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Former Formula 1 World Champion

Damon Hill OBE is a British former racing driver from England. He was the 1996 Formula One World Champion and is the son of the late double Formula One world champion Graham Hill, and is the only son of a world champion to win the title. He retired from the sport at the end of the 1999 season, after 122 race starts. In 2006, Damon Hill became president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, succeeding Jackie Stewart.

“A living F1 legend”

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Strategy and Innovation Specialist

Renée Mauborgne is a key authority on value innovation and wealth creation.

She is Distinguished Fellow and Affiliate Professor of Strategy and Management at INSEAD.

Using her latest work on tipping point leadership she advises organisations, from Europe, the US and Asia Pacific, on how to create a climate of leap performance even in difficult times

She stimulates creative thinking at an intellectual level with great ease.
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Global Energy Economist

Philip K. Verleger Jr. is the President of PKVerleger LLC and senior advisor to The Brattle Group. He has been associated with the Fred Bergsten Institute since 1986 and is a senior fellow. He has held positions at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, the U.S. Treasury, the Institute for International Economics, Yale University, the University of California, and various firms in the private sector. He is a member of the National Petroleum Council and the Council of Foreign Relations.

“The leading specialist in the study of energy commodity markets.”
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Timken Chaired Professor of Global Technology & Innovation at INSEAD

Yves Doz is a Professor of Business Strategy and the Timken Chaired Professor of Global Technology and Innovation at INSEAD.

His business experience includes work on multinational aircraft programmes, along with consulting for many major multinational corporations and teaching in their internal development programmes.

“The metanational hypothesis is becoming reality.”

In detail

He was Associate Dean for Research and Development from 1990-1995. From 1990-1994 he held the John H. Loudon Chair in International Management.
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Global Marketing Expert

René Jäggi is the former CEO of Adidas International and Chairman of H.T.M. (Head– Tyrolia-Mares-Penn) the international sports group. He is also the former Chairman of the Board of Head N.V and he was CEO of the LOC Venue office during the football world cup in 2006 in Germany. He is currently on the board of several international companies and Chairman of Flora Eco Power AG in Munich, a public bio energy company. In May 2007 he was appointed as a new member of the Board of Directors of Hong Kong Based Artificial Life, Inc. a provider of award-winning mobile 3G technology and applications.

René Jäggi is a recognised corporate marketing expert

In Detail

In addition to his corporate work Mr Jäggi is also the former President of the Executive Board of the Kaiserslautern Football Club and former President of Football Club Basel.
He was also Chairman of the advisory board of Romika GmbH, the sports shoe manufacturer as well as holding prior management positions in marketing and sales at battery giant Duracel and Reynolds the tobacco giant.
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World Authority on Brand Development and Identity

Wally Olins is a co-founder of Wolff Olins and was Chairman of the company until 1997 and he is Chairman of Saffron Brand Consultants. He has advised many of the world’s leading organisations on identity, branding, communication and related matters. He has also worked with a number of countries on branding issues. He has acted as advisor to major strategic consultancies. He is currently Visiting Fellow at Said Business School in Oxford, and Visiting Professor at Lancaster University and Copenhagen Business School.

“Identity Guru”

In detail

He was responsible for the branding programme of Øresund, the first region between the nations Denmark, Copenhagen and Sweden’s Malmö. One of his main areas of interest is the big ideas behind organisations, mergers and acquisitions, and he has a particular interest in and experience of the branding of regions and nations.
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Professor of Strategic and International Management at LBS

Costas Markides is Professor of Strategic and International Management at London Business School. A native of Cyprus, he received his BA (Distinction) and MA in Economics from Boston University and his MBA and DBA from the Harvard Business School. Prior to joining London Business School he has worked as an Associate with the Cyprus Development Bank and as a Research Associate at the Harvard Business School.

“Costas Markides is an expert on creating breakthrough strategies with proven results”

In detail

His work has been has published in a wide range of journals such as the Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, Directors & Boards, Long Range Planning, British Journal of Management, Journal of International Business Studies, Strategic Management Journal and the Academy of Management Journal.
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Former CEO of Starbucks

Orin C. Smith was President and Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks Corporation from 2000 to 2005. He joined Starbucks as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 1990, became President and Chief Operating Officer in 1994, and became a director of Starbucks in 1996. Mr. Smith has been a Director of The Walt Disney Company since 2006 and he has been a Director of Nike Inc. since September 20, 2004 and serves as a Member of its Audit Committee.

“Embracing diversity is not only the right thing to do socially or ethically, it’s good for business.”

In detail

Prior to joining Starbucks, Mr. Smith spent a total of 14 years with Deloitte & Touche. He serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Washington School of Business, the University of Washington Medicine Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of Conservation International. He was also a Director of Oakley Sunglasses, Watches, Shoes, and Apparel from August 1995 until July 10, 2003.
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Former Adviser to Mikhail Gorbachev

Alexander Likhotal served as adviser to Mikhail Gorbachev for many years and is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Geneva-based Green Cross International. He is a member of the International Council for the Earth Charter and Adviser to the Club of Madrid and has launched internationally acclaimed initiatives such as the Earth Dialogues Forum and has spearheaded Green Cross International’s global campaign for the Right to Water.

“The past has shown that new security threats would emerge in the form of global terrorism and that globalisation and our continued reliance on fossil fuels would raise the environmental stakes even higher”

In detail

Prof. Likhotal was the Deputy Spokesman for the President of the USSR and has held a number of academic positions internationally specialising in European security and NATO. He was visiting professor at the Northeastern University, Boston, USA, Research Associate at the Institute of European Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow and Associate Editor of Security Dialogue Journal, Oslo, Norway.
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Former Creative Director of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent

Tom Ford was hired by Gucci’s creative director Dawn Mello in 1990 as chief women’s ready-to-wear designer and later appointed design director. When, in 1994, Gucci was acquired by a Bahrain-based investment firm called Investcorp, Tom was promoted to creative director and moved to Milan.

In his first year at the helm, he was credited with putting the glamour back into fashion introducing Halston-style velvet hipsters, skinny satin shirts and car-finish metallic patent boots. In 1995, he brought in French stylist Carine Roitfeld and photographer Mario Testino to create a series of new, modern ad campaigns for the company. By 1999, the house, which had been almost bankrupt when Tom joined, was valued at about $4.3 billion. In 2000, he was named Best International Designer at the first VH1/Vogue Awards in New York.
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