Author: wpc_editor

A Saudi strategic expert specializing in international politics and regional security issues, he is the Founder and Chairman of the Gulf Research Center. Dr. Sager has also been a visiting professor at a number of universities, and member of various councils, advisory and academic committees, institutes and international research centers. He participates in international and regional conferences that address issues pertaining to the Gulf region. Notably, he has authored and edited numerous publications and has many articles in local and international newspapers related to Gulf affairs and regional issues, and he frequently contributes to major international media outlets. He is also the editor-in-chief of Araa a monthly Arabic-language magazine focused on Gulf affairs and is the editor-in-chief of The Gulf Yearbook. Dr. Sager holds a PhD in politics and international relations from Lancaster University.

General Manager, Editor in Chief of Al Arab News Channel. He began his career as a correspondent for the Saudi Gazette daily. From 1991 to 1999, he was a foreign correspondent to cover events in countries such as Afghanistan, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan and the Middle East. He was Deputy Editor in Chief of Arab News. In 2003, he became Editor in Chief of Al-Watan daily and then was appointed as media advisor to Prince Turki Al Faisal, the Saudi Ambassador in London and later Washington. In 2007, he returned to Al-Watan as its Editor in Chief. He graduated from the Indian State University.

Qatar University’s 6^th President since 2015. He was previously Vice-President for Research, Qatar University (2007-2015). He also served in several roles at Qatar University including Associate Vice President for Research and Head of Civil Engineering at the College of Engineering. His research interests include construction productivity, project optimization, legal contracts and procurement. He is also a member of several professional international societies and organizations. He holds a PhD from the University of South Wales, UK, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech, USA.

Director of Public Health Department, Ministry of Public Health of Qatar. He is also, among others, Chair of the National preventive health care committee, Qatar since 2013 and Chair of the International Health Regulations Committee, Qatar since 2011. He has been a Member of the Executive Committee for GCC Countries, Saudi Arabia since 2008 and Representative, Qatar Health in the World Health Assembly, Switzerland since 2007. He has a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University and an EMBA from HEC Paris.

Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey (2014-2016). Previously, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2009-2014). Following the November 2002 elections he was appointed as Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister and Ambassador-at-Large and continued to serve until 2009. Between 1995 and 2002, he taught and also had administrative duties at different universities in Istanbul. He published several books and articles on foreign policy. He graduated from Bosphorus University. He holds a PhD from the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Bosporus University.

Chief Palestinian Negotiator and Head of the Negotiations Affairs Department since 2003. He is also Head of the Palestinian Side of the Steering and Monitoring Committee since 1996. He is an elected member to the Palestinian Legislative Council since 1996. He was Minister of Local Government, Palestinian National Authority (1994-2003), Head of the Palestinian Election Commission (1993-1996), Vice-Chairman of the Palestinian Negotiating Delegation (1991-1993) and Professor of Political Science at Al-Najah University/Nablus (1979-1991). He graduated from the University of San Francisco. He holds a PhD from Bradford University, United Kingdom.

Chairman of SNCF’s Executive Board and Chairman and CEO of SNCF Mobilités. After holding various positions in public and government service – including terms as Head of Staff for the Minister of Public Service then for the Minister of Employment and Social Affairs, and in the private sector as Deputy CEO of SOFRES, he has worked for more than 15 years as a top executive within SNCF. He was Director of Strategy and then Director of Passenger activities before becoming acting CEO in 2008. He was first appointed Chairman of SNCF in 2008 and was reappointed in 2013. Other responsibilities have included his Chairmanships of Eurostar Group, of Voyages sncf.com and of SYSTRA, as well as being a Board member of Keolis.

International Affairs Executive Director of Abu Dhabi Global Market. Previously, he was International Affairs Directo of the French Prudential and Resolution Authority (ACPR), an institution integrated into the Banque de France.

Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation, an organisation established as a referral point for the consolidation and dissemination of information and material pertaining to moderation and the fight against extremism. Concurrently, he is also Chairman of the Nassar Foundation and he was recently appointed as a panel member of the Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). He was a Member of the Malaysian Parliament (1999-2004 and 2008-2013). He graduated from the University of Jordan and the International Islamic University of Malaysia. He holds a PhD from the University Utara Malaysia.

Program Associate, African Higher Education Program, TrustAfrica. She is an independent consultant specialized in education reforms, vocational training and youth empowerment in Africa. Since 2010 she works with international donors, governments and non-profits to create a stronger nexus between policies and community’s needs. She recently coordinated the first continental summit on the ‘Revitalization of African Higher Education’. She also works for the economic and social reinsertion of street children. In 2016 she was honored with President Obama’s prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. She graduated from ISM and from the Sorbonne.

Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center. Former Ambassador of Morocco to the United Nations and Professor at Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane. Previously, he was Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva (2006-2008). He served as Director-General of Multilateral relations and Global Cooperation (2003-2006). He had earlier served as Deputy Permanent Representative at his country’s Mission in New York (2001-2003). He was also Morocco’s Coordinator with the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), in Laayoune (1999-2001). He was Ambassador to Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995-1999). He was also a member of the Cabinet, then person in charge of the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (1991-1995).

Former Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Senegal. President of the Emergence Institute, specializing in economic and statistical studies and strategic planning. He is also Director General of the Economic Foresight Bureau. Previously, he was Deputy Director in the Cabinet of Macky Sall, President of Senegal. He also served as an economic advisor to several Prime Ministers. He is an expert for the UN, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the African Union. He has served as associate lecturer at the National School of Administration of Senegal and the University Gaston Berger of St. Louis.

Vice Chairman & CEO, SK Innovation since 2016. He has held various positions within the SK Group, among others, President & CEO, SK Innovation, President & CEO, SK Energy, President, Strategy Committee of SK SUPEX Council, President, Corporate Ethics Committee of SK SUPEX Council, President & CEO, SK C&C, President & Managing Director of IT Service Business, SK C&C, Executive Vice President & Head of Corporate Planning & Management, SK C&C, Head of SK Research Institute, SK Holdings. He graduated from Pusan National University and Georgia State University.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France since February 2016. He served as Prime minister from May 2012 to March 2014. He was Mayor of Nantes (in Loire-Atlantique, west of France) from 1989 to 2012 and president of the Urban Community of Nantes Métropole from 2001 to 2012. He was also a Member of Parliament. From 1997 to 2012, he was president of the Socialist, radical, citizen and left-wing currents Group at the French National Assembly. He started his career as a German professor in 1973.

Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) in the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) in the UN Secretariat. Previously he served as Acting Director and Deputy Director of DPA’s Middle East and West Asia Division (MEWAD) and, before that, of the Asia and the Pacific Division (APD). He also served as Head of DPA’s Iraq Team and Chairman of the UN Iraq Operations Group (IOG). Before joining the UN Secretariat in 1992, he served as Chef de Cabinet to the President of the UN General Assembly. He is a graduate of London University and holds a Doctorate in International Law from the Fletcher School of Diplomacy/Harvard Law School.

Senior Fellow at OCP Policy Center and associate professor in finance at the University of Bordeaux (France). He is also an affiliate professor at Toulouse Business School. His most recent research examines the link between the volatility of the futures market, exchange rate uncertainty and the export of cereals. He is also the head of a master program focused on banking, finance and international trading both at the University of Bordeaux and at Vietnam National University (Hanoi, Vietnam). He has authored several books in the field of finance, including a work studying financial derivatives. He graduated from Middlesex University. He holds a PhD from the University of Bordeaux.

Chairman of SK Group. He oversees and unites the 82 companies – primarily focused on the energy, chemical, telecommunications, semiconductor and trading/services industries – that comprise SK Group. He has been Chairman & CEO of SK Holdings since 2016, Chairman of SK Hynix since 2012 and Chairman of SK Innovation since 2011. From 1998 to 2001, he served as Chairman & CEO of SK Energy. He was among others a Member of Brookings International Advisory Council (ICA) (2010), Director of the Board, United Nations Global Compact (2008), Vice Chairman, Federation of Korean Industries (2005). He graduated from Korea University. He holds a PhD from the University of Chicago.

Vice president Strategy & Climate, Total, since 2016. Previously, he served as the senior vice president Mergers & Acquisitions for Total S.A. since early 2015. From 2010 to 2014 he was senior vice president Americas for the Exploration and Production division of Total. Prior to that, he also served as senior vice president Middle East for the same division (2007-2010). He was also managing director of the Total’s E&P subsidiary in Argentina, Total Austral (2005-2007). He was head of the Investor Relations department of Total S.A., and in various other positions in the Total group, which he joined in 1985. He holds a masters degree in business administration from New York University and a master’s degree in finance from the Institut d’Études Politiques in Paris, France.

Professor of International Relations at Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier’s Law Faculty and Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South. He is also professor at Royal College of Advanced Military Studies (Kenitra) and professor invited at Cergy-Pontoise University (Paris), Cadix University (Spain) and at La Sagesse University (Beirut, Lebanon). He wrote of numerous books and articles dealing with International relations and geopolitics: the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Arab world. He is co-director of the Moroccan-Spanish review Peace and International Security and in charge of the Observatory of Mediterranean Studies (Abdelmalek Essaadi University).

Director of the Diplomatic Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, since 2012. Following his doctorate degree, he became Assistant professor at Qatar University. In 2005, he moved into the public service sphere, where he headed the Department of Social Planning at the State of Qatar Planning Council. In parallel, he was Deputy Chairman of the Permanent Population Committee (2007-2011). In 2009, he was appointed as the state focal point representative for the Alliance of Civilizations. Author and co-author of several books and technical reports, he has published many articles in academic journals, and conference papers on various political, sustainable development, and management issues. He holds a Ph.D in Resources Management from the University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom.

Vice President at JOKR, a rapid grocery delivery startup primarily operating in the US, Latin America and Europe. Previously he worked as a Vice President at SoftBank Group International. Benedict has experience in the mobility sector, the last-mile delivery sector, and the not-for-profit sector in various senior management roles across various successful startups. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in European Studies from King’s College London.

Ambassador of France to the State of Qatar since 2014. Previously, he served as French Ambassador for Syria at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the closure of the French Embassy in Damascus. He was Ambassador to Syria (2009-2012). He was also Special Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spokesperson and Director of Communication and Information at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2008-2009), Special Advisor for crises and conflicts to the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs (2007) and Director of International Missions at Médecins du Monde (2006). He was a Senior lecturer at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (IEP), the French National School of Public Administration (ENA) and the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. He is a Medical Doctor from Paris V University and a graduate of Paris Institute of Political Studies.

CEO & Co-founder at Dataveyes. Ever since the completion of her studies, she has been nurturing a passion for how information can be expressed, shared and understood. In 2010, sensing that the rich data era will transform the way we work, learn and communicate, she co-founded Dataveyes, a studio specialized in Human-Data interactions. Within Dataveyes, she translates data into interactive experiences, in order to reveal new insightful stories, accompany new uses and understand our environment shaped by data and algorithms.

CEO and co-founder of OpenClassrooms, the leading e-learning platform in Europe with more than 2 million members and 40 partners. Launched in 2013, OpenClassrooms makes education accessible to all. The platform revolutionizes learning with a unique approach based on skills and mentoring. The vocational training and certifications, which are 100% online, promote employability for digital and tech jobs and help people to quickly integrate into the workforce and add value. In 2016, he was selected as “Forbes 30 under 30 Europe”. He graduated from the INSA Lyon.