Category: Invited guests

Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the United States. Former Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to France. He has worked and consulted for various UN agencies and think tanks. He served as Head of Policy Planning, Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Diplomatic Advisor to Deputy President Adil Abd al-Mahdi. He is a Member of the American Physical Society and of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He was educated in Iraq, Switzerland and the United States. He is a graduate of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Foreign Policy Adviser to the Board of the Federation of Austrian Industries. He worked as a representative of Austria for the UN in New York (1968-1973) and at the Embassy in Cairo. He was an Ambassador in Nairobi and Permanent Representative to the UN-Organizations for Environment and Town Planning. He was Director of Secretariat General in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.  He was Permanent Representative of Austria to the European Union (1999-2007). He graduated from the Universities of Vienna, Grenoble and Cambridge in law, and also from the Collège de Bruges in European law and Economics.

Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Poland to the OECD. He was Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for economic cooperation and development (2009-2010). In 2006, he was entrusted with the position of Minister of Finance. He was also Chief Economist of the Polish Institute of Directors. He advised the Polish government on privatization and capital market development (1992-1995). He graduated from John Carroll University, from Case Western Reserve University. He received a Ph.D. degree from the Systems Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

President and co-founder of the Zermatt Summit Foundation, which organizes an annual meeting bringing together CEOs, political leaders and members of the civil society on the subject “humanizing globalization”. He is also President of the Ecophilos Foundation (Switzerland) and the founder and President of the TeroLab Surface Group, based in Lausanne (Switzerland), and one of the leading European companies in the field of surface engineering by thermal spraying. He holds a MBA from New York University.

Professor in the School of International Studies and President of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Peking University. He has been Peking University Boya Chair Professor since 2017. He is Honorary President of the Chinese Association for American Studies, and was a member of the Foreign Policy Advisory Committee of China’s Foreign Ministry (2008-2016). He taught in Peking University’s Department of International Politics (1983-1991), and then served as Director of the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences until 2005. From 2005 to 2013, he served as dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University. He was concurrently Director of the Institute of International Strategic Studies of the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China (2001- 2009). He was a Global Scholar at Princeton University (2011-2015). He obtained an MA degree from Peking University. 

Executive Director of The Better Hong Kong Foundation since 2006. She served as Deputy General Manager of the Chinese Television Network, General Manager of the Hongkong Telecom IMS, Director of Multimedia Services and Director of E-commerce under the Hutchison Whampoa Group. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was the Director of Communications of the University of Hong Kong. She worked for the Tung Chee-Hwa Election Office in 2001 as the Director of Administration Division; and was Deputy Director of the Leung Chun-ying Election Campaign Office in 2012. She holds a B.A. degree in Social Science and a M.A. degree in Public Administration.

President of Grampet Group, the most important Central and East-European actor in the field of railway transport and logistics services. He established Grampet Group in 2000. In September 2012, he was appointed President of the Romania-Kazakhstan Business Council. He started business in 1990, when he opened his first company. Since 1990 until now he held only top management positions, being responsible for the strategic development of his company. He graduated from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest and the National Defense College, Carol I National Defense University also in Bucharest and the Europe of Tomorrow Academic Society.

President of Club România. He started his career in journalism in 1990 as editor of the Tineretul Liber newspaper. He then worked as a press correspondent for a Romanian newspaper and TV channel, in Hungary and Republic of Moldova. He then became Personal Advisor for the Secretary of State for the Romanians Abroad (2000) and for the Minister of Tourism (2001-2003). He was Under Secretary of State for Foreign Trade (2009). He is a member of Chatham House, London, and also a member of the Aspen Institute Romania. He graduated in Journalism and Communication Sciences.

Ambassador of India to France. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1976. He served as India’s Ambassador to Nepal and Afghanistan and Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India in Washington. Among his other assignments abroad, he has been First Secretary and Counsellor in India’s High Commission in Islamabad and First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations Offices in Geneva. He was also Joint Secretary heading the Disarmament and International Security Affairs Division in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Ambassador of France. He was advisor to the French Foreign Minister and the Minister of Cooperation. He served in numerous embassies all over the world, notably as Counselor and Consul General before being appointed as French Ambassador to Central African Republic (1996-2001), to Nigeria (2001-2003), to Gabon (2003-2008), and to Côte d’Ivoire (2009-2012). He was also Representative to the ECOWAS and to the ECCAS. He was for the last ten years alternate MP of Oise, and Chairman of Eurafrique Stratégies SAS. He graduated from Paris II Assas University in Public Law.

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. He is also Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs and Vice-Chairman of the Civic Platform party. As Deputy Minister of National Defense in 1992, he initiated Poland’s NATO entry ambitions. He served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Honorary Chairman of the Foundation for Assistance to Poles in the East (1998-2001). He headed the students’ strike committee during the unrest in Bydgoszcz in March 1981. He was granted political asylum in Great Britain (1982-1989). He was a war correspondent in Afghanistan and Angola (1986-1989). He graduated from the University of Oxford with a B.A. and M.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE).

CEO, UniCredit România. He started to work at the Romanian Commercial Bank (1991). He was appointed Executive Vice President of the C.E.C. Bank (2000), and he then became Retail Executive Vice President of the Raiffeisen Bank in Romania (2001). He was appointed CEO of UniCredit Romania in 2005. He was also President of the Advisory Board of the Prime Minister of Romania. He graduated from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest in engineering, and from the Romanian American University in economy. He also graduated from an MBA program with the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris (Romanian branch), and from Harvard Business School (AMP).

International lawyer specializing in European and International law. Ana Palacio served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain (2002-2004) and was a member of the Spanish Parliament (2004-2006) where she chaired the Joint Committee of the two Houses for European Union Affairs. From 1994 to 2002, she was a member of the European Parliament, where she chaired the Legal Affairs and Internal Market as well as the Citizens Rights, Justice and Home Affairs Committees. She has been Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the World Bank Group and Secretary-General of ICSID (2006-2008). Palacio has been a member of the Executive Committee and Senior Vice President for International Affairs of AREVA (2008-2009) and served on the Council of State of Spain (2012-2018). Ana Palacio serves on various advisory and executive boards. She is a member of the board of several think tanks and organizations, such as the Atlantic Council of the United States, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the Elcano Royal Institute, among others. Ana Palacio is a Visiting Professor at the Edmund E. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She maintains a monthly column at Project Syndicate and a weekly publication at El Mundo, in addition to being a recurrent participant and speaker at international conferences and fora.

Former Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to France. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1990. He served as Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2005-2007). He held the position of Deputy Director of the Division for the United Nations System and Global Issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2004-2005). He was also Secretary General of the Polish National Commission for UNESCO (2001-2004). He graduated from the University of Lodz, the University Nicolas Copernic in Torun and the University of Poitiers.

President of ECE Consultants SAL since 1982. Chairman of Phoenician Funds Holding (Lebanon), and Executive Director of the Mouflon Fund (Cyprus). He was a consultant at the OECD and Professor of Economics. He has been Chairman at the National Investment Guarantee Corporation (1993-2018) and economic and financial advisor at various GCC countries. He received a Master’s Degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut and a PhD in Economics from Paris.

Head of Project, Institute of Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan. Since 2007, he has been a reasearcher and has been working on Project on Studies on Globalization and International Development Issues. He graduated in Business Administration and received a Master’s Degree in International Business and Management, both from the University of Westminster.

President, Institute for International Economic Studies. He worked at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) as a Representative of the Japan External Trade Organization in New York. He became Vice Minister for International Affairs at MITI. He then became an advisor to the Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. and Chairman of Tokio Marine Capital (1998). He was named Managing Director of the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) Board of Directors (2001), and then held several key positions (2001-2009). He is a Senior Advisor to the Board of TMC. He graduated from the University of Tokyo in law, and he also graduated from Harvard University.

Mediation consultant at Ince & Co LLP. He is one of the founder members of CEDR. He has lectured widely and written numerous articles on the subject of mediation, and is co-author of ADR and Commercial Disputes, Sweet & Maxwell, 2003. In December 2011 he featured in Lloyd’s List of Top Ten Legal Personalities. He is also a member of the JAMS International panel. He is fully accredited by and a member of the International Mediation Institute. He also serves as Honorary Consul to Cape Verde in London. He graduated from Nottingham University.

Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Institute, at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Previously, he served as First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 2006 to 2011, and was Acting Managing Director during May-July 2011. Formerly Vice Chairman of the JPMorgan Investment Bank and JPMorgan’s Chief Economist, he also was Chief Economist of Salomon Brothers, Inc. from 1992 to 1997. He currently serves as the Chair of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and as the Co-Chair of the Aspen Institute’s Program on the World Economy. He also serves as the Vice Chair of the Bretton Woods Committee, and of the Center for Global Development. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), a Director of the American Council on Germany and a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He received a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University.

Former President of Green Cross International. He started his academic career as a lecturer at the Moscow State Institute for International Affairs. He served as Professor of Political Science and International Relations and Vice-Rector at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR. In 1991, he was appointed Deputy Spokesman and Adviser to the President of the USSR. He is also a member of the Club of Rome, a councillor at the World Future Council, and serves as adviser to the Club of Madrid. He obtained a PhD in Political Science and History from Moscow Institute of International Relations.

Senior Advisor of KIM & CHANG and Visiting Professor of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. He joined the Korean Foreign Service in 1980. He became Minister-Counsellor of the Korean Permanent Delegation to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris in 2004. From 2006 to 2008, he served as Director General and Deputy Chief Negotiator for the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement. Then, from 2008 to 2010, he was Deputy Minister for Trade and Chief Negotiator for the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement. Former Ambassador to the Philippines, he was Ambassador to France from 2012 to 2015. He held the position of G20 Sherpa as well as Ambassador for International Economic Affairs of the Republic of Korea from 2015 to 2017. Ambassador Lee graduated from Seoul National University and received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, France.

President Strategy & Sustainability of TotalEnergies and member of the Executive Committee. Before that, she was President Strategy & Innovation from 2019 to 2021, SVP Strategy and Corporate Affairs in Gas Renewables & Power from 2016 to 2019 and SVP Strategy & Business Intelligence from 2012 to 2016, within the Company she joined in 2011. Between 1994 and 2011, she held a number of general management positions within the Alcatel group, which became Alcatel-Lucent, and then Nokia. A dual Danish and French national, Helle Kristoffersen is a graduate of the École normale supérieure (Ulm) and the Paris Graduate School of Economics, Statistics and Finance (ENSAE). She also holds a Master’s degree in Econometrics from Université Paris Sorbonne. She is an alumna of the French Institute for Higher National Defense Studies (IHEDN) and a Knight of the Légion d’honneur.

President and founder of Pax Africana, Foundation for peace and development in Africa. He was Secretary-General of the OAU, Organization of African Unity, now the African Union (1978-1983). He served twice as Prime Minister of Togo (1994-1996 and 2005-2006). He also served as Governor of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) (1967-1973) and Governor of the African Development Bank (AfDB) (1973-1976). He graduated from ENA (Ecole Nationale d’Administration).

Karl Kaiser is Senior Associate of the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Adjunct Professor Emeritus at Harvard Kennedy School, he taught at the Universities of Bonn, Johns Hopkins in Bologna, Saarbrücken, Cologne, the Hebrew University, and Harvard University. He was a Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations in Bonn and Berlin as well as an advisor to Chancellors Brandt and Schmidt. He holds a Ph.D. from Cologne University and an honorary doctorate of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He was educated at the Universities of Cologne, Grenoble and Oxford.