Dr. Ayesha Khanna

Futurist, AI Expert, Philanthropist Co-Founder & CEO ADDO AI, Chairman 21st Century Girls

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Dr. Ayesha Khanna's Biography

The purpose of AI is to amplify human potential.” - Dr. Ayesha Khanna Dr. Ayesha Khanna is Co-Founder and CEO of Addo, a global artificial intelligence (AI) solutions firm headquartered in Singapore and San Francisco. She has been a strategic advisor on artificial intelligence, smart cities and the metaverse to leading corporations and governments around the world. In 2017, Addo was featured in Forbes magazine as one of four leading artificial intelligence companies in Asia and Ayesha was named one of Southeast Asia's groundbreaking female entrepreneurs by Forbes magazine in 2018. Addo's clients have included SMRT, Singapore's largest public transport company; Mercy, one of the largest hospital networks in the United States; Singtel, Singapore's largest telco; SOMPO, Japan's largest insurance firm; Habib Bank, Pakistan's largest bank; and Smart Dubai, the government agency tasked to transform Dubai into a leading smart city. Prior to founding Addo, Ayesha spent more than a decade on Wall Street developing large scale trading, risk management and data analytics systems for leading financial institutions. Ayesha is an active advisor and board member to companies and smart city projects. Ayesha serves on the board of AVEVA Group, a British FTSE 100 multinational technology firm that is a global leader in industrial software. She also serves on the board of NEOM Tech and Digital Holding Company, which is responsible for formulating the vision and delivery of the technology infrastructure (which includes AI, robotics, blockchain, and virtual reality) for NEOM, the $500 billion smart city under development in Saudi Arabia. Ayesha also serves on the global Scientific Advisory Board of L’Oreal, the world's largest cosmetics company, where she advises on the future of new technologies, disruptive innovations and changing consumer preferences. Ayesha serves on the board of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, a leading polytechnic in Singapore with 44 full-time programs through 9 academic schools and a student population of almost 15,000. She is also a member of the board of Sport Singapore, the lead government agency tasked with developing a holistic sports culture for the nation. From 2018-2022, Ayesha served on the board of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the Singapore government agency that develops and regulates its world-class technology sector to drive the country's digital economy and power its Smart Nation vision. In 2014, Ayesha was a member of the Singapore’s Ministry of Education’s steering committee that resulted in Skills Future, an innovative national program that aligns education with economic demand, career guidance and lifelong learning to prepare citizens for the fourth industrial revolution. Ayesha is the Founder of 21C GIRLS (21st Century Girls), a charity that delivers free coding and artificial intelligence classes to girls in Singapore. Programs include Code in the Community, a program sponsored by Google and that has taught thousands of children (8-14 yrs) coding, and Empower, which has partnered with Ngee Ann Polytechnic to teach girls (18-24 yrs) the basics of artificial intelligence. Ayesha is also the Founder of Squad, a global collective for women who want to learn, build and invest in the Metaverse and Web3. Ayesha has presented at major financial, technology and other industry conferences, provided high level government briefings, chaired symposiums such as AI Asia, and spoken at TEDx events. She is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Councils, a community of international experts who provide thought leadership on the impact and governance of emerging technologies. Ayesha is the author of Straight Through Processing (2008) and co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization (2012). She has been published and quoted on technology, innovation and smart cities in The New York Times, BusinessWeek, TIME, Newsweek, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Strategy+Business, and Foreign Policy. Ayesha was featured in ZDF’s (Germany’s largest TV channel) documentary on twelve “Leading Women” around the world (2019). She has been named one of Singapore's leading women in tech (Singapore Computer Society), and been recently profiled for her work in artificial intelligence in leading publications including Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Switzerland), Focus Magazin (Germany), Corriere della Sera (Italy), Dagens Næringsliv (Norway), Lëtzebuerger Journal (Luxembourg), Computer Sweden (Sweden), Information Age (Nordics), Peak (Singapore), and In The Black (Australia). Ayesha has a BA (honors) in Economics from Harvard University, an MS in Operations Research from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Information Systems (focused on digital innovation in smart cities) from the London School of Economics.

SPEAKING VIDEOS
PHOTOS

Ayesha Khanna, adm.direktør ADDO AI på NHOs årskonferanse 2018

The future of work | Ayesha Khanna | TEDxUWCSEA

Q BERLIN QUESTIQNS 2017 | Ayesha Khanna

Impact of Intelligent Technology | Ayesha Khanna | TEDxSingaporeWomen

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Dr. Ayesha Khanna Keynote Topics

Winning with AI: How Innovative Leaders Drive Growth?

This talk explores how visionary leaders harness artificial intelligence to drive business transformation and create new growth opportunities. By showcasing real-world examples from global industries, it highlights the strategies that enable organizations to stay ahead in an era defined by rapid technological shifts.

Participants gain actionable insights on leveraging AI not just as a tool, but as a catalyst for rethinking products, services, and customer engagement. The session equips leaders with a forward-looking mindset to embrace disruption with confidence and turn innovation into sustainable success.

The Future of Work: How to Amplify Human Potential in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

In this session, Dr. Khanna reveals how the Fourth Industrial Revolution is reshaping the way we work and collaborate. She explains how AI and emerging technologies can amplify human potential, helping organizations to unlock creativity, agility, and resilience in their workforce.

By exploring global trends and practical case studies, she demonstrates how companies can design future-ready workplaces. Attendees discover frameworks to empower employees, foster adaptability, and cultivate a culture where humans and technology thrive together.

Smart Cities 2.0: The Future of How We Will Work, Play and Live

This keynote introduces the next generation of smart cities and the profound impact they will have on business, communities, and daily life. Drawing from her advisory work with governments and multinationals, Dr. Khanna illustrates how AI, robotics, and IoT shape the cities of tomorrow.

Audiences learn how urban innovation influences future opportunities for work, leisure, and sustainability. The talk inspires organizations to align with smart city ecosystems, positioning themselves to contribute to and benefit from this transformative movement.

Top Ten Trends that Will Affect Your Industry

In this fast-paced talk, Dr. Khanna outlines the top ten disruptive trends set to reshape industries worldwide. She brings clarity to complex forces such as AI, blockchain, Web3, and next-generation connectivity, showing their direct implications for different sectors.

The session provides leaders with foresight on what’s coming next and practical tools to navigate disruption. Attendees leave with a sharper vision and actionable steps to future-proof their organizations in a world where change is the only constant.

The Disruptive Force of the Next Internet: Are You Ready for Crypto, the Metaverse and Web3?

This talk explores how the next internet revolution, powered by blockchain, metaverse technologies, and Web3, is redefining how we connect, transact, and create value. Dr. Khanna breaks down these emerging forces into clear opportunities and challenges for businesses.

Audiences gain a deeper understanding of how to prepare for this paradigm shift, from reimagining customer engagement to building new digital business models. The session challenges leaders to think boldly and equips them with the mindset to thrive in a decentralized future.

Dr. Ayesha Khanna's Biography

The purpose of AI is to amplify human potential.” - Dr. Ayesha Khanna

Dr. Ayesha Khanna is Co-Founder and CEO of Addo, a global artificial intelligence (AI) solutions firm headquartered in Singapore and San Francisco. She has been a strategic advisor on artificial intelligence, smart cities and the metaverse to leading corporations and governments around the world.

In 2017, Addo was featured in Forbes magazine as one of four leading artificial intelligence companies in Asia and Ayesha was named one of Southeast Asia's groundbreaking female entrepreneurs by Forbes magazine in 2018. Addo's clients have included SMRT, Singapore's largest public transport company; Mercy, one of the largest hospital networks in the United States; Singtel, Singapore's largest telco; SOMPO, Japan's largest insurance firm; Habib Bank, Pakistan's largest bank; and Smart Dubai, the government agency tasked to transform Dubai into a leading smart city. Prior to founding Addo, Ayesha spent more than a decade on Wall Street developing large scale trading, risk management and data analytics systems for leading financial institutions.

Ayesha is an active advisor and board member to companies and smart city projects. Ayesha serves on the board of AVEVA Group, a British FTSE 100 multinational technology firm that is a global leader in industrial software. She also serves on the board of NEOM Tech and Digital Holding Company, which is responsible for formulating the vision and delivery of the technology infrastructure (which includes AI, robotics, blockchain, and virtual reality) for NEOM, the $500 billion smart city under development in Saudi Arabia. Ayesha also serves on the global Scientific Advisory Board of L’Oreal, the world's largest cosmetics company, where she advises on the future of new technologies, disruptive innovations and changing consumer preferences.

Ayesha serves on the board of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, a leading polytechnic in Singapore with 44 full-time programs through 9 academic schools and a student population of almost 15,000. She is also a member of the board of Sport Singapore, the lead government agency tasked with developing a holistic sports culture for the nation.

From 2018-2022, Ayesha served on the board of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the Singapore government agency that develops and regulates its world-class technology sector to drive the country's digital economy and power its Smart Nation vision. In 2014, Ayesha was a member of the Singapore’s Ministry of Education’s steering committee that resulted in Skills Future, an innovative national program that aligns education with economic demand, career guidance and lifelong learning to prepare citizens for the fourth industrial revolution.

Ayesha is the Founder of 21C GIRLS (21st Century Girls), a charity that delivers free coding and artificial intelligence classes to girls in Singapore. Programs include Code in the Community, a program sponsored by Google and that has taught thousands of children (8-14 yrs) coding, and Empower, which has partnered with Ngee Ann Polytechnic to teach girls (18-24 yrs) the basics of artificial intelligence. Ayesha is also the Founder of Squad, a global collective for women who want to learn, build and invest in the Metaverse and Web3.

Ayesha has presented at major financial, technology and other industry conferences, provided high level government briefings, chaired symposiums such as AI Asia, and spoken at TEDx events. She is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Councils, a community of international experts who provide thought leadership on the impact and governance of emerging technologies.

Ayesha is the author of Straight Through Processing (2008) and co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization (2012). She has been published and quoted on technology, innovation and smart cities in The New York Times, BusinessWeek, TIME, Newsweek, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Strategy+Business, and Foreign Policy.

Ayesha was featured in ZDF’s (Germany’s largest TV channel) documentary on twelve “Leading Women” around the world (2019). She has been named one of Singapore's leading women in tech (Singapore Computer Society), and been recently profiled for her work in artificial intelligence in leading publications including Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Switzerland), Focus Magazin (Germany), Corriere della Sera (Italy), Dagens Næringsliv (Norway), Lëtzebuerger Journal (Luxembourg), Computer Sweden (Sweden), Information Age (Nordics), Peak (Singapore), and In The Black (Australia).

Ayesha has a BA (honors) in Economics from Harvard University, an MS in Operations Research from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Information Systems (focused on digital innovation in smart cities) from the London School of Economics.