diff --git a/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/index.tsx b/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/index.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..37328c4dc1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/index.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
+import clsx from "clsx"
+import { HTMLAttributes } from "react"
+import Image from "next-image-export-optimizer"
+import type { StaticImageData } from "next/image"
+
+import elizabethStone from "./speakers/elizabeth-stone.webp"
+import kamilKisiela from "./speakers/kamil-kisiela.webp"
+import rajeevRajan from "./speakers/rajeev-rajan.webp"
+import tanmaiGopal from "./speakers/tanmai-gopal.webp"
+import uriGoldshtein from "./speakers/uri-goldshtein.webp"
+import TwitterIcon from "@/icons/twitter.svg"
+import { Button } from "@/app/conf/_design-system/button"
+import { BECOME_A_SPEAKER_LINK } from "../../links"
+
+interface TopMindsSectionProps extends HTMLAttributes<HTMLElement> {
+  hasSpeakersPage?: boolean
+}
+
+export default function TopMindsSection({
+  className,
+  hasSpeakersPage,
+  ...rest
+}: TopMindsSectionProps) {
+  return (
+    <section
+      className={clsx(
+        "flex justify-center px-4 py-8 text-neu-900 max-md:flex-col lg:px-12 xl:gap-x-24 xl:px-24",
+        className,
+      )}
+      {...rest}
+    >
+      <div className="flex flex-wrap max-sm:flex-col [@media(width<=743px)]:justify-center [@media(width>=970px)]:*:border-b-0">
+        {/* todo: remaining socials */}
+        <h3 className="mr-auto flex w-full grow text-pretty pb-6 pr-6 typography-h2 [@media(width>857px)]:basis-0">
+          Meet the top industry minds
+        </h3>
+        <SpeakerCard
+          name="Uri Goldshtein"
+          title="The Guild — Founder"
+          src={uriGoldshtein}
+          linkedin="urigo"
+          twitter="UriGoldshtein"
+        />
+        <SpeakerCard
+          name="Elizabeth Stone"
+          title="Netflix — CTO"
+          src={elizabethStone}
+          linkedin="elizabeth-stone-608a754"
+        />
+        <div className="flex grow border-sec-dark [@media(width<970px)]:contents [@media(width>=970px)]:border-t [@media(width>=970px)]:*:border-t-0">
+          <SpeakerCard
+            name="Kamil Kisiela"
+            title="The Guild — Developer"
+            src={kamilKisiela}
+            linkedin="kamilkisiela"
+            twitter="kamilkisiela"
+            className="[@media(744px<=width<=970px)]:first-of-type:border-l-0"
+          />
+          <SpeakerCard
+            name="Rajeev Rajan"
+            title="Atlassian — CTO"
+            src={rajeevRajan}
+            linkedin="rajeev-rajan"
+            className="[@media(744px<=width<=970px)]:border-l"
+          />
+          <SpeakerCard
+            name="Tanmai Gopal"
+            title="Hasura — CEO & Co-Founder"
+            src={tanmaiGopal}
+            twitter="tanmaigo"
+            linkedin="tanmaig"
+            className="[@media(width<744px)]:border-l"
+          />
+          <div className="mt-6 flex shrink-0 basis-[content] items-end justify-stretch max-lg:w-full max-sm:*:w-full sm:justify-end sm:pl-6 [@media(640px<=width<=855px)]:basis-[236px] [@media(width>855px)]:grow">
+            {hasSpeakersPage ? (
+              <Button variant="secondary" href="/conf/2025/speakers/">
+                View all speakers
+              </Button>
+            ) : (
+              <Button variant="secondary" href={BECOME_A_SPEAKER_LINK}>
+                Become a speaker
+              </Button>
+            )}
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </section>
+  )
+}
+
+function SpeakerCard({
+  name,
+  title,
+  src,
+  twitter,
+  linkedin,
+  className,
+}: {
+  name: string
+  title: string
+  src: string | StaticImageData
+  twitter?: string
+  linkedin?: string
+  className?: string
+}) {
+  return (
+    <article
+      className={clsx(
+        ":border-r shrink-0 border-y border-r border-sec-dark first-of-type:border-l max-sm:border-l",
+        className,
+      )}
+    >
+      <Image
+        src={src}
+        alt=""
+        width={236}
+        height={236}
+        className="aspect-square size-[312px] w-full object-cover transition-transform sm:size-[236px]"
+      />
+      <div className="flex items-stretch border-t border-sec-dark">
+        <div className="flex grow flex-col justify-center gap-1 p-3 sm:h-[80px]">
+          <h4 className="typography-body-md">{name}</h4>
+          <p className="text-neu-700 typography-body-xs">{title}</p>
+        </div>
+        {(linkedin || twitter) && (
+          <div className="flex items-center border-l border-sec-dark max-sm:divide-x sm:flex-col sm:divide-y sm:border-l">
+            {linkedin && (
+              <a
+                href={`https://www.linkedin.com/in/${linkedin}`}
+                target="_blank"
+                rel="noopener noreferrer"
+                className="flex grow items-center justify-center p-4 transition-colors hover:bg-neu-900/10 hover:text-neu-700 sm:p-2"
+              >
+                <LinkedInIcon />
+              </a>
+            )}
+            {twitter && (
+              <a
+                href={`https://x.com/${twitter}`}
+                target="_blank"
+                rel="noopener noreferrer"
+                className="flex grow items-center justify-center border-sec-dark p-4 transition-colors hover:bg-neu-900/10 hover:text-neu-700 sm:p-2"
+              >
+                <TwitterIcon className="size-6" />
+              </a>
+            )}
+          </div>
+        )}
+      </div>
+    </article>
+  )
+}
+
+function LinkedInIcon(props: HTMLAttributes<SVGElement>) {
+  return (
+    <svg
+      width="24"
+      height="24"
+      viewBox="0 0 24 24"
+      fill="currentColor"
+      {...props}
+    >
+      <path d="M19 3C19.5304 3 20.0391 3.21071 20.4142 3.58579C20.7893 3.96086 21 4.46957 21 5V19C21 19.5304 20.7893 20.0391 20.4142 20.4142C20.0391 20.7893 19.5304 21 19 21H5C4.46957 21 3.96086 20.7893 3.58579 20.4142C3.21071 20.0391 3 19.5304 3 19V5C3 4.46957 3.21071 3.96086 3.58579 3.58579C3.96086 3.21071 4.46957 3 5 3H19ZM18.5 18.5V13.2C18.5 12.3354 18.1565 11.5062 17.5452 10.8948C16.9338 10.2835 16.1046 9.94 15.24 9.94C14.39 9.94 13.4 10.46 12.92 11.24V10.13H10.13V18.5H12.92V13.57C12.92 12.8 13.54 12.17 14.31 12.17C14.6813 12.17 15.0374 12.3175 15.2999 12.5801C15.5625 12.8426 15.71 13.1987 15.71 13.57V18.5H18.5ZM6.88 8.56C7.32556 8.56 7.75288 8.383 8.06794 8.06794C8.383 7.75288 8.56 7.32556 8.56 6.88C8.56 5.95 7.81 5.19 6.88 5.19C6.43178 5.19 6.00193 5.36805 5.68499 5.68499C5.36805 6.00193 5.19 6.43178 5.19 6.88C5.19 7.81 5.95 8.56 6.88 8.56ZM8.27 18.5V10.13H5.5V18.5H8.27Z" />
+    </svg>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/speakers/elizabeth-stone.webp b/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/speakers/elizabeth-stone.webp
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index 0000000000..267cf36a33
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diff --git a/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/speakers/kamil-kisiela.webp b/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/speakers/kamil-kisiela.webp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f4b7677a8a
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diff --git a/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/speakers/rajeev-rajan.webp b/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/speakers/rajeev-rajan.webp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7376c70845
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diff --git a/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/speakers/tanmai-gopal.webp b/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/speakers/tanmai-gopal.webp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..84030fbefa
Binary files /dev/null and b/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/speakers/tanmai-gopal.webp differ
diff --git a/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/speakers/uri-goldshtein.webp b/src/app/conf/2025/components/top-minds/speakers/uri-goldshtein.webp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5341e8428c
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diff --git a/src/app/conf/2025/page.tsx b/src/app/conf/2025/page.tsx
index f2fa5e6c97..16cfc47bd3 100644
--- a/src/app/conf/2025/page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/conf/2025/page.tsx
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { Speakers } from "./speakers"
 import { RegisterToday } from "./components/register-today"
 import { Hero } from "./components/hero"
 import WhatToExpectSection from "./components/what-to-expect"
+import TopMindsSection from "./components/top-minds"
 
 export const metadata: Metadata = {
   title: "GraphQLConf 2025 — Sept 08-10",
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ export default function Page() {
       <div className="gql-conf-container mx-auto">
         <RegisterToday className="md:mb-8 md:mt-24" />
         <WhatToExpectSection className="md:mb-8 md:mt-24" />
+        <TopMindsSection className="md:mb-8 md:mt-24" hasSpeakersPage={false} />
       </div>
       <div className="container my-20 flex flex-col gap-20 md:my-32 md:gap-32 [.light_&_.text-white]:text-neu-900 [.light_&_[alt='Grafbase_logo']]:invert">
         <Sponsors />
diff --git a/src/app/conf/_design-system/button.tsx b/src/app/conf/_design-system/button.tsx
index 8663ce59aa..81f39a82a0 100644
--- a/src/app/conf/_design-system/button.tsx
+++ b/src/app/conf/_design-system/button.tsx
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ export type ButtonProps =
 
 export function Button(props: ButtonProps) {
   const className = clsx(
-    "relative flex items-center justify-center gap-2.5 font-normal text-base/none text-neu-0 bg-neu-900 hover:bg-neu-800 active:bg-neu-700 font-sans h-14 px-8 data-[size=md]:h-12 data-[variant=secondary]:bg-neu-100 data-[variant=secondary]:text-neu-900 dark:data-[variant=secondary]:text-neu-0 data-[variant=secondary]:hover:bg-neu-200/75 data-[variant=secondary]:active:bg-neu-200/90 gql-focus-visible",
+    "relative flex items-center justify-center gap-2.5 font-normal text-base/none text-neu-0 bg-neu-900 hover:bg-neu-800 active:bg-neu-700 font-sans h-14 px-8 data-[size=md]:h-12 data-[variant=secondary]:bg-neu-100 data-[variant=secondary]:text-neu-900 data-[variant=secondary]:hover:bg-neu-200/75 data-[variant=secondary]:active:bg-neu-200/90 gql-focus-visible",
     props.className,
   )