economy.
Gabriella Kusz is CEO of the Global Digital Asset and Cryptocurrency Association, a global voluntary self-regulatory association. Previously, she served as the principal for strategic initiatives at the International Federation of Accountants. Kusz’s background has included working in the international financial sector and economic growth spanning 50 countries and five continents.
Ashish Lal is a vice president at BDT & Company, a Chicago-based merchant bank that combines a $3 billion investment fund with advisory services to address the strategic and financing needs of companies. He was involved in establishing BDT’s strategic joint venture with one of India’s most highly regarded conglomerates and continues to establish relationships with business owners outside of the US.
Julia Lane develops and executes growth strategies across the University of Chicago’s science, engineering, and innovation landscape. This includes developing new institutes, building global and domestic partnerships, and working with stakeholders to translate discoveries into impact. She works across sectors including quantum engineering, artificial intelligence, and energy technologies.
Nate Laurell is the former CEO of The Fresh Factory and current board chair, advising the company on all aspects related to continued growth and high-level strategic considerations. He has over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, having founded and sold several companies in the finance, energy, and food industries.
Adolfo Laurenti has extensive experience analyzing global financial markets and economic trends for a variety of industries and is a frequent speaker to diverse audiences in the United States and abroad. Before working at VISA, he was the global economist for a private bank in Zurich, Switzerland, and chief international economist and managing director for Mesirow Financial in Chicago.
