Speaker Biographies 2016
SAMIR ALTAQI, GENERAL DIRECTOR, ORIENT RESEARCH CENTRE, DUBAI
Samir Altaqi is general director of the Orient Research Centre in Dubai. A cardio-vascular surgeon by training, he has been involved in politics and foreign affairs in Syria for decades. From 1994 to 1998, he served as a member of Syria’s parliament. In 2004, he became an advisor to the Syrian prime minister on issues dealing with health planning and reform. In 2005, Altaqi was appointed the director of the Orient Center for International Studies in Damascus, which was affiliated with the Syrian foreign ministry. The center was later shut down for political reasons, and Altaqi left the country to become general manager of the Orient Research Center in Dubai, an independent think tank working on the Middle East, and co-editor of Middle East Briefing.
YOUSSEF AMRANI, MINISTER IN CHARGE OF MISSION, ROYAL CABINET, MOROCCO
Prior to his designation in the Cabinet of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco in October 2013, Youssef Amrani was minister delegate for foreign affairs and cooperation, a post he had held since January 2012. In November 2008, he was appointed secretary general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, a position he held until his election as secretary general of the Mediterranean Union in July 2011. Amrani has also served as an ambassador of Morocco to Colombia, Chile, and Mexico. From 2003 to 2008, he served as ambassador and director general of bilateral relations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. He was the head of office of the secretary of state for the Arab Maghreb Union from 1989 to 1992. Afterwards, he was appointed as consul general in Barcelona. He holds a degree in economics from the University Mohammed V in Rabat and graduated from the Institute of Management in Boston.
UZI ARAD, CHAIR, ISRAEL GRAND-STRATEGY FORUM AND CENTRE FOR DEFENSE STUDIES
Uzi Arad is chair of the Israel Grand-Strategy Forum and the Center for Defense Studies. Previously, he served as national security advisor and foreign policy to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was head of the Israeli National Security Council between 2009 and 2011. He served in the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, holding a number of posts both at home and abroad from 1975 to 1997. In 2000, Arad established and headed the EU-Israel Forum. Prior to joining the government, he was a professional staff member at the Hudson Institute in New York and a fellow at Tel Aviv University’s Center for Strategic Studies. He received a Fulbright Fellowship from the United States and the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor from France. Arad received a bachelor’s from Tel Aviv University and a master’s and Ph.D. from Princeton University.
ALI ASLAN, TV HOST AND JOURNALIST, GERMANY
Ali Aslan is a television presenter, and journalist. He has worked for global news networks such as CNN, ABC News, Channel News Asia, and Deutsche Welle TV, where he hosted the internationally acclaimed talk show “Quadriga.” In addition to his career in journalism, Aslan has also served as a policy and media advisor to the German government, including the Foreign Office. He has been recognized as a Young Leader by the American Council on Germany, the BMW Foundation, the German Marshall Fund, the Bertelsmann Foundation, the Munich Security Conference, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and the Atlantik-Bruecke. He is the first German recipient of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations International Fellowship, and an alumnus of the Koerber Network Foreign Policy. Aslan holds a bachelor’s in international politics from Georgetown, and a master’s in journalism and master’s of international affairs from Columbia University.
CAROLINE ATKINSON, HEAD OF GLOBAL PUBLIC POLICY, GOOGLE
Caroline Atkinson is the head of global public policy at Google, where she advises Google’s leadership on policy issues and leads Google’s work with policymakers, government officials, and key political stakeholders. Prior to joining Google, Atkinson served as U.S. President Barack Obama’s deputy national security advisor for international economics. As the president’s senior international economic advisor, Atkinson attended major international economic summits with the president and coordinated the policymaking process for international economic affairs. Before working directly for President Obama, Atkinson held senior roles at the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. Treasury Department, and the Bank of England, and worked as a journalist for The Washington Post, The Economist, and The Times of London. She holds a bachelor’s in politics, philosophy, and economics (PPE) from Oxford University.
THOMAS BAGGER, HEAD OF POLICY PLANNING, FEDERAL FOREIGN OFFICE, GERMANY
Dr. Thomas Bagger is head of policy planning at the German Federal Foreign Office. From 2009-11, he served as head of the Foreign Minister’s Office in Berlin. His previous postings abroad were Washington, DC, Ankara, and Prague. Before he joined the German Diplomatic Service in 1992, he worked as a research associate at the Institute of International Affairs (SWP) in Ebenhausen, Germany. Bagger holds a master’s in government and politics from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a doctorate from Ludwig-Maximilian-University in Munich.
ROSA BALFOUR, SENIOR FELLOW, EUROPE PROGRAM, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Dr. Rosa Balfour joined GMF, where she works as a senior fellow on the Europe program, in May 2015. Until then, she was a director at the European Policy Centre (EPC), an independent think tank based in Brussels, where she headed the Europe in the World program. She has researched and published widely on issues relating to European foreign policy and external action, relations with the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, EU enlargement, European Neighbourhood Policy, and on the role of human rights and democracy in international relations. Her book Human Rights and Democracy in EU Foreign Policy: The Cases of Ukraine and Egypt was published by Routledge in 2012, the paperback edition in 2014. She holds a master's from Cambridge University, and a master's in European studies and Ph.D. in international relations, both from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
DAVID BARNES, GLOBAL MANAGING DIRECTOR AND U.K. MANAGING PARTNER, DELOITTE
David Barnes is global managing director and U.K. managing partner for public policy at Deloitte. He is responsible for Deloitte’s interactions with government, investors, business groups, professional bodies, regulators, and multi-lateral organizations. He also works with Deloitte member firms around the world as they collaborate with stakeholders to help address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. In addition to his public policy leadership roles, Barnes maintains his client service responsibilities for a number of FTSE100 organizations. He has over 30 years’ experience providing audit, advisory, and regulatory services to financial services clients across the banking, insurance, and investment management sectors.
LIAM BENHAM, VICE PRESIDENT GOVERNMENT AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS FOR EUROPE, IBM EUROPE
Liam Benham is vice president government and regulatory affairs for europe for IBM Europe, based in Brussels. He works with European Union institutions as well as national governments across the EU, Russia, and Turkey. Benham is a member of the Board of American Chamber of Commerce to the EU and chairs the Policy Group, which oversees the policy positions taken by the chamber. Before joining IBM, he spent 15 years in senior government relations positions at Ford Motor Company, based in the U.K., Brussels, and Asia-Pacific. He holds a degree in politics from the University of Bristol.
ASSIA BENSALAH ALAOUI, AMBASSADEUR ITINERANT DE SA MAJESTE LE ROI, KINGDOM OF MOROCCO
Assia Bensalah Alaoui, has been a professor of both English and law at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco. She is the vice-chair of the Morocco-Japan Friendship Association, a member of several think tanks, and sits on the board of trustees on various associations, including the l’Institut Royal d’Etudes Stratégiques, l’IRES, (Morocco), Moroccan British Society, and the Club de Rome. From 2002 to 2003, she co-chaired the EU high- level panel on dialogue between cultures and peoples in the Euro-Mediterranean area, which produced the Prodi Report.
CLEMENS BETZEL, HEAD OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, SIEMENS AG
Clemens Betzel currently serves as the head of Government Affairs at the Siemens EU office, in Brussels. Prior to that, he was the head of the Cleantech Advisory Company in Singapore, and also served as president for International Operations at the United Technologies Corporation EU office in Brussels. Betzel was a career foreign service officer at the German Federal Foreign Ministry. He holds a law degree from the Universities of Würzburg and Bonn in Germany.
CARLO D’ASARO BIONDO, PRESIDENT EMEA, STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS
Carlo D’Asaro Biondo joined KPMG Consulting Italy in 1994, where he became chief executive officer for France in late 1998. Following the sale of KPMG Consulting, he joined Unisys as vice president and MD EMEA Telecommunications and Media at the end of 2001. In February 2004, he joined AOL Europe as senior vice president in charge of strategy. A few months later, he was appointed CEO of AOL France, and moved on to become CEO of AOL Europe in 2006. In early 2007, Biondo became CEO of international operations at Lagardère Active Digital, before joining Google in July 2009 where he managed operations in Southern and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for five years. Since January 2015, he has been president of strategic relationships for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Google. Biondo graduated from La Sapienza University in Rome (Italy).
FATIH BIROL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY, PARIS
Fatih Birol is executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) since 2015, after working at the agency for twenty years. Prior to this current position, Birol served as chief economist and director of global energy economics, being responsible for directing the flagship World Energy Outlook publication. Prior to joining IEA, Birol worked at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna. He is the Chairman of the World Economic Forum’s (Davos) Energy Advisory Board, and has served on UN Secretary-General’s ‘High-Level Group on Sustainable Energy for All’. Birol is recipient of numerous awards, and has been named by Forbes Magazine one of the most powerful people in the world’s energy scene. He holds a BSc degree in power engineering from the Technical University of Istanbul, an MSc and PhD in energy economics from the Technical University of Vienna.
HAAKON BLANKENBORG, DIRECTOR OF WESTERN BALKANS SECTION/SECTION FOR SOUTH EAST EUROPE
Haakon Blankenborg has been director of Western Balkans Section/Section for Southeast Europe in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2011. From 2010 to 2011, he was the senior adviser for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Previously, he served as a member of the Norwegian parliament from 1981 to 2005, and chaired the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 2000. In 2005, Blankenborg left the Parliament to become Norwegian ambassador to Serbia (and Montenegro). He holds degrees in history and political science from the University of Oslo.
IRINA BOKOVA, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, UNESCO
Irina Bokova has been the director-general of UNESCO since 2009, being the first woman to lead the organization. She joined the UN Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria in 1977. Appointed in charge of political, and legal affairs at the Permanent Mission of Bulgaria to the UN in New York, she was also a member of the Bulgarian Delegation at the UN conferences on gender in Copenhagen (1980), Nairobi (1985), and Beijing (1995). As a member of parliament, she participated in the drafting of Bulgaria’s new constitution, contributing significantly to the country’s accession to the European Union. Bokova has an extensive career in diplomacy, being the current executive secretary of the Steering Committee of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI). She has received state distinctions from countries across the world and is doctor honoris causa of leading universities.
VOLKAN BOZKIR, MINISTER FOR EU AFFAIRS AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, TURKEY
Volkan Bozkir was appointed the minister for EU affairs and the chief negotiator in August 2014. During his career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has been vice consul of the consulate general in Stuttgart, first secretary of the embassy in Baghdad, undersecretary of the permanent representation to the OECD, consul general in New York, ambassador in Bucharest, permanent representative of Turkey to the EU. He also acted as the foreign policy advisor to the prime minister, chief of cabinet and chief foreign policy advisor to President Turgut Özal and President Süleyman Demirel, deputy secretary general for EU affairs, deputy undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for EU affairs, and secretary general for EU affairs. Bozkir was elected as the member of Parliament from Istanbul in its 24th term. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Ankara University.
BORGE BRENDE, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, NORWAY
Borge Brende is the minister of foreign affairs of Norway. He started his political career in 1985 as political adviser with the Young Conservatives. He has been deputy chair of the Conservative Party (1994-1998) and a member of the Storting (Norwegian parliament) for more than 10 years. From 2001 to 2004, he was minister of the environment, and was minister of trade and industry from 2004 to 2005. In 2008, Brende was appointed managing director of the World Economic Forum in Geneva. He was secretary general of Red Cross Norway from 2009 to 2011, before returning to the World Economic Forum in 2011. Brende was chair of the UN Commission of Sustainable Development from 2003 to 2004 and member of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (advisory body to the Chinese Government) from 2005 to 2013. Brende has a degree in economics, law, and history from NTNU in Trondheim.
ALEXIS BROUHNS, DIRECTOR GENERAL, SOLVAY EUROPE
Alexis Brouhns became the director general of Solvay Europe in 2009, and serves as a member of Solvay’s leadership council. In 2005, he was recruited by Solvay to become head of government & public affairs. He entered the Belgian Foreign Service in 1980 and held various diplomatic functions throughout his career, including deputy permanent representative of Belgium to the United Nations, deputy director of the private office of the NATO secretary general, ambassador of Belgium in Ankara, and ambassador of Belgium to the Political and Security Committee of the EU. He also served as an EU special envoy in the Balkans.
JEAN-LOUIS BRUGUIÈRE, ANTITERRORISM EXPERT AND ADVISOR, COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Jean-Louis Bruguière is an antiterrorism expert and advisor on domestic security services at the Council of Europe, the Commission of the European Union, and the United Nations (UNODC). In 1976, he accepted the position of investigating judge in Paris, in charge of serious crime investigations. From 1981, he was assigned to cases relating to terrorism, including Euro-terrorism with Action Directe (connected to the Red Brigades and the German RAF), domestic terrorism (Basque and Corsican), among others cases. Starting in 1994, Bruguière primarily dealt with all investigations relating to radical Islam, in particular Al-Qaeda, leading the National Judicial Anti-terrorist Division the following year. He has a master’s degree in public law, is an officer of the Legion of Honour, and an officer of the National Merit. He has also been awarded the Silver Medal of the Spanish Guardia Civil and won the “Prix Diagola” 2007 from Spain.
ELENA BRYAN, VICE PRESIDENT FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS, UPS
Elena Bryan is vice president for public affairs at UPS Europe, based in Brussels. Prior to her current position, she was the senior trade representative at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in 2011. Before her stint in Brussels, Bryan served as deputy assistant at the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for trade and development, where her responsibilities included preference programs, Aid for Trade, and development aspects of free trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Previously, she was deputy assistant at the USTR for Southeast Asia. In her work, Bryan has gained thorough expertise on a variety of GATT (General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs) and WTO (World Trade Organization) issues, since she was part of the USTR team at the U.S. Mission to the GATT in Geneva during the Uruguay Round.
JONATHAN CAPEHART, EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER, THE WASHINGTON POST
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart is a member of The Washington Post editorial board and writes about politics and social issues for the PostPartisan blog. He is an MSNBC contributor and has served as a substitute anchor on The Cycle, Martin Bashir, and Way Too Early. He also has been a member of the Reporters Roundtable on ABC News’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, and substitute host on The Brian Lehrer Show and The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC. Capehart was the deputy editorial page editor of New York Daily News from 2002 to 2004, and served on that newspaper’s editorial board from 1993 to 2000. In 1999, his 16-month editorial campaign to save the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem earned him and the board the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing.
PETER CHASE, NON-RESIDENT TRANSATLANTIC FELLOW, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Peter Chase joined GMF in September 2010 as a non-resident transatlantic fellow, based in Brussels. His work focuses on the transatlantic economy with particular attention on the future of European international investment treaties under the Lisbon Treaty and ways to enhance transatlantic economic integration. Chase has previously served as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce vice president for Europe, as minister-counselor for economic affairs in the U.S. Mission to the European Union, as director of the State Department's Office of EU Affairs, and as chief of staff to the under secretary of economic affairs and as counselor and minister-counselor for economic affairs in the U.S. Embassy in London.
STEVE CLEMONS, WASHINGTON EDITOR-AT-LARGE, THE ATLANTIC
Steve Clemons is Washington editor-at-large for The Atlantic and National Journal as well as for Atlantic Media’s digital financial publication, Quartz. He is an MSNBC contributor and comments frequently on politics, economics, and foreign affairs on national television and radio outlets. Clemons is publisher of the political blog, The Washington Note. He is also a senior fellow and founder of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. Previously, Clemons was the executive vice president of the Economic Strategy Institute. He also worked on Capitol Hill as a senior policy advisor on economic and international affairs to Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and was the first executive director of the Nixon Center.
ROBERT COOPER, SPECIAL ADVISOR, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Robert Cooper is a special advisor on Myanmar at the European Commission. He began to work at the European Union in 2002, working for ten years for the former European Union High Representative, Javier Solana, and later for Catherine Ashton. Prior joining the European Commission, he served in HM Diplomatic Service from 1970 to 2002, and his posts included Tokyo, Brussels, Bonn, as head of the Policy Planning Staff and director for Asia. Cooper was involved inter alia in negotiations on Iran and Balkan issues. He has published a number of essays, and articles, including the book The Breaking of Nations, published by Atlantic Press in 2003, which won the Orwell Prize for political writing. In 2012, he was recognized by EurActiv as being one of the 40 “most influential Britons on EU policy.” Cooper studied in Kenya and Oxford University.
HEIDI CREBO-REDIKER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL STRATEGIES
Heidi Crebo-Rediker is the chief executive officer of International Capital Strategies. She is also a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Previously, she served as the State Department’s first chief economist. Before this, Crebo-Rediker was the chief of international finance and economics for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, following nearly two decades in Europe as a senior investment banker. During her time in the Senate, she was also the architect of the bi-partisan National Infrastructure Bank legislation (The BUILD Act) introduced in March 2011 and included in President Obama’s Jobs Act. Crebo-Rediker was named one of the “Top 25 Women in Business” by The Wall Street Journal Europe. She has been a guest lecturer at MIT, Stanford, Georgetown, and American University. She holds degrees from Dartmouth College and the London School of Economics.
RAN CURIEL, AMBASSADOR, ELNET
Ran Curiel is a former political director and senior deputy director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). From 2007 to 2011, he served as ambassador of Israel to the European Union and NATO. Previously, he has served as deputy director general, and head of the European Department at the MFA in Jerusalem from 2003 to 2007. From 1996 to 2001, he was Israel’s ambassador in Greece. Curiel has dealt with EU-Israel relations for many years. During his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he served in Washington and Buenos Aires. He holds a bachelor’s in Middle Eastern and African studies from Tel Aviv University and a master’s in political sciences from Haifa University.
SUDHA DAVID-WILP, SENIOR TRANSATLANTIC FELLOW & DEPUTY DIRECTOR, BERLIN OFFICE, GMF
Sudha David-Wilp is a senior transatlantic fellow & deputy director of the GMF’s Berlin office. She oversees GMF’s Congress-Bundestag Forum, a joint program with the Robert Bosch Foundation, and engages with the media as an expert on German-U.S. relations. Before moving to Berlin, she was the director of international programs at the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress in Washington, DC. David-Wilp has worked as a marketing and business development manager for leading IT and multimedia companies such as Lufthansa Systems and Aperto. David-Wilp commented on the 2012 U.S. election for the German media, and has written for various news outlets on transatlantic relations. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international relations.
ROGER DASSEN, GLOBAL VICE CHAIRMAN OF RISK, REGULATORY AND PUBLIC POLICY FOR DELOITTE
Roger Dassen is the global vice chairman of risk, regulatory and public policy for Deloitte. He has been a member of Deloitte’s global executive committee for more than a decade, including two terms as CEO of Deloitte Netherlands. He also has been an audit partner since 1996, serving top tier clients across several industries. Dassen is a frequent speaker at conferences, and author of several textbooks on audit innovation, the future of professional services, and key trends driving change in a post-recession economy in English, Mandarin, and Dutch. Dassen has served as a member of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), chairman of the International Federation of Accountants’ (IFAC) Transnational Auditors Committee, and chairman of the Dutch Auditing Standards Board. He is a professor of auditing at the Free University of Amsterdam.
THANOS DOKOS, DIRECTOR GENERAL, HELLENIC FOUNDATION FOR EUROPEAN AND FOREIGN POLICY
Thanos Dokos received his Ph.D. in international relations from Cambridge University and has held research posts at the Hessische Stiftung Friedens und Konfliktforschung (1989-90) and the Center for Science and International Affairs (CSIA) at Harvard University (1990-91). He served as the director for research, Strategic Studies Division, Hellenic Ministry of National Defence (1996-98) and as an advisor on NATO issues to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1998-1999). He was a NATO research fellow for 1996 to 1998. He is currently the director-general of the Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). His research interests include global trends, international security, transatlantic relations, Greek-Turkish relations, and Mediterranean security.
KAREN DONFRIED, PRESIDENT, GMF
Karen Donfried is president of The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). Before assuming this role in April 2014, Donfried was the special assistant to the president and senior director for European affairs on the National Security Council at the White House. In that capacity, she was the president’s principal advisor on Europe and led the interagency process on the development and implementation of the president’s European policies. Prior to the White House, Donfried served as the national intelligence officer (NIO) for Europe on the National Intelligence Council, the intelligence community’s center for strategic thinking. As NIO, she directed and drafted strategic analysis to advance senior policymakers’ understanding of Europe. Donfried first joined GMF in 2001 after having served for ten years as a European specialist at the Congressional Research Service. From 2003 to 2005, she was responsible for the Europe portfolio on the U.S. Department of State's Policy Planning Staff. Her second term of service at GMF was 2005 to 2010, first as senior director of policy programs and then as executive vice president. Donfried is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, vice chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the United States, and a member of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s Foreign Affairs Advisory Board.
JILL DOUGHERTY, REPORTER AND JOURNALIST
Jill Dougherty is a reporter and journalist with expertise on Russia and the former Soviet Union. During her three-decade career with CNN, she served as foreign affairs correspondent, based in Washington, DC, covering the State Department and providing analysis on international issues. In 1991, as a CNN White House correspondent, she covered the presidencies of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, winning the 1993 American Journalism Review Award for Best White House Coverage. Dougherty also served as U.S. affairs editor for CNN International; managing editor of CNN International Asia/Pacific, based in Hong Kong; and CNN’s Moscow Bureau chief and correspondent. In 2013, she pursued a research on Russia’s mass media as a fellow at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard University. Currently, Dougherty continues to provide expert commentary on Russia and the post-Soviet region for CNN.
HAIKEL DRINE, DEPUTY MAYOR FOR DIGITAL AFFAIRS, LE BLANC-MESNIL
Haikel Drine serves as deputy mayor for digital affairs for the City of Le Blanc-Mesnil in the Paris region of France, where he advises the mayor on all information technology matters and works to improve the daily operations of city government. He coordinates with the finance department to compile the city’s $121 million annual budget, and leads special project and research teams. He also acts as the city’s public information officer, composing speeches and media releases, and leading constituent communication. Drine is an IT consultant in the private sector with business engagements on both sides of the Atlantic. In the past, he has worked for financial institutions including BNP Paribas and the Caisse des Dépôts, leading technology projects and providing management for large-scale IT implementation. He is fluent in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
KIMBERLY DOZIER, ANALYST, CNN
Kimberly Dozier is a contributing writer at The Daily Beast and a CNN Global Affairs analyst. Since 1992, she has covered conflicts across the Middle East and Europe and national security policy in Washington, DC as a 17 years award-winning CBS News correspondent and later as AP’s intelligence writer. Dozier covered the war in Iraq for CBS News from 2003, until she was wounded in a car bombing in 2006. Her best-selling 2008 memoir, Breathing the Fire: Fighting to Survive and Get Back to the Fight detailed the aftermath of the car bomb attack in Baghdad that killed her CBS News team and members of the U.S. Army patrol they were embedded with, and her journey to recovery. Proceeds from her paperback and e-book go to charities for the combat-injured including Fisher House. Dozier holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in foreign affairs.
PAUL DUJARDIN, GENERAL DIRECTOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CENTRE FOR FINE ARTS (BOZAR)
Paul Dujardin has been the general director and artistic director of the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) since 2002. Prior joining BOZAR, he was CEO of the Philharmonic Society of Brussels. Under his leadership, BOZAR has become an interdisciplinary cultural center with an international scope and has blossomed into a space to exchange of ideas, offering a wide range of events, concerts, and exhibitions. Dujardin has worked tirelessly to ensure that BOZAR becomes an essential actor within the domain of international cultural exchange and a defender of the European cultural values. He represents BOZAR at various international cultural platforms, and has been recognized as an honorary Doctorate from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). He has a bachelor’s degree in art history and archeology and a master’s in management.
KARIM EL AYNAOUI, MANAGING DIRECTOR, OCP POLICY CENTER
Karim El Aynaoui is currently managing director of the OCP Policy Center and advisor to the CEO and chairman of OCP, a global leader in the phosphate sector. OCP Policy Center is an autonomous Moroccan think-tank created by OCP Foundation to further policy debate and analysis of key social, economic, and geopolitical issues that affect the future of the private sector and the country. From 2005 to 2012, El Aynaoui worked at Bank Al-Maghrib, the central bank of Morocco. There he was the director of economics and international relations, providing strategic leadership in defining and supporting monetary policy analysis and strategy. Before joining Bank Al-Maghrib, he worked for eight years at the World Bank, both in its Middle Eastern and North Africa and Africa regions as an economist. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Bordeaux, where he also taught for three years.
STEVEN ERLANGER, LONDON BUREAU CHIEF, THE NEW YORK TIMES
Steven Erlanger became the London bureau chief of The New York Times in August 2013, after five years as bureau chief in Paris and, before that, four years as bureau chief in Jerusalem. He has served as Berlin bureau chief, bureau chief for Central Europe and the Balkans based in Prague, and chief diplomatic correspondent based in Washington. From 1991 to 1995, he was posted in Moscow, after being Bangkok bureau chief and Southeast Asia correspondent from 1988 to 1991. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, he graduated from Harvard College in 1974 and studied Russian at St. Antony’s College, Oxford.
JOERG FORBRIG, TRANSATLANTIC FELLOW FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Dr. Joerg Forbrig is a transatlantic fellow for Central and Eastern Europe, and director of the Fund for Belarus Democracy. Based in GMF's office in Berlin, he leads the organization's efforts to assist civil society in Belarus, while his analytical and policy work focuses on Europe's East broadly, including the new member countries of the European Union, and the EU's Eastern neighborhood. Prior to joining GMF in 2002, Forbrig worked as a Robert Bosch Foundation fellow at the Center for International Relations in Warsaw, Poland. He has been published widely on democracy, civil society, and Central and Eastern European affairs, including the books Reclaiming Democracy (2007), Prospects for Democracy in Belarus (2006), and Revisiting Youth Political Participation (2005). He holds a Ph.D. in social and political sciences from the European University Institute in Florence and a master’s in political science from Central European University in Budapest.
FRANK FRIEDMAN, GLOBAL COO AND US COO & CFO, DELOITTE
Frank Friedman is COO of Deloitte Global and Deloitte LLP (U.S). As Deloitte Global COO, Friedman guides the $35 billion network’s operational leaders in driving Deloitte’s strategic vison and aligning Deloitte Global and its member firms. In his roles as COO and CFO of Deloitte LLP (U.S.), he is responsible for bridging strategy and operations to enable world-class operating results, evaluating major investments and ensuring capital capacity for the firms’ needs. In 2014-15, Friedman served as interim CEO for the Deloitte U.S. Firms, overseeing the nearly $14 billion business and leading approximately 70,000 people – across 90 U.S. cities and India. Friedman has served on the board of many philanthropic organizations. He joined the Kansas City office of Deloitte & Touche LLP in 1979 after graduating from the University of Kansas with a B.A. in accounting and business administration.
MICHAEL FROMAN, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE, EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES
As the United States trade representative, Michael Froman is U.S. President Barack Obama’s principal advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on international trade and investment issues. Before his appointment, Froman served at the White House as assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for International Economic Affairs, where he was responsible for coordinating policy on international trade and financial, energy security and climate change, development, and democracy issues on the U.S. National Security Council. Previously, he has served numerous roles at Citigroup, and he has been a resident fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
SIR SIMON FRASER, CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER OF FLINT GLOBAL
Simon Fraser is the co-founder and managing partner of Flint Global Ltd, a new company that supports businesses in successfully handling major transactions, and the impact for them of legislative and regulatory change in London, Europe, and international markets. Prior to his current position, Fraser served as permanent under-secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and head of the U.K. Diplomatic Service in 2010. Previously, he was permanent secretary at the U.K. Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills. He has also served as director general for Europe and Globalization in the FCO, and as chief of staff to European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. As well as spending six years in the European Commission, he has worked in the British embassies in Baghdad and Damascus and as political counsellor at the British Embassy in Paris. Fraser’s particular foreign policy expertise is in Europe, trade, and economic diplomacy.
KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, VICE-PRESIDENT, COMMISSIONER FOR BUDGET AND HUMAN RESOURCES
Kristalina Georgieva is currently vice president of the European Commission, responsible for budget and human resources. In this role, she is responsible for managing the EU budget and ensuring that it is invested in the best way to serve EU citizens. She is also in charge of the internal organization of the European Commission as an institution, and ensures that its resources are used to deliver on priorities. From 2010 to 2014, she was European commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response. During her term in that office, she oversaw the delivery of life-saving assistance to nearly 500 million children, women, and men affected by conflicts and natural disasters around the world.
YVES GOLDSTEIN, DIRECTOR OF CABINET OF THE MINISTER-PRESIDENT OF BRUSSELS-CAPITAL REGION
Yves Goldstein is the director of cabinet of the minister-president of the Brussels-Capital Region. He was hired by the vice-prime minister of Belgium shortly after graduating from law school. From first attaché for the European affairs, Goldstein was appointed deputy chief of staff of the VPM, managing the “general politics” cell in the cabinet, and overseeing Belgian economic, financial, foreign affairs, and defense policies. He has been the director of cabinet of the minister-president of the Brussels-Region since 2013. Goldstein’s areas of expertise are European policy, international development cooperation, and economic policy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law.
NIK GOWING, INTERNATIONAL PRESENTER
Nik Gowing was a main presenter for the BBC’s international 24-hour news channel BBC World News from 1996 to 2014. He has presented The Hub with Nik Gowing, BBC World Debates, Dateline London, plus provided location coverage of major global stories. For 18 years, he worked at ITN where he was bureau chief in Rome and Warsaw, and diplomatic editor for Channel Four News. He has been a member of the councils of Chatham House, the Royal United Services Institute, the Overseas Development Institute, the board of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, and the advisory council at Wilton Park.
CHARLES GRANT, DIRECTOR, CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN REFORM
Charles Grant is the director of the Centre for European Reform (CER), which he helped establish in 1998. He works on, among other subjects, EU foreign and defense policy, Russia, China, the euro, and global governance. He previously worked for Euromoney and The Economist in London and Brussels, and his biography of Commission President Jacques Delors (Delors: Inside the House that Jacques Built) was published by Nicolas Brealey in 1994. He is the author of many CER publications, most recently “How to Build a Modern European Union” (2013), and is a regular contributor to the Financial Times and the International New York Times among others. In January 2015, he was awarded the Bene Merito medal by the Polish government, and in December 2015, he was presented with the Star of Italy medal by the Italian government.
MEGAN GREENE, CHIEF ECONOMIST, MANULIFE-JOHN HANCOCK
Megan E. Greene is a non-resident fellow with GMF’s Europe Program. She is a managing director and chief economist at Manulife Asset Management, responsible for forecasting global macro-economic and financial trends and analyzing the potential opportunities and impacts to support the firm’s investment teams around the world. Previously, Greene ran her own London-based economics consulting practice, Maverick Intelligence, serving clients who used her analysis of economic, political, policy, and social developments and the impact these were likely to have on the global economy. Prior to Maverick, she was director of European economics at Roubini Global Economics and the euro crisis expert at the Economist Intelligence Unit. She has a bachelor’s in political economy from Princeton University and a master’s in European studies from Nuffield College, Oxford University.
JEAN-MARIE GUÉHENNO, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP
Jean-Marie Guéhenno was the Arnold Saltzman Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University and the director of its center for international conflict resolution (School of International and Public Affairs) until his appointment as president of the International Crisis Group. He is also a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. In 2012, he was appointed deputy joint special envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria. He left that position to chair the commission appointed by President François Hollande to review the French defense and national security posture. Between 2000 and 2008, he served as the United Nations’ under secretary-general for peacekeeping operations. A former French diplomat, he was chairman of the Institut des Hautes Études de Défense Nationale between 1998 and 2000, and served as director of the French policy planning staff and as ambassador to the Western European Union.
HARI N. HARIHARAN, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, NWI MANAGEMENT LP, UNITED STATES
Hari N. Hariharan is the chairman and CEO of NWI Management LP, a New York-based hedge fund group specializing in global macro-investing with an emphasis on emerging markets. The group, which started in mid-1993, was originally known as Santander New World Investments Group and was spun off in April 1999. From 1976 to 1993, Hariharan was at Citibank N.A. where his last role was as the division executive of the International Corporate Finance Division, which specialized in emerging economies. During his Citibank career, he built several different and highly successful businesses for the bank globally.
SASHA HAVLICEK, CEO, INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC DIALOGUE (ISD)
Sasha Havlicek is the co-founding director of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, leading the organization’s government advisory, research, and delivery programs in the fields of counter-extremism, and foreign policy. Previously, Havlicek served as senior director at the think-tank, EastWest Institute (EWI), where she headed the organization’s conflict resolution work, and served on a Task Force of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe. She is also the co-founder of the Women and Extremism Initiative that works in partnership with Google Ideas to build the first global network of former extremists and their victims (AVE), and she recently launched the Online Civil Courage Initiative in Germany with Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg. Havlicek advises a range of Western governments on countering extremism.
AIR MARSHAL SIR CHRISTOPHER HARPER, DIRECTOR GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL MILITARY STAFF, NATO HEADQUARTERS, BRUSSELS
Sir Christopher Harper has been director general of the NATO International Military Staff since 2013. Previously, he was the deputy commander of NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command in 2009, and was appointed the United Kingdom’s military representative to NATO and the European Union in 2011. Harper joined the Royal Air Force in 1976, and commanded the 41 (Fighter) Squadron from 1994 to 1997, flying operations over Bosnia. He also served as the station commander and Jaguar Force commander at RAF Coltishall from 1999 to 2001, where he was involved in operations over northern Iraq. Harper has had several staff appointments, and was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2011. He is a graduate of King's College London and the United Kingdom’s Higher Command and Staff Course.
DOUGLAS HENGEL, SENIOR RESIDENT FELLOW, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Douglas Hengel is a senior resident fellow contributing to GMF’s work on global energy, climate and resource challenges, and international economics, with a particular focus on European energy security. A career U.S. foreign service officer, Hengel served with the U.S. Department of State for more than 30 years. Among his postings, he has been deputy chief of mission in Rome (2010-13) and in Bratislava (1999-2002), and also served at the U.S. embassies in the Czech Republic, Peru, and Venezuela. In Washington, Hengel worked as deputy assistant secretary of state for energy, sanctions and commodities (2007-10). He was executive assistant to the undersecretary for economic, energy and agricultural affairs (2006-07) and has also served in the Office of the senior advisor to the secretary and as director of the Office of Southern European Affairs, among other assignments. Hengel has a bachelor’s from Colgate University and a master’s in public policy from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton.
MAX HOFMANN, BRUSSELS BUREAU CHIEF, DEUTSCHE WELLE
Max Hofmann has been Deutsche Welle’s (DW) Brussels bureau chief since 2014. In his role, he has covered the EU Council Summits, the Paris attacks, COP 21, and the migration crisis, among other news stories affecting Europe. Since joining Deutsche Welle in 2004, Hofmann has worked as the station’s senior North America correspondent, a host for DW-TV, an editor, and as the news anchor for the “Journal” program. In 2010, he was awarded the RIAS- Prize for New Media in 2010 along with the journalist Christoph Lanz for the animation “! Eingemauert” (Walled In!)’ Hofmann has a bachelor’s and master’s in journalism and communications.
ROSALIND HUDNELL, VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES; DIRECTOR, CORPORATE AFFAIRS; PRESIDENT, INTEL FOUNDATION
Rosalind (Roz) L. Hudnell is a vice president in human resources, director of corporate affairs at Intel Corporation, and president of the Intel Foundation. Hudnell joined Intel as a public affairs manager and has held various leadership positions in community relations, government relations, foundation, media outreach, employee volunteerism and human resources at the company. Most recently, Hudnell was chief diversity officer and helped to launch Intel’s Diversity in Technology initiative. Hudnell led the development of the 10k Engineer’s Initiative for President Obama’s U.S. Council on Jobs and Competitiveness and served as a consultant to the development of the documentary film Girl Rising. Hudnell completed her undergraduate studies in management from St. Mary’s College and an advanced executive leadership program at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
DAVID IGNATIUS, COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST
David Ignatius’ twice-weekly column on global politics, economics, and international affairs began appearing on The Washington Post’s op-ed page in 1999. Prior to becoming a columnist for the newspaper, Ignatius was the assistant managing editor of business news. He also served as The Post’s foreign editor, supervising the paper’s Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. From 1986-90, he was editor of the newspaper’s Sunday “Outlook” section. Before joining The Post in 1986, Ignatius spent ten years as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, where he covered the steel industry, the U.S. Justice Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Senate, and was the Middle East chief diplomatic correspondent.
TOOMAS HENDRIK ILVES, PRESIDENT, ESTONIA
Toomas Hendrik Ilves is currently serving his second term as president of the Republic of Estonia. Throughout his presidency, Ilves has been appointed to several high-level international positions, including chairman of the EU task force on an electronic health form and the chairman of the European Cloud partnership steering board. Before being elected president, Ilves was a member of the Estonian Parliament and an elected member of the European Parliament (MEP), where he served as vice president of the foreign affairs committee. As an MEP, Ilves initiated the Baltic Sea Strategy, which was later implemented as the official regional policy of the EU.
MASAFUMI ISHII, AMBASSADOR TO BELGIUM AND REPRESENTATIVE TO NATO, JAPAN
Masafumi Ishii is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Belgium and representative to NATO for Japan. Before assuming his current role, Ishii was the director-general of the International Legal Affairs Bureau for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan. Previously, Ishii was the ambassador and director-general for global issues and the deputy director-general at the Foreign Policy Bureau. He also served as the minister for the Embassy of Japan in the United States and in the U.K. Prior to that, Ishii served as the private secretary to the minister for foreign affairs. He was also the director of the second Southeast Asian division in the Asian Affairs Bureau, and before that he was the director of the planning division at the Foreign Policy Bureau.
IGOR IVANOV, PRESIDENT, RUSSIAN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL
Igor Ivanov is president of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and a professor at Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Previously, he served as minister of foreign affairs, and secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. He took part in the work of several U.N. General Assembly sessions and co-chaired the Bosnia settlement talk in Dayton, Ohio. From 1991 to 1993, he represented the USSR and then Russia as ambassador to Spain. Ivanov is a member of the Board of Directors of the Russian Company LUKOIL. He also serves on a number of think tanks’ boards of directors, including the Nuclear Threat Initiative, United Nations Foundation, and European Leadership Network (ELN). He has a Ph.D. in history and is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences with a number of published books and articles on the history of Russian foreign affairs and foreign policy.
DHRUVA JAISHANKAR, TRANSATLANTIC FELLOW, ASIA PROGRAM, GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES (GMF)
Dhruva Jaishankar is a transatlantic fellow with GMF's Asia Program, where he manages GMF’s India Trilateral Forum, organizes policy meetings on Pakistan, and edits the Transatlantic Take series. His current research focuses on Indian foreign and security policy, and internet freedom in South and Southeast Asia. His commentary and analysis on international affairs and security issues have been featured in multiple international publications and broadcast programs. He previously worked as a senior research assistant at the Brookings Institution, and as a news writer and reporter for CNN-IBN in New Delhi, India. Jaishankar is a former Brent Scowcroft Award Fellow, a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and an IISS-SAIS Merrill Center Young Strategist. He holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Classics from Macalester College, and a master’s degree in security studies from Georgetown University.
JYRKI KATAINEN, VICE PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Jyrki Katainen is the European Commission vice-president for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness. Previously, he was the Finnish minister of finance in 2007 and the prime minister of Finland from 2011 to 2014. He was a member of Finnish Parliament for the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) from 1999 to 2014. Katainen was part of the Finnish Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly from 2003 to 2007 and the Administrative Council of the Finnish Broadcasting Company from 2003 to 2005. From 2004 to 2005, he was also a member of the Finish Delegation to the Western European Union Parliamentary Assembly. Katainen holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Tampere, Finland.
KAJA KALLAS, MEMBER, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Kaja Kallas is an Estonian politician, who currently serves as a member of the European Parliament for the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe party (ALDE), and is also vice-chairman of the Estonian Reform Party. Previously, she served as an attorney-at-law, specializing in European and Estonian competition law, and the digital single market and energy. In the European Parliament, Kallas serves on the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy (ITRE), and is vice-chair of the Delegation to the EU–Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee. She is also a member of the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, and a substitute for the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO). Recently, the European Parliament voted on her jointly drafted strategic report “Towards a Digital Single Market Act” that calls for ambitious action to remove barriers in the digital world.
CONSTANCE KANN, DIRECTOR FOR INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK, BRUSSELS
Constance Kann is the director for institutional relations and public affairs in EIB Brussel’s office. Previously, she served as director of corporate responsibility and communication at EIB’S headquarters in Luxembourg. Prior to joining the EIB, she was managing director for group communications for Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company based in Zurich. Before joining the financial sector, Kann worked for Unilever, as senior vice president of global communications covering media, internal communications, corporate communications (including corporate brand), and public affairs. Kann has more than 20 years’ experience in public affairs and communication. She has a degree in Dutch and European law from Leiden University, the Netherlands, and completed the advanced management program at Harvard Business School and a sustainability leadership course of the Prince of Wales Institute of Cambridge University.
ROBERT D. KAPLAN, SENIOR FELLOW, CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN SECURITY
Robert D. Kaplan is a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a contributing editor at The Atlantic, where his work has appeared for three decades. He was chief geopolitical analyst at Stratfor, a visiting professor at the United States Naval Academy, and a member of the Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board. Foreign Policy magazine twice named him one of the world’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers.” Kaplan is the bestselling author of 16 books on foreign affairs and travel, which have been translated into many languages, including In Europe’s Shadow, Asia’s Cauldron, The Revenge of Geography, Monsoon, The Coming Anarchy, and Balkan Ghosts.
LOUKA T. KATSELI, CHAIR, BOARD OF THE NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE AND THE HELLENIC BANK ASSOCIATION
Louka T. Katseli is chair of the board of the National Bank of Greece and chair of the Hellenic Bank Association. Previously, she served as Greece’s minister of labor and social security in 2010, minister of economy, competitiveness, and shipping in 2009, member of the Hellenic Parliament in 2007, and director of the OECD Development Centre in Paris in 2003. In the past, Katseli was economic advisor to the Greek prime minister, Andreas Papandreou, and director general of the Center of Planning and Economic Research in 1983. Currently, she is a professor of economics at the University of Athens, and has published extensively in several areas including development finance, investment, and trade. She holds a Ph.D. in economics, an MPA for public and international affairs, a master’s in economics, and a bachelor’s in economics.
STEVEN KEIL, PROGRAM OFFICER, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND
Steven Keil is a program officer at GMF in Washington, DC, where he focuses on GMF’s foreign and security policy work. Keil also works on issues surrounding the German-U.S. relationship, the broader transatlantic relationship, and the politics of the post-Soviet space. Prior to joining GMF, he was a fellow with the Robert Bosch Foundation in Berlin, where he conducted work placements in the CDU/CSU Foreign Policy Working Group in the Bundestag, as well the Eastern European and Eurasian Research Division at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik. Keil also worked in the U.S. Senate for the personal office of U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD). Keil received his bachelor’s from the University of South Dakota in political science, German, and history, and a master’s from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service BMW Center of German and European Studies.
FRANÇOIS DE KERCHOVE D’EXAERDE, BELGIUM PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE, NATO
François de Kerchove d’Exaerde has been the Belgian permanent representative to NATO since 2014. Previously, he was director of the Cabinet of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and European Affairs. He started his diplomatic career in 1989 when he joined the Foreign Ministry, Department of Diplomatic Traineeship, and held consecutive posts in Kuwait City, Tokyo, Osaka, and Berlin. In 2002, he became the director of the Royal Institute for International Relations (Egmont), and has held several positions in Brussels, including ambassador to the political and security committee of the EU, security policy director, and deputy security policy director for the Foreign Affairs. De Kerchove has a bachelor’s in political science from ULB and a master’s from the London School of Economics (LSE).
ADNAN KIFAYAT, SENIOR RESIDENT FELLOW, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Adnan Kifayat is a senior resident fellow at GMF, where he advises the organization on both its efforts to strengthen leadership development and next generation strategies in the transatlantic region and its joint work in programming the OCP Policy Center Atlantic Fellowship in Europe, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. He also contributes to the continued development of GMF’s Leadership, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative. Over the last 15 years, Kifayat has held senior positions in public service, including at the White House, U.S. Department of State, and Treasury Department, where he established partnerships with strategic allies to cooperate in trade, finance, development, counterterrorism, and national security. He has helped develop innovative and sustainable mechanisms to counter the spread of violent extremism and prevent the flow of funds to terrorist organizations.
IVANNA KLYMPUSH-TSYNTSADZE, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, UKRAINE
Ivanna Klympush- Tsyntsadze has been member of the Ukrainian Parliament since 2014. She serves as first deputy chair of Foreign Affairs Committee and leads Ukraine’s delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. She started her career in 1993 as a project manager at the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR) in Kyiv, where she later became head of the International Relations Department. Over the following years, Klympush-Tsintsadze became the Radio BBC Ukrainian Service correspondent in Washington, DC, and in the Caucasus (Tbilisi) from 2002 to 2007. Prior joining the Ukrainian Parliament, she served as executive director, and later as board head of Yalta European Strategy’s (YES). Klympush-Tsintsadze is co-editor of Black Sea Region: Cooperation and Security Building. She is a graduate of Taras Shevchenko National University and Mykhaylo Dragomanov State Pedagogical University, Ukraine and the State University of Montana.
TIM KOSTER, DIRECTOR, DEFENSE POLICY AND CAPABILITIES, NATO
Tim Koster has been director of defense policy and capabilities at NATO headquarters since 2012. Prior to his current position, he served as defense advisor at The Netherlands permanent representation to NATO. Koster started his diplomatic career in 1991, working as third secretary at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, after joining the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Back in The Hague in 1994, he served in several positions within the ministry, including head of economic department at the Netherlands Embassy in London in 1998. In 2001, Koster became acting director of European integration at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, serving as a project director at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs afterwards. Before moving to Brussels in 2008, he was appointed deputy ambassador at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Athens, Greece.
PAVLO KLIMKIN, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, UKRAINE
Pavlo Klimkin has been the Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs since 2014. Prior to his current position, he served as the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany. Klimkin joined the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in 1993, and has held several positions including attaché and second secretary in the Directorate-General for Arms Control and Disarmament, director of the EU Department, and deputy foreign minister, playing a crucial role in negotiating the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement in 2010. He served as minister-counselor at the Embassy of Ukraine to the United Kingdom in 2004. He graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology from the Department of Aerophysics and Space Research, and holds a master’s degree in physics and mathematics.
DANIEL KORSKI, POLICY ADVISOR TO THE PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM
Daniel Korski is the deputy head of the prime minister’s Policy Unit and a special adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron. He previously worked as an advisor to Andrew Mitchell MP, the former conservative chief whip, and for the British member of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton, as well as for Edward Llewellyn during his time as chief of staff to the UN High Representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Korski has also worked in a number of positions in London, Washington DC, Iraq, Yemen, and Afghanistan. Before working for the British government, he worked in Parliament as a policy advisor to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee. In 2008, he helped establish the bipartisan think-tank the European Council on Foreign Relations. He has written for The Spectator, The Guardian, and The New York Times.
IRENA KRASNICKÁ, SPECIAL ENVOY FOR MIGRATION, MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, CZECH REPUBLIC
Irena Krasnická is a special envoy for migration with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Since joining the MFA in 1998, she has been director of the Press and Information Department, consul general in Mumbai and Istanbul, and director of the diplomatic academy in charge of preparing the Czech Foreign Service for the Presidency of the EU Council. Before joining the MFA, Krasnická worked in a publishing house, and served as a teacher at Charles University, becoming the first director of the Czech Centre in Warsaw in 1994. She has wide experience, ranging from public diplomacy to consular, security, development, and humanitarian issues. She holds a master’s from Charles University. She authored translations from Polish, English, and Estonian into Czech.
IVAN KRASTEV, CHAIRMAN, CENTRE FOR LIBERAL STRATEGIES
Ivan Krastev is the chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia and permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. He is a founding board member of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the advisory board of the ERSTE Foundation, and of the global advisory board of Open Society Foundations, New York. In 2012, Krastev delivered a TED Talk about democracy, entitled, “Can Democracy Exist Without Trust?” and he has written several books on this matter, such as Democracy Disrupted: The Global Politics on Protest published by UPenn Press (2014) and In Mistrust We Trust: Can Democracy Survive When We Don't Trust Our Leaders? (2013). Previously, Krastev was the editor-in-chief of the Bulgarian Edition of Foreign Policy and he is currently writing a book on Russian politics with Stephen Holmes.
HANS KUNDNANI, SENIOR TRANSATLANTIC FELLOW, EUROPE PROGRAM, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Hans Kundnani is a senior transatlantic fellow with GMF’s Europe program, based in Berlin. He previously worked as the research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, where he worked for five years. He is also an associate fellow at the Institute for German Studies at Birmingham University. His research focuses on German and European foreign policy. He is the author of two books, Utopia or Auschwitz. Germany’s 1968 Generation and the Holocaust (2009) and The Paradox of German Power (2014). His articles and papers have been published in journals such as Foreign Affairs, The Washington Quarterly, and Internationale Politik, and newspapers such as The Financial Times, Le Monde, and Die Zeit. Kundnani studied German and philosophy at Oxford University and journalism at Columbia University in New York, where he was a Fulbright scholar.
VIDEESHA KUNKULAGUNTA, PRINCIPAL-BUY-OUT, GROWTH AND VENTURE INVESTOR, REDSTONE DIGITAL GMBH
Videesha Kunkulagunta is the principal-buy-out, growth, and venture investor at Redstone Digital GmbH, with over a decade of professional working experience in the areas of finance, corporate strategy, and venture capital. At the start of her career, she worked as a credit analyst for Lehman Brothers, and transitioned to private banking at Barclays Wealth in London and Singapore. Kunkulagunta also served as associate for a London-based Venture Capital fund, PROfounders Capital. Previously, she was an entrepreneur in residence for FTSE 250 Telco TalkTalk Plc reporting to the board and senior management.
FRANCINE LACQUA, ANCHOR AND EDITOR, BLOOMBERG TELEVISION
Francine Lacqua is an anchor and editor-at-large for Bloomberg Television based in London. She hosts the weekday program, “On the Move with Francine Lacqua,” where she reports from major events around the world and interviews key global political, economic and business leaders. Lacqua also co-hosts “The Pulse” with Guy Johnson and “Eye to Eye,” a special series where she sits down with top CEOs, entrepreneurs, and public figures. Since joining Bloomberg in 2000, Lacqua has covered the World Economic Forum in Davos, the EU Leaders Summit, and OPEC. In 2013, Lacqua won “International TV Personality of the Year” at the AIB Media Awards. In 2012, she was part of the Bloomberg team that won the OPEC award for “Public Interest Reporting.” She has an LLB in English law from King’s College in London and earned her undergraduate degree at the Sorbonne. She is fluent in French and Italian.
PASCAL LAMY, PRESIDENT EMERITUS, JACQUES DELORS INSTITUTE
From 2005 to 2013, Pascal Lamy served as general director of the World Trade Organization (WTO). A member of the French Socialist party, he was chief of staff for the president of the European Commission from 1985 to 1994. He then joined the Credit Lyonnais as CEO until 1999, when he returned to Brussels as European trade commissioner until 2004. He was appointed inter-ministerial delegate for the preparation of the French candidature for the 2025 Universal Exhibition in May 2015. Lamy is author of various books and reports on global governance, Europe and international trade. In 2014, the British magazine Prospect included him in the top 50 of the world’s leading thinkers. He is also ranked among the 100 most influential thinkers of the “Thought Leader Map 2015” published by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute. Lamy holds degrees from HEC School of Management, the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (IEP), and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA).
MICHAEL LEIGH, SENIOR ADVISOR, 2015 TRANSATLANTIC ACADEMY FELLOW, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Sir Michael Leigh is a Transatlantic Academy Fellow, consultant, and senior advisor to GMF. He focuses on European Neighborhood Policy, Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East as well as the future of the EU. He runs a program at GMF on the implications of the gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean. In 2006, Leigh became director-general for enlargement with the European Commission after serving for three years as external relations deputy director-general with responsibility for European Neighborhood Policy, relations with Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus, Central Asia, Middle East, and the Mediterranean countries. He began his current role after more than 30 years in EU institutions, including as a cabinet member for various commissioners and as director in the Task Force for the EU Accession Negotiations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford University and a Ph.D. in political science from MIT.
BRUNO LÉTÉ, SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER, FOREIGN & SECURITY POLICY, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Bruno Lété currently serves as a senior program officer for foreign & security policy at The German Marshall Fund of the United States in Brussels. He provides analysis and advice on trends in geopolitics and on international security and defense policy. He focuses primarily on the EU Common Security & Defense Policy, NATO, and developments in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2010, Lété joined the European Union Delegation to the United States in Washington, DC, where he supported the political, security, and development section and focused on U.S. foreign policy and EU-U.S. relations. He started his career in 2007 as a program associate for the German Marshall Fund, where he helped developed GMF’s signature policy conferences, such as Brussels Forum. Lété studied at the University of Ghent in Belgium and at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw, Poland. He holds a bachelor’s in communication management and a master’s in international relations.
IAN O. LESSER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BRUSSELS OFFICE AND SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY, GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Dr. Ian O. Lesser leads the German Marshall Fund’s (GMF) work on the Mediterranean, Turkish, and wider Atlantic security issues. Prior to joining GMF, Lesser was a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and vice president and director of studies at the Pacific Council on International Policy. Previously, he spent over a decade as a senior analyst and research manager specializing in strategic studies at RAND. From 1994-95, he was a member of the secretary’s policy planning staff at the U.S. Department of State, responsible for Turkey, Southern Europe, North Africa, and the multilateral track of the Middle East peace process.
SONJA LICHT, PRESIDENT, BELGRADE FUND FOR POLITICAL EXCELLENCE
Sonja Licht is president of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence. She was part of the Yugoslav dissident movement starting in the late 1960s, and in the mid-1980s founded numerous local and international NGOs. From 1991 to 2003, Lincht was first executive director and then president of the Fund for an Open Society (Soros Foundation) in Yugoslavia (later Serbia). In 2007, she became a member of the newly established Foreign Affairs Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and joined the Council for EU Integration of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. Licht participated in the Council of Europe’s Group of Eminent Persons that prepared the report “Living Together: Combining Freedom and Diversity in Europe of 21st Century” in 2010. She is a laureate of numerous international peace and human rights awards, including the Star of Italian Solidarity and the French Legion of Honour.
LEE LITZENBERGER, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION, UNITED STATES MISSION TO NATO
Lee Litzenberger has been the deputy permanent representative and deputy chief of mission of the U.S. Mission to NATO since September 2014. He was the NATO deputy senior civilian representative in Afghanistan in August 2013, and was assigned to Kabul until August 2014. Litzenberger served as the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, from 2010 to 2013. From 2006 to 2009, he was the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan. Litzenberger’s previous assignments include as political officer and minister-counselor to the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels; as political section chief at the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan; and as political officer in the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria, and the U.S. Embassy in Algeria. He is a graduate of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, and has a master’s degree in national security studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
NANCY LINDBORG, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE
Nancy Lindborg has served as president of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) since February 2015. She has spent most of her career working in fragile and conflict-affected regions around the world. Prior to joining USIP, she served as the assistant administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). From 2010 to 2015, Lindborg led USAID teams focused on building resilience and democracy, managing and mitigating conflict, and providing urgent humanitarian assistance. She led teams in response to the ongoing Syria crisis, the droughts in Sahel and Horn of Africa, the Arab Spring, the Ebola outbreak, and numerous other global crises. Prior to joining USAID, Lindborg was president of Mercy Corps. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s in English literature from Stanford University and a master’s in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
LINAS LINKEVICIUS, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, LITHUANIA
Linas Linkevičius has been the minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Lithuania since December 2012. Earlier in 2012, he had been appointed ambassador to Belarus. Previously, Linkevičius served as the ambassador-at-large for the transatlantic cooperation and security policy department in the ministry of foreign affairs. From 2005 to 2011, he was the permanent representative of Lithuania at the North Atlantic Council. He also served as the minister of the national defense from 1993 to 1996. He was first elected to the parliament of Lithuania in 1992.
TIMO LOCHOCKI, TRANSATLANTIC FELLOW, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Dr. Timo Lochocki holds a bachelor’s in social psychology (2007) from the University of Washington, a master’s in political science (2010) from Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and Universitet i Bergen, Norway, and a Ph.D. (2013) from Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. His doctoral thesis “Hard Times in the Lands of Plenty: How right-populist parties can seize their electoral niche in Western Europe” was graded as summa cum laude. He has published on European integration, migration, and comparative politics with a focus on right-populist parties in academic journals, national newspapers, and for various think tanks. He is a consultant with the Institute of European Democrats and the German Mediendienst Integration (media service integration) and a lecturer at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. In addition to his native German, Lochocki speaks fluent English and Norwegian, and has a working knowledge of French and Swedish.
CYRIL LOISEL, COORDINATOR FOR G7 AND G20 ENGAGEMENT, DG CLIMA, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Cyril Loisel is the coordinator for G7 and G20 engagement in the European Commission's DG Clima. He leads the negotiation team of the EU and its Member States under the UN Climate Convention. He was formerly advisor to the Director General of Global Affairs at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before that, he worked as the coordinator of the climate change program at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations.
EDWARD LUCAS, SENIOR EDITOR, THE ECONOMIST
Edward Lucas is senior editor at The Economist and senior vice-president at the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). Prior joining The Economist, Lucas worked for many years as foreign correspondent in Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Moscow, and the Baltic states. An experienced broadcaster, public speaker, and panelist, he has given public lectures at leading universities including Harvard and Cambridge. Lucas is a regular contributor to the BBC’s Today, CNN, Sky News, and is regularly cited by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the top 100 Twitterati, a list of the best twitter profiles to follow on foreign affairs. His latest book is Cyberphobia; in 2008 he wrote The New Cold War, a prescient account of Vladimir Putin’s Russia and Deception, which is an investigative account of east-west espionage published in 2011. He has an undergraduate from the London School of Economics.
RICHARD LUI, NEWS ANCHOR, MSNBC
Richard Lui is news anchor for MSNBC and NBC News, reporting on the ground for stories from terror attacks in France to slavery in Africa. Previously he was at CNN Worldwide, where he became the first Asian male in U.S. history to anchor a daily national cable news program. With over 20 years in the tech industry, Lui co-patented and founded a global bank-centric payments carve-out with Citibank. He currently helps a Silicon Valley artificial intelligence firm, and sits on four boards of directors and advisers. Business Insider named Lui one of 21 careers to watch and Twitter Counter ranks him top 1 percent. Lui has received civil rights awards from the National Education Association, Advancing Justice, and AAJA. Lui is a policy fellow at the University of California, Riverside, UN Women Spokesperson, U.S. State Department traveling speaker, and ambassador for several gender equality and human trafficking NGOs.
ANTHONY LUZZATTO GARDNER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
Anthony Luzzatto Gardner has been the U.S. ambassador to the European Union since 2014. Previously, he was managing director at Palamon Capital Partners and served as executive director in the leveraged finance departments of Bank of America and GE Capital. He has also worked as a senior associate at international law firms in London, Paris, New York, and Brussels, and dedicated more than 20 years of his career to U.S.-European affairs, as a government official, lawyer, and investor. Gardner is the author of A New Era in U.S.-EU Relations? The Clinton Administration and the New Transatlantic Agenda, along with numerous articles on EU affairs. He has a bachelor’s in government from Harvard University, a master’s in international relations from Oxford University, a JD from Columbia Law School, and a master’s in finance from London Business School.
MARGARET MACMILLAN, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Margaret MacMillan is the warden of St. Antony’s College and a professor of international history at the University of Oxford. Her books include Women of the Raj (1988, 2007); Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World (2001) for which she was the first woman to win the Samuel Johnson prize; and Nixon in China: Six Days that Changed the World (2007) and The Uses and Abuses of History. Her most recent book, The War That Ended Peace, was published in October 2013. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a senior fellow of Massey College, University of Toronto; honorary fellow of Trinity College, University of Toronto and of St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford; and sits on the boards of the Mosaic Institute and the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and the editorial boards of International History and First World War Studies.
CECILIA MALMSTROEM, COMMISSIONER FOR TRADE, EUROPEAN UNION
Cecilia Malmstroem has served as EU commissioner for trade since November 2014, and is pursuing an ambitious trade agenda to benefit European citizens, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and the broader economy. She represents the EU in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other international trade for a, and negotiates bilateral trade agreements with key countries, including reaching a balanced and reasonable Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the U.S. that will respect Europe’s safety, health, social and data protection standards, and cultural diversity. She was formerly EU commissioner for home affairs (2010-14), where she was responsible for the European Commission’s work in asylum and migration, police cooperation, border control, and the fight against organized crime and human trafficking.
JAMES MANYIKA, DIRECTOR, MCKINSEY GLOBAL INSTITUTE
James Manyika is a director (senior partner) at McKinsey and director of the McKinsey Global Institute. As director (senior partner) at McKinsey, based in Silicon Valley, for 20 years, he has advised many of the world’s leading technology companies and their chief executives. He was appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama in 2012 to serve on the U.S. President’s Global Development Council at the White House and has served since as the vice chairman of the Council. In addition, Manyika is on the boards of The Council on Foreign Relations, the Aspen Institute, the Oxford Internet Institute, MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy, UC Berkeley’s School of Information, and Harvard’s Hutchins Center, including the Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research. He is also a non-resident Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution and a member of the Bretton Woods Committee.
CAMI MCCORMICK, CORRESPONDENT, CBS NEWS
Cami McCormick joined CBS News in September 1998. She was at Ground Zero in New York on September 11, 2001 and in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck. McCormick served nine tours in Iraq during the war, embedded with U.S. troops, as well as covering the trial of Saddam Hussein. She was embedded with U.S. forces throughout Afghanistan before being injured in an IED explosion in August 2009. She suffered extensive injuries and spent a year in the hospital. McCormick spent much of 2014 in Ukraine, and was there when Crimea was annexed by Russia. In the early 1990s, she lived and worked as a reporter in Moscow and was one of the first English-language hosts on a commercial radio station in Russia. Prior to CBS, McCormick worked for CNN, CNN International, Headline News and CNNRadio.
DAN MERIDOR, LAWYER, HAIM ZADOK & CO.
Dan Meridor served in the Israeli armored corps and then studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he gained an LL.B. He currently practices at the Tel Aviv law firm Haim Zadok & Co. Utilizing his experience in European-Israeli relations, Meridor served on the advisory board of ELNET-Israel. He served in the Knesset from 1984 to 1999 as a member of the Lukid Party. During this period, he held the roles of minister of justice (1988-92) and minister of finance (1996-97). In the late 1990s, he became one of the founders of the Centre Party, serving in the Knesset from 1999 to 2003 and in the Cabinet as minister without portfolio (2001-03). In the early 2000s, Meridor rejoined Likud and returned to the Knesset in 1999, when he served as the deputy prime minister and minister of intelligence and atomic energy.
FEDERICA MOGHERINI, HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY; VICE PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Federica Mogherini has been the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission since November 2014. She was the Italian minister for foreign affairs from February to October 2014 and a member of the Italian Parliament (Chamber of Deputies), where she was elected for the first time in 2008. In her parliamentary capacity, she has been the head of the Italian delegation to the NATO parliamentary assembly and vice-president of its political committee (2013-14), member of the Italian delegation to the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe (2008-13), secretary of the defence committee (2008-13), and member of the foreign affairs committee.
ANDREW MURRAY, DIRECTOR, EUROPEAN UNION NATIONAL INSTITUTES FOR CULTURE
Andrew Murray is director of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) Global office in Brussels. EUNIC is a network of Europe’s national cultural institutes, with 35 members from all 28 EU member states and offices in over 150 countries. Its members work in several sectors, such as arts, languages, education, and science. Murray works closely with EU institutions on the development and implementation of a new strategy for culture and EU external relations. Prior joining EUNIC, he worked for the British Council in Malawi, Romania, Poland, Benelux, and the United Kingdom. Murray has a doctorate from the University of Manchester in the politics of nationalism, and a particular interest in the theory and practice of cultural relations.
RENATE NIKOLAY, HEAD OF CABINET FOR VERA JOUROVA, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Renate Nikolay is the head of cabinet for Vera Jourova, commissioner for justice, consumers, and gender equality. She started her career in the European Commission in the Directorate General for Trade in 2003. On the following years, she led the unit of interinstitutional, and international relations in DG Justice, and served as advisor in the cabinet of the first high representative/vice president. Nikolay was also a member of the Cabinet of the Trade Commissioners Peter Mandelson and Catherine Ashton, where she followed the trade talks in the multilateral trade round of the World Trade Organization (the Doha Round) and the EU-South Korea Free Trade Agreement. Prior joining the European Commission, she was a diplomat in the German Permanent Representation in Brussels and worked as private secretary in the German Ministry of Economics.
NATALIE NOUGAYRÈDE, EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER AND COLUMNIST, THE GUARDIAN
Natalie Nougayrède is an editorial board member and columnist at The Guardian, which she joined in October 2014. Prior joining The Guardian, she was the first woman to head the French newspaper Le Monde, as executive editor, after being its diplomatic correspondent and Moscow bureau chief. She writes about international and European affairs, with a special focus on security issues and human rights. Nougayrède was awarded two French journalism prizes, the Prix de la Presse Diplomatique (2004), and the Albert Londres award (2005), for her coverage of the Chechen conflict. She is on the advisory committee of the Primo Levi Center in Paris, which helps refugees who have been victims of torture. She graduated from the Institut d'études politiques de Strasbourg (1988) and the Training Centre of Journalists in Paris (1990).
DAVID O’SULLIVAN, AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, EUROPEAN UNION
Prior to arriving in the United States, David O’Sullivan served as the chief operating officer of the European External Action Service. He was director general for trade from 2005 to 2010, secretary general of the European Commission from June 2000 to November 2005, and head of cabinet of Commission President Romano Prodi and director general for education and training. He started his career in the Irish Foreign Ministry and spent four years in the Commission Delegation in Tokyo. O’Sullivan has a background in economics, graduating from Trinity College, Dublin and having completed post graduate studies at the College of Europe, Bruges. He holds an honorary doctorate from the Dublin Institute of Technology. He is also a member of the Consultative Board of the Institute for International Integration Studies at Trinity College, Dublin.
MARC OTTE, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE ROYAL INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (EGMONT)
Marc Otte is director general of The Royal Institute for International Relations (Egmont). He has also been the director for policy planning in the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2011. Previously, he was the EU special representative for the Middle East Peace Process from 2003 to 2011, and adviser on defense and security policy to the high representative for common foreign and security. Otte joined the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1976, and held various assignments including consul general in Los Angeles, ambassador to Israel, and director for security policy and disarmament. He has written several articles and publications on transatlantic issues, European security and defense policy, and the Middle East Peace Process. Otte holds a master’s in political and social sciences, and a post-graduate degree from the Institute for Developing Countries, University of Louvain, Belgium.
ANA PALACIO, FOUNDER, PALACIO AND ASSOCIATES
Ana Palacio is an international lawyer and founder of Palacio and Associates, a law firm specializing in European and international law and arbitration. She is a member of the Consejo de Estado del Reino de España (Council of State), the supreme consultative body to the Spanish government on legislation and regulation. Palacio is currently a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council, serves on the Executive Board of The Atlantic Council of the United States, and is a member of the governing bodies of several research centers and public institutions. She holds degrees in law, political science and sociology. She has received numerous awards and decorations, including an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Georgetown University and the 2016 Sandra Day O’Connor Justice Prize, which acknowledges extraordinary contributions in the area of the rule of law.
SOLI ÖZEL, PROFESSOR, KADIR HAS UNIVERSITY
Soli Özel is currently a full time professor at Kadir Has University, a columnist at Habertürk Daily newspaper, and an advisor to the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association. He has guest lectured at Georgetown, Harvard, Tufts, and other U.S. universities, taught at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, University of Washington, and Hebrew University, and held fellowships at Oxford and the EU Institute of Strategic Studies. He is currently a Miller Family Fellow at the Belfer Center of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and in the spring of 2013, he was a Keyman fellow at Northwestern University. Mr. Özel is a regular contributor to GMF’s On Turkey series and his work has been published in Internationale Politik, Journal of Democracy, Foreign Policy, International Security, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times, The Guardian, and Bitterlemons-International.
FARAH PANDITH, ADJUNCT SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
Farah Pandith is a CVE pioneer and foreign policy strategist. She has been a political appointee in the George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama administrations. She has served in senior positions at the National Security Council, US Agency for International Development and the US Department of State. Most recently she was the first-ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities. Prior to this appointment, she was senior advisor to the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. She is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a non resident Senior Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a member of Secretary Jeh Johnson's Homeland Security Advisory Council. She is writing a book on extremism (HarperCollins 2017) and driving efforts to counter extremism through new organizations, programs, and initiatives. She is also the chief architect of the Women in Public Service Project launched by Secretary Clinton in 2011. Pandith received a master’s degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and an A.B. from Smith College. @Farah_Pandith
JAROSLAW PIETRAS, DIRECTOR GENERAL, COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, GENERAL SECRETARIAT
Jaroslaw Pietras is director general for DG E (covering climate change, environment, transport, telecom, energy, education, culture, audio-visual youth, and sport) in the General Secretariat of the Council. After completing his studies in economics at the University of Warsaw, he worked for the Polish administration in many positions, such as secretary of state in Ministry of Finance, secretary of state for Europe, and head of the office of the Committee for European Integration after starting with appointments as under-secretary of state in several consecutive governments. Pietras has written several articles on EU, trade issues, and is a fellow practitioner at the Sussex European Institute, University of Sussex. He has been Fulbright Foundation scholar at DUKE University, North Carolina, USA, think-tank Bruegel, and ACE Programme scholar at the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels.
WILFRIED PORTH, BOARD OF MANAGEMENT, DAIMLER AG
Wilfried Porth has been a member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG since April 8, 2009. He is also responsible for Daimler AG Human Resources as well as the director of labor for relations. In addition, he is responsible for IT and procurement of non-production materials and services. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Stuttgart. He joined the Central Production Engineering department as a planning engineer of the then Daimler-Benz AG in 1985.
GIDEON RACHMAN, CHIEF FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR, FINANCIAL TIMES
Gideon Rachman is chief foreign affairs commentator for the Financial Times. His book Zero-Sum World was published by Atlantic in 2011 and has been translated into eight languages. He writes an award-winning weekly column on foreign affairs for the Financial Times. Before joining the paper in 2006, he worked for The Economist for 15 years in a range of jobs, including as a foreign correspondent in Brussels, Bangkok, and Washington. Rachman studied history at Cambridge University and has been a visiting fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.
NICK RASMUSSEN, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER
Nick Rasmussen is the director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). Prior returning to the NCTC, he served as special assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism with the National Security Council staff in 2007. Previously, Rasmussen served at NCTC in senior policy and planning positions, responsible for producing net assessments of U.S. counterterrorism policy and strategy for the National Security Council (NSC) and the president. He joined the Department of State in 1991 as a presidential management intern in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, and for more than a decade served in a variety of key positions, including special assistant to the State Department's special Middle East coordinator. Rasmussen has received numerous awards, including an International Affairs Fellowship from the Council on Foreign Relations, and has taught a course on U.S. counterterrorism policy at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
DOUGLAS A. REDIKER, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL STRATEGIES
Douglas A. Rediker is executive chairman of International Capital Strategies, which he founded in 2012, and he serves as a member of the WEF’s newly created Geo-Economic Global Agenda Council. Previously, he represented the United States on the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and served as the chairman and vice chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Geopolitical Risk Global Agenda Council. In 2007, he returned to the United States after living and working in Europe for more than 16 years, serving as a senior investment banker and private equity investor for the world’s leading financial institutions. Rediker is co-editor of the e-book What's Next: Essays on the Geopolitics That Matter (Portfolio/Penguin, 2012) and has written for the Financial Times, The New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, and other publications. He was listed as an “Emerging Markets Superstar” by Global Finance Magazine.
EDGARS RINKĒVIČS, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, LATVIA
Edgars Rinkēvičs has been Latvia’s minister of foreign affairs since 2011. Prior to his current position, he was head of the chancery of the president of Latvia from October 2008 until October 2011. He also served as state secretary in the Ministry of Defense from August 1997 until October 2008. Previously, he also worked as chief of the office for organizing the NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government, which took place in Riga in 2006. Rinkēvičs has two bachelor’s degrees, one from the University of Latvia and a second in national resource strategy from the U.S. National Defense University, and a master’s degree in political science.
KRISTIN ROBERTS, NATIONAL EDITOR, POLITICO
Kristin Roberts is national editor of POLITICO. She directs coverage of the 2016 presidential race and helps guide POLITICO’s approach to the biggest stories. Prior joining POLITICO, Roberts was managing editor of the National Journal, overseeing newsroom-wide operations. Previously, she spent 11 years at Reuters as deputy bureau chief for the Washington bureau, reporting on Wall Street and economics from New York and Miami, and defense and foreign policy from Washington. Roberts holds master’s degrees from Georgetown University and Columbia University and a bachelor;s degree from The George Washington University.
JOSH ROGIN, COLUMNIST AND POLITICAL ANALYST, BLOOMBERG VIEW AND CNN
Josh Rogin is a columnist on foreign policy and national security for Bloomberg View, and a political analyst with CNN. Prior to his current position, he was responsible for covering foreign policy and national security for Newsweek, The Daily Beast, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, Congressional Quarterly, Federal Computer Week magazine, and Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. Rogin’s work has been featured on several outlets, including CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, NPR, PBS, among others. He was a 2011 finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists, and the 2011 recipient of the Interaction Award for Excellence in International Reporting. He holds a bachelor’s in international affairs from the George Washington University and studied at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.
CLAIRE ROUMET, DIRECTOR, ENERGY CITIES
Claire Roumet is director of Energy Cities, a European association of local authorities in energy transition. Energy Cities initiated a process to make and debate proposals for accelerating the energy transition of European cities, with the example of its pioneer 1,000 members located in 30 countries. Prior joining the Energy Cities team two years ago, Roumet worked for 12 years as secretary general of Housing Europe, the federation of social, public, and cooperative housing providers. She has been member of the board of the EU coalition for energy savings, and is the vice-president of the social platform. Roumet has a post-graduate degree in European policies in Strasbourg.
DEV SANYAL, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, REGIONS AND MEMBER OF THE GROUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF BP PLC
Dev Sanyal is chief executive, alternative energy, and executive vice president, regions as well as member of the Group Executive Committee of BP plc. He joined the BP Group in 1989, and has held a variety of positions with the company globally, in London, Athens, Dubai, Istanbul, and Vienna. He has been general manager, FSU and Eastern Europe; chief executive officer, BP Eastern Mediterranean Fuels; chief executive officer, Air BP International; head of the Group Chief Executive’s Office; group treasurer and chairman of BP Investment Management Ltd. During this latter period, he was also accountable for BP’s aluminium business. He was appointed to the Group Executive Committee as executive vice president, strategy and integration, in 2012. His responsibilities were expanded to include Europe and Asia regions in 2014. He has a master’s degree in economics and politics from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
MARIETJE SCHAAKE, MEMBER, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Marietje Schaake is a Liberal member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands. She serves on the international trade committee, the committee on foreign affairs, and the subcommittee on human rights. She is the founder of the European Parliament Intergroup on the Digital Agenda for Europe. She is vice-president of the Delegation for Relations with the United States and serves on the Iran Delegation and the Delegation for the Arab peninsula. She is a member of the Global Commission on Internet Governance and a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum.
HELGA MARIA SCHMID, DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS, EUROPEAN EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE
Helga Maria Schmid has been the deputy secretary general for political affairs of the European External Action Service since 2011. Prior to that, she was director of the Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit of the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy in the General Secretariat of the Council (2006-10) and held various positions in the Federal Foreign Office, including head of the political staff and head of the minister’s office (2003-05), deputy head of the political staff and deputy head of the minister’s office (2000-03), political adviser to Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer (1998-2000) and to Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel (1994-98), and press and public affairs officer at the German Embassy to the United States (1991-94). She holds a master of arts in English and Romance languages, literature, history, and politics from Munich University (Ludwig Maximilians Universität) and the Sorbonne, Paris.
SIMON SCHAEFER, ENTREPRENEUR
Simon Schaefer started his career as a designer in 1997, working for German startups from inside interactive agencies. Since then, he has created several successful brands, including Kameha Hotels, Motorvision TV Station (on Sky), and Wirecard (listed on TecDax). He ran his own sneaker boutique in Berlin, as well as the 95 Gallery, showcasing street artists such as Futura 2000, Stash, and KR. Schaefer has invested in angel- and seed-stage companies as a partner of JMES Investments in Berlin, and launched his own startup, totalCommerce, in 2010. In 2011, he co-founded Factory, a 16,000 square meter campus for startups and mature technology driven companies in the heart of Berlin.
DANIELA SCHWARZER, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND DIRECTOR, EUROPE PROGRAM, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Dr. Daniela Schwarzer is senior director of research and the director of the Europe Program at The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), having joined GMF’s Berlin office in January 2014. Previously, she headed the European Integration Division at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs) from 2008-14. She joined SWP in 2005 as a senior fellow. In February 2014, Schwarzer was appointed as a senior research professor at the School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. She has been an adjunct faculty member of the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin since 2010 and has taught in graduate programs in universities in Europe and China since 2001. Schwarzer holds a Ph.D. in political economy from Freie Universität Berlin, co-supervised by the London School of Economics, and a master's in political science and linguistics at the University of Tübingen.
MARTIN SCHULZ, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Martin Schulz has been the president of the European Parliament since 2012, becoming the first president in the history of the European Parliament to be reelected for a second term. His political career started at age of 31, when he was elected the youngest mayor of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1994, Schulz became a member of the European Parliament, first serving on the Sub-Committee on Human Rights, and then on the Committee on Civil Liberties and Home Affairs. He led the Socialist Democratic Party (SPD) MEPs from 2000, and was subsequently elected vice-chair of the Socialist MEPs. As leader of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Schulz campaigned for social justice for a stronger and more democratic Europe. In 2015, he was recognized as an “outstanding mentor of a united Europe,” receiving the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen award.
KADER SEVINÇ, WRITER AND NON-RESIDENT FELLOW, CENTER FOR TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS
Kader Sevinç is a writer and a non-resident fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations (CTR). Previously, as a visiting fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations/SAIS-Johns Hopkins University in 2012, she worked on transatlantic relations and their implications on Turkey. She also served as a political advisor for the European Parliament in 2005, being appointed as Republican People’s Party (CHP) representative to the EU in 2008, and elected PES Presidency Council member (Party of European socialists & democrats) in 2010. Sevinç is a co-author of the political poetry book, The European Constitution in Verse, published in 2009, among others. She was recognized by the Diplomatic Courier magazine and the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy in Washington DC as being among the most influential young foreign policy leaders in the world in 2013.
JEANNE SHAHEEN, MEMBER, U.S. SENATE
Jeanne Shaheen serves as senior senator for the state of New Hampshire. She has served in the U.S. Senate since 2009, and is a member of the Senate Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Appropriations, and Small Business and Entrepreneurship. She chairs the Subcommittee on European Affairs, which has jurisdiction over NATO, the European Union, Russia, Turkey, Kosovo, NATO operations in Afghanistan, and energy security issues. Previously, she served as governor of New Hampshire from 1997 to 2003. During her time in the statehouse, she helped create nearly 67,000 new jobs while keeping New Hampshire’s tax burden the lowest in the country. Between her time as governor and her election to the U.S. Senate, Shaheen served as the director of Harvard University’s Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government. She holds a bachelor’s in English and a master’s in political science.
WENDY SHERMAN, UNDERSECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Ambassador Wendy Sherman was sworn in as the undersecretary for political affairs in 2011. Prior to this position, she served as the vice chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and as a member of the Investment Committee of Albright Capital Management, an affiliated investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets. Sherman served as the counsellor for the U.S. Department of State from 1997 to 2001, as well as the special advisor to President Bill Clinton and policy coordinator on North Korea. From 1993-96, she served under Secretary of State Warren Christopher as assistant secretary for legislative affairs.
ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION
Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter is the president and CEO of the New America Foundation and the Bert G. Kerstetter ’66 University Professor Emerita of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. From 2009-11, she served as the first female director of policy planning for the U.S. Department of State. Prior to her government service, Slaughter was the dean of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the J. Sinclair Armstrong Professor of International, Foreign, and Comparative Law at Harvard Law School. She has written or edited six books and is a frequent contributor to a number of publications, including The Atlantic and Project Syndicate.
PETER SPIEGEL, BRUSSELS BUREAU CHIEF, FINANCIAL TIMES
Peter Spiegel is the Brussels bureau chief for the Financial Times. He and his team have received Society of American Business Writers and Editors awards for their coverage on the eurozone debt crisis. Spiegel spent nearly five years in Washington, DC, covering foreign affairs and national security policy for the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal where he focused on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, traveling frequently to both war zones. While at the Los Angeles Times, he was co-winner of the newspaper’s top internal journalism award, the 2008 Editor’s Prize, for his coverage of the Bush administration’s surge in Iraq.
CONSTANZE STELZENMÜLLER, ROBERT BOSCH SENIOR FELLOW, CENTER ON THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE, BROOKINGS
Constanze Stelzenmüller is the inaugural Robert Bosch Senior Fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings. She is an expert on German, European, and transatlantic foreign and security policy and strategy, being previously a senior transatlantic fellow with The German Marshall Fund of the United States, where she directed the influential Transatlantic Trends survey program. She was also an editor at the German weekly DIE ZEIT, covering political, defense, and international security issues. Stelzenmüller holds a doctorate in law from the University of Bonn (1992), a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (1988), and a law degree from the University of Bonn (1985).
ANGELA STENT, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR EURASIAN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Angela Stent is director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies, and professor of government and foreign service at Georgetown University. She is also a senior fellow (non-resident) at the Brookings Institution, and senior fellow at the Transatlantic Academy. Previously, she served as a national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the U.S. National Intelligence Council in 2004, and worked in the Office of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State in 1999. Stent’s academic work focuses on the triangular political and economic relationship between the United States, Russia and Europe. Her latest book is The Limits of Partnership: U.S.-Russian Relations in the Twenty-First Century published by Princeton University Press in 2014, for which she won the American Academy of Diplomacy’s Douglas Dillon prize for the best book on the practice of American diplomacy.
PHILIP STEPHENS, CHIEF POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR, FINANCIAL TIMES
Philip Stephens is chief political commentator and associate editor at the Financial Times, where he is also a member of the editorial board. He is vice chair of the Council of the Ditchley Foundation, a member of steering group of the Anglo-French Colloque, and a member of the advisory board of the Institute for Public Policy Research. He has won the David Watt prize for Outstanding Political Journalism, Political Journalist of the Year by the U.K. Political Studies Association, and Political Journalist of the Year in the British Press Awards. Stephens was educated at Wimbledon College and Oxford University, where he took an honors degree in modern history.
JENS STOLTENBERG, SECRETARY GENERAL, NATO
Jens Stoltenberg assumed his current position as NATO secretary general in October 2014. Prior to NATO, he held several senior political positions in the Norwegian government, starting as State Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment in 1990 and as a member of parliament in 1991. Other positions have included minister of industry and energy, minister of finance, and prime minister from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2013. While he was prime minister, Norway’s defense spending increased steadily, with the result that Norway is today one of the Allies with the highest per capita defense expenditure. Under his leadership, the Norwegian government contributed Norwegian forces to various NATO operations. Stoltenberg has chaired the UN High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence and the High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing. He was UN special envoy on climate change until recently. He holds a postgraduate degree in economics from the University of Oslo.
TOMASZ SZATKOWSKI, UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE, MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE, POLAND
Tomasz Szatkowski is an undersecretary of state in the Polish Ministry of National Defense. He has a long experience in national security, especially defense policy, armaments, the supervision of special services, and public media. This expertise was acquired in his tenure in crucial national positions at the Sejm, the chancellery of the prime minister, and within the defense industry, public media, and the European Parliament. Szatkowski is the author of many publications published both in Poland, and abroad. He was also awarded scholarships by the Ministry of National Defense of the United Kingdom (2004), the U.S. Department of State (2007), and was named an Asmus Policy Entrepreneurs Fellow of The German Marshall Fund of the United States (2013). Szatkowski completed post-graduate studies in the field of national security at the University of Warsaw, and war studies at King's College London.
KONRAD SZYMAŃSKI, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS, POLAND
Konrad Szymański was appointed to the posts of secretary of state for European affairs and prime minister’s plenipotentiary for European Council meetings in November 2015. From 2004 to 2014, he was a member of the European Parliament from the Law and Justice Party. He sat on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy, where he dealt with eastern affairs, the EU’s relations with the Eastern Partnership countries, and the EU’s energy security. In 2013 and 2014, Polityka and Rzeczpospolita, respectively, voted him one of the best Polish members of the European Parliament. From 2002 to 2009, Szymański was editor-in-chief of the bimonthly Międzynarodowy Przegląd Polityczny (International Political Review), and from 2000 to 2002 he was TV Puls’ program editor. He graduated in 1995 from the Faculty of Law of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan.
AKIHIKO TANAKA, PROFESSOR, THE UNIVERSITY TOKYO
Akihiko Tanaka is a professor of international politics at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University Tokyo. He served as president of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from 2012 to 2015. Tanaka has numerous books and articles on world politics, and security issues in Japanese and English including, The New Middle Ages: The World System in the 21st Century, published by the International House of Japan in 2002. He was also recognized for his academic achievements, receiving the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2012. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in international relations at the University of Tokyo and a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
NEERA TANDEN, PRESIDENT & CEO, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS
Neera Tanden is president and CEO of the Center for American Progress (CAP) and the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Most recently, she served as chief operating officer for the Center, where she oversaw strategic planning, operations, and fundraising. Prior to Obama’s presidential campaign, Tanden was senior vice-president for academic affairs at CAP, and one of the first senior staff members at the Center. She has appeared on several news channels, such as NBC, CNN, and Fox. She was named one of the “Most Influential Women in Washington” by National Journal and received the India Abroad Publisher’s Award for Excellence in 2011. Tandem was recently included on Elle magazine’s “Women in Washington Power List” and recognized as one of Fortune magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Politics.” She received her bachelor of science from the University of California, Los Angeles and her law degree from Yale Law School.
JONATHAN TAYLOR, VICE PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK
Jonathan Taylor has been vice president of the European Investment Bank since 2013. He is a member of the EIB’s Management Committee, which draws up the bank’s financial and lending policies, oversees its day-to-day business, and takes collective responsibility for the bank’s performance. Taylor has particular responsibility for the bank’s activities in Greece, Cyprus, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Asia. He also leads on the bank’s work in energy, climate action, and in other environmental lending policies. Internally, he is responsible for a range of control functions, such as audit, compliance, and related matters. Previously, he was director general of Financial Services and Stability at HM Treasury (the U.K. Finance Ministry), and has held a range of posts in both the private, and public sectors. Taylor is a graduate of the University of Oxford, in philosophy, politics, and economics.
SYLKE TEMPEL, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, INTERNATIONALE POLITIK, GERMAN COUNCIL OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Dr. Sylke Tempel is the editor-in-chief of Internationale Politik, published by the German Council of Foreign Affairs. She has studied political science, holds a master’s degree from the Universität München, and was awarded a Ph.D. in history, political science and Jewish studies at the University of Armed Forces, Munich. She teaches international relations at the Stanford Study Center in Berlin and is a visiting lecturer at Stanford University. She has served as a Middle East correspondent for several German magazines, and her collaborative work on the book We Just Want to Live Here won the prestigious Quadriga Prize in 2003.
NATHALIE TOCCI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, ISTITUTO AFFARI INTERNAZIONALI
Nathalie Tocci is deputy director of Istituto Affari Internazionali, editor of The International Spectator, and special adviser to EU HRVP Federica Mogherini, in charge of outreach to think tanks and coordination of work on a new European Security Strategy. She is honorary professor at the University of Tübingen, and has held research positions at the Centre for European Policy Studies, the Transatlantic Academy, and the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies. Her research interests are European foreign policy, conflict resolution, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Tocci is the co-author of major publications, such as Turkey and the European Union, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2015 and Turkey’s European Future: Behind the Scenes of America’s Influence on EU-Turkey Relations, published in 2011, among others. She won the 2008 Anna Lindh Award for the study of European foreign policy.
MICHAEL R. TURNER, MEMBER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The Honorable Michael Turner is a Republican representative of the state of Ohio and was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 2002. He was in private practice and corporate law for 13 years before entering public office. He also served two terms as mayor of Dayton, Ohio. He has pursued trade opportunities with Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Croatia as a result of the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords, and developed Sister City partnerships with Holon, Israel; Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Zagreb, Croatia. In the 114th Congress, he serves on the committees of Oversight and Government Reform and Armed Services, where he is chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. In 2015, he was appointed to the House Intelligence Committee. Turner has been chairman of the U.S. Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly since 2011, and was elected president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in December 2014.
LUC TUYMANS, ARTIST, BELGIUM
Luc Tuymans is considered one of the most significant European painters of his generation. Tuymans has inherited from the vast tradition of Northern European painting, and explores issues of history and memory, offering fresh perspectives on the medium of painting, as well as larger cultural issues. He has worked with Zeno X Gallery since 1990, and has been the focus of numerous retrospectives at various international institutions. Tuymans represented Belgium at the Venice Biennale in 2001, and his works are featured in the collections of prominent institutions worldwide, including the Art Institute of Chicago; the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and the Tate Gallery, London. Photo Credit: Alex Salinas
SERGEY UTKIN, HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT, CENTRE FOR SITUATION ANALYSIS, RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Sergey Utkin has been the head of department of strategic assessment at the Centre for Situation Analysis, Russian Academy of Sciences since 2012. Previously, he served as head of section for political aspects of European integration at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Russian Academy of Sciences. Utkin is the author of “EU and Russia in the Changing Security Architecture: Prospects for Interaction” published in 2010 in Russian. His research focuses on the EU’s foreign policy and security, the EU’s relations with Russia and the United States, and Russia’s foreign policy in the Euroatlantic area. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from The Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), and a bachelor’s degree from the Moscow Pedagogical State University.
JEAN-PASCAL VAN YPERSELE, VICE-CHAIR, IPCC
Jean-Pascal van Ypersele is vice-chair of the IPCC and candidate IPCC Chair. He has a Ph.D. in physics from the Université Catholique de Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium,) where he is full professor of climatology and sustainable development sciences, and co-directs the master’s program in science and management of the environment. He did his doctoral research on the modelling of Southern Ocean and sea ice at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research. He has been involved in IPCC since 1995. He has participated in UN conferences on climate issues since 1979, and was instrumental in creating the UN work program on climate communication and education in 2002. He is a member of the Belgian Royal Academy and holds numerous awards in science and science communication.
IVAN VEJVODA, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAMS, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Until September 2010, Ivan Vejvoda was executive director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy, a project of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). He came to GMF in 2003 from service in the Serbian government as senior advisor on foreign policy and European integration to Prime Ministers Zoran Djindjic and Zoran Zivkovic. Prior to this, he served as executive director of the Belgrade-based Fund for an Open Society from 1998 to 2002. During the mid 1990s, he held various academic posts in the United States and the United Kingdom. Vejvoda was a key figure in the democratic opposition movement in Yugoslavia through the 1990s and is widely published on the subjects of democratic transition, totalitarianism, and post-war reconstruction in the Balkans.
ALEXANDER VERSHBOW, DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL, NATO
Alexander Vershbow is the deputy secretary-general of NATO. Previously, Vershbow served as the U.S. assistant secretary of defence for international security affairs for three years. In that role, he was responsible for coordinating U.S. security and defence policies relating to the nations and international organizations of Europe including NATO, the Middle East, and Africa. From 1977 to 2008, Vershbow was a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service. He served as the U.S. ambassador to NATO, the Russian Federation, and most recently to the Republic of Korea. He has held numerous senior positions in Washington, including special assistant to the president and senior director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, and director for Soviet Union affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
ECKART VON KLAEDEN, VICE PRESIDENT EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, DAIMLER AG
Eckart von Klaeden is a lawyer by training. He started his political career as a spokesman of the CDU in Lower Saxony before he became a member of the German Federal Parliament in 1994. There he held a number of posts: from 2000 to 2005 as parliamentary secretary, from 2005 to 2009 as foreign policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU faction in the German Federal Parliament, and from 2006 to 2010 as treasurer of the CDU. From 2004 to 2013, he was a member of the federal board of the CDU, and since 2006 he has also been a member of the executive committee. In 2009, he assumed office as minister of state of the federal chancellor. In November 2013, von Klaeden joined Daimler AG as vice president, external affairs where he is responsible for external relations and Daimler’s political dialogue worldwide.
CHRISTOPH VON MARSCHALL, CHIEF DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT, DER TAGESSPIEGEL
Christoph von Marschall is chief diplomatic correspondent for Der Tagesspiegel, vice president of the Berlin Press Club, and a frequent commentator on foreign policy and global issues on TV and radio. Prior joining Der Tagesspiegel, he started his journalistic career with Süddeutsche Zeitung in Munich, covering the flight of GDR-refugees through Hungary and the democratic revolutions in Romania and Bulgaria in 1989. From 2005 to 2013, he served as Washington bureau chief and White House correspondent, as well as writing the first German biography of Barack Obama in 2007, followed by a biography of First Lady Michelle Obama in 2009. He received several awards, including the German-Polish Journalist Award and the Order of Merits of Poland awarded by the Polish president in 2005, and the Media Award of the Steuben-Schurz-Society in 2010. He studied East European history at Freiburg University.
THE HONORABLE KELLY R. WELSH, GENERAL COUNSEL, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Kelly R. Welsh is general counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Previously, he served as executive vice president and general counsel of Northern Trust Corporation, as executive vice president, and general counsel for Ameritech Corporation, and as corporation counsel for the City of Chicago. Prior to serving as Corporation Counsel, he was a partner at the law firm Mayer Brown. After graduating from law school, Welsh was a judicial clerk for the Honorable Luther M. Swygert of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He also served as board chair of the Metropolitan Pier, and Exposition Authority in Chicago, and the New York University Institute of Judicial Administration, and as a trustee of the University of Chicago Medical Center, and the Field Museum of Natural History. Welsh received a bachelor’s from Harvard College, a master’s from Sussex University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
TED WHITESIDE, ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY NATO HQ
Before taking up his current duties, Ted Whiteside was secretary of the North Atlantic Council, and director of the NATO Ministerial and Summit Task Force in Brussels, and before that he held the position of Director of the NATO Weapons of Mass Destruction Centre. In his current capacity, he is responsible for guiding the Alliance’s public diplomacy strategies, and overseeing their implementation in member nations and partner countries. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the governor general of Canada for the negotiations conducted with the Federal Republic of Germany. He is a graduate of the NATO Defense College, did postgraduate studies in international politics in Brussels, and holds a master’s from the University of Montréal and a bachelor’s from York University.
GUILLAUME XAVIER-BENDER, TRANSATLANTIC FELLOW, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF THE UNITED STATES
Guillaume Xavier-Bender is a transatlantic fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States in Brussels, where he works on issues related to political economy, economic security, and the transatlantic economy. Xavier-Bender joined GMF in 2010 as a program associate for economic policy, before becoming a program officer coordinating GMF’s activities related to trade, development, and the transatlantic economy in Brussels. Prior to joining GMF, he worked for the French Prime Minister’s Services in Paris. He holds a master’s degree in international economic policy from Sciences Po in Paris, a master’s degree in diplomacy and strategic negotiations from the Université Paris-Sud XI, and a bachelor’s in international law from the Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas. A native of France, Xavier-Bender has also lived in the United States, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
WITOLD WASZCZYKOWSKI, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, POLAND
Witold Waszczykowski is Poland’s minister of foreign affairs (MFA). He started his political career in 1992, as a senior expert in the United Nations System and the European Institutions departments in the MFA. Later, he was named deputy director of the European Institutions Department, and then of the Security Policy Department. Waszczykowski worked as head of Poland’s Liaison Office to NATO in Brussels, and became deputy permanent representative of Poland at the newly created diplomatic mission to the North Atlantic Alliance, being named Poland’s ambassador to Iran in 1999. From 2005 to 2008, he was deputy foreign minister, also serving as chief negotiator during Poland-U.S. missile shield talks. In parliament, he was deputy chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and delegate to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, being re-elected in the October general election.
XENIA WICKETT, PROJECT DIRECTOR OF THE U.S. PROGRAM AND DEAN OF THE ACADEMY FOR LEADERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, CHATHAM HOUSE
Xenia Wickett is the project director of the U.S. Program at Chatham House and the dean of the Academy for Leadership in International Affairs at Chatham House. Prior to this, she was the executive director of the PeaceNexus Foundation, based just outside Geneva, which she launched in 2009. From 2005-09, Dormandy was at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, where she was the director of the Project on India and the Subcontinent and the executive director for Research, as well as being a member of the Center’s board. She is a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government with a master’s in public policy. She earned her bachelor’s of arts degree from Oxford University.
LANXIN XIANG, PROFESSOR, INTERNATIONAL HISTORY AND POLITICS, GRADUATE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES, GENEVA
Lanxin Xiang is a professor of international history and politics at the Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI), Geneva. Previously, he served as the director of China Policy Analysis at HEI, and held the Henry A. Kissinger Chair of Foreign Policy and International Affairs at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, in 2003-04. In 2015, Xiang was appointed the director of the Center of the New Silkroad (One Belt, One Road) Studies, a presidential project located in Shanghai. He is also senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, contributing editor at Survival, IISS, London, and a columnist or regular commentator for Pengpai News, South China Morning Post, and Global Times. A graduate of Fudan University in Shanghai, he has a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University.
CARLTON YEARWOOD, SENIOR PARTNER, TRUE BLUE INCLUSION
Yearwood is currently a Senior Partner for True Blue Inclusion, a membership-based diversity and inclusion think tank and organization transformation consulting practice, designed to support senior diversity executives in the design, development and deployment of next practices for organizations committed to an engaged high performing global workforce. Prior, Yearwood served as the chief ethics and diversity officer for Waste Management, where he was responsible for leading the company's business ethics and diversity strategy, and managing director of diversity and worklife initiatives for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Yearwood also served as director of diversity, EEO compliance and worklife for the Allstate Insurance Company. Prior to pursuing a career in corporate America, Yearwood was a community activist in the city of New York. He is a former U.S. Marine and a Vietnam veteran. He has degrees in inner city studies and business from the University of New York.