In March 2020, Bénédicte Epinay took the reins of Comité Colbert, an association founded in 1954 by Jean-Jacques Guerlain, bringing together 95 French luxury Maisons, 18 cultural institutions, and 6 European members. She immediately endowed the association with a new raison d’être: “To passionately promote, patiently transmit, and sustainably develop French savoir-faire and creation in order to inject a new sense of wonder”, which structures all of its missions and actions. 

Previously, Bénédicte Épinay spent 30 years working in the media sector, in particular the Les Échos-Le Parisien Group where she held the position of Deputy Editorial Director, in charge of weekend supplements. She created the group’s first monthly luxury and lifestyle magazine Série Limitée in 1999 and was involved in the launch of the Les Echos Week-end weekly publication in 2015. 

Emilio Estefan Gómez is a Cuban-American musician and producer. Estefan has won 19 Grammy Awards. He first came to prominence as a member of the Miami Sound Machine. He is the husband of singer Gloria Estefan, father of son Nayib Estefan and daughter Emily Estefan, and the uncle of Spanish-language television personality Lili Estefan.

Estefan is credited with paving the way for the crossover explosion of Latin music of the late 90s, mostly through artists that Estefan himself brought to the forefront of the US music stage, including his wife Gloria Estefan, as well as Jon Secada, Ricky Martin, and Shakira.

Estefan received the BMI “Songwriter of the Year” award in 2005 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He also received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2009.

In November 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Estefan the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. In 2019 he also received the Gershwin Prize from the Library of Congress.

International superstar Gloria Estefan is a Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, actress, author, and humanitarian, widely recognized as one of the most beloved performers in the world and the most successful Latin crossover artist in music history. With more than 100 million records sold worldwide, she has earned nine Grammy Awards, an Oscar nomination, the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Kennedy Center Honors, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2023, she became the first Latina inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, recognized for iconic hits that have shaped global music culture.

Estefan is also a powerhouse creative force across theater, film, and television. She served as Executive Producer of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical On Your Feet!, based on her life and music, which continues to tour worldwide. Her recent work includes the chart-topping Grammy-winning album Brazil305, the Emmy-winning series Red Table Talk: The Estefans, voice work in Disney’s Vivo, starring roles in Father of the Bride, and the multi-generational album Estefan Family Christmas. Through the Gloria Estefan Foundation, she supports disadvantaged youth and spinal cord research via the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

In 2024, Gloria and her daughter Emily announced BASURA, a new Broadway musical inspired by the documentary Landfill Harmonic, celebrating music, resilience, and community. The year 2025 marks Gloria Estefan’s 50th career anniversary, highlighted by her ninth Grammy Award, the release of her first full Spanish-language album in 18 years, Raíces, and her role in DreamWorks’ Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie. Her enduring impact continues to span generations, genres, and creative platforms worldwide.

Hoor Al Qasimi is President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation, the independent public arts organization she founded in 2009 to support experimentation, innovation, and global cultural exchange. She has served as Director of the Sharjah Biennial since 2003, transforming it into a leading international platform for contemporary art, and curated the critically acclaimed Sharjah Biennial 15: Thinking Historically in the Present (2023). Her leadership has expanded the Foundation’s scope to include international exhibitions, artist residencies, commissions, publications, film and performance festivals, architectural research, and extensive educational programming. In recognition of her influence, she was elected President of the International Biennial Association in 2017.

Al Qasimi has curated and co-curated numerous landmark exhibitions in Sharjah and internationally, collaborating with major institutions such as the Serpentine Gallery, MCA Chicago, Jeu de Paume, Haus der Kunst, and the Venice Biennale. She has also directed major global initiatives including the Lahore Biennale and Dream Projects at the Dream City Festival in Tunis. In 2025, she will become the first non-Japanese Artistic Director of the Aichi Triennale. Alongside her curatorial work, she serves as President of The Africa Institute, President and Director of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial, and Creative Director of the fashion brand QASIMI.

Her extensive service includes board and advisory roles with institutions such as Kunst-Werke Berlin, Ashkal Alwan, and the University of Sharjah, as well as jury appointments for major international art prizes. Al Qasimi holds degrees from the Slade School of Fine Art, the Royal Academy of Arts, and the Royal College of Art, and received an Honorary Doctorate in 2023. That same year, she was appointed head of Sharjah’s newly established Global Studies University, further cementing her role as a leading global figure in contemporary art, education, and cultural leadership.

John Hoffman is CEO and Director for GSMA Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the GSMA. In this role, John oversees various lines of business, including the GSMA’s portfolio of award-winning trade shows and conferences, its online, print and broadcast media properties, industry research services and a range of network managed services. John brings more than 25 years’ experience to the GSMA.

Prior to his current role in GSMA Ltd., John was CEO and Director of fastmobile, Inc., a supplier of software-based network operator solutions. Before fastmobile, he was the President, CEO and Director of Roamware, Inc., a global provider of voice and data roaming solutions.

In addition, John has held executive-level positions at several mobile telecommunications companies including BellSouth, Pocket Communications and SONOFON. He has also served as an independent mobile industry consultant, leading projects with the GSMA, BellSouth, Palm and PCSOne, among others.

John is a member of the Future Trends Forum, Bankinter’s global think task focused on issues impacting Spanish society and businesses. He serves on the GSMA Ltd. Board of Directors as well as the Board of the Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation, and is the author of the “Wireless Evolution Insider” by the GSMA as well as “GPRS Demystified”, published by McGraw-Hill Professional.

John holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Architecture from the University of Michigan, a Masters of Business degree from the University of Phoenix and is a licensed architect in the state of Colorado.

Ndaba Thembekile Zweliyajika Mandela is an author, entrepreneur, political consultant, and global advocate, best known as the grandson of Nelson Mandela and for his own leadership in social impact work. Born in Soweto, South Africa, he is the co-founder and chairman of the Mandela Institute for Humanity and has played a key role in preserving and reinterpreting his grandfather’s legacy for younger generations through initiatives such as the Africa Rising Foundation and the Mandela Project. He also served on the organizing team for the Mandela Centenary celebrations in 2018.

Mandela has built a distinguished career in advocacy and international affairs. From 2014 to 2021, he served as Vice President of the Pan-African Youth Council (now the Pan African Youth Parliament), working closely with the African Union to advance youth leadership across the continent. He is the longest-serving global ambassador for UNAIDS, using his personal story and platform to campaign globally to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. He has also worked as a political consultant for the Japanese Embassy and was named one of BET’s “28 Men of Change” for his contributions to social progress.

In 2018, Mandela published Going to the Mountain: Life Lessons from My Grandfather, Nelson Mandela, distilling personal lessons from two decades spent living with and caring for his grandfather. That same year, he partnered with Prince Harry and Sir Elton John to launch a global HIV/AIDS awareness campaign at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam. Through writing, public speaking, and philanthropy, Ndaba Mandela has established himself as a leading voice for youth empowerment, global health, and positive African representation—continuing a legacy of leadership through his own impactful career.

Leigh Gilmore is the Global Head of Bloomberg Live Experiences. Gilmore oversees all business operations for Bloomberg Live Experiences, including Bloomberg New Economy and Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg. The business encompasses Bloomberg Media’s global line-up of signature events, summits and flagship forums taking place across the US, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle-East and Latin America. 

Gilmore was previously General Manager, Live Journalism & Events at Dow Jones, where she oversaw the growth of its domestic and international events including Journal House, CEO Council, WSJ Tech Live and The Future of Everything Festival. Prior to this role, Gilmore led global operations and corporate strategy for C5 Group Inc. and was a Managing Director of the American Conference Institute (ACI) where she expanded the business into new international markets. 

Gilmore has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom and is fluent in French and Italian. 

Behind the LUMINARIES 21 model lies a deeply inspiring story—born from the bold, values-driven vision of entrepreneur Alberto Díez. Over the years, Díez built close relationships with highly respected world leaders, yet one concern surfaced repeatedly in those conversations: the sense that many figures with extraordinary transformative potential were not sufficiently engaged in meaningful social impact.

In 2016, the United Nations recognized Alberto Díez’s exceptional track record, appointing him Global Advisor for Creative Industries. From that role, he embraced a clear mission: to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the UN’s SDG-Fund, helping reshape the paradigm of leadership into one grounded in ethics, authentic commitment, and concrete, transformative action.

Guided by that purpose, Díez developed innovative strategic alliance models with renowned leaders in gastronomy and classical music—initiatives that transcended borders and gained global attention for their ability to deliver tangible impact. That success became both inspiration and catalyst to expand the vision across leaders in every field and discipline, ultimately giving rise to LUMINARIES 21.

Today, LUMINARIES 21 stands as a pioneering and sophisticated reference point, integrating the world’s largest platform of socially committed leaders with cutting-edge advanced artificial intelligence. Its mission is unequivocal: to help shape a radically more inclusive, fair, and transformative future—connecting brilliant minds and determined hearts ready to turn leadership and technology into real instruments for the common good.

This is the essence of LUMINARIES 21: a global movement powered by ethical excellence, strategic innovation, and a higher purpose—designed to inspire, transform, and leave an enduring legacy.

With over 20 years as an Artistic Director, Cultural Programmer and Producer, Joseph Fowler has established himself as a dynamic cultural leader with an innovative professional identity and unique vision. Prior to his current position as Head of Arts & Culture at the World Economic Forum, Joseph has held multiple prestigious leading positions in the arts and cultural sector which include Resident Director at Theatre du Chatelet (Paris), Artistic Director at Dubai Opera, Movement Director at La Comédie-Française (Paris), Associate Director at Regents Park Open Air Theatre (London), General Manager at Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre (the first non-for-profit, cross community creative center in the Gulf) and Director of Opera, Arts & Culture at Expo2020. Joseph spent a decade professionally based in the Gulf and has programmed international festivals, and commissioned work in collaboration with some of the world’s leading artists and cultural institutions. He has also collaborated with some of the largest international organizations, including UNESCO, UNHCR and the United Nations. He is the recipient of several awards including the Joan Lawson Award, the Kenneth McMillan Award and the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Patron of the Arts Award.

FLYING HEART 

– Edition Size: 500 

– Artwork Dimensions: 9.75in x 8.50in x 4.50in | 24.76cm x 21.59cm x 11.43cm 

– Weight: 3.8 Pounds | 1.72 Kilograms 

– Oil Pen, Resin sculpture 

– Hand signed by the artist and includes an exclusive hologram and Donation Certificate of Authenticity from BRITTO Studio 

ABOUT ROMERO BRITTO 

Romero Britto, the founder of the Happy Art Movement, is an internationally renowned artist who has created an iconic visual language of happiness, fun, love, and hope all its own inspiring millions worldwide. Brazilian-born and Miami-made, is considered one of the most famous and celebrated living visual artists in the globe as well as the most collected and licensed in history. He has also created a global lifestyle brand, BRITTO, with the mission to inspire happiness. To learn more about Romero Britto visit www.shopbritto.com or follow us on https://www.instagram.com/romerobritto/