Dr. Alturki is Vice President of Research at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) and oversees KAPSARC’s research programs. He is also the Chair of T20 Saudi Arabia, a G20 Engagement Group.

Externally, Dr. Alturki is a board member of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center. He was the chief economist and head of research at Jadwa Investment Company and an independent board member of the General Authority of Statistics.

Dr. Alturki has a proven track record in economics with more than 20 years’ experience. Before joining Jadwa, he was the chief economist at Barclays Saudi Arabia and prior to Barclays, was an economic specialist at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority. He also worked as an economist at the Middle East and Central Asia Department of the International Monetary Fund.

Dr. Alturki graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration from King Saud University. He obtained his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Economics at the University of Oregon.

President and Founder of the Emirates Policy Center, one of the most eminent think tanks in the Arab World, Dr. Al Ketbi is also a Professor of Political Science at the United Arab Emirates University. In recognition of her role and the great respect she enjoys as part of the distinguished elite in the UAE and the Gulf region, Dr. Al Ketbi was appointed in 2015 as member of the Consultative Commission of the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC). She was also chosen in 2018 in the list of 50 Most Influential Women in the Arab World. In 2019, Dr. Al Ketbi received the Women Super Achiever Award during the World Women Leadership Congress.

Saud Al Sarhan heads the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh as its Secretary General, prior to which he was the Director of Research at the Center. He obtained his PhD from the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter in the UK, where he is now an Honorary Senior Research Fellow. He is also Associate Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King’s College, London, and is on the Board of Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute of Diplomatic Studies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia and a Distinguished International Affairs Fellow of the National Council on US-Arab Relations, Washington D.C., USA. He is also on the Advisory Council for The Countering Terrorism & Extremism Programs of Middle East Institute, Washington D.C., USA.

His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was born on February 15, 1945, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. H.R.H. began his schooling at the Model School in Taif and went on to gain his high school diploma at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. H.R.H. then completed his studies at Georgetown University.

His Royal Highness was appointed as an Advisor at the Royal Court in 1973. In 1977 H.R.H. was appointed Director General (with a rank of Minister) of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID), Saudi Arabia's main foreign intelligence service and served as the head of the GID until August 2001.

In October 2002 His Royal Highness was appointed as the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. H.R.H. served in that position until July 2005, when he was appointed as Ambassador to the United States. He retired in February 2007.

A Founder and Trustee of the King Faisal Foundation, His Royal Highness is also the Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.

Additionally, His Royal Highness is a Trustee of the Oxford Islamic Center at Oxford University and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) at Georgetown University. H.R.H. received an honorary PhD in Law in 2010 from the University of Ulster in Ireland, an honorary PhD in International Politics in 2011 from the University of Hankuk in Korea and an honorary PhD in 2015 from the University of Shanghai. H.R.H. is a visiting Distinguished Professor at Georgetown University.

His Royal Highness is an active participant in the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting, the Global Economic Symposium, and the Clinton Global Initiative’s Annual Meeting. H.R.H. is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Library of Alexandria, a member of the Board of the Beirut Institute, member of the Board of Trustees of the Council for Arab & International Relations, member of the Board of Directors of Al-Quds Fund & Endowment and a member of the Advisory Council of the Munich Security Conference. In September 2015, the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’ appointed H.R.H. as an honorary professor and the Fondazione Mediterraneo in Naples, Italy granted Mediterranean Award for Diplomacy 2015 to H.R.H.

H.E. Dr. Fahad Almubarak was appointed State Minister and Member of Saudi Council of Ministers in 2019. Dr. Almubarak is also the Saudi G20 Sherpa since September 2018. Before that, Dr. Almubarak served as an Advisor to the Saudi Royal Court and he was the Secretary-General of G20 Saudi Secretariat from 2017.

He has held several executive positions in the past 38 years in both government and private sectors. He was the Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) from 2011 to 2016, Member of the Shoura Council, Chairman and Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Saudi Arabia from 2005 to 2011, and he was the first Chairman of Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul).

Dr. Almubarak started his career as Assistant Professor at King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals. Dr. Almubarak also served as chairman and board member in numerous private and public companies, spanning industries such as telecommunications, banking, investment, insurance, commerce and industry.

Aljawhara Al Quayid is a senior research analyst in the Policy and Decision Science program at KAPSARC with research interests in political economy, international affairs and environmental policy. She is currently the coordinator of the T20 task force on Covid-19: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Complex Problems. Prior to joining KAPSARC, she was an intern at KPMG’s Deal Advisory unit. Aljawhara holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration with a focus on finance from Alfaisal University).

Dr. Mohammed Al Sudairi is a non-resident Senior Researcher and Head of the Asian Studies Unit. He holds a PhD in Comparative Politics from the University of Hong Kong, a double degree (Masters) from Peking University and the London School of Economics in International Relations and International History, as well as an undergraduate degree in International Politics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He is fluent in Arabic, English, and Mandarin. His research interests encompass Sino-Middle Eastern relations, Islamic and leftist connections between East Asia and the Arab World, and Chinese politics.

His Excellency Abdullah A. Al Swaha is a skilled senior-level executive motivated by a deep-rooted belief in the power of transformation in bringing structure to the chaos of disruption. He has built multi-billion riyal, high-performing organizations in both the private and public sector over the past two decades of his career.

Al Swaha was appointed Minister of Communications and Information Technology in April 2017 with a mandate to drive the evolution of the Kingdom’s digitally driven economy. Prior to assuming his ministerial post, he headed the National Digitization Unit and is considered a chief architect behind Saudi Arabia’s national digital identity scheme, adoption of open data practices and digital entrepreneurship, essential to the Kingdom’s public sector digital transformation. Before entering public service, Al Swaha was CEO and Managing Director of Cisco Saudi Arabia. Under his leadership, the company remained the leading digitization partner in Saudi Arabia and the region. More notable was his foundation of Ubieva, a social entrepreneurial incubator that went on to launch Cura, the Middle East’s first mobile app centered doctor consultation platform. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from King Fahd University (KFUPM), a degree in Computer Science from the University of Washington, and has attended an Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School.

Vinton G. Cerf is Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google. With Robert Kahn, Vint is the co-designer of the architecture of the Internet. In 1997 they received the U.S. National Medal of Technology and in 2005, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the ACM Turing Award. In April 2008 they shared the Japan Prize for their work and in 2013, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. He is a member of the US National Academies of Science and Engineering and the Legion d’Honneur.

Vint Cerf served as chairman of the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) from 2000-2007 and he has been a Visiting Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 1998.

He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UCLA and twenty-nine honorary degrees.

Dr. Chan assumed his role as the third president of KAUST in September 2018 after nearly a decade as president of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He has expanded KAUST’s research emphasis from energy, water, food and environment to include digital and health, launching new initiatives in Artificial Intelligence, Smart Health, Cyber Security and Circular Carbon. He is increasing investment and capacity in innovation, entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer. By positioning the University to leverage Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 strategic plan, he is strengthening its engagement with the nation.

Before joining KAUST, President Chan was Assistant Director of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate at the US National Science Foundation from 2006 to 2009. He taught Computer Science at Yale University before joining UCLA as Professor of Mathematics in 1986 and was Chair of the Department of Mathematics in 1997 and later Dean of Physical Sciences. He was a co-founder and Director of the US NSF funded National Math Institute IPAM.

He serves as a member of the Board/Council/Directors of the Future Investment Initiative Institute; King Abdulaziz City of Science & Technology; the Biotechnology City Initiative of Riyadh; Skolkovo, Russia; Yidan Prize Foundation, Hong Kong; IPAM, UCLA and the Hong Kong Academy of Science. He also serves on the Advisory Board/Committee of King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals; NEOM; the Supervisory National Strategy Committee of Data and AI of the Saudi Data & AI Authority; KAIST, Korea; RIKEN, Japan; SUSTech, China; and the Academic Ranking of World Universities, China.

He received his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Engineering from Caltech and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University, followed by a Research Fellowship at Caltech. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Strathclyde. He is a member of US National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of IEEE, AAAS and SIAM. He was awarded the 2020 SIAM Prize for Distinguished Service to the Profession.

Declan Curry has been a journalist and broadcaster for more than twenty-five years, covering global business, economic and political trends and stories. He broadcasts throughout the day as a business commentator for the UK commercial radio station LBC News.

He presented programmes and reported for BBC radio and television over two decades, in the UK and for global audiences. He has broadcast for the American network ABC, and has appeared on radio or television in Ireland, Europe and Australia.

Mr. Curry has brought his experience in the media to the speaking circuit. He chairs and speaks at conferences around the world and is skilled in moderating digital events remotely for the post-Coronavirus age.

He has been published in newspapers, magazines and online publications in the UK, Europe and the United States. He has won several awards for his broadcasting and is an honorary doctor of Middlesex University in London.

Mr. El Aynaoui is the President of the Policy Center for the New South as well Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences and Executive Vice-President of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.

From 2005 to 2012, he worked at the Central Bank of Morocco as the Director of Economics, Statistics and International Relations. Prior to this, he served as an economist at the World Bank.

He holds scientific and advisory positions in various institutions, including the Malabo-Montpellier Panel, the Moroccan Capital Market Authority, and the French Institute of International Relations. He is also advisor to the CEO and Chairman of the OCP Group, and serves as a board member of the OCP Foundation and as a global member of the Trilateral Commission. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Bordeaux.

Zaid Eyadat is a political scientist and game theorist, the Director of Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan, the founding Dean of the Prince al-Hussein School of International Studies at the University of Jordan, where remains a full Professor. He has held professorships and visiting scholarships at various US and European universities.

He has also consultant and advisory roles in Government and Non-Governmental Institutions, including the Hashemite Royal Court in Jordan. Zaid Eyadat is also the founder of Jordan Youth Commission, Chair of the Board of Arab Renaissance for Development and Democracy (ARDD), a Member of the Steering Committee in the Center for Ethics and Global Politics at the University of Rome as well as the West Asia and North Africa Institute (WANA).

His research interests include game theory and modelling, methodologies, political Islam, Islamic philosophy and ethics, Middle East politics, and refugee and migration issues. Zaid Eyadat has been published internationally, having most recently written “Islam, State and Modernity: Mohammad Abed al-Jabir and the Future of the Arab World” and “Migration, Security and Citizenship in the Middle East”.

Frey completed his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition in 2011. He subsequently joined the Oxford Martin School where he founded the programme on the Future of Work with support from Citigroup.

Frey is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, University of Oxford, and a Senior Fellow of the Department of Economic History at Lund University, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). In 2019, he joined the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the New Economic Agenda, as well as the Bretton Woods Committee. In 2020, he became a member of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI).

Frey has served as an advisor and consultant to international organisations, think tanks, government and business, including the G20, the OECD, the European Commission, the United Nations, and several Fortune 500 companies. He is also an op-ed contributor to the Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, Scientific American, and the Wall Street Journal, where he has written on the economics of artificial intelligence, the history of technology, and the future of work.

Frey frequently appears in international broadcast media, including CNN, BBC, PBS News Hour, Al Jazeera, and Sky News. His most recent book, The Technology Trap, was selected a Financial Times Best Books of the Year in 2019.

Dr. Florence Gaub is the Deputy Director of the EU Institute of Security Studies. Her research career has taken her from conflict and war in the Middle East and North Africa to institutional change and geopolitical shifts. In 2019, she penned the “Global Trends to 2030” report for the European Union's foresight network. In her work, she focuses on long-term trends, challenges and opportunities, and how-to future-proof societies for them. Previously employed at NATO Defence College, she holds a PhD from Humboldt University of Berlin, as well as degrees from Sciences Po Paris, the Sorbonne and the University of Munich.

David M. Hannah is Professor of Hydrology, UNESCO Chair in Water Science, and College Director of Research for Life & Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham. His research ambition is to understand water cycle processes, hydrological events (flood, drought) and water-related impacts under climate and other drivers of change. He is recognized internationally for his pioneering interdisciplinary work linking hydrology / water science with climatology, ecology and society. He was honored with the prestigious Tison Award (2014) from the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS); and, in 2019, he became a Royal Society Wolfson Fellow. His research has significant blue skies and applied implications for understanding and responding to impacts of climate change / variability on hydrological systems and water-dependent ecosystems, and the management / conservation of freshwaters. Beyond academia, he provides advice to government agencies, water industries, and regulators.

William A. Haseltine PhD is a scientist, businessman, philanthropist and author. He is an internationally recognized expert on COVID-19 and is often sought out for advice on how to confront pandemics.

He was a professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health and is well known for his pioneering work on cancer, HIV/AIDS, and genomics. He has founded more than a dozen biotechnology companies, including Human Genome Sciences, Inc. Eight pharmaceutical products from companies he founded are currently approved by U.S. and international regulatory agencies.

He is the author of more than 200 peer reviewed manuscripts and ten books, including two books on COVID: A Family Guide to COVID and A COVID Back to School Guide. He is currently Chair and President of the global health think tank ACCESS Health International.

Dr. Keyu Jin is a tenured Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics, where she researches on topics of globalization and the Chinese economy. She is from Beijing, China, and holds a B.A., M.A., and PhD from Harvard University. Several of her academic articles on international macroeconomic and China have been published in journals such as the American Economic Review. She is a non-executive director to Richemont Group, the second largest luxury conglomerate. She contributes op-ed pieces to the Financial Times, and has a column in the Project Syndicate as well as Caixin, the main economics and finance magazine in China. She has had prior experience at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, New York Fed, the World Bank and the IMF. She was named Young global leader by the World Economic Forum in 2014.

Rajat Kathuria is Director and Chief Executive at Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), New Delhi. He has over 20 years’ experience in teaching and 15 years’ experience in economic policy, besides research interests on a range of issues relating to regulation and competition policy.

He has worked with the World Bank, Washington D.C. as a consultant and carried out research assignments for a number of international organizations, including ILO, UNCTAD, LirneAsia, World Bank and ADB. He has published in international and national journals, besides in popular magazines and newspapers. He is founder member of Broadband Society for Universal Access and served on the Board of Delhi Management Association. He is on several government committees and on the research advisory council of SBI. He has an undergraduate degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, a Masters from Delhi School of Economics and a PhD degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Masamichi Kono was appointed Deputy Secretary-General in August 2017. His portfolio includes OECD policy on environment, tax, trade and agriculture, along with financial and enterprise affairs. He oversees the horizontal projects and initiatives on infrastructure and sustainable growth and also represents the OECD at the Financial Stability Board.

Mr. Kono has had a long career in financial supervision and the regulation of financial services, in Japan and globally. He was Vice Minister for International Affairs of the Japanese Financial Services Agency (JFSA), prior to his appointment at the OECD.

He served as Chairman of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Technical Committee (April 2011-May 2012), and thereafter as Chairman of the IOSCO Board (until March 2013). He was also the Co-chair of the Financial Stability Board Regional Consultative Group for Asia (July 2013-June 2015), and Chairman of the IFRS Foundation Monitoring Board (February 2013-June 2016). Previously, he was Secretary to the World Trade Organization’s Trade in Financial Services Committee (1995-99).

Jules Kortenhorst is the CEO of Rocky Mountain Institute. He is a recognized leader on global energy issues and climate change.

Since 1982, Rocky Mountain Institute has advanced market-based solutions that transform global energy use to create a clean, prosperous and secure future. An independent, nonprofit think-and-do tank, RMI engages with businesses, communities and institutions to accelerate the shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables.

Prior to RMI, Jules was the founding CEO of the European Climate Foundation, the largest philanthropic organization dedicated to climate change in Europe. Before launching ECF, he was a member of the Dutch parliament for the Christian Democratic Party.

During the first 20 years of his career, Jules was the CEO for International Operations of ClientLogic Corporation, worked for almost 10 years for Royal Dutch / Shell, and began his career as an analyst at McKinsey & Co.

Ms. Majdalani holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning (Syracuse University) and worked with Dar Al-Handasah Consultants (London). She has publications on green economy, integrated management of water resources, housing development and sustainable cities, and has led multi-stakeholders’ programs and initiatives on climate change, governance of natural resources and water-energy-food security interlinkages.

Gustavo Martínez is currently International Relations and Managing Director of CARI – Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales, Argentine Think20 Executive Director and Country Key Expert for the European Union Policy and Outreach Partnership and Cultural Diplomacy Platform in Argentina. Until last year he also served as Head Adviser in the Argentine Parliament to the Nation, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and Academic Director and Professor of Master of Diplomacy and Foreign Policy in UCES (Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales).

Previously, he served Secretary General of the Università di Bologna, Buenos Aires Headquarters and Academic Coordinator for its Master in International Relations Europe – Latin America. He lectured on Political Decision Theory, History of Political Ideas, and History of Social Policy in Argentina I.

Mr. Martínez holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Belgrano University and a Master’s in Education from the University Torcuato Di Tella.

James G. McGann is a Senior Lecturer of International Studies at the Lauder Institute, Director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program and a Senior Fellow at the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. He has served as a consultant and advisor to the World Bank; the United Nations; the Asian Development Bank; the United States Agency for International Development; the Soros, Rockefeller, MacArthur, Hewlett and Gates foundations; the Carnegie Corporation; and foreign governments on the role of non-governmental, public policy and public engagement organizations in civil society. He has served as the Senior Vice President for the Executive Council on Foreign Diplomats, the Public Policy Program Officer for the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Assistant Director of the Institute of Politics, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and as Senior Advisor to the Citizens’ Network for Foreign Affairs and the Society for International Development.

Dr. McGann earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and has authored over 15 books on think tanks and is the creator and editor of the annual Global Go To Think Tank Index. He regularly teaches courses on international organization, international law and global public policy. His research and consulting has taken him to 114 countries.

Dr. Musumba is the Chairperson of the Board of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), a State Corporation which is the Government of Kenya’s Think Tank. Among KIPPRA’s constitutive mandates are the development of capacities in public policy research and analysis; assisting the government in policy formulation and implementation; and undertaking public policy research relevant to governance and its implications to development. With specific regard to youth, KIPPRA developed the Kenya Youth Development Policy, 2018, on behalf of the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs.

Dr. Musumba is also the Managing Partner at Dr. Linda Musumba & Co. Advocates, a Law Firm that specializes in litigation, commercial law and conveyancing, pensions, legal audit and compliance, as well as research and training around labour issues, gender, electoral and constitutional issues.

Robin Niblett became the Director of Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs) in January 2007. From 2001 to 2006, Dr Niblett was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Dr Niblett is an expert on UK foreign policy, European political and economic security and transatlantic relations. He is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Geopolitics. He was a Special Adviser to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee (2015-17); a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Europe (2018-19) and Global Future Council on International Security (2016).

Danielle Nierenberg is the co-founder and president of Food Tank, a research and advocacy organization focused on building a better food system. She holds an M.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and spent two years volunteering for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. She is the 2020 recipient of the Julia Child Award.

Natasha Ridge is the founding Executive Director of the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research. Prior to this appointment, she was the Acting Director of Research at the Dubai School of Government. Dr. Ridge has worked in the international education sector for over 20 years in several countries including in the United Arab Emirates, the USA, Singapore and Australia.

Natasha Ridge holds a Doctorate of Education in International Education Policy from Columbia University and has over 30 publications, including two books: “Education and the Reverse Gender Divide in the Gulf States: Embracing the Global, Ignoring the Local” and “Philanthropy in Education: Diverse Perspectives and Global Trends”. Her latest research focuses on philanthropy and education as well as education policy and strategies in the MENA region.

Nouriel Roubini is a professor of economics at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He is also CEO of Roubini Macro Associates, LLC, a global macroeconomic consultancy firm in New York, as well as Co-Founder of Rosa & Roubini Associates based out of London. At a 2006 address to the International Monetary Fund, Roubini warned of the impending recession due to the credit and housing market bubble. His predictions of these upside-down balance sheets became a reality in 2008, with the bubble bursting and reverberating around the world into a global financial crisis lasting well into the next decade.

Dr. Roubini has extensive policy experience as well as broad academic credentials. He was Co-Founder and Chairman of Roubini Global Economics from 2005 to 2016 – a firm whose website was named one of the best economics web resources by BusinessWeek, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and the Economist. From 1998 to 2000, he served as the senior economist for international affairs on the White House Council of Economic Advisors and then the senior advisor to the undersecretary for international affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department, helping to resolve the Asian and global financial crises, among other issues. The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and numerous other prominent public and private institutions have drawn upon his consulting expertise.

He has published numerous theoretical, empirical and policy papers on international macroeconomic issues and co-authored the books “Political Cycles: Theory and Evidence” (MIT Press, 1997) and “Bailouts or Bail-ins? Responding to Financial Crises in Emerging Markets” (Institute for International Economics, 2004) and “Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance” (Penguin Press, 2010).

Dr. Roubini received an undergraduate degree at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, and a doctorate in economics at Harvard University. Prior to joining Stern, he was on the faculty of Yale University’s department of economics.

Pasi Sahlberg is a Professor of Education Policy and research director at the Gonski Institute, University of New South Wales in Sydney. He is a Finnish educator who has worked as schoolteacher, teacher educator, researcher, and policymaker in Finland and has advised national education reforms around the world. Pasi has held senior education expert posts in World Bank and European Commission, and leadership positions in the Finnish Government.

He is a winner of several education awards, including Grawemeyer Award in the U.S. (2013), Robert Owen Award in Scotland (2014), and Lego Prize in Denmark (2016). His recent book is Let the Children Play! Why more play will save our schools and help children thrive (with William Doyle, 2019), and forthcoming book is Finnish Lessons 3.0: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland (January 2021).

Mark Girolami holds the Sir Kirby Laing Chair of Civil Engineering at the University of Cambridge where he also is the Lloyd’s Register Foundation – Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Data Centric. Prof. Girolami was one of the founding executive directors of the Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national institute for Data Science and AI. He is Programme Director at the Turing Institute where he leads the £60M Lloyd’s Register Foundation Data-Centric Engineering programme. He has a background in the Statistical Sciences and held the Chair of Statistics in the Department of Mathematics at Imperial College London before his election to the Sir Kirby Laing Chair at Cambridge.

Dr. Peter Gleick co-founded and is President Emeritus of the Pacific Institute in California, creating and advancing solutions to global water problems. Gleick is a hydroclimatologist focused on climate change, water and conflict, and the human right to water – work used by the UN and human rights court cases. He pioneered the concepts of the “soft path for water” and “peak water” and has worked extensively on issues related to water and international security. Gleick is a MacArthur Fellow, member of the US National Academy of Sciences, and winner of the 2018 Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization. He has a BS from Yale University, MS/PhD. from the University of California Berkeley. He is author of many scientific papers and twelve books, including The World’s Water, Bottled and Sold, and A 21st Century US Water Policy.

Ian Goldin is Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford, Professorial Fellow at Balliol College, Oxford University, Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Technological and Economic Change and founding Director of the Oxford Martin School. Ian previously was Vice President of the World Bank and the Group’s Director of Policy, after serving as Chief Executive of the Development Bank of Southern Africa and Economic Advisor to President Nelson Mandela. Ian has served as Principal Economist at the EBRD and the Director of the Trade and Sustainable Growth Programmes at the OECD Development Centre.

He has been interviewed on BBCHardTalk and is a frequent contributor to leading global media outlets. He lectures at Oxford, Tsinghua and Harvard and provides advisory and consultancy services to the IMF, UN, EU, OECD and numerous governments and companies. He has served as a non-executive Director on six globally listed companies, including as the Senior Independent Director and chaired all board committees.

Goldin holds a MSc from the London School of Economics, and DPhil from the University of Oxford. Goldin has been knighted by the French Government and received numerous awards. He has published 22 books, including Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years (co-authored with Rober Muggah) published by Penguin in August 2020. His previous books include Age of Discovery: Navigating the Storms of Our Second Renaissance and The Butterfly Defect: Why Globalization Creates Systemic Risks and What to Do, in which he predicted that a pandemic was the most likely cause of the next financial crisis.

Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies, in addition to serving as Undersecretary for International Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a post he has held since August 2015. Previously Shaikh Abdulla held the post of Director General for External Communications (2014) at the Information Affairs Authority, during which he played a pivotal role in drawing up and implementing a strategy for strengthening the country’s national communications and public engagement. Shaikh Abdulla was awarded a PhD in International Relations and Diplomacy from the École des Hautes Études Internationales, France. In 2008, he earned a Master of Law (LLM) from Queen Mary College, University of London, UK, focusing on negotiation and mediation. He also holds a Diploma in Political Development (Honors) from the Bahrain Institute for Political Development, and a Bachelor of Law (LLB) (Honours) from the Applied Science University, Jordan.

H.E. Dr. Bandar M.H. Hajjar has been President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) since 2016. Through his forward-looking programme, Dr. Hajjar envisages the IsDB, an AAA-rated multilateral development bank based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as a bank of developers playing the role of catalyst for development by building global partnerships and driving innovation through a value-chain approach to development.

Before this appointment, he served on the Shura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 12 years starting in 1998. He also served as Minister of Hajj from 2011 to 2016 and was temporarily appointed Acting Minister of Culture and Information.

Dr. Bandar Hajjar is the current chairperson of the MDBs Presidents’ Meetings for the year 2020.

Dr. Bandar Hajjar holds a bachelor's degree with first-class honors in Economics and Political Sciences from King Saud University, Riyadh, a master's degree in Economics from Indiana University, USA, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Majid Al-Moneef is the Chairman of the International Advisory Committee of King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC). He was the Secretary General of the Supreme Economic Council of Saudi Arabia and its Governor to OPEC, the Chairman of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Energy Working Group, president of the Saudi Economic Association, professor of economics and vice dean at King Saud University and president of the Arab Energy Forum, He was a member of the Saudi Consultative Assembly, the Board of Trustees of the Economic Research Forum. He was a lead author of the second and third IPCC assessment reports.

H.E. Dr. Nabeel Koshak is the CEO and a Board Member of Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC). Nabeel is the Founder and Angel Investor at Athaal (Angel Investors Group), Chairman of GEN (Global Entrepreneurship Network) Saudi, and a member of the Investment Committees of KAUST’s Innovation Fund. He is the former Founding Dean of Prince Mohammad Bin Salman College (MBSC) of Business and Entrepreneurship at King Abdullah Economic City. Nabeel is the Co-Founder and the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wadi Makkah Company (Seed Fund, Startup Accelerator, and Venture Capital Fund), and a mentor at Endeavor Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Koshak is also Chairman of the Investment Committee at King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Innovation (Mawhiba) and a Member of the Executive Committee of King Faisal International Prize. Formerly, he was a Board Member of Oqal (Angel Investors Network) Jeddah branch and a mentor at Flat6Labs Jeddah (Startup Accelerator). As an entrepreneur, Koshak was the Founder and CEO of five tech startups.

Koshak received an executive education in “Venture Capital and Private Equity” from Harvard University in 2019, an executive education from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in “Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program” and “Management, Innovation, Technology” in 2017, a PhD in Design Computing from Carnegie Mellon University in 2002, and a Master of Architecture (Computing in Design and Planning) from the University of Colorado in 1997.

LI Yong, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), has had an extensive career as a senior economic and financial policy-maker. As Vice-Minister of Finance of the People’s Republic of China and member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank for a decade, Mr. LI was involved in setting and harmonizing fiscal, monetary and industrial policies, and in supporting sound economic growth in China. He pushed forward financial sector reform, and prompted major financial institutions to establish corporate governance, deal with toxic assets and strengthen risk management. Mr. LI gave great importance to fiscal and financial measures in favor of agricultural development and SMEs, the cornerstones for creating economic opportunities, reducing poverty and promoting gender equality. He played a key role in China’s cooperation with multilateral development organizations, such as the World Bank Group and the Asian Development Bank.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Mr. LIU Zhenmin of China as the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs in July 2017. Prior to his appointment, Mr. LIU was Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of China. He also previously served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva (2011-2013).

As Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr. LIU guides UN Secretariat support for the follow-up processes of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. He also oversees the substantive services to many intergovernmental processes, including in the General Assembly and in the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies.

Mr. LIU was born in Shanxi Province, China. He holds a Master of Laws from the Law School of Peking University.

Paolo Magri is Executive Vice President of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) and Professor of International Relations at Bocconi University.

He is member of the Strategic Committee of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, member of the Europe Policy Group of the World Economic Forum (Davos) and member of the Board of Directors of the Italy-China Foundation. He is also member of the Scientific Committees of the Elcano Royal Institute, the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) and of the Military Center for Strategic Studies (Ce.Mi.S.S.).

He is a regular speaker, writer and commentator to diverse media outlet on global issues, US foreign policy, Iran and Middle East.

Previously, he served as Programme Director to the UN Secretariat in New York and, up to 2005, as Director of International Affairs at Bocconi University in Milan.

Ms. Ediola Pashollari is of Albanian nationality and holds a Master’s in Business Administration (UK), a Master’s of Arts in Political Science (UK), a Master’s in Entreprenology (USA) and also a Bachelor’s Degree in LLB (UK). She is presently the Secretary General of the World Assembly of Youth (WAY) which is headquartered in Melaka, Malaysia. In her capacity as Secretary General of WAY and Director of the World Youth Institute (WYI), she is responsible for the administration of the Secretariat and coordination of regional and international programmes and events. She is also the liaison for membership and affiliate organisations, representative of the organisation at the United Nations, intergovernmental, and non-governmental platforms, and ministries responsible for youth. She coordinates humanitarian and relief programmes around the world, and reports to the President, Executive Committee, and General Assembly.

Julia Pomares was appointed Executive Director of the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth (CIPPEC) in 2015. During the Argentine presidency of the G20 in 2018, she was co-chair of Think20 Argentina, as well as of the Social Cohesion, Global Governance and the Future of Politics Task Force.

Previously, Dr. Pomares served as Director of the Program of Political Institutions of CIPPEC. She has been a policy adviser in the UK and was in charge of the monitoring and evaluation of the electoral decentralization in Guatemala. In the city of Buenos Aires she supervised and evaluated the implementation of the first electronic voting pilot. As a specialist in public policy research and project evaluation, she collaborated with international organizations and think tanks, among them the ODI, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, UNICEF and the OAS.

Dr. Pomares holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Fernando M. Reimers is the Ford Foundation Professor of the Practice of International Education and Director of the Global Education Innovation Initiative and of the International Education Policy Masters Program at Harvard University. An expert in the field of Global Education, his research and teaching focus on understanding how to educate children and youth so they can thrive in the 21st century. He is a member of UNESCO’s high level commission on the Futures of Education. With colleagues at the OECD, the World Bank and the organization Hundred, he is leading an effort to support educational continuity during the COVID-19 Pandemic with applied research.

He has written or edited thirty-seven books, of which the most recent include: Leading Education Through COVID-19, Education and Climate Change: the Role of Universities, Implementing Deeper Learning and 21st Century Reforms: Building an education Renaissance after a Global Pandemic, Educating Students to Improve the World.

At the moment he is leading a large comparative study of how 25 universities around the world have partnered with elementary and secondary schools to sustain educational opportunity during the Pandemic. With his graduate students, he has developed three curriculum resources aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which are translated into multiple languages and widely used by schools and school systems around the world: Empowering Global Citizens, Empowering Students to Improve the World in Sixty Lessons and Learning to Collaborate for the Global Common Good.

Bingbing Wu is a senior research fellow at Peking University’s Institute for International and Strategic Studies (IISS), deputy director of the university’s Department of Arabic Language and Culture, and director of the university’s Institute of Arab-Islamic Studies. He is a fellow of China Association of Middle East Studies and deputy general secretary of China Arabic Language Education Association. He researches contemporary Middle Eastern politics, China-Middle East relations, and Islamic culture.

He was a visiting scholar in Kuwait University in 1997 and Damascus University in 2001, and received his Ph.D. in Arabic Language and Literature at Peking University in 2003.

Gabriela Ramos assumed her role as Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO in 2020. Previously, she served as the OECD Chief of Staff and Sherpa to the G20.

In her role at OECD, Gabriela set the strategic direction of the OECD’s Inclusive Growth Initiative and New Approaches to Economic Challenges. A champion for gender equality, Gabriela managed the launch of the OECD’s Gender Strategy, and pioneered initiatives such as NiñaSTEM Pueden, an initiative to challenge stereotypes and encourage young girls in Mexico to take up STEM.

Prior to joining the OCED, Gabriela held several positions in the Mexican government and created a consultancy firm specializing in environmental and social projects. She was also a Professor of International Economy at the Universidad Iberoamericana and at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México.

In 2017, Forbes recognized her efforts on inclusive growth and gender equality, awarding her the Forbes Prize for Entrepreneurial Excellence. In addition, her work as Sherpa contributed to the Leaders’ commitment to the G20 Brisbane gender target in 2014 and the creation of the W20.

She holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University and is a Fulbright and Ford MacArthur fellow.

Professor Carlos Ivan Simonsen Leal was appointed President of the Getulio Vargas Foundation in August 2000. In 1980, he graduated in Civil Engineering from the Engineering School of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), but opted for an academic life and graduated in Mathematical Economics from the “Instituto de Matemática Pura e Aplicada”, in 1982. He completed a Doctorate degree at the “Escola de Pós Graduação em Economia” – EPGE of Getulio Vargas Foundation (1980-1982) and obtained the title of Doctor in Economics from Princeton University (USA) in 1986.

He began his activities as a professor at the “Escola de Pós Graduação em Economia” – EPGE of Getulio Vargas Foundation in 1986, where he administered the following disciplines: macroeconomics, microeconomics, public finance and finance. At FGV, he held the positions of director of FGV Business, general director of EPGE, and vice-president of FGV, before taking up his current post.

Professor Carlos Ivan Simonsen Leal is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering. He has won numerous awards and titles, including in 2002 title of “Grão Cruz da Ordem Nacional do Mérito Científico” (Grão Cruz of the National Order of Scientific Merit) for his contributions to Science and Technology; the Palmes Académiques of the Republic of France through its Prime Minister’s Decree in October 2008; the Order of Naval Merit by the Brazilian Naval Service (Class of Support Commander), the Medal of the Peacemaker by the Brazilian Army; the title of “Honorary Hydrographer” granted by the Brazilian Navy (2017). He is also decorated with the Order of Naval Merit by the Brazilian Naval Service (2019) and a Commendation of the Aeronautical Merit Order (2019).

Jean-Claude Trichet is European chairman of the Trilateral Commission. He is honorary chairman of the Group of Thirty (Washington) and honorary chairman of the board of Directors of the Bruegel Institute (Brussels). He was president of the “Société de Gestion des Participations Aéronautiques” in 2012 and a member of the board of directors of Airbus group (2012-2018).

He was President of the European Central Bank (2003-2011), Governor of Banque de France (1993-2003) and under secretary of the French Treasury (1987-1993). He was named “Person of the Year” by the Financial Times in 2007 and no 5 of the "world most powerful" by Newsweek (2008). He has been awarded honorary doctorates by several universities.

Richard Thompson is an expert on Middle East business and economic affairs. As Editorial Director of MEED – the Middle East Economic Digest, he is responsible for one of the world’s most respected sources of Middle East business intelligence. He is a prominent writer and speaker on regional matters and is a passionate advocate for the Middle East, which he describes as one of the most exciting long-term growth markets in the world. After a career in the UK’s business media, Richard joined MEED in 2003, becoming Editor in 2007. He was appointed Editorial Director in 2010. Richard holds a degree in Civil Engineering with Management Law, and a Master’s degree in International Relations.

Nisha Pillai is an accomplished news presenter who worked with the BBC World News for 25 years.

Her areas of expertise span a wide range of subjects including economics, finance, IT and the energy sectors. She is also adept at covering health and social issues and has worked closely with several UN agencies such as UNICEF, UNIDO and UNAids.

Another of her ongoing clients is the scientific research institute at CERN, where Nisha was initially involved in preparing senior scientists for media interviews in the run-up to the launch of the Large Hadron Collider. She has also worked with the Director General and senior management of CERN on strategic media issues.

Nisha enjoyed a twenty-five-year career at the BBC as a news anchor and investigative reporter. For several years, she was one of the main news anchors at BBC World News and fronted the acclaimed programme, Asia Today.

She was awarded the Royal Television Society’s Award for best current affairs programme for “The Max Factor” – her investigation into the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell’s sprawling business empire, which was broadcast a month before his death. Nisha was also one of the first regular interviewers on Hard Talk, the BBC’s half-hour long interview programme.

Before assuming his present position, Saijo Tatsuyoshi was a professor at the Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University and research professor at the Center for Environmental Innovation Design for Sustainability, Osaka University. He was a member of the Science Council of Japan, and vice president of the Economic Science Association.

Prior to this, he was a professor at the Research Institute for Sustainability Science, and professor at the Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University, and held positions at the Caltech, Washington University at St. Louis, UC Santa Barbara and the University of Tsukuba.

Saijo Tatsuyoshi received a master's degree in economics from Hitotsubashi University in 1978, and a PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1985.

Ban Ki-Moon was the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving two consecutive terms, from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2016. At the time of his election as Secretary-General, Mr. Ban was his country's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. His 37 years of service with the Ministry included postings in New Delhi, Washington D.C. and Vienna, and responsibility for a variety of portfolios, including Foreign Policy Adviser to the President, Chief National Security Adviser to the President, Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and Director-General of American Affairs.

As Secretary-General, he focused on mobilizing world leaders around a set of new global challenges, from climate change and economic upheaval to pandemics and increasing pressures involving food, energy and water. He also galvanized partners from non-governmental organizations, faith groups, the business community and others active on the international stage, endeavouring to build bridges, give voice to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, and strengthen the United Nations.

He received a bachelor's degree in international relations from Seoul National University in 1970. In 1985, he earned a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Oxana Derevyanko has over 20 years’ experience in Russian media industry, focusing on television journalism, business news and economic analytics.

Oxana started her career in Russia as an editor in the news desk of Channel One and became the author and host of a morning economics news program. She has managed and hosted economics-related shows and bulletins on Channel One and on NTV TV network, has produced a programs for the Rossiya television channel. As a Head of Business Program Department Mrs Derevyanko was in charge of business news coverage on RT-TV global television network.

After relocating to Prague, she founded the “New Business Communication” News Hub and TV Production Centre in 2019 to enhance informational flow between CIS and Central European countries and to provide informational support for common business within two regions.

Oxana Derevyanko is an author and producer of numerous TV shows and PR projects dedicated to financial markets, Russian investment climate, new technologies, and energy issues. She has a particular interest in international trade and Russia’s competitiveness on the European market.

Nadira Tudor is an international multimedia broadcast journalist, presenter, host and moderator. She is currently working across a broad range of projects including news reading and news producing for the recently launched Times Radio. She is an ex-News Anchor and Correspondent for RT International, broadcasting mainly from their Moscow studio. On both RT and Times Radio, expert analysis from specialists and correspondents is commonplace and Nadira is able to interview experts from a very extensive variety of subjects to ensure that all angles are covered. She has covered Brexit, the Syrian conflict, world elections, disasters, the 2018 World Cup and international politics, to name but a few.

She began her career at the BBC as a producer, reporter and presenter simultaneously. Her corporate career has led her to star in adverts and numerous commercial campaigns including Samsung Galaxy “The Beginning”, Aardman Animations and Flybe.

Nadira has also worked as a MC, host and moderator for many years, chairing conferences, conducting interview, facilitating company meetings, moderating political and topical debates and she hosts awards ceremonies. Last year she was MC & moderator for the Global Manufacturing & Industrialisation Summit – GMIS 2019 – which led to her moderating for GMIS 2020. Others include EBAE 2020-2021, FIFA/Gazprom (Football for Kids World Cup 2018), Regional Media Conference for Journalists (Tula, Russia), WOHAA Awards ceremony and as a moderator and communications trainer for numerous military organisations including NATO, UK MOD, Royal Navy, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC).

In 2015, she won the highly acclaimed Asian Professional Award for Media and previously, an Innovation Award for the BBC, as well as receiving a nomination for the Mental Health awards whilst presenting for BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Nadira’s parallel career as a specialist in Media Communications reflects her continuing expertise and interest in Education and she holds a Masters degree in Intercultural Communication for Business and Professions from Birkbeck University.

Samir Saran is the President of Observer Research Foundation (ORF), one of Asia’s most influential think tanks. His research focuses on issues of global governance, climate change and energy policy, technology and new media, and India's foreign policy.

He curates the Raisina Dialogue, India’s annual flagship platform on geopolitics and geo-economics, and chairs CyFy, India’s annual conference on cybersecurity and internet governance. He spearheads the foundation’s efforts to foster new international partnerships and globalise its platforms and presence.

Samir is a Commissioner of The Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace, a member of the Regional Action Group of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and is a part of WEF's Global Future Council on Geopolitics. He also sits on the Board of Microsoft’s Digital Peace Now initiative.

Samir’s recent published works include “The New World Disorder And The Indian Imperative” with Shashi Tharoor and “Pax Sinica: Implications for the Indian Dawn” with Akhil Deo.

Johan Swinnen became director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in January 2020. He is a member of the Champions 12.3 Leadership Group to Reduce Food Loss and Waste (SDG Target 12.3) and serves as Commissioner of the Food Systems Economics Commission.

Dr. Swinnen was lead economist at the World Bank (2003-2004) and economic adviser to the European Commission (1998-2001). He is a fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and the European Association of Agricultural Economists; he served as president of the International Association of Agricultural Economists from 2012 to 2015.

Dr. Swinnen’s earned his PhD from Cornell University (USA). His extensive publications on agricultural and food policies, international development, political economy, institutional reforms, trade, and global value chains, and his body of work have been widely cited. His recent book, The Political Economy of Agricultural and Food Policies (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), has received the 2019 Book Award from the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE).

Nobuo Tanaka is former Chairman, and currently Special Advisor to The Sasakawa Peace Foundation. He is also Chairman of the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum (ICEF). As Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) from 2007 to 2011, he initiated a collective release of oil stocks in June 2011. He also played a crucial and personal role in the strengthening of ties with major non-member energy players, including China and India.

He began his career in 1973 in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and has served in a number of high-ranking positions, including Director-General of the Multilateral Trade System Department. He was deeply engaged in bilateral trade issues with the US as Minister for Industry, Trade and Energy at the Embassy of Japan, Washington D.C. He has also served twice as Director for Science, Technology and Industry (DSTI) of the Paris-based international organization, OECD.

Adam Sieminski is President of the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center. KAPSARC is an independent, non-profit, research think tank located in Riyadh. Its mission is to advance the understanding of energy, economics, and the environment, acting as a catalyst for dialogue.

Prior to joining KAPSARC, Mr. Sieminski held the James Schlesinger Chair for Energy and Geopolitics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. Sieminski served as Administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical division of the U.S. Department of Energy in 2012-2016. While awaiting U.S. Senate confirmation for the EIA appointment, he was the Senior Director for Energy and Environment of the U.S. National Security Council at the White House. He was previously Deutsche Bank’s chief energy economist and integrated oil company analyst.

Mr. Sieminski is an active member of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), a Senior Fellow and former President of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics (USAEE), and was President of the National Association of Petroleum Investment Analysts. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and earned both an undergraduate degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in public administration from Cornell University.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt secured herself a place in the history books when she became the first woman to hold the post as Leader of the Danish Social Democrats and in 2011 as Prime Minister of Denmark. In her latest position as CEO of Save the Children International, she held an international leading position in an organisation with an annual turnover of more than DKK 10 billion and 17,000 employees in 100 countries.

Ms Thorning-Schmidt now dedicates more time to her board roles and advisory activities as well as the international think tanks of which she is a member. In 2020, Helle joined Facebook's Oversight Board as Co-Chair. The board helps set policy for the social network.

Ms Thorning-Schmidt holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen, and a Master’s Degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges.

Torsten Thiele is a sustainable finance and ocean governance expert based at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies Potsdam (IASS). As Visiting Fellow at the LSE Institute of Global Affairs, Founder of Global Ocean Trust and a Senior Advisor to the IUCN Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility he supports policy development and researches innovative Blue Finance approaches, drawing on over 20 years’ experience in project and infrastructure finance with leading finance institutions.

Recent publications addressed blue infrastructure and nature-based solutions, innovative High Seas finance, Blue bonds, Deep sea governance and Ocean climate finance.

Torsten Thiele holds graduate degrees in law and economics from Bonn University, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School and an MPhil in Conservation Leadership from the University of Cambridge.

Nobel Laureate for Peace Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a relentless advocate for peace, democracy and women’s empowerment. 81 years young, she continues her activism through the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development and global organizations. She is also a dedicated farmer, mother and grandmother.

Elected President of the Republic of Liberia in November of 2005, she became Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state. She returned Liberia to the community of nations after decades of war, working to rebuild its economy, education and democratic institutions.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 and has received honorary doctorates from more than 15 institutions.

She holds degrees from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Madison Business College in Wisconsin, and the University of Colorado’s Economics Institute. She has written widely on global issues. In 2008 she published her critically acclaimed memoir, This Child Will Be Great.

Hossa Almutairi is a research fellow at KAPSARC. She is also currently the Think20’s (T20’s) Sherpa and is leading the T20 Saudi Arabia secretariat. She is also the lead co-chair of the T20 Saudi Arabia task force.

Before joining KAPSARC, Hossa was a faculty member at the University of Wilfrid Laurier, Canada. Her research interests include developing energy and economic models to study the impact of energy and environmental policies on economies, sustainable development and wealth accounting. Her work aims to provide policymakers and practitioners with decision support tools that can help identify the challenges, opportunities, and solutions associated with moving toward sustainable energy and sustainable business practices. Her work has been published in many peer-reviewed journals.

She holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in applied operations research from the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia.

John Defterios is CNN Business' Emerging Markets Editor and Anchor. Based in the network's Abu Dhabi bureau since 2011, his reporting focuses on the top business stories from emerging economies, with a specialty in trade, geo-politics and energy.

Defterios has built a long-standing reputation for securing exclusive interviews with high-level figures during breaking news situations including: HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rachid, PM of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Ali Al Naimi & Khalid Al Falih, Energy Ministers of Saudi Arabia, HH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud and Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto as well many of the leading CEOs in the Fortune 100.

Defterios has three decades of financial news and current affairs experience covering some of the landmarks events during that period including the Gulf War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the World Trade Centre bombings and G8/G20 summits, the L.A. Riots from his postings in London, Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Rome and the U.A.E.

He is a World Economic Forum media leader and member of the Global Agenda Council on the Arab World and serves on the board of the Stern Stewart Institute in Germany, a non-for-profit group promoting leadership and entrepreneurship.

Defterios chairs more than a dozen high level events annually including the World Economic Forum, the OPEC Seminar, the IMF Roundtable, St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Atlantic Council Energy Forum, U.A.E. World Government Summit, U.S.-Saudi Arabia Investment Summit, Islamic Development Bank Annual Meeting and Saudi Arabia's Future Investment Initiative.

He graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in Journalism and Political Economics and was a fellow at the USC's Institute of Politics and Government in Washington D.C..

Saleh is a Rsearch Associate in the Policy and Decision Science program. His interests lie in geopolitical research, international agreements and international trade. Saleh holds a master’s degree in international commerce and policy from George Mason University and a B.S. degree in economics from Pennsylvania State University.

Aljawhara Al Quayid is a senior research analyst in the Policy and Decision Science program at KAPSARC with research interests in political economy, international affairs and environmental policy. She is currently the coordinator of the T20 task force on Covid-19: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Complex Problems. Prior to joining KAPSARC, she was an intern at KPMG’s Deal Advisory unit. Aljawhara holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration with a focus on finance from Alfaisal University.

Othman Almoamar is Chair of the Youth20 (Y20) engagement group in 2020, the official youth platform and advocacy channel to the G20.

He is also a research lead at the Misk Foundation where he conducts multiple research initiatives that aim not only to understand the challenges faced by young people, but also how young people can take the lead in solving them.

Othman is a member of the Young Arab Leaders and leads the development of the Global Youth Index that tracks youth development in 25 countries and manages the content creation of various white papers on topics relevant to young people.

Dr. Andrew Steer is the President and CEO of the World Resources Institute, a global research-into-action organization dedicated to promoting economic development while protecting the natural environment.

WRI’s 1100 experts work in more than 50 countries, from offices in Brazil, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United States, and the United Kingdom. WRI focuses on seven urgent global challenges: food, forests, water, energy, urbanization, climate change and the ocean.

Dr. Steer joined WRI from the World Bank, where he served as Special Envoy for Climate Change from 2010-2012. From 2007 to 2010, he served as Director General at the UK Department of International Development (DFID) in London. This followed 10 years in East Asia, where he was Head of the World Bank in Vietnam and Indonesia.

In earlier years, Dr. Steer was Director of Environment and Social Policy at the World Bank, Chief of the Bank’s Country Risk Division, Chief Author of the 1992 World Development Report on Environment and Development, and taught economics at Cambridge University. He has written widely on the links between the economy and the natural environment.

Dr. Steer is a Global Agenda Trustee for the World Economic Forum, a Commissioner of the Global Commission on Adaptation and of the Energy Transitions Commission, a member of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), co-chair of the Climate Change Committee for HSBC, and member of the Advisory Committees of the Asian Development Bank and Bank of America.

Dr. Steer was educated at St Andrews University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Cambridge University. He holds a PhD in international economics and finance.

Joseph Stiglitz is an American economist and a professor at Columbia University. He is also co-chair of the High-Level Expert Group on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress at the OECD, and the Chief Economist of the Roosevelt Institute. A recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics (2001), he is a former chief economist of the World Bank and a former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. In 2000, Stiglitz founded the Initiative for Policy Dialogue, a think tank on international development at Columbia University. In 2011 Stiglitz was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Known for pioneering work on asymmetric information, Stiglitz focuses on income distribution, risk, corporate governance, public policy, macroeconomics and globalization. He is the author most recently of People, Power, and Profits, Rewriting the Rules of the European Economy, and Globalization and Its Discontents Revisited.

Dr. Lan Xue is a Cheung Kong Chair Distinguished Professor and Dean of Schwarzman College. In Tsinghua University, he also serves as a Deputy Director of Strategic Research Institute for Engineering, Science and Technology, Director of China Institute for S&T Policy, Co-Director of Global Institute for SDGs. His teaching and research interests include STI policy, crisis management, and global governance. From 2000-2018, He served as Associate Dean, Executive Associate Dean, and Dean of the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University.

He also serves as the Convener of the State Council Public Administration Disciplinary Review Committee, a member of the National Committee for Strategic Consultation and Comprehensive Review, the Director of Professional Committee of New Generation AI Governance, a member of the Advisory Group of STI Directory of OECD, an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University, a Non-Resident Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution, and a Co-Chair of the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solution Network (UNSDSN). He is a recipient of the Fudan Distinguished Contribution Award for Management Science, and a recipient of the Distinguished Contribution Award from Chinese Association of Science of Science and S&T Policy.

In 2018 Nik Gowing co-authored (with Chris Langdon) “Thinking the Unthinkable”. He was a main news presenter for BBC World News 1996-2014. He presented The Hub with Nik Gowing, BBC World Debates and Dateline London. For 18 years he worked at ITN. He was bureau chief in Rome and Warsaw, and Diplomatic Editor for Channel Four News (1988-1996).

He has been on the councils of Chatham House (1998-2004), the Royal United Services Institute (2005-present), the Overseas Development Institute (2007-2014), the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (1996-2005).

Nik Gowing has been a Visiting Professor at Kings College, London and Nanyang University (NTU), Singapore. In 2018 he advised the President of the UN General Assembly on leadership challenges. He has been a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Geo-Economics.

Naoyuki Yoshino is Professor Emeritus at Keio University, Japan, Director of Financial Research Center (FSA Institute, Government of Japan) and Visiting Professor at GRIPS. He was the Dean/CEO of Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) in Tokyo (2014-2020) and was the lead-chair of T20-Japan in 2019.

Naoyuki Yoshino is a Visiting scholar at MIT (USA), Visiting Scholar at the Central Bank of Japan, Visiting Professor at the University of New South Wales (Australia), and at Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques (France). He received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) and Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (Germany). He was honoured with the Fukuzawa award from Keio University for his contribution to research.

He holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins University, where his thesis supervisor was Sir Alan Walters (the UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s Economic Adviser).

With more than 15 years of experience in transformational leadership, strategy development, economics, and policy setting, Dr. Nayef Al Musehel is currently the deputy minister of policies and strategic planning (PSP) at the ministry of energy, responsible for the integrated energy strategy, which is an effort that aims to provide a holistic and integrated view of the sector’s initiatives and objectives.

Before joining the ministry, Dr. Almusehel was the director of advisory services at KAPSARC and a research fellow engaged in energy strategy, economic modelling, and energy sector research, and before that he was a financial consultant at the World Bank. His experience ranges across multiple sectors with both international and domestic engagements and policy setting.

He holds a Ph.D. in macropolitical economy and financial economics, an MBA in Finance and IT Consulting, and a B.Sc. in Decision Sciences and Information Systems from the American University in Washington D.C., and George Mason University in Virginia, respectively.

Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani is a Development Economist recognised in Arab and international government, private sector and NGO circles as a high-impact change agent focussed on women’s leadership and youth empowerment, working for progress, peace and prosperity in the Arab region and internationally. Mrs Al Kaylani’s work for the last two decades has centred on economic empowerment for women and youth, having founded AIWF in 2001 as a development organisation supporting women’s leadership in social and economic growth in the MENA region and globally. She is a Fellow of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative 2017, and a Commissioner of the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work. She is a Board Member of the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in London, a Director of the East-West Institute in New York, and a Member of the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard. She has received numerous regional and global awards for her exceptional efforts to enable and advance women and youth through education and economic engagement in the MENA region and beyond.

His Excellency Dr. Al Knawy has been Chief Executive Officer of Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA) and President of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia, since 2009. He is also an executive member of the Saudi Health Service Council, the national governing healthcare body in Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Al Knawy is a strong advocate of patient safety and quality of care and oversaw the launch of several high-impact initiatives. Under his management and direction, the Health Sciences University and King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre commissioned state-of-the-art facilities, and he has also led a system-wide implementation of the BestCare electronic health record system covering all medical services in the MNGHA network.

His latest project was the Riyadh Global Digital Health Summit, a G20-associated event that envisioned a global health system connectivity in preparedness for, and response to, global pandemics. The event has been described as one of the largest virtual health conferences of the year and was the largest one on public health combined with digital health.

Dr. Osamah Alsayegh is the Executive Director of the Energy and Building Research Center at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) under which the Shagaya Renewable Energy Park is developed and managed. He has been leading and participating in national energy system planning and strategy development projects since 2000. These include the development of a national strategy for the exploitation of renewable energy, development of sustainable national energy white paper, and Kuwait Energy Outlook. Dr. Alsayegh is Kuwait’s National Liaison Officer with the International Atomic Energy Agency. He was a Technical Coordinator in the former Kuwait National Nuclear Energy Committee. Dr. Alsayegh received his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees all in Electrical Engineering in 1990, 1995 and 1999, respectively.

Dr. Al Shamlan is Director of the European Studies Center and Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Prince Saud AL Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies in Riyadh. Previously, he acted as political consultant for the GCC General Secretariat (2012-2014).

His publications and research interests include Gulf security, political developments in the Middle East, Saudi-American relations, Saudi-British relations, GCC-EU relations, foreign policy analysis, contemporary theories of international politics, recent conceptualizations of “the political” and recent approaches in political analysis.

Dr. Shamlan received a B.A. Honors in Political Science (Carlton University-Canada, 1985), an M.A. in Political Science (Essex University, UK, 1988) and a PhD in Political Science (Essex University, UK, 1994).

Dr. Maha Abdullah Al Sulaiman is Deputy of Educational Programs at the Ministry of Education, Saudi Arabia. She previously served as General Manager of the General Directorate of Special Education; Dean of the College of Education and Dean of Development and Skills Enhancement at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University. She was also Assistant Professor at the Special Education Department at both Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University and Arabian Gulf University in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Dr. Al Sulaiman completed the Pioneering Executive Leaders Program at INSEAD Business School.