2026: A Year of momentum
Our UBS Global Visionaries share what they’re working toward in the months ahead
As we move through 2026, despite challenges on the world stage, our UBS Global Visionaries continue to demonstrate that courage, creativity, and purposeful action remain stronger than ever. They are reimagining systems, pushing for climate resilience, expanding access to opportunity, and shaping more equitable pathways for communities around the world.
In 2025, many reached exciting milestones - scaling their impact and proving that meaningful change is built year by year. Now, they’re focused on the progress they want to spark throughout 2026.
Let’s hear directly from them.
Cropin – Krishna Kumar
Cropin has spent more than a decade building intelligence across one billion acres of farmland, supporting growers in over 100 countries and enabling more resilient supply chains globally. In 2025, the company strengthened its capabilities in predictive agriculture, sustainability compliance and AI‑driven insights to help better understand complex ecosystems.
As Cropin looks ahead, the focus for 2026 is on pushing these innovations even further - deepening climate‑readiness, accelerating auditable sustainability workflows, and opening new APIs to help partners make faster, more trusted decisions across the food system.
Krishna shares: “In 2026, our priority at Cropin is to make Surety of Supply climate‑ready, measurable, and predictable for the world’s food system… Resilience isn’t an outcome; it’s a design choice.”
Krishna Kumar is a current UBS Global Visionary.
AfriScout – Chris Bessenecker
AfriScout has been working with pastoralist communities across Ethiopia to regenerate degraded grasslands using adaptive multi‑paddock grazing, supported by mobile and satellite technology. Today, the initiative spans 1.3 million hectares, engages 250,000 pastoralists and supports one million animals.
In 2025, communities saw improved pasture conditions, higher livestock value, fewer conflicts, and even the return of wildlife previously unseen for generations. In 2026, the organization is focused on scaling the initiative across eight million hectares by 2030.
Chris shares: “This year, we aim to validate one of the world’s largest grassland carbon projects, scaling toward eight million hectares across Africa and positioning pastoralists as powerful stewards of biodiversity and climate resilience.”
Chris Bessenecker is a UBS Global Visionary Alumnus.
KETOS – Meena Sankaran
In 2025, KETOS expanded its reach as a leader in water intelligence - monitoring over 50 billion gallons of water, generating 280M+ data insights, and helping Fortune 100 clients avoid more than USD 55M in water‑related penalties while reducing more than 2,400 metric tons of CO₂.
For 2026, the organization plans to scale deployments across four new countries, launch the KETOS Lab for PFAS detection, and continue building AI‑driven tools that bring robotics, analytics and operational efficiency together.
Meena shares: “In 2026, my focus is to drive global scale for water intelligence - expanding into new countries, advancing AI‑powered operational insights, and pushing innovations like the KETOS Lab and robotic automation for a more intelligent water future.”
Meena Sankaran is a UBS Global Visionary alumna.
BagoSphere – Zhihan Lee
BagoSphere continues to help frontline workers across Southeast Asia build pathways to meaningful, stable employment. In 2025, they reached 15,000 graduates, demonstrated higher retention and promotion rates among their alumni, and were recognized as a Top 3 finalist in the Temasek Trust Amplifier program.
In 2026, they are expanding into Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia to tackle what they see as the region’s biggest challenge: job quality, not job scarcity.
Zhihan shares: “In 2026, my focus is to help thousands more workers move from survival to stability - because in Southeast Asia, we don’t have a job shortage problem, we have a job quality problem.”
Zhihan Lee is a UBS Global Visionary alumnus.
Skills Builder Partnership – Tom Ravenscroft
Skills Builder Partnership reached a turning point in 2025, embedding its Universal Framework for essential skills into thousands of classrooms across more than fifty countries and demonstrating that competencies like teamwork, leadership and problem‑solving are as foundational as literacy and numeracy.
In 2026, their focus is on scaling their digital platform to deliver real‑time impact data and expanding advocacy to help embed essential skills into policy globally.
Tom shares: “This year, my aim is to ensure that three million children and young people are actively building the essential skills they need to thrive. Let’s stop talking about the skills gap and start closing it.”
Tom Ravenscroft is a UBS Global Visionary alumnus.
Choba Choba – Eric Garnier
As a farmer‑owned chocolate brand, Choba Choba continued to pursue deep, long‑term impact in 2025 - focusing on personal transformation, individual farmer empowerment, and collaborative growth.
In 2026, the organization is committed to scaling its impact in ways that strengthen purpose, partnerships, and shared learning across the value chain.
Eric shares: “In 2026, our focus is not to grow faster, but to grow better - building impact that is resilient, meaningful and shared. Real scale comes from going deep, working with partners and alliances, because lasting change can only be achieved collectively.”
Eric Garnier is a UBS Global Visionary alumnus.
The R Collective – Dr. Christina Dean
The R Collective has reclaimed 123 tons of fashion waste since 2017, transforming surplus materials from luxury brands into new products and recycling solutions. Following a successful fundraising round, 2026 marks a pivotal year for scaling circular fashion and accelerating impact across the luxury value chain.
Christina shares: “This year, my focus is on building a financially resilient model while pushing even harder to eliminate fashion waste. With anti‑incineration legislation gaining momentum, this feels like a real inflection point for circular fashion - and we’re ready to run at it.”
Dr. Christina Dean is a UBS Global Visionary alumna.
SolShare – Sebastian Groh
SolShare continues to advance circular clean energy systems, building on pioneering work in peer‑to‑peer solar sharing and battery innovation. In 2025, the company helped advance clean mobility in Bangladesh by scaling lithium‑ion batteries for electric three‑wheelers - supporting higher driver incomes while reducing emissions.
In 2026, SolShare is expanding its SOLmobility platform, deploying 5,000 recyclable lithium‑ion batteries using water‑based technology designed for safe recovery and reuse. The company will also push technical boundaries through its Rickshaw Virtual Power Plant.
Sebastian shares: “For us, progress in 2026 means closing the loop on clean energy while keeping livelihoods at the center. Circularity only works when people benefit first.”
Sebastian Groh is a UBS Global Visionary alumnus.
Velafrica – Michel Ducommun and Nikolai Räber
Velafrica enters 2026 with momentum toward its mission of expanding access to bicycle mobility. This year, the organization aims to export nearly 30,000 recycled bikes to partners across Africa.
In parallel, Velafrica is expanding vocational training programs for bicycle mechanics in Burkina Faso, Tanzania and Malawi - creating jobs, strengthening local expertise and deepening impact. Recognizing the relevance of e‑mobility in the region’s sustainable transport future, Velafrica is also launching an e‑bike pilot in Tanzania.
Michel shares: “E‑mobility will play a vital role in Africa’s mobility future. To accelerate this vision, we’re building partnerships across sectors. If you want to ride with us, now is the time.”
Michel Ducommun and Nikolai Räber are UBS Global Visionaries alumni.
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