Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Helle Thorning-Schmidt has an extensive background spanning politics, international relations and business. In 2017, she was named as one of the world’s greatest leaders by Fortune magazine. As Prime Minister of Denmark from 2011-2015, Helle steered Denmark through a difficult financial crisis while reducing child poverty and increasing spending on education....
Francois Hollande
François Hollande was the recent President of France. During his mandate, he carried out important reforms which began to restore the competitiveness and growth of the French economy. Hollande’s presidency was marked by the action he took against international terrorism and climate change. By deploying French troops to Mali...
Herman Van Rompuy
Herman Van Rompuy was the first President of the European Council of Heads of State and Government. In December 2009, upon the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, he was appointed as permanent president of the European Council. In 2012, he was re-elected for a second term, which...
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen has been at the centre of European and global politics for three decades as a leading Danish parliamentarian, Minister for Taxation (1987-92), Minister for Economic Affairs (1990-92), Prime Minister of Denmark (2001-09) and Secretary General of NATO (2009-14). In 2014, Rasmussen established Rasmussen Global, which provides...
Stephen D. King
Stephen King is a successful economist and author. Stephen’s latest book, Grave New World (Yale) – described by Lawrence Summers, former US Treasury Secretary, as ‘a very important book at a crucial time’ – was published in May 2017 to considerable critical claim: long-listed for the FT-McKinsey Business Book...
Sir Peter Westmacott
Sir Peter Westmacott was British Ambassador to the United States from 2012-16. Prior to his position in the United States, Sir Peter served as Ambassador to France from 2007-12, and Ambassador to Turkey from 2002-06 where, in 2003, he dealt with a suicide bomb attack directed at the British...
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi served as President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) of Italy twice, from 1996-1998 and 2006-2008. He became President of the European Commission at a time of crisis, from 1999-2004. On 12 September 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon selected Prodi as president of the African...
Bronislaw Komorowski
Bronisław Maria Komorowski has led a remarkable life which eventually led to him being elected President of Poland in 2010. Earlier in his career, Komorowksi was an underground publisher during the democratic movement. In 1980 he was arrested for participating in a demonstration with the Movement for Defence of...
Lorenzo Bini Smaghi
Lorenzo Bini Smaghi is Chairman of the French bank Société Générale and was a Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank from 2005-11. During that period he acted as G7 and G20 Deputy for the euro area and was responsible for its international relations. He is...
Jack Straw
Jack Straw was Foreign Secretary 2001-06, Home Secretary 1997-2001, and Leader of the House of Commons (2006-07) under Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary 2007-10 under Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He has been described by The Guardian, a renowned UK daily newspaper, as...
