Maria Xiao is the Global HRBP Director for Operations, Quality, and Finance in TE Connectivity’s Automotive Sector. Since joining TE in 2018, she has held multiple leadership roles driving organizational effectiveness and talent strategy.

As Global Co-Chair of the Asian Heritage ERG since 2024, Maria has scaled the network from a regional initiative to a global platform—strengthening leadership engagement, advancing inclusion, and directly connecting culture with business impact and talent outcomes.

With over 13 years of HR leadership experience across multinational organizations including GE and Essilor International, she brings a global, cross-cultural perspective to building inclusive, high-performing organizations.

Maria relocated from Shanghai to the U.S. in 2022 and is currently based in the Charlotte area.

Brittany Cowan is a Research Analyst on the HR Executive Board team at Seramount, where she partners on talent acquisition leadership development and strategy projects. Previously, Brittany held roles in human factors, working on everything from autonomous driving simulations to VR/AR headset usability. Her interests span behavioral science and UX design, reflecting a deep curiosity about how people interact with technology and systems.

Brittany earned her B.A. in Psychology from Penn State and a Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction from Iowa State University. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she now lives in Richmond, Virginia. Outside of work, Brittany enjoys going to concerts, reading poetry, visiting art museums, and exploring Richmond with her Aussie, Henry.

Manaal Talukder is a Senior Research Associate at Seramount, where she partners with leading organizations to advance workplace inclusion and drive equitable talent strategies. In her role, she leads both qualitative and quantitative research initiatives, translating complex data into actionable insights that help organizations navigate evolving workforce challenges. Previously, Manaal worked in account management at EAB, supporting partner engagement, contract strategy, and cross-functional collaboration.

Manaal holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing from American University. She brings a strong foundation in research and storytelling, along with a passion for helping organizations build more inclusive and effective workplaces. She is based in Washington, DC.

Harblas is the Global Co‑Lead of the MSD and Merck Asia Pacific Association (APA). Focused on advancing APA’s strategic priorities, cultivating high‑performing teams, and further positioning APA as a trusted business partner across the enterprise.
Harblas brings over 15 years of experience in market access and commercial leadership across multiple international markets, he has led complex, cross‑functional teams at MSD, driving patient access, commercial growth, and enterprise capability.

Theuns Botha is a global partnerships and growth leader with more than 16 years of experience helping organizations address complex workforce, talent, and capability challenges. He is known for building high-performing teams, opening new markets, and translating organizational priorities into strategies that deliver meaningful business and learner outcomes.

He currently serves as Vice President of Partner Development at Seramount, where he leads new partnership growth across Seramount and Forage. Theuns works with senior HR, talent, and learning leaders to strengthen organizational culture, leadership alignment, employee experience, talent acquisition, and workforce readiness. His work spans SeramountHR, SeramountCulture, and Forage’s job and workplace simulations.
Before joining Seramount, Theuns held senior leadership roles at 2U, GetSmarter, edX, and LearningMate. Throughout his career, he has built and led global enterprise teams, delivered significant revenue growth, expanded into new markets, and developed strategic workforce and learning partnerships with Fortune 500 companies and other leading global organizations. He has also collaborated with world-renowned academic institutions to expand access to high-quality education and workforce development.
Earlier in his career, Theuns worked in South Africa’s consumer and medical technology sectors, helping emerging brands expand into international markets. He holds marketing degrees from the University of South Africa and Nelson Mandela University and has completed executive programs through Oxford, MIT Sloan, Yale School of Management, and the London School of Economics.
Originally from South Africa, Theuns now lives in the United States with his wife, Carla, and their two children. Outside of work, he enjoys wine, endurance sports, and ambitious adventures—including summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, paddling the Zambezi River, and completing an Ironman without getting the tattoo.

Mark Q. McLane is recognized as a leading expert in social sustainability and currently serves as the Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and Well-being Officer for M&G plc, an international savings and investments business. In this role, Mr. McLane is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive firmwide strategy that capitalizes on the organization’s strengths while maintaining agility amid the constantly evolving global economic and geopolitical landscape.

Before joining M&G plc, Mr. McLane held prominent leadership positions in several major organizations. His previous roles include Chief Diversity Officer at Barclays PLC, Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Booz Allen Hamilton, and Chief Diversity Officer for Whirlpool Corporation. Throughout his career, Mr. McLane has accumulated extensive experience in global business environments, consistently demonstrating his commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion.

Mr. McLane’s influence extends beyond corporate leadership to a variety of advisory and governance positions. He is a Fellow at the University of East London and has served as a Trustee for The Diana Award. Additionally, he is a member of the UCL Center for Sustainable Business Leadership Advisory Board and chairs the International Business and Diplomatic Exchange Business and Social Sustainability Board of Directors subcommittee. Mr. McLane also contributes as a member of the Association of British Insurers DEI board subcommittee. His previous roles include serving as a commissioner for the UK Equalities and Human Rights Commission and as Master of the Guild of Human Resource Professionals.

Bert is a Data Governance Manager in Allstate’s Enterprise Risk and Return Management (ERRM) department, where he manages efforts to reduce and mitigate data risks as well as policies and standards that enable efficient and productive data management and data stewardship practices and processes. He also leads the Data Management Community of Practice where he develops and highlights various topics on data governance to improve Allstate’s data fluency and enterprise best practices. Bert also has experience in Learning and Development, Sales and Technology Support Operations, and Claims.

Bert holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Berkeley.   He and his family reside in Seattle, WA.

Today, she is a national advocate, organizer, writer and artist working towards liberation for transgender and nonbinary communities, with a particular focus on trans women of color
and trans sex workers. She is the Trans Justice Campaign Manager at the ACLU and is paving the way for the transgender and LGBT communities to not be marginalized and have the right to live a safe, loving and fulfilling life. She is also working with the stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race, helping them use their voice and platform to raise awareness and defend drag, as well as fight against horrible anti-trans bills and upcoming threats.
Before her work at the ACLU, LaLa had years of experience working in organizing and advocacy spaces, including the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) where she served as
a Lead Organizer doing advocacy, outreach and networking on behalf of LGBTQ New Yorkers who have experienced violence. She has also organized and held a vigil for national and local trans community members. LaLa helped found and fight for funding for the organization’s first One Gateway Center,  Trans and Non-binary Leadership Academy to teach New Yorkers how to fight for change and be advocates in their community while helping build AVP work.