François Drouin

President of ETI FINANCE (SMEs and Midcaps financing, Asset based lending). Former chairman of the Board for the Autoroutes et Tunnel du Mont Blanc and of Société Française du Tunnel Routier du Fréjus,  former Vice President of the French Public Investment Bank (BPI). Former CEO of OSEO (the French Agency for Innovation and SMEs financing). Former Engineer at the Directorate of Navigation of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Region, Managing Director of the Caisse des Dépôts (French public financial institution) for the Normandie Region and later on for the Bourgogne Region, Chairman of the Board of the Société régionale de financement (Sorefi) for the Caisses d’Epargne (French savings banks) in the Midi-Pyrenées, of the Caisse d’Epargne in the Midi-Pyrénées and of the Crédit Foncier de France (National mortgage bank of France). He graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique and from the ENPC (corps des Ponts) and holds a degree in Economic sciences (Paris X).

Jean Desazars de Montgailhard

Special Adviser of LafargeHolcim General Manager. He was, up to the merger between the two groups, Executive Vice-President and a member of the Executive Committee of Lafarge. Previously, he was Regional President for Asia Pacific at Lafarge and played a major role in the Group’s development in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. He started his career at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was deputy Undersecretary of State for arms control. He is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Paris. He also holds a Master in Economics.

Kemal Dervis

Senior Fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution and Senior Advisor at Sabanci University. He was Minister of Economic Affairs of Turkey. He also served as Head of the United Nations Development Program, member of the Turkish Parliament, Vice President of the World Bank, and member of the Convention on the Future of Europe. He earned his Bachelor and Master’s degrees from the London School of Economics, and his PhD in economics from Princeton University.

John Denton

Partner and CEO of Corrs Chambers Westgarth, one of Australia’s leading national law firms. He is one of the three Prime Ministerial representatives on the APEC Business Advisory Counsel (ABAC), and is Chair of ABAC’s Sustainable Development Work Group, he is one of two Australian delegates appointed by the Prime Minister and Treasurer to the newly formed B20, a business reference group as part of the G20, board member on the Commonwealth Business Council and the Asia Society Australasia Centre. As a former diplomat with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, John Denton has extensive international negotiating expertise.

Michael Yeoh

President of KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific, an independent non-profit think tank. He is also President of the World Digital Chamber and Chairman of the Asean Economic Club He was previously CEO of the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI). He has over 36 years of senior corporate management, consulting and boardroom experience. He is also Deputy Chairman of the Economic Club of Kuala Lumpur, a Director of the British-Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and a General Committee member of the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Michael has served the Government including as Malaysia’s Representative (Ambassador rank) to the ASEAN High-Level Task Force on Connectivity, Member of the Malaysia Competition Commission and Commissioner in the Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM). He was recently appointed to the Executive Council of the United Nations ESCAP Sustainable Business Network. He holds a degree in Economics from Monash University and is Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from the University of Nottingham.

Thérèse Delpech

Director for Strategic Studies at the Atomic Energy Commission. Former member of the IISS Council and Advisor to the French Prime Minister for politico-military affairs and permanent Consultant to the Policy Planning Staff of the French Foreign Affairs Ministry. She studied philosophy and is the author of seven books including L’Appel de l’Ombre, Puissance de l’Irrationnel (2010).

Nathalie Delapalme

Executive Director of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation since 2010, and co-Secretary-General of the Africa-Europe Foundation since 2020. She is a member of International Crisis Group (ICG), of the European Council of Foreign Affairs (ECFR), of the comité éditorial of the Revue Commentaire, and of the Conseil scientifique of IHEDN. She served as Inspecteur général des finances at the French Ministry of Economy and Finances between 2007 and 2010, after having been Africa advisor to the French Ministers of Foreign Affairs from 2002 to 2007, and advisor to the French Ministers of Development between 1995 and 1997, and between 2002 and 2004.  She began her career at the French Sénat, where she served at the Finances and Budget Commission from 1984 to 1995 and from 1997 to 2002, auditing a number of public expenditures, notably in the defense, foreign affairs, development, environment, research, education, telecoms and media sectors.

Seán Cleary

Seán Cleary is Chairman of Strategic Concepts (Pty) Ltd., Founder and Executive Vice Chair of the FutureWorld Foundation, Diplomacy Moderator of the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator, a member of the Advisory Boards of EIT-Climate-KIC, World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid, and the Institute of Advanced Studies, Kőszeg, a Special Advisor to the Global Solutions Initiative, and a Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar and co-author, with Thierry Malleret, of Resilience to Risk, and Global Risks, as well as numerous articles and chapters . He studied social sciences and law at the University of South Africa, the University of Cape Town and Pahlavi University in Iran, and holds an MBA from Henley Management College.

Sergey Chestnoy

Director of Russian Aluminium (RUSAL) International Department since July 2001. He has held several positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia since 1984, including Deputy Director of Department of North America, Special Adviser to the Russian sherpa in G-8, Director of the Economic Section of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the USA (Washington) and Deputy Director of the Department of Economic Cooperation. He graduated from Moscow International Relations Institute and obtained a doctorate (PhD) in Economics.

Michael Chertoff

Senior of counsel in Covington and Burling LLP and member of the White Collar Defense and Investigations practice group. He served as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. He also served periodically on the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council, and on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. He served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (2003-2005). Before becoming a federal judge, he was the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He has received numerous awards and two honorary doctorates. He graduated from Harvard Law School

Philippe Chalmin

Founder of Cercle Cyclope, Professor emeritus at Paris-Dauphine University, Consultant for various International Organisations (OECD, EEC, UNCTAD). He was a member of the Council of Economic Advisors in the Office of the French Prime Minister. He published around forty books including the latest Une brève histoire économique du XXème siècle, published in 2019, and Journal de la dissolution in 2024. From 2010 to 2023, he was the President of the French Observatory on fixing food products prices and margins. A graduate from HEC, he is “agrégé” in History and holds a Doctorate in Humanities.

François Chabannes

Co-President of the Fondation Alcen pour la Connaissance des Energies (raising awareness and knowledge of energies). President of Technochabs. Former Delegate-General of the Council of French Defense Industries (CIDEF), the Group of Telecommunication and Professional Electronics Industries (GITEP-EDS) and General Manager of the Industrial Laser Company (CILAS). Former Vice-President Defense Strategy in the Aeronautic branch and Secretary-General of the International Department within Thompson-CSF Group. He graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique, the ENSAR; he obtained a master’s degree in quantum optics and a degree INFO II (CIRO-Defense computer science).

Christian Bréchot

President of the Global Virus Network, professor of medicine at USF. Christian Brechot, MD, PhD joined the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as Senior Associate Dean for Research in Global Affairs, Associate VP for International Partnerships and Innovation, Professor in the Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, and heads USF’s Initiative on Microbiomes.  He is also President of the Global Virus Network.  In addition to his past role as President of the Institut Pasteur, he has held senior positions at Institut-Meriux, Inserm (the French NIH) as well as Paris Descartes University.  Dr. Bréchot’s research activities have focused on viral hepatitis, microbiomes, and viral infections. 

Salah Brahimi

President and CEO of Grey Matter International Ltd., a strategic advisory services firm focused on integrated business development, corporate management consulting and institutional governance activities. He is an independent Board Member and Adviser to ACWA Power International, Saudi Arabia’s leading international infrastructure, power and water investment partnership and management firm. He was a senior executive at the World Bank. He holds a Harvard Business School post-graduate executive certificate for the World Bank Leadership Program, an MSc in Biochemical and Agricultural Engineering.

Micheline Bossaert

Director of the International Department of GDF SUEZ. She was Vice-President Asset Management North America, Asia, Middle East and Africa within the Tractebel Electricity & Gas International (EGI) branch. She was Head of the Finance, Treasury and Tax Department of the recently renamed Suez Energy International (SEI) branch. She was Executive Vice President and also a member of the SEI General Management Committee. She was also granted a specific mandate to set up the Community of Practice of Business Development within GDF SUEZ. She is still chairing it.

Assia Bensalah Alaoui

Ambassador-at-Large of his Majesty Mohamed VI, the King of Morocco, Dr. Assia Ben Salah Alaoui is as well: Co-Chair of the Malabo-Montpellier Forum (African Agenda 2063) Vice President of the Association of Moroccan-Japanese Friendship and a member of the BOT of a number of institutions: The Orientation Council of the Royal Institute of Strategic Studies (IRES), Rabat, Morocco; The Moroccan-British Society; the CITpax (Centro Internacional de Toledo para la Paz), and of the Association Leaders for Peace, Paris. Dr. Assia Ben Salah Alaoui holds a Ph.D. in Law, Paris II University and a Master in English Studies, University Mohamed V, Rabat, Morocco. Dr. Assia Ben Salah Alaoui is “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” of France.

François Barrault

Chairman and Founder of FDB Partners SPRL, an investment and advisory firm in TMT and publishing. In 2011, he was appointed Chairman of IDATE DigiWorld, the leading European think tank and consultancy organisation dedicated to Internet, Telecommunications and Media. He has had unique and diversified entrepreneurial and corporate experiences in the technology sector and founded 7 companies. He started his career as a researcher in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence with IBM Corporation. He served as President and CEO of Lucent EMEA and then as International CEO and corporate officer. He was also CEO of BT Global Services and a BT Group PLC board member. He sits in various boards and he is a frequent speaker in worldwide conferences on digital technologies.

Ki-Moon Ban

8th Secretary-General of the United Nations. He was Korea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He was also First Secretary at the Republic of Korea’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Director of the United Nations Division at the Ministry’s headquarters in Seoul and Ambassador to Vienna. He has also been actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relations. He was awarded numerous national and international prizes, medals and honours. He received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Seoul National University. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He received an honorary Doctoral Degree from Seoul National University.

David Avital

Senior Director of AEye Strategic Solutions. Entrepreneur, venture capitalist and philanthropist who has realized great success in real estate, parking, biotech and other areas thanks to the strong values and principles acquired through his long military career. The tenets and cornerstones of his business philosophy are creativity, flexibility, persistence and an infallible moral code. In his current role, he crafts innovative strategies to navigate complex security landscapes, empowering clients to achieve their strategic objectives. He serves on the board of directors of several companies and is actively involved in charity and political organizations.

Fouad Arfaoui

Partner responsible for coordinating all PricewaterhouseCoopers network activities in Morocco. For many years, he worked as a statutory auditor for major French companies. Before becoming a managing partner in Morocco, he developed and launched the PwC network’s human ressources and change management consulting services. He has co-authored several books and also serves as a court expert at the Paris Court of Appeal. He graduated from HEC (a French prestigious business school).

Michael Lothian

Former Conservative Member of Parliament and lawyer (QC). He is a member of the Privy Council. He is a member of the Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation. Lord Lothian was first appointed to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament in 2006, on which he continues to serve. He was a member of the Shadow Cabinet (1997-2005), Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2001-2005), International Affairs (2003-2005), Defence (2005), Deputy Leader of the Opposition (2001-2005). He was also Chairman of the Conservative Party (1998-2001), Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (1994-1997). He graduated from Christ Church at the University of Oxford in History, and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland in Law. He is now a member of the House of Lords.

Jaime Gil Aluja

President of the Royal Academy of Economics and Financial Sciences of Spain since 2002. He has always reconciled his major activity, research, with business and financial institution management. In 1960, he is appointed Superior Chief at SEAT, and then Economic and Technical Advisor to the Executive Board. From 1969 to 1985, he worked as an economist. He received a doctorate “Honoris Causa” from 25 universities and he is a member of 12 world scientific academies. Doctor in Political and Economic Sciences by the University of Barcelone, he holds the Chair of Financial Economics and he is Professor Emeritus from the Spanish University.

Joaquín Almunia

Commissioner for competition since February 2010. He is the Founder and Director of the progressive think tank “Laboratorio de Alternativas”. He was Commissioner for economic and monetary affairs (2004-2010). He was a socialist candidate for Prime Minister in the 2000 elections, a leader of the PSOE, spokesperson of the Socialist Parliamentary Group, Minister of Public Administration, Minister of Employment and Social Security, member of the Spanish Parliament. He graduated in Law and Economics at the University of Deusto (Bilbao) and studied at l’École Pratique des Hautes Études de Paris

Patrick Allard

Consultant on international economic issues to the Policy Planning Staff, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France. Formerly, he has held the position of Chief Economist / Senior advisor for international economic issues, Policy Planning Staff, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, France. He has also served as Head of the International Macroeconomic Forecasts Division and Head of the Public accounts Division of the French Ministry of Economy. He has also been staff economist at the Economic department of the OECD.

Mehmet Ali Birand

Journalist and writer. He is currently editor-in-Chief and Chief Anchor for Kanal D. He was editor in Chief of CNN Turk. He has been described as the “eyes and ears” of Turkey abroad for over 40 years. He has authored eight books and has been the focal point of numerous conferences on Turkish-EU relations, the Kurdish problem, Cyprus and Turkish-Greek relations. He began his career in 1964 in Turkey’s leading newspaper, Milliyet. In 1985, he began producing “32nd Day,” program known for its independent and liberal outlook. Many world leaders have appeared on the show. He returned to Turkey in 1991 and became a columnist with Sabah, a well-known Turkish newspaper, and in 1999 with Posta, Turkey’s highest circulation newspaper.

Moulay Driss Alaoui Mdaghri

Honorary President of the Association Marocaine d’Intelligence Economique (AMIE), President of the Fondation des Cultures du Monde (FCM) and Vice-President of the International Chamber of Commerce in Morocco. He is also a university professor, columnist and writer. He has been a minister several times (Communication and Spokesman of the Government, Youth and Sports, Energy and Mines, State Secretariat for Foreign Affairs in charge of the Arab Maghreb Union). He was also CEO of the ISCAE and of the ICDT.

Abdelmalek Alaoui

Managing Partner and Founder of Global Intelligence Partners (G.I.P.). He specialized in cognitive strategies and change management in complex environments, he advises clients from private and public sectors on influence and strategic monitoring issues. He is a regular contributor to Le Nouvel Observateur (“Plus”), Les Echos (“Cercle”) and to Atlantico.fr. He graduated from the Institut d’études politiques (Sciences Po) in Paris and the École de guerre économique (School of Economic Warfare).

Samir Aita

President of the Cercle des Economistes arabes, Editor in Chief and General Manager of Le Monde diplomatique éditions arabes, CEO of A Concept, a consulting firm in economy and information technologies. He consulted for international organizations (UNDP, European Union, World Bank), Arab countries’ governments and industrial firms. He graduated from Ecole Polytechnique, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, with an MBA from the Centre de Perfectionnement des Affaires (HEC), and postgraduate degrees in mechanical engineering from the Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires and in social anthropology from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.

Ho-Young Ahn

Currently the Ambassador-at-large for G20 and Deputy Minister for Trade of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He began his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he worked extensively on international legal and economic issues. He served as Counsellor of the Korean Delegation to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris as well as Counsellor of the Korean Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization in Switzerland. He studied international relations at Seoul National University, (B.A. in political science) and Georgetown University, Walsh School of Foreign Service (M.S. in international relations). He also studied law at the Korea National Open University (LL.B.) and Georgetown University Law School (LL.M.).