Lawrence H. Summers is one of America's leading economists. In addition to serving as 71st Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton Administration, Dr. Summers served as Director of the White House National Economic Council in the Obama Administration, as President of Harvard University, and as the Chief Economist of the World Bank.
Dr. Summers’ tenure at the U.S. Treasury coincided with the longest period of sustained economic growth in U.S. history. He is the only Treasury Secretary in the last half century to have left office with the national budget in surplus.
Dr. Summers has played a key role in addressing every major financial crisis for the last two decades. During the 1990s, he was a leader in crafting the U.S. response to international financial crises arising in Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Japan, and Asian emerging markets. As one of President Obama’s chief economic advisors, Dr. Summers’ thinking helped shape the U.S. response to the 2008 financial crisis, to the failure of the automobile industry, and to the pressures on the European monetary system.
Currently, Dr. Summers is the President Emeritus and the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University, where he became a full professor at age 28, one of the youngest in Harvard’s recent history. He directs the University’s Mossavar-Rhomani Center for Business and Government. He has published several books and more than 150 papers in scholarly journals.
President Bill Clinton said that Larry Summers "has the rare ability to see the world that is taking shape and the skill to help to bring it into being." He has been recognized as one of the world’s most influential thinkers by Time, Foreign Policy, Prospect and The Economist magazines among many others. In his speeches, regular newspaper columns in The Financial Times and public commentary, he continues to move forward the debate on national and global economic policy.
Margareta Drzeniek
World Economic Forum
Margareta Drzeniek Hanouz is Head of the Global Competitiveness and Risks Team in the World Economic Forum and leads the Forum’s work on national competitiveness and global risks. Ms. Drzeniek Hanouz is lead author and editor of a number of regional and topical reports and papers, including The Global Competitiveness Report and the Global Risks Report series.
Before joining the Global Competitiveness and Risks Team, Dr Drzeniek Hanouz was in charge of the economics section of the Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos. Prior to that, she worked with the International Trade Centre in Geneva, where she was in charge of relations with Central and Eastern European countries.
Dr Drzeniek Hanouz received a Diploma in Economics from the University of Münster and holds a PhD in International Economics from the University of Bochum, both in Germany.
Masood Ahmed
International Monetary Fund
Masood Ahmed has been Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department since November 1, 2008. He obtained his graduate and post-graduate degrees in Economics from the London School of Economics, where he also served on the economics faculty. He was born and brought up in Pakistan.
Before taking up this position, Mr. Ahmed was the Director of the External Relations Department in the IMF since May 1, 2006. Between 2003-06, Mr. Ahmed served as Director General for Policy and International Development at the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID). Between 2000-03, Mr. Ahmed was Deputy Director in the IMF's Policy Development and Review Department. In this role, he served as the senior staff focal point for taking forward the IMF's policy work in support of low income member countries and its relationship with the World Bank and other development agencies. Between 1979 and 2000, Mr. Ahmed held a number of positions in the World Bank. He worked for about 10 years on country programs and projects in different regions and, for a further 10 years, on international economic policy relating to debt, aid effectiveness, trade and global economic prospects. As Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, Mr. Ahmed was the senior World Bank manager responsible for the development of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper approach as well as the HIPC Debt Initiative. He also served concurrently for a year as Acting Vice President for Private Sector Development and Infrastructure.
Dr Nouriel Roubini
Professor at New York University
Dr. Nouriel Roubini is Professor of Economics & International Business, Stern School of Business, New York University. He is also the Chairman and Founder of Roubini Global Economics.
Dr. Nouriel Roubini is known for his now-vindicated predictions of the recent financial crisis. He speaks on the global economic outlook and its implications for financial markets. Systematic research informs Dr. Roubini’s opinions. From his analysis of past collapses of emerging economies, he has identified common factors that support his predictions of crisis in the U.S. and world markets.
Ignored for a long time by mainstream economists and policy makers, he now receives invitations to speak before influential organizations such as the U.S. Congress and the Council on Foreign Relations. He has been forecasting a serious financial crisis in the U.S. for years, speaking notably before a skeptical IMF about his predictions in 2006.
He has coauthored a myth-shattering book, Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance, with Stephen Mihm. The book reveals the methods Dr. Roubini used to foretell the financial crisis before other economists saw it coming.
Ranked fourth on Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers list, he has also been named in Fortune Magazine’s list of “10 new gurus you should know”.
Roubini received a BA in political economics at Bocconi University, Milan and a doctorate in international economics at Harvard University.
Salam Fayyad
Former Prime Minister of Palastine
Dr. Salam Fayyad is an economist, independent politician, and former Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority (June 2007-June 2013).
Dr. Fayyad held several teaching and research positions, including as a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, before joining the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 1987 to 2001. In June 2002, he was named Minister of Finance of the Palestinian National Authority. Until he resigned in December 2005, Dr. Fayyad served in this capacity on several cabinets, introducing extensive financial reforms as part of his tenure.
In 2006, he ran for elections on a slate of independents and was elected for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), where he served as Chairman of the Finance Committee. In March 2007, Dr. Fayyad was reappointed as Minister of Finance in a national unity government, and in June 2007, he was appointed Prime Minister, a position he held until he stepped down in June 2013.
In 2010, Dr. Fayyad was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world list. He was also named one of Foreign Policy Magazine’s Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2010 and 2011.
In February 2013, the Department of Economics at the University of Texas at Austin created the Salam Fayyad Excellence Fund for Economics. Dr. Fayyad had earlier been named a Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Texas (2008). In August 2013, he founded “Future for Palestine”, a non-profit development foundation. In 2014, Dr. Fayyad took part in the IMF External Advisory Group review of the Fund policy, joined the Atlantic Council as a Distinguished Statesman, and became the Chairman of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Middle East and North Africa.
Dr. Fayyad graduated with a BSc from the American University of Beirut and went on to receive an MBA from St. Edward’s University and a PhD (Economics) from the University of Texas at Austin.
HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal
Chairman of King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies
Gideon Rose is the Editor of Foreign Affairs, the leading magazine for analysis and debate on foreign policy, economics, and global affairs.
Earlier, he served as Managing Editor of the magazine from December 2000 to September 2010. From 1995-2000, he was Olin Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and from 1994-95 he served as Associate Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs on the staff of the National Security Council. In 1986-87, he was Assistant Editor at The National Interest, and in 1985-86 held the same position at The Public Interest.
Rose has taught American foreign policy at Columbia and Princeton universities.
His book How Wars End was published by Simon & Schuster in October 2010. Other publications include Understanding the War on Terror; America and the World: Debating the New Shape of International Politics, How Did This Happen?: Terrorism and the New War, and American Foreign Policy, among others.
Gideon Rose received a B.A. in Classics from Yale University and a Ph.D. from the Department of Government at Harvard University.
William Hague
Former Foreign Minister of UK
British politician William Hague has been a prominent political leader for more than 20 years, serving as Leader of the Conservative Party and as Foreign Secretary. After announcing his intention to step down, he concluded his political career as First Secretary of State and Leader of the House of Commons. He represented Richmond, Yorkshire as Member of Parliament for 26 years, from 1989 to 2015.
In four years as Foreign Secretary, William dealt with a turbulent period encompassing wars in Libya and Syria, withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Ukraine crisis, the struggle against terrorism and relations with Europe. He expanded Britain's diplomatic network and placed a renewed emphasis on export success. He was also responsible for two of Britain's intelligence agencies, and visited more countries than any Foreign Secretary in history.
William also led the negotiating team that created coalition government in 2010. His mix of international and domestic experience has given him a deep knowledge of the inside of politics and the reasons for growing instability in world affairs. He speaks with great authority on the impact of technological change, population movement, economic trends and the rise of religious intolerance on our economy and all our lives.
Having known many global leaders, he speaks from rich experience about different styles of leadership drawing on numerous debates with Tony Blair and first-hand knowledge of the world's Presidents from George W Bush to Vladimir Putin.
Dr. Gideon Rose
Foreign Affairs
Gideon Rose is the Editor of Foreign Affairs, the leading magazine for analysis and debate on foreign policy, economics, and global affairs.
Earlier, he served as Managing Editor of the magazine from December 2000 to September 2010. From 1995-2000, he was Olin Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and from 1994-95 he served as Associate Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs on the staff of the National Security Council. In 1986-87, he was Assistant Editor at The National Interest, and in 1985-86 held the same position at The Public Interest.
Rose has taught American foreign policy at Columbia and Princeton universities.
His book How Wars End was published by Simon & Schuster in October 2010. Other publications include Understanding the War on Terror; America and the World: Debating the New Shape of International Politics, How Did This Happen?: Terrorism and the New War, and American Foreign Policy, among others.
Gideon Rose received a B.A. in Classics from Yale University and a Ph.D. from the Department of Government at Harvard University.
Dr. Ayhan Kose
World Bank
About The World Bank:
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programs. It comprises two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and the International Development Association (IDA). The World Bank is a component of the World Bank Group, which is part of the United Nations system.
The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty. According to its Articles of Agreement, all its decisions must be guided by a commitment to the promotion of foreign investment and international trade and to the facilitation of Capital investment.
Mahmoud Moheildin
World Bank Corporate Secretary
Mr. Mohieldin is the World Bank's Corporate Secretary and President’s Special Envoy. He is also in charge of coordinating the World Bank Group’s efforts to strengthen partnerships with the United Nations.
Prior to joining the World Bank, Mr. Mohieldin held numerous leading positions in the Government of Egypt and served on several Boards of Directors in the Central Bank of Egypt and the corporate sector.
His professional experience extends into the academic arena as a Professor of Economics at Cairo University, and as a Visiting Professor in the UK and the Gulf. He also served as Member of the Board of several universities in Egypt and held senior positions in national and regional research centers and think tanks. He has authored numerous publications and articles in leading journals in the fields of economics, finance and development in English and Arabic.
Mahmoud Mohieldin received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Warwick, M.Sc in Economic and Social Policy Analysis from the University of York, and B.Sc from Cairo University.
