MEET OUR TEAM
Our Management Team is an array of critical thinkers from a variety of different fields of expertise, united by their passion to make education freely accessible to the world
ACIT Global Management Board
Benjamin Bargetzi is an internationally sought-after expert on business transformation strategies and the intersection of digitalization, innovation, and neuroscience. He has held senior roles at companies such as Google and Amazon, and is known for his unique business transformation methods that combine cutting-edge neuroscientific and psychological research to tech entrepreneurship. As a keynote speaker, Benjamin Bargetzi is regularly invited by companies, conferences, and government organizations around the globe to talk about success strategies for the digital transformation process, what the world will look like in 2035, and the practical application of neuroscience in business. It is this combination of a love for both science and social impact that made him envision ACIT back in 2014.
Patrick Juan studied Business at Simon Fraser University, majoring in Business with concentrations in Management Information Systems and Operations Management. In addition to this, he also completed a certificate in Business Analytics and Decision Making (BADM), while completing an Education minor in Counselling and Human Development as well. He also works at a robotics firm called Apex Motion Control as a Digital Marketing/Operations Analyst, where he focuses on the marketing and data analysis of the company, along with systems management for the company’s operations. One of the things Patrick is passionate about is creating social impact, and he has actively found ways to give back to his community through past projects with Enactus and Emerge GX. Now, as a part of ACIT, he hopes to bring people together to collaborate and create new knowledge that can tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
As a researcher at Harvard University for Neuroscience and a keynote speaker at the University of Johannesburg, Kavya Kadia works across the globe. With her strong experience and passion for writing, she looks forward to taking the lead in planning ACIT’s research efforts and conferences. She’s based in India.
Manishi is an educator from India with a PhD in chronobiology and has expertise in content creation for teachers and students’ conceptual understanding. She has also been involved in science communication and science education through certain organizations in India. She likes to express her ideas through writing and wants to connect different disciplines through her content. She believes that she can use science as a tool to become a compassion evangelist and therefore looks to connect with people who feel the same. She ensures to give a good amount of her time to exploration of certain artforms, kathak dance and Hindustani music to be specific.
Paul is a creative and innovative media and communications expert. He is experienced in the development and execution of communication strategies, editorial direction, creative and technical writing, as well as the management of global collaborative campaigns. He is a career journalist, business manager, and leader who is passionate about positive social impact and sustainable development. Currently, he is working with UNICEF on their virtual donor experience project. Paul has a master’s degree in digital journalism and a master’s in business administration.
Mara is a Swiss Psychology Master’s student from Zurich, where she is active in research on gerontological psychology. As a prospective psychotherapist, she cares deeply about the well-being of others and is fascinated by the reciprocal influence of the psyche and biology. Through previous jobs in social media marketing and experience working with children and adolescents, she was drawn to ACIT Global by her deep wish to foster a positive society.
Paschal Alaemezie is a technical writer at ACIT and an undergraduate student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at FUTO, Nigeria. He is passionate about Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, and Emerging technologies. He collaborates with subject matter experts to research solutions to contemporary scientific and societal questions. He leverages his technical knowledge and writing skills to create engaging and informative content for his readers. He spends his free time playing football, reading good books, and singing along to songs. He looks forward to collaborating with us all and being part of this great family.
Kate is currently pursuing a BBA degree at Simon Fraser University, driven by a passion for the industry and a commitment to professional growth. She always seeks new opportunities to expand her knowledge and skills, with a primary focus on laying the foundation for a successful career and gaining invaluable experience to contribute to the world around her. With these goals in mind, Kate is excited to have joined the esteemed team at ACIT. Her favorite hobbies include traveling and snowboarding, and she hopes to connect with like-minded individuals who share her interests in the club.
Nadiya is a current BBA student at Simon Fraser University. She chose business because she is a team player and enjoys working with people. She loves the freedom her major gives her—the ability to evolve into something special and unique while learning about relevant topics. Nadiya enjoys volunteer work and has previously helped organize and hold orientation events at a Canadian college. Currently, she serves as a marketing specialist at this college, where she communicates with prospective students, holds info sessions, and creates content for their social media. Nadiya joined ACIT because she was drawn to the philosophy. The aim of educating people about relevant topics in today’s world impressed her, and she wanted to be a part of this project and contribute to raising awareness of AI and neuroscience. She is highly inspired by the amazing ACIT team and motivated to learn from them and gain helpful knowledge and experience.
Sergio Roldan is a student at the Beedie School of Business, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration and a minor in Economics. His love for business began from a young age when he helped his father run the family business. He has participated in various philosophy events that sparked his interest in philosophy and literature. His favourite books are the horror stories of Edgar Allan Poe (his favourite is “The Tell-Tale Heart”). In his free time, he likes to play the piano and watch movies with his friends. He believes that education has the power to change the world, and this motivated him to join ACIT.
ACIT Global Legacy Network
Manuel Brenner is a PhD Candidate in Theoretical Neuroscience at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim and the University of Heidelberg. In his physics undergraduate studies he worked on the role of symmetries in the foundations of quantum mechanics.
He is a passionate jazz pianist, double bass player, and music producer. He loves learning about novel ideas from all kinds of disciplines. His interdisciplinary interests find expression in his articles for the ACIT blog and in his hosting role at the ACIT Science Podcast.
Tianna is an undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University pursuing a major in Sustainable Energy Engineering and a minor in International Studies. After taking an interest in both social and environmental development, she became fascinated with learning how to blend the two perspectives and apply it to technology research. At ACIT, she hopes to engage others in discussions on global issues and in learning about a variety of multidisciplinary topics. In her free time, you can find her reading, playing guitar or attempting new art and science projects.
Antoine currently pursues an LL.M. at Yale Law School, with a focus on international law and legal theory. He was involved in various student and youth organizations throughout his studies. Prior to moving to the United States, he trained in law and philosophy in Belgium and Switzerland, among other places. Antoine hopes to bridge theory and practice, academia and the real-world, the abstract and the concrete, and to do so through the law, precisely where the books meet the courtroom. At ACIT, Antoine founded our Belgian branch and headed Marketing, Partnerships & Legal, before taking up his current role as an Event Manager at Yale.
Angina did her Master’s degree in Philosophy of Science at the University of Helsinki, and her career since then has been about everything written. She has worked at a PR agency, an international trade startup, a couple of technology companies, and independently; she has been a corporate communicator, team leader, journalist, marketing director, and a (very amateurish) comic artist. Right now she owns a science and technology communications agency, while also working as a storyteller at a Swiss hightech SME. She spends her diminishing free time reading science fiction, traveling with her family, watching trashy reality TV, and trying to get her cats to sit nicely on her lap.
Fiona works as a marketing and M&A manager in an international trade company in London, specializing on marketing campaigns and public relations. With an interdisciplinary background between political science, knowledge management and business, critical and innovative thinking have become central pillars of her career. Previous to her current role, Fiona developed different approaches for managing sensitive information within large corporations, and worked in HR for a major Chinese tech firm. With study and research experience across top schools in China (Tsinghua and Nankai University), Korea (Hanyang university) and London (University College London), she embraces various cultures and has developed a network all around the world. At ACIT, she predominantly focuses on building a bridge between the European and Asian branches, and manages both the UK and Chinese branches. In her private life, Fiona is especially interested in designing fashion and Korean drama.
Nicole is a PhD candidate at Tsinghua, China’s leading university, and previously graduated from University College London. Combining a rigorous scientific spirit with her business-focus, Nicole has set up three companies ever since graduating from college, and now successfully operates an education consulting firm in Beijing, focusing on the international exchange of educational resources & self-enhancement services between Chinese and foreign students. In addition, Nicole takes on important positions in the Tsinghua University Student Union. Lastly, Nicole is responsible for recruiting outstanding Chinese members for establishing and growing ACIT China.
Maxime completed an intense internship at an international law firm and is currently searching for a new purpose in life alongside his current work as Blue Book Trainee for DG ECHO at the European Commission. As a former History and Law student from Belgium and Canada, he has many fields of interests, and he is still wondering how he can translate his profound curiosity for the human being into a meaningful career. He considers himself as an optimistic realist, conscious of the struggles ahead but hopeful for a better future. By taking the lead as the Head of ACIT’s Belgian branch, Maxime hopes to be able to have a significant impact on ACIT’s development and community building.
Remus did his bachelor’s degree in sociology, law and philosophy at the university of Zurich, where he is also currently doing his master’s studies, specializing in economic sociology and the use of quantitative research methods. Remus favors historical-comparative readings on society and holds a special interest for the long-term evolution of human societies and the sociology of morality. As a teaching assistant, he introduced students to classics of social theory and currently assists students in doing empirical theses. Being interdisciplinary interested, Remus co-founded a philosophy association in Zurich in order to provide individuals from different disciplines and backgrounds a platform for free thought-exchange, an aim which he also pursues within ACIT. As for recreational activities, Remus enjoys playing a variety of instruments, such as violin and mandolin, and focuses mainly on 19th century European dance music.
Jackomo is an altruistic and analytic thinker, constantly flooded by new ideas. After six years of studies involving biology, management of natural resources, chemistry, economics, and psychology, he is now working as a financial consultant. In his private life, he loves to discuss thoughts and new concepts ranging from human nature, investment, future technology, taking care of body and soul with yoga and movement practice, all the way to martial arts. He has also worked in rough jobs ranging from construction to care. As part of ACIT he wants to connect people to discuss ideas and start impactful projects.
After being at CERN and DESY, two of the leading research institutes for high energy physics, to study particle interactions in next-generation detectors for his bachelor thesis, Jonas is currently pursuing master’s degrees in both physics and philosophy. Having recognized the central role of complexity in some of the most relevant questions of the 21st century, he moved from investigating the fundamental constituents of the universe to the interdisciplinary field of theoretical neuroscience. There he hopes to bring together insights both from theoretical physics as well as analytical philosophy. Being part of ACIT, he aims to further interdisciplinary discourse around the globe to help others (and himself) to make sense of the complex world we call home.
Tomas holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and history, and completed an assessment year in law. He then completed his masters degree in European Global Studies at the European Institute of the University of Basel. He worked as a tutor for Theoretical Philosophy and as a research assistant in political science. He also helped organize academic conferences and cultural events at the University of Basel and is part of the student editorial office. In his studies, he is very interested in international affairs, conceptual history, phenomenology, political theory and the critical theory from the Frankfurt School. Tomas is passionate about reading, music and photography. With ACIT he wants to make room for interfaculty discussions, where arguments count more than rhetoric.
Aurel completed his master’s degree in mathematics at ETH Zurich in early 2017, with focus on axiomatic set theory. Following his passions, he completed a further trainee program in data science. Changing his focus from a technical to a more overarching perspective, he started a comprehensive trainee program at Allianz Insurances, and now works as a Product Owner for Business Intelligence at the company. In his spare time, he likes to do sports, and to try out new things. He loves to organize cozy game evenings with his friends, mastering difficult escape rooms, and participates in ninja warrior from time to time. At ACIT, Aurel predominantly works on partnerships with Mensa International and is part of the conference event organization team.
Nadine is a Swedish/French political scientist, who currently works for Apple in Cork, Ireland as an Annotation Analyst. Thanks to her interest and skills in the Swedish language, she will be developing the Swedish version of Siri. She has studied Political Science with a focus in International Migration and Ethnic Relationships, and furthermore an international Master’s in Humanitarian Action in Conflict at Uppsala University. In addition to that, she has been doing an internship at Doctors Without Borders, stationed at the HR department as well as the Policy/Advocacy department. Since 2016, Nadine has been active in a Swedish human rights organization, running campaigns and events regarding human rights-related subjects. In addition, Summer camp has been an important source of her broad work experience, and she has worked for many years with kids of different ages, backgrounds, and conditions. A few things that she highly prioritizes are social relations, activities, and training. Travelling and adventures are a big interest and excitement, and playfulness is her key to making life more fun.
Tam Le is an undergraduate student pursuing her final year of the Bachelor of Business Administration at Simon Fraser University, concentrating in Management Information Systems and Strategic Analysis. After working in dynamic groups during her study, she is curious about exploring personal traits and human perception that forms collaborative group work. She is an organized, goal-driven, and soft-hearted person who proactively helps others beyond their needs. She deeply cares about others’ well-being; hence, she would love to dedicate her assets to ACIT SFU to continuously build an engaging community and learn about various multidisciplinary discussions. In her leisure time, you can occasionally meet her on the street for sightseeing and capturing memorable moments that keep her motivated every day.
Imrich is an Artificial Intelligence enthusiast, focused on actively expanding his knowledge and skills. Not afraid of working with people, yet thriving when working independently. His interests do not stop with Information Technology, he is also an avid learner of human psychology and philosophy. Once he starts working towards a certain goal, he does not stop until he reaches it. He focuses his entire life on the utmost efficiency in every way possible, which allows him to take the best paths that are often not discovered. He does not believe in the impossible, he only believes in lack of desire.
Maftuna is an emerging content writer, focused on IT, innovation and public policies. Born in Uzbekistan, Central Asia, she has been raised in a multicultural environment that helped her work at international startups like Lifebonder and Freew, and later get accepted into a Master’s degree program at University of Tsukuba. Maftuna is passionate about sustainable development, inclusion and lifelong learning. At ACIT, she hopes to refine her skills and gain valuable experience. Maftuna spends her free time doing creative writing or drawing.
Audrey was a student at Simon Fraser University’s School of Communication with a Minor in Print and Digital Publishing. She also worked at the university’s Student Services department as a Design and Marketing Coordinator, where she created and manages the department’s marketing and social media initiatives. She now works as a Marketing Coordinator for the Civic Hotel. One of the many things Audrey is passionate about is building one’s self-awareness in the way one communicates and interacts socially with respect and mindfulness. As a part of ACIT, she hopes to learn, connect and create meaningful dialogue with a global network of thinkers of diverse backgrounds.
Avedeep completed her undergraduate program as a Business Student, concentrating in MIS and Finance, at Simon Fraser University. She now works as an Insurance Agent at Allied Insurance Inc. She is an open-minded and creative individual who is a great team player and a strong leader which she believes will help her succeed in this role. She enjoys playing sports like soccer and volleyball, loves being outdoors, enjoys reading, and loves to spend quality time with her family and friends. She is passionate about equality, diversity, social changes, and loves to plan events, which motivated her to be part of the ACIT team. She has been planning events for other school clubs, her other community involvements, and her family events as well. As an Event Planner for ACIT, she hopes to get more of her school for a wonderful organization.
Cameron studied at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University where he concentrated in Accounting & Strategic Analysis. He also worked as a Project Coordinator for BenchRetro, a department of Bench Accounting, America’s largest bookkeeping service for small businesses. In his role he specialized in collecting documentation for historical tax filing as well as refinancing and connecting with clients who have defaulted on their payments. Cameron’s passion for knowledge and learning and sharing those with the world is one of the main reasons he is excited to be a part of ACIT SFU. When not working, you can find Cameron reading up on the existential school of thought, shopping at socially conscious & ethical brands or catching up on sleep.
Sharlyn studied Communications with a Publishing minor at SFU. With a passion for writing and a love for people, Sharlyn hopes to one day become a journalist that tells the unique stories of BIPOC communities around the country. Apart from her studies, she also worked part time at a fintech startup company as a digital marketing specialist, focusing on increasing brand awareness and establishing marketing strategies. Sharlyn also contributed as an Events Director in a few SFU clubs including Her Campus SFU and SFUnison. When she’s not working, you can often find Sharlyn volunteering at her church or jamming out on her guitar and singing covers. From r&b to classic rock, Sharlyn loves all things music as well as songwriting and one day hopes to record her own song. Sharlyn also loves to travel, trying out new cuisines, and binging MCU movies.
Harman Garcha is an undergraduate student at the Beedie School of Business, majoring in Finance and International Business. Since a young age, she has always been interested in pursuing business, given its dynamic and innovative nature that fosters creativity. In addition, she is passionate about working with diverse people and learning new skills; hence, Harman spends time volunteering with local and global organizations that provide everyone with the right to education and protecting women’s rights. In her free time, she enjoys biking in Stanley Park, reading mystery novels, and learning new languages. Now being a part of ACIT, she hopes to empower students to extend their ideas and knowledge to others, especially those with limited learning opportunities, because she believes that sharing our knowledge allows us to gain new insights and grow as individuals.
Neil studied Economics at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. He has a passion for helping others and often volunteers his free time at community organizations. He previously worked as the Operations Manager at an Enactus SFU program that helped newcomers to Canada develop essential financial literacy skills, and he was able to put his interests together into one place and help people that really needed it. Holding a strong passion for logistics and organization he excitedly joined ACIT to start the conversation on a variety of important issues. When not working, you can find Neil enjoying one of the many activities that the great outdoors of Vancouver has to offer.
Lily studied business with a concentration in Marketing and Management Information Systems at Simon Fraser University. In addition, she completed a minor in Communications and is currently working on getting her real estate license. With a passion for social impact, Lily is always looking for ways to be involved in the community and has been a part of multiple student-led organizations such as Enactus SFU. She has mentored high school students with entrepreneurial skills and has also been a part of organizing an ideathon called the Changemaker Challenge. Lily was previously part of the organizing committee for an international MIS case competition and is always looking for ways to connect with new people worldwide. Her passion for social change has led her to join ACIT to connect people that are also looking to make an impact.
Forrest completed a BSc. in Mathematics at the University of Luxembourg. Prior to moving to Luxembourg he spent most of his time in Ibiza, a small Spanish island located in the Mediterranean Sea. Through his many travels he has had the chance to travel and meet people of all sorts. Passionate about mathematics, education and philosophy, he wishes to spread awareness, knowledge and values. He joined as a Global HR & Operations intern, where he partook in the development of ACIT.
Driven by the question of what essentially constitutes human beings, Xenia studied philosophy and biology at the University of Basel. During her time at ACIT, she was keen to advance interdisciplinary discourse in science, and contributed to solving the problems the world presents us with. In her spare time, she works in the cultural field, and when she is not cooking and trying out new dishes, doing sports or reading, Xenia is outdoors in nature, hiking, skiing or simply admiring the beauty of nature.
I’m Niek, a Dutch student in economics & business from Rotterdam. However, after four years of Rotterdam, I left towards Zurich to pursue my exchange. To respect my Dutch heritage, I biked all the way here! And because one adventure wasn’t enough, I decided to join ACIT! After setting up Extraordinary Life in Rotterdam last year (an organisation about self-development) I wanted a new challenge with a new association. Other passions and interests of me include reading, sports, playing guitar and spending time with my lovely family & friends. A perfect night for me would be Scottish whisky, a cigar and dark chocolate accompanied by deep, genuine conversations.
Haris focused his studies on musicology and ethnology, and he has transitioned towards studying business administration. He found a fascination in how all the sciences, along with music, are linked by different forms of information. Haris is passionate about music, so in his free time, he enjoys working on his musical talents with the piano and accordion. He also sets aside time to play tennis and read when he can.
Tarunjeev studied Applied Mathematics at Simon Fraser University with a minor in Statistics. As an individual, he is very passionate of using numbers and statistics to help understand solid facts and help businesses grow by providing useful insights. He also works part-time for a company where he is an IT consultant and helps clients come up with solutions for their day-to-day tech-related problems. Additionally, he has also been able to volunteer for some clubs where he came across fields like finance, community engagement and counselling. In his free time, one can find him either on the field playing cricket, listening music or hanging out with friends. As a member of ACIT, his focus was to come up with ideas for planning out events and engage by connecting with startups to help grow the community all over the globe.
Rafael completed his BSc in Nanosciences at University of Basel with the aim of gaining a deep understanding of the mechanisms governing the natural world. For his Master, he specializes in experimental Nanophysics with a focus on Semiconductor Quantum Computing and Quantum Optics. Additionally, he is interested in Biophysics and the foundations of life at the molecular level, and he hopes to bring together these fields in his future work. In his leisure time, he pursues his fascination for financial markets, investing and personality development, which he tries to expand through reading. Besides that, he is passionate about keeping and breeding freshwater ornamental fish. He is member of the steering group of the parosphromenus project, an initiative of private fishkeepers aimed at the protection of the highly endangered liquorice gouramis, both in their Southeast Asian habitats and the aquaria of enthusiasts around the world.
Aik Leng is a firm believer of effective altruism and is passionate about finding ways to contribute his small part in making the world a better place. Having studied psychology and geosciences in the National University of Singapore, he hopes to influence and educate the community to make ethical decisions in their lives, especially pertaining to the issues of environmentalism, inequality and animal cruelty. A naval officer by profession, he enjoys climbing, farming and yoga in his free time.
Tony Nguyen studied at Simon Fraser University. His wanderlust has prompted him to travel a lot for years. Meeting many people living in substandard medical conditions, he decided to pursue his education in Biomedical Engineering to devise affordable medical products in the future. At ACIT, he made meaningful connections with people under a partnership role.
Miguel pursued a Computer Science degree in hopes of becoming an established Software Engineer in the Video Game industry. In his free time, he’s an avid gamer who also loves nature and enjoys working out outside. He strongly believes in self-care to better your mental while also reaping the health benefits in the process. He’s passionate about anything regarding Science and Technology. He’s a strong advocate for free education and strives to help in any way that he can to provide tools and resources for those who wish to learn or need guidance regarding their educational interests.
Leon Fuchs is passionate about psychology, business, game theory, music and fashion, looking to study psychology in Japan in the near future. Having worked on multiple ecommerce websites, YouTube channels and social media accounts, he joined ACIT Global in 2020 to be able to further improve his video production, website design and online marketing skills. He also designed this beautiful website you are currently viewing. You’re welcome.