WASHINGTON DC (TIP): Hardeep Singh Walia, CEO of Motif, based in the Silicon Valley, will be the Keynote Speaker at the EcoSikh Gala event in Washington, DC, on September 18, 2016. EcoSikh Gala gathers over 300 people from all over Washington and the nation every year to support its work on environment and climate change on behalf of the community.

Hardeep is founder and CEO of Motif, a next-generation online broker whose mission is to simplify complex investment products and make them universally accessible. The company’s flagship product allows individual investors to act intuitively on their insights by turning them into a “motif” of stocks. Hardeep also serves as CEO of Motif Capital, an institutional investment advisor that develops thematic models for clients such as Goldman Sachs, Global Atlantic, and US Bank’s UHNW arm Ascent Private Capital Management.

Hardeep Walia grew up in Kuwait and in the aftermath of the Gulf War has seen firsthand the devastating impact of man-made war on the environment. He said, “I’m honored to be the keynote speaker at this year’s EcoSikh Gala. Conversations about humanity’s impact on the environment needs to be a priority and I’m passionate about continuing the efforts towards a more sustainable planet.”

Dr. Rajwant Singh, President of Washington based EcoSikh, said, “We are thrilled that Silicon Valley leaders like Hardeep Walia are causing a real shift in the business world to become conscious of our planet’s future. This sector can have a major impact in changing the course of humanity. We are looking forward to welcoming him and hearing him at the Gala.”

EcoSikh, since its inception in 2009, has engaged the Sikh community in Punjab and around the globe to work on environmental and climate change issues. It has recently been able to work with the SGPC to make the langar (free meal to 100,000 daily) at the Golden Temple in Amritsar to go organic. It has been invited by the White House and also by the United Nations and the French Government during the climate change deliberations last year in Paris. It maintains four-member staff in Washington and in Punjab. It is also involved in increasing green cover in the sacred city of Amritsar and in educating farmers on the effects of overuse of chemicals in Punjab. EcoSikh has also started and popularized the Sikh Environment Day which is now marked by Sikh institutions on March 14 every year.

Prior to Motif, Hardeep spent more than six years at Microsoft, where he was General Manager of the company’s enterprise services business. He also served as Director of Corporate Development and Strategy, helping to oversee Microsoft’s investments and acquisitions. He started his career at The Boston Consulting Group. Hardeep holds a BS in Economics and Engineering from Yale University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business.

He serves on FINRA’s Technology Advisory Committee and is on the Advisory Boards of US Bank’s ultra high net worth arm Ascent Private Capital Management and real estate startup PeerStreet. He is a featured contributor for LinkedIn, and a frequent guest on CNBC.

He lives in the Bay Area, with his wife, two daughters and their amazing golden retriever Karma.

Harmeet Singh, Head of the EcoSikh Washington Team, said, “We are certainly encouraged by the positive response from the community this year for the cause. Every faith community is challenged by this threat facing the world and this is an important cause.”