Nazanin Boniadi is an Iranian-born, renowned human rights activist, and an acclaimed actress. She is an Amnesty International UK Ambassador, with a focus on the unjust conviction and treatment of Iranian youth, women, and prisoners of conscience. In 2022, she become a leading figure advocating for the Iranian people and the “Woman Life Freedom” movement for democracy on the global stage. Boniadi’s advocacy work has taken her to Capitol Hill; the British, German, Canadian and Australian Parliaments; and the United Nations. Among her numerous recognitions, she is the 2023 Sydney Peace Prize laureate. She is a board director for the Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, and a steering committee member of The World Movement for Democracy.

Andrzej Sapkowski (born 21 June 1948) is a Polish fantasy writer. He was born and still lives in Łódź. Ambassador of Łódź in the fight for the title of European Capital of Culture 2016, he has also been an honorary citizen of the city since 9 July 2008. The title was officially awarded to him in November.

A graduate of the University of Łódź, he is an economist by training and worked in foreign trade for many years.

As a fantasy author, he debuted in 1986 in Fantastyka with the short story Wiedźmin [The Witcher], which began a series of stories about the white-haired monster conqueror Geralt of Rivia. Sapkowski’s saga is considered by critics to be a literary phenomenon of the 1990s; each of its volumes tops the bestseller lists.

Veteran of the Communist underground, First Lady of the Republic of Poland in 1990-1995, wife of Polish President Lech Wałęsa, mother of eight children, honorary citizen of the City of Gdańsk, author of the biography ‘Dreams and Secrets’, social activist, advocate of women’s rights.

Yascha Mounk is a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, the Founder of Persuasion, and the host of “The Good Fight” podcast. His latest book is The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power In Our Time.

University Professor and researcher, Carlos Moreno earned international recognition thanks to his major contribution and pioneer concepts, bringing an innovative perspective on urban issues (Human Smart City, 15-Minute City, 30-Minute Territory). In 2022, he is leading the launch of the Global Observatory of sustainable proximities at the World Urban Forum with UN-Habitat, C40 Cities, UCLG and other partners.

Ph.D. legal sciences, professor at SWPS University. Senator of the RP of the 11th term and Minister of Justice of the RP. In 2021-2023, Dean of the Faculty of Law at SWPS University, visiting professor at the University of Cologne, senior fellow at the Democracy Institute of the Central European University in Budapest. Ombudsman of the 7th term. Member of the advisory boards of: World Organization Against Torture, International IDEA, World Justice Project, Liberties and the Foundation for Civic Democratic Movements. A publicist in Gazeta Wyborcza and the weekly Polityka. Winner of awards for services to the protection of the rule of law and human rights.

Derek Scally was born in 1977 in Dublin, studied at Dublin City University and Berlin’s Humboldt University. After working in Dublin and New York, he moved to Berlin in 2000 where became the Irish Times Berlin correspondent. He reports on both German and European politics and current affairs but also on business, arts and European affairs. He has been a regular visitor to Poland since 2001, reporting on politics and the arts. In February, Czarne published his book “Najlepsi katolicy pod słońcem”.

She graduated in sociology from the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Warsaw. She worked in the literary department of the Karol Irzykowski Film Studio. She was Vice-President of Gambit Production, a studio producing films and television programmes. She was a councilor in the Warsaw City Council. From 2005 to 2023, she sat in the Sejm. In 2015, she was elected Marshal of the Sejm. In the Eighth and Ninth Sejm, she was Deputy Marshal. She served as Secretary of State in the Chancellery of Prime Minister. In 2014, she was spokeswoman for Donald Tusk’s government and in 2015 for Ewa Kopacz’s government. Member of the Civic Platform and Deputy Chairperson of the party.

Andrzej Domanski was born in 1981 in Cracow. He earned a master’s degree from the Academy of Economics (now the University of Economics). He is a member of the Sejm of the 10th term.

Over the years he has been involved in the Polish capital market as an analyst, fund manager, as well as an investment director and board member at domestic and international financial institutions.

From 2008 to 2019, he managed exchange-traded funds and was also an investment director and board member at domestic and international financial institutions.

He worked as an analyst and manager of stock portfolios at KBC TFI (2008-2010), manager and director of fund management at Noble Funds TFI (2010-2016).

From 2016 to 2019, he served as a member of the board of directors of Eques Investment TFI (responsible for the Capital Markets Department, fund management, preparation of macroeconomic and stock market analysis).

From 2020 to 2023, advisor to biotech startup Auxilius Pharma. Member of the Supervisory Boards of XTPL (2020-2023), Movie Games (2022) and Auxilius Pharma (Chairman of the Supervisory Board).

He was chief economist of the Civic Institute and co-author of the Civic Platform’s economic program.

Andrzej Domanski is a three-time winner of the “Alfa” award for the best manager of stock market funds and the “Golden Portfolio” award of Gazeta Giełdy Parkiet. He holds a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) certificate.

He taught behavioral finance at Lazarski University and mitigation and adaptation strategies in the face of the climate crisis at SWPS University in Warsaw.

Thierry Wolton, originally a journalist (Libération, Radio France Internationale, Le Point), is a French essayist and writer born in 1951. He is the author of around thirty works devoted to international relations, the history of communist countries and French politics. From 2007 to 2015, he taught the history of communism and the Cold War at the Paris — Europe Business School. His work on the World History of Communism in three volumes, published in 2015-2017, is a reference, crowned with the 2017 Ian Michalski Prize for Literature and the 2018 Today Prize. His books have been translated in around ten countries.

Hanna Wróblewska – the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage, an art historian and curator with a lifelong commitment to culture and the arts. From 2010 to 2021, she was director of the Zachęta National Art Gallery and commissioner of the Polish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Between 2022 and 2023, she was deputy director for scientific and exhibition affairs at the Warsaw Ghetto Museum. In December 2023, she was appointed Director of National Cultural Institutions, before assuming the role of Minister in May 2024. She is a member of the Society for the Encouragment of Fine Arts and a member of the ICOM Poland, section of the International Council of Museums ICOM.

Adam Szłapka – Minister for European Union Affairs, member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, 8th and 9th Sejm. Chairman of Nowoczesna, previously its Secretary General. He is a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Special Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

He was a councillor and vice-chairman of the Kościan Town Council from 2006 to 2010. He served as Secretary General of the Young Centre organisation. In subsequent years, he was director of the Project: Poland Foundation, where he was responsible, among other things, for organising the Razem 89 (Together 89) and Pokolenie Solidarności (Solidarity Generation) projects.

From 2011 to 2015, he worked at the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland.

One of the most important Polish contemporary writers. In 2002 she made her debut with the novel Wojna polsko-ruska pod flagą biało-czerwoną [White and Red War], which was awarded the Paszport Polityki Prize; for her second novel, Paw królowej, she received the Nike Literary Award in 2006. Next from her pen came the dramas Dwoje biednych Rumunów mówiących po polsku (2006) and Między nami dobrze jest (2008), both of which were well received by readers and critics and were adapted for the theater. Her subsequent books include Darling, I Killed Our Cats (2012), How I Became a Witch (2014), Inni ludzie (2018), collections of columns How to Take Control of the World (2017, 2020) and I’ve Got Just Like You (2023), and the drama Bowie in Warsaw (2022). In 2022, she was awarded the “Polityka” Passport in the Culture Creator category. Parallel to her literary work, she is involved in music (Mister D, DOROTA) and theater projects.

Photo: Szymon Rogiński

During ten years of acting activity, she played under the most important theater and film directors. In 2005, she focused on her work as a musician. She has released five solo albums — miasto mania (2005), Maria Awaria (2008), Jezus Maria Peszek (2012), Karabin (2016), Ave Maria (2021). Winner of prestigious awards: Polityka’s Passport Award, Golden Fryderyk Awards, „Wdech Gazeta Wyborcza” and The phenomenon of Przekrój Award. In 2022 her literary debut “Naku*wiam zen” was published. It has been staged in 2004 as a biographical fairy musical named “The heart of glass. Musical zen“. Maria co-wrote the music and libretto. She also plays the leading part in it.

Dr. Katarzyna Kasia – she graduated from Warsaw University, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Italy she completed her Ph.D. at Turin University. Thanks to the Kosciuszko Foundation Fellowship, she was a visiting scholar at Princeton University (2015), where she participated in the Interdisciplinary Program in the Humanities (IHUM). Currently she is an assistant professor at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts at the Department of Visual Culture. She specializes in modern aesthetics and the history of ideas, she is interested in the relation between hermeneutical and phenomenological thinking, in particular in their approach to the question of experience. She is an author of essays and books Formative Craft. Lugi Pareyson’s aesthetic of formativity, Aesthetic Experience and The Community of Spectacle She is also a translator of Gianni Vattimo, Luigi Pareyson and Eugenio Barba. Under actual circumstances, political involvement became a very important part of her activity, which results in number of press publications, participation in the radio and TV shows.  

Since 2010, he has been creating content on YouTube and podcast platforms. His main channel is “Imponderabilia,” where he hosts long and sincere conversations with his guests. They come from various fields: from politics and sports to experts in different areas. He also co-creates the comedy channel “Lekko Stronniczy.”