Leadership

Mr. Yousef Abdullah Al-Benyan is the B20 Saudi Arabia Chair, and Vice Chairman and CEO of SABIC. Mr. Al-Benyan is a member of several international business councils, forums, associations and boards, including the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum; the Global Business Council of the Bloomberg Global Forum and the Board of Directors of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA).

Mr. Mukesh D. Ambani is the Chairman & Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited. During his tenure of over 30+ years, Mr. Ambani has successfully led a diversified portfolio spanning across Oil & Gas (E&P, Petrochemicals, and Refining), Retail, Telecommunications and Textiles to make Reliance India’s largest private sector enterprise. Mr. Ambani is also associated with various organizations in India and overseas. He is a member of The World Economic Forum Foundation Board, Foreign member at United States National Academy of Engineers (NAE). Mr. Ambani is also a member of the Indo-US CEOs Forum, Chair of The British Asian Trust’s India Advisory Council, International Advisory Council of The Brookings, McKinsey & Company International Advisory Council, Global Advisory Council of Bank of America, Stanford Global Advisory Council, Business Council and London School of Economics’ India Advisory Group. Within India, Mr. Ambani is a member of the Board of Governors of the National Council of Applied Economic Research. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Governors for Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University. Mr. Ambani earned a B.E. from Institute of Chemical Technology (India) and pursued an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994. Amazon’s mission is to be Earth’s most customer-centric company. Amazon offers low prices and fast delivery on millions of items, provides thousands of movies and TV shows through Prime Video, designs and builds the bestselling Kindle, Fire and Echo devices and Alexa voice recognition service, and empowers companies and governments in over 190 countries around the world with the leading cloud computing infrastructure through Amazon Web Services. Bezos is also the founder of aerospace company Blue Origin, which is working to lower the cost and increase the safety of spaceflight, and he is owner of the Washington Post. Bezos has launched two philanthropic organizations. The Bezos Earth Fund helps fund nonprofits preserving and protecting the natural world, and The Bezos Day One Fund provides grants to nonprofits to help homeless families and is creating a network of preschools in low-income communities. Bezos graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton University in 1986, and was named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year in 1999.

Karan Bilimoria is the founder of Cobra Beer, Chairman of the Cobra Beer Partnership Limited, a Joint Venture with Molson Coors, and Chairman of Molson Coors Cobra India. Lord Bilimoria is the Founding Chairman of the UK India Business Council, a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, a former Chancellor of Thames Valley University (now the University of West London); he was the youngest University Chancellor in the UK when appointed. Karan was a former Senior Non-Executive Director of the Booker Group now TESCO PLC (2007-2016); he is one of the first two visiting entrepreneurs at the University of Cambridge; he is a founding member of the Prime Minister of India’s Global Advisory Council. In 2006, Karan Bilimoria was appointed the Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, making him the first ever Zoroastrian Parsi to sit in the House of Lords. In 2008 he was awarded the Pravasi Bharti Samman by the President of India. He is an Honorary Fellow of Sidney Sussex College Cambridge and was Chair of the Advisory Board of the Judge Business School, Cambridge University from 2015-2020 and subsequently appointed as an Honorary Ambassador. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young and graduated in law from the University of Cambridge. He is also an alumnus through executive education of the Cranfield School of Management, the London Business School and the Harvard Business School. In July 2014, he was installed as the seventh Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, making him the first Indian-born Chancellor of a Russell Group University in Great Britain, and he is the President of the UK Council for International Students Affairs (UKCISA). Since 2017 Lord Bilimoria has been a Bynum Tudor Fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford. Lord Bilimoria is an Honorary Group Captain in 601 Squadron Royal Air Force. In June 2020, he was appointed President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). In September 2020, he was appointed as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford based at the Centre for Corporate Reputation.

Mark Carney is currently the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance and Prime Minister Johnson’s Finance Adviser for COP26. Mark is a member of the Arnhold Distinguished Fellowship Program Board within Conservation International. He is also an external member of Stripe’s Board, a global technology company building economic infrastructure for the internet. Mark was previously Governor of the Bank of England (from 2013 to 2020), and Governor of the Bank of Canada (from 2008 to 2013). Internationally, Mark was Chair of the Financial Stability Board (from 2011 to 2018), He chaired the Global Economy Meeting and Economic Consultative Committee of the Bank for International Settlements (from 2018-2020) and was First Vice-Chair of the European Systemic Risk Board (from 2013-2020). He is Vice Chair of Brookfield Asset Management and a member of the Global Advisory Board of PIMCO, the Group of Thirty, the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, as well as the boards of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the Hoffman Institute for Global Business and Society at INSEAD. Mark was born in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada in 1965. After growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, he obtained a bachelor degree in Economics from Harvard and masters and doctorate degrees in Economics from Oxford. After a thirteen-year career with Goldman Sachs, Mark was appointed Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada in 2003. In 2004, he became Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Finance. He held this position until his appointment as Governor of the Bank of Canada in February 2008.

Suzanne Clark is president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a director on two corporate boards, a former business owner, and an entrepreneur at heart. With a global perspective and a fierce commitment to free enterprise, Clark’s experience in the private sector deeply informs her leadership of the U.S. Chamber— the world’s largest business organization representing employers of every size and sector in Washington, D.C., across the country, and around the globe. Clark has led a multiyear effort to strengthen the Chamber’s well-known influence, advocacy, and impact, while modernizing its work and attracting new members from the fastest-growing and most innovative sectors of the U.S. economy. These efforts to invest in the Chamber’s future proved prescient when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, enabling the organization to quickly pivot to new ways of working and successfully advocate for businesses in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Clark has also helped drive the national conversation on issues central to managing and recovering from the pandemic through the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Path Forward program. In interviews with dozens of thought leaders and experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield, Bill and Melinda Gates, Carlyle Group Founder David Rubenstein, and former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, Path Forward has reached an audience of millions of viewers with practical information, insightful guidance, and forward-looking strategies. In an era of divided government and partisan gridlock, the U.S. Chamber has been a bold leader in championing bipartisan solutions and building coalitions around the issues most important to the business community, including liability reform, workforce development, corporate governance, business-led climate solutions, and programs and policies to address inequality of opportunity. Clark spearheaded efforts to dramatically increase support for small businesses through the creation of CO—, the Chamber’s award-winning digital home for small business. When the pandemic hit, the Chamber launched a massive mobilization to save America’s small businesses by proposing key policies included in the CARES Act, lobbying for and securing replenishment of the Paycheck Protection Program, producing dozens of practical guides used by millions of businesses, and creating the #SaveSmallBusiness grant program.

Rogelio De los Santos is a founder-&-funder of venture-stage disruptive companies and is also recognized for building high impact initiatives. De los Santos is co-founder and Managing Partner of Dalus Capital where he serves as director in Capital Tech, Converus, eFactor, Fricaeco, Inmobly, Nuve, Revelo and Wanderu. Participates as an observer in Spark Cognition and Growth Institute. He is a Trustee of Tec de Monterrey and chairs the Eugenio Garza Lagüera Entrepreneurship Institute. Also as an honorary board member of ASEM (Entrepreneurs National Association), Impulsa (Junior Achievement) and advisor to Auria Capital. Since 2013 he founded and chairs INCmty, the Latin American entrepreneurship festival that helps accelerate the development of entrepreneur-centric ecosystems. De los Santos earned an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tec de Monterrey, a master degree in Business Leadership from Duxx, and an honorary degree from Babson College.

President of the International Labor Conference (ILO, 2014); President of the International Organization of Employers (IOE, 2014/2017) and nowadays Honorary President since 2019; Co-Chair of the Task Force on Employment (B20 / G20), Turkey 2015 / China 2016 / Germany 2017 and Member of the B20 / G20 International Business Advisory Council; Chair of the Business 20, G20 Argentine 2018; Member of the High Level Advocacy Caucus (B20 Turkey 2015, B20 Italy 2021); Regional Anti-Corruption Academy for Central America and the Caribbean (ARAC) – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime – (UNODC); Co-Chair of the Argentine-German Mixed Industries Committee since 2019. President of the International Labor Conference (ILO, 2014); President of the International Organization of Employers (IOE, 2014/2017) and nowadays Honorary President since 2019; Co-Chair of the Task Force on Employment (B20 / G20), Turkey 2015 / China 2016 / Germany 2017 and Member of the B20 / G20 International Business Advisory Council; Chair of the Business 20, G20 Argentine 2018; Member of the High Level Advocacy Caucus (B20 Turkey 2015, B20 Italy 2021); Regional Anti-Corruption Academy for Central America and the Caribbean (ARAC) – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime – (UNODC); Co-Chair of the Argentine-German Mixed Industries Committee since 2019.

Pierre Gattaz has been President of BusinessEurope since 5 July 2018. Until then, he held the Presidency of BusinessEurope’s French member federation MEDEF. He has accomplished most of his career in the digital and electronic industries in France. Pierre Gattaz is Knight of the French Legion of Honour and Officer of the Order of Merit.

Ilham Kadri is CEO and President of the Executive Committee of Solvay, a materials, chemicals and solutions company which through its science, innovations and purpose contributes to protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering a better life. Under her mandate to unleash Solvay’s potential and her purpose-driven leadership, the group launched its strategy G.R.O.W. to drive growth, cash and returns through distinct business mandates, a unifying operating model and a forceful customer culture; its holistic and bold Solvay One Planet sustainability objectives to drive superior long-term value creation; as well as Solvay’s Purpose and compass: We bond People, Ideas and Elements to Reinvent Progress with the vision to create sustainable shared value for all. Dr. Kadri is a world citizen who has worked across four continents with leading chemical and packaging multinationals like Dow and Sealed Air, and in markets ranging from automotive and aerospace to water desalination, hygiene and healthcare. Before Solvay, Ilham Kadri was CEO and President of U.S.-based hygiene and cleaning solutions provider Diversey, having led its purposeful turnaround and growth, subsequent spin off and divestiture. Ilham Kadri is an independent board member at A.O. Smith and L’Oréal. She is an Executive Committee member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), steering committee member of the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT) and a permanent member of the International Business Council (IBC), part of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The common themes in Ilham Kadri’s personal and professional life are education, inclusion and diversity as well as sustainability, topics she strongly advocates to help create more equal opportunities, prosperity and a healthier planet for future generations. She is committed to promoting women in STEM. She’s the founder of the ISSA Hygieia™ Network, a U.S.-based foundation championing women in the hygiene industry. In 2020, soon after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she created the Solvay Solidarity Fund, building followership with employees and shareholders to support Solvay colleagues and their families in need. In a matter of weeks, the Fund collected 12 million euros and the initiative inspired other companies to follow suit. In 2019, she entered Fortune’s list of Most Powerful Women in International Business, ranking 21st out of 50. Dr. Kadri holds a degree in chemical engineering from L’École des Hauts Polymères in Strasbourg and a PhD in macromolecular physico-chemistry from Strasbourg’s Louis Pasteur University. Ilham Kadri is married and the proud mother of a son.

As Owner and Chief Executive Officer of the Sintesa Group (www.sintesagroup.com), Shinta is responsible for the Management and Expansion of the Group’s business interests in Indonesia. The Sintesa Group is an Indonesian group with 16 subsidiaries, which operate in the Property, Energy, Industrial Products, and Consumer Products. As a businesswoman, Shinta also involves in numerous business and social activities, including as the Vice Chairwoman of Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN Indonesia) and Employers’ Association of Indonesia (APINDO), Executive Board of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), President of Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD), as well as founder of Indonesia Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (IBCWE) and Angel Investment Network Indonesia (ANGIN), and the Member of APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Indonesia. She is also has chosen by the United Nations as one of 30 global corporate leader to join the Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD Alliance). Shinta graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University New York in 1989 and Executive Education at Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA in 2002. As part of her achievement, she received awards amongst others from FORBES Asia’s 50 Powerful Businesswomen (2012, 2013, & 2016), 30 Best CEOs by Business Indonesia Award in 2015, in 2017, she was decorated as the Commander of the Polar Star by the King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and the Commander of the Order of Leopold of Belgium. And in 2019, she was awarded as Woman Entrepreneur of the Year at the Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability Award (ACES Award)

He began working in the sales department at Organik Kimya, a family business, in 1985. Kaslowski significantly expanded exports of Organik Kimya products and was appointed head of sales in 1993. After actively working on various investment projects for the firm, Kaslowski was appointed CEO of Organik Kimya and became board member in 1995. He has been on the Board of TÜSİAD since 2013 and has chaired the EU Affairs Committee and the Global Relations and EU Roundtable, significantly contributing to the international efforts of the association. Kaslowski has been Vice President of TÜSİAD since 2017 and was elected President in February 2019.

Jean Liu is the President of Didi Chuxing, the world’s leading mobile transportation and local services platform. DiDi offers a full range of app-based transportation and life-related services for 550 million users with over tens of millions of drivers and car owners across Asia Pacific, Latin America and Russia. The platform delivers over 10 billion passenger-trips a year. DiDi is committed to collaborating with policymakers, the taxi industry, the automobile industry and communities to solve the world’s transportation, environmental and employment challenges with localized smart transportation innovations by leveraging its AI capabilities. By continuously improving user experience and creating social value, DiDi strives to build a safe, inclusive and sustainable mobile transportation and local services ecosystem for cities of the future. Jean made Fortune’s list of the Most Powerful Women International in 2020. She was named on Fortune’s featured on Fortune’s World’s Most Powerful Women list, FinanceAsia’s The Region’s Top Entrepreneurs list and Forbes China’s Women in Tech list in 2019. In 2018, she was selected on Fortune’s World’s Most Powerful Women list, Forbes’ World Most Powerful Women 2018 list, Forbes China’s Top 100 Businesswomen list and Nikkei’s 9 Most Influential Women in Asia Tech list. She also ranked alongside Cheng Wei, founder and CEO of DiDi, on Vanity Fair’s New Establishment list. In 2017, Jean was named one of the 100 Most Influential People by Time, one of the world’s Most Powerful Women by Fortune, one of the world’s Most Powerful Women in Tech by Forbes, one of the Top Businesswomen by Forbes China, an Asia Game Changer by Asia Society and topped the Nikkei Asian Review’s list of Agents of Change. She was selected on the Recode 100 list and Leaders League’s Seven Powerful Women in Finance list. Together with Cheng Wei, she was also selected on Time’s 20 Most Influential People in Tech list, Vanity Fair’s 2017 New Establishment list and Fortune’s 40 under 40 list. She was selected as a Co-Chair of the Summer Davos. In 2016, Jean was featured in the Financial Times’ Women of the Year list. She was also selected as one of the Most Powerful Women International and the Most Powerful Women in China by Fortune. In the same year, she was recognized as one of the World’s Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company, and one of the 25 Geniuses Who Are Creating the Future of Business by Wired. In China, the China Entrepreneurs Magazine included her on its Business Women of the Year list. Jean ranked alongside Cheng Wei on The Wired 100 list and Vanity Fair’s 2016 New Establishment list. In the same year, she was named as one of the “50 Most Powerful Moms” by Working Mother. In 2015, she was one of Fortune’s top five 2015 global 40 Under 40 business leaders, and topped Fortune’s 2015 China 40 Under 40 business leaders list together with Cheng Wei. Jean was also named one of China’s 25 Most Influential Business Women by Fortune and was one of China’s Most Influential Women by Women of China. In 2013 and 2015, she was named one of China’s Top Women Business Leaders by China Entrepreneurs Magazine. Jean joined DiDi in July 2014. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Peking University and master’s degree from Harvard University, both in Computer Science, and has an honorary doctorate in Commercial Science at New York University. Jean became an Alternate Member of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) China in January 2020. Jean is an advisory board member of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum and also a member of Asia Society’s board of trustees.

Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa joined Naspers as South Africa CEO, in July 2019. She is the former Executive Chairperson of Sigma Capital, an investment holding company formed in 2015. Sigma also has a private equity fund held jointly with the Ventures team of Rand Merchant Bank. Ms Mahanyele-Dabengwa is the former CEO of Shanduka Group, an investment holding company she joined in 2004 and left in 2015. Prior to that, she was the Head of the Project Finance South Africa business unit at the Development Bank of Southern Africa. Prior to the DBSA, she was Vice President at Fieldstone, an international firm specialising in the financing of infrastructure assets. She joined them in New York in 1997 and later transferred to the South African office. She is involved in a number of activities with youth in her personal capacity. She mentors young professionals and supports students. She is the Deputy Chairperson of the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation. She has been awarded several accolades such as CNBC Africa’s All Africa Business Leaders “Woman of the Year Award” in 2019. In May 2016 she became a member of the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni. She was awarded the Forbes Woman Africa Business Woman of the Year Award as well as the Platinum Award by BBQ Awards in 2014. In 2013 she was awarded a “Distinguished Achievement” by The Douglass Society, and the Africa Investors recognised Ms Mahanyele-Dabengwa as a “Leading Africa Woman in Business of the Year” in 2012. In 2011 Rutgers University conferred on her the “Rutgers Vision of Excellence Award”. In 2009 she was awarded the “Most Influential Woman in Government and Business” by Financial Services. The Wall Street Journal counted her among one of the “Top 50 women in the world to watch”. Ms Mahanyele-Dabengwa was also selected as a Global Young Leader in 2007 by the World Economic Forum. She was awarded “Top in Project Finance, 2003” by the Association of Black Securities & Investment Professionals (ABSIP). She holds a BA Economics from Rutgers University, USA, and an MBA from De Montfort University in Leicester, UK. Ms Mahanyele-Dabengwa completed the Kennedy School of Government Executive Education program ‘Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century’ at Harvard University in 2008. She is a non-executive Director of Vodacom. She is also on the advisory board of Stellenbosch University Business School.

Bernard Mensah is President of International for Bank of America and is a member of Bank of America’s Executive Management Team (MTM). He is the Chief Executive Officer of Merrill Lynch International (MLI), Bank of America’s largest International subsidiary and BANA London Branch Head. Based in London, Bernard previously jointly led the bank’s Global Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities (FICC) Trading business globally. In 2018 he assumed additional leadership responsibilities as the firm’s UK and CEEMEA President. He was appointed to his current role in July 2020. Bernard is responsible for the development and execution of Bank of America’s strategy, business activities and support functions, internationally. These span corporate, commercial and investment banking, sales and trading, research and treasury services. He is also responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of the broad Bank of America franchise to its corporate and institutional clients across the region. Bernard chairs the firm’s regional Executive Committee and is a member of the Global Banking and Markets Management Committee. With more than 20 years’ global trading and investing experience, Bernard was recently asked by the Bank of England to join the Senior Advisory Group overseeing LIBOR transition in the UK. He joined the firm in 2010 from Goldman Sachs in London, where he was a Partner and global head of Bank Loan and Distressed Trading, and prior to that ran the bank’s Asia Credit and Convertibles business, based in Hong Kong and Tokyo. Bernard received his BA in Social Sciences at the Joint School of Philosophy and Economics at the University of Bristol in 1989. He is a qualified chartered accountant and became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales in 1992. Bernard chairs the Africa Advisory Board of Prince’s Trust International and is a member of the board of the Kofi Annan Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes better global governance to achieve a fairer, more peaceful world.

Since becoming CEO of Novartis in 2018, Vas has led a strategic and cultural transformation to build a leading medicines company powered by advanced therapy platforms and data science. He leads a company of more than 100,000 associates that does business in approximately 155 countries and that reached 769 million patients with its medicines in 2020. Vas has focused his education and career on improving human health and on his personal purpose of inspiring a healthier world. During and after his medical studies, he worked on public health issues such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in India, Africa and South America. He continues to champion access and global health priorities, including through a commitment by Novartis to expand access to innovative medicines in low- and middle-income countries by at least 200% by 2025. Since joining Novartis in 2005, Vas has held a range of leadership roles, including Global Head of Development for Novartis Vaccines, and Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer. He has overseen the licensing of over 30 novel medicines, including cell and gene therapies and vaccines. During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, he helped lead efforts at Novartis to develop and distribute a vaccine for the world. In recognition of his sustained efforts to improve human health, he is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine in the US. As CEO, Vas is transforming Novartis to unleash the creativity of employees and make culture a driver of innovation, reputation and performance. Drawing inspiration from ancient philosophical texts and from leading thinkers today, he is committed to developing “unbossed” leaders who inspire and empower their teams to solve problems. Vas has also sparked a digital revolution at Novartis; the company is using data science and digital technology to find new ways to discover and develop medicines and increase efficiency. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Vas lives in Basel, Switzerland, with his wife and two sons. A lifelong vegetarian, he is passionate about environmental and wildlife conservation, and is an avid reader on topics including history, leadership and philosophy.

Born in 1964 in Istanbul, Zeynep Bodur Okyay graduated from the Italian High School in 1985 and earned a degree in management engineering from Istanbul Technical University in 1989. She attended Harvard University between 1990 and 1992 and earned a graduate degree in management. From 1992 to 1993, Zeynep Bodur Okyay worked in various roles, including production, planning, and management, as a management trainee at the Çanakkale Seramik factory in Çan, Çanakkale. In 1995, she was appointed as an Executive Board Member and President of Kale Group’s marketing companies. Since July 2007, she has been serving as Kale Group’s President and CEO. Zeynep Bodur Okyay is actively engaged in several NGOs, associations, foundations and chamber boards. Some of her current roles include: President, General Assembly, Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO); Vice President, Economic Development Foundation; Board Member, Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK); Coordinating Chair, Turkey-EU Business Councils, DEIK; Chair, Turkey-Italy Business Council, DEIK; Member, Turkish Business and Industry Association (TUSIAD); Chair, Ceramics and Refractories Assembly, Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB); and, Vice President, Female Entrepreneurs Board, TOBB. Zeynep Bodur Okyay assumed the Presidency of the C20 (Civil 20) Steering Committee during Turkey’s G20. Zeynep Bodur Okyay co-founded the Harvard Alumni Group and supported the establishment of a Turkish language chair at Harvard University. Zeynep Bodur Okyay is also President of the Dr. Ibrahim Bodur Kaleseramik Healthcare and Social Assistance Foundation. In 2006, Zeynep Bodur Okyay was awarded the title Cavaliere del Lavoro for her contributions and services to Turkish-Italian relations. In 2014, she was awarded the Official Order of Merit (Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) of the Republic of Italy. In 2010, Okyay received the ‘Turkey in Europe Franco Nobili Award’ for her contributions to relations between Turkey and the European Union and the Outstanding Service Award given by the Turkish Grand National Assembly to persons who deliver outstanding services to Turkey on a national and international level, contribute to promoting Turkey, and contribute to social welfare, education, happiness and social development. Zeynep Bodur Okyay speaks fluent Italian and English. She is married to Osman Okyay, Vice-Chairman and President of Technical Division, Kale Group of Companies, and they have one child.

Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, President and founder of Notus Technologies, President of MEDEF. Born in 1962, married and father of 4. Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux graduated from ESSEC and holds of a master’s degree from the Paris Dauphine University. He did his national military service in the Special Forces (Marine Commandos) during which he intervened in Africa and Lebanon. He is now Captain of the naval reserve. After 10 years at L’Oréal, Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux founded The Phone House, the first chain store specialised in mobile telephony. In 2004, he founded Omea Telecom (Virgin mobile), the first society to propose an alternative mobile network operator. Eventually, he is the President and founder of Notus group. Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux was President of the Croissance Plus Association from 2005 to 2008, President of UNEDIC from 2008 to 2010 and vice-President of MEDEF from 2013 to 2018.

Siegfried Russwurm was born in June 1963 in Marktgraitz. He is married with two adult children. In 1988, he completed his studies in production engineering at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg as a graduate engineer. There, he received his doctorate from the Faculty of Technical Mechanics with a thesis on numerical simulation methods. In 1992, he joined Siemens AG, first as a production planner and project manager in the medical technology division, and later in various management positions in the medical and industrial business in Germany and Sweden. In 2006, he was appointed Divisional Board Member in Medical Technology, and in January 2008 he became a member of the Siemens AG Managing Board, where he was active until March 2017. During this time, he was responsible for all industrial topics, as Chief Technology Officer for Technology, for Healthcare and for Human Resources. His regional responsibilities at Siemens included Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Since March 2019, he has served as Chairman of the Shareholders Committee and the Supervisory Board of Voith GmbH & Co KGaA and was elected Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Thyssenkrupp AG in October 2019. From 2015 to 2017, Russwurm was Chairman of the MENA Initiative of German Industry (NMI) under the umbrella of the BDI, Chairman of the Industry 4.0 platform of several BDI member associations from 2014-2017, and from 2011-2017 a board member of the BDI member association of machinery and plant manufacturers, VDMA. As Chief Human Resources Officer and Labor Director at Siemens AG, he was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations from 2008-2010. Russwurm serves on the steering committee of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) and on the Board of the German-Swedish Chamber of Commerce. Since 2009, he has been an honorary professor of mechatronics at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.

Bettina was elected in October 2020. Beside her role as President of World Employment Confederation, Bettina heads the Group Public Affairs activities of the Adecco Group, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Bettina is also Vice – Chair of the OECD BIAC ELSA Committee and a Member of the B20 Future of Work and Education Task Force, as well as a Steering Group Member on the World Economic Forum (WEF) “Center for New Economy and Society” and a Steering Group Member of the Global Appre nticeship N etwork (GAN). Bettina is a 2011 Young Leader of the American Swiss Foundation (ASF) and President of the ASF Young Leader Alumni Foundation Board. Bettina has been named a “Staffing 100 Europe Influencer” and into the International 50 of the “Global Power 100 – Women in Staffing” since 2017.

Alexander N. Shokhin is a well-known Russian politician, prominent economist researcher, political scientist and lawyer, Doctor of Economic Sciences, and Professor. He was born on December 25th, 1951, in the Arkhangelsk region. After graduating from the Lomonosov Moscow State University Faculty of Economics in 1974, he spent many years researching in the USSR Academy of Sciences institutes. Then A. Shokhin worked in the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Twice, in 1991-1994 and in 1998, Mr. Shokhin was the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. In 1991-1994 he also held positions of Minister of Labor, Minister of Economics, Chairman of the Russian Agency for International Cooperation and Development. In 1994 – 2002 he was a Deputy of the State Duma, with the posts of First Vice Chairman of the State Duma, leader of the Duma party bloc “Our Home is Russia”, Head of the Duma Committee of Credit Institutions and Capital Markets. Since 1995 he is the President of the National Research University – Higher School of Economics. 2002-2006 Alexander N. Shokhin worked as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, “Renaissance Capital” investment group. In February 2003, Alexander Shokhin was elected Chairman of the Expert Council at the Federal Commission for the Securities Market. Since 2004 he has been Vice President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and Chairman of the Coordinating Council of Employers’ Unions of Russia (RSPP). From 2005 up to the present time he is the President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; a member of the RF Public Chamber. Mr. Shokhin is a member of several deliberative bodies under the Russian President and Government. He is also an independent director of the Boards of several companies, including ALROSA, Russian Railways, TMK, and others.

Andre Street is a brazilian serial entrepreneur, founder of StoneCo (Nasdaq: STNE), the largest brazilian independent payment processor for small and mid size businesses. Andre (together with his business partner Eduardo Pontes) invests in several technology companies as well as sponsors many social endeavors in the area of gifted children in Brazil. In recent years, Andre and Eduardo co-founded SaltPay Co in UK to help modernize the European payment landscape. SaltPay nowadays operates in 40 countries with different brands with focus on SMBs.

Masakazu Tokura was born in Hyogo in 1950. He graduated from Faculty of Economics, the University of Tokyo, and joined Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. in 1974. He was assigned to Sumitomo Chemical Europe S.A./N.V. in 1994. He was appointed General Manager, Planning & Coordination Office of Fine Chemicals Sector in 1998. He became Managing Executive Officer in 2006, Senior Managing Executive Officer in 2009, and became President in 2011. Since 2019, he serves as Chairman of the Board. He was appointed Chairman of KEIDANREN in June 2021. He accelerates efforts to realize Society 5.0 for SDGs as well as to establish sustainable capitalism. In doing so, the key will be to promote Digital Transformation (DX) for creating an all-inclusive society, and Green Transformation (GX) toward the target of carbon neutrality by 2050. He also takes lead in reinforcing business community’s initiatives to reconstruct a free and open international economic order.

Mark Tucker was appointed non-executive Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings plc on 1 October 2017. Mr Tucker is also non-executive Chairman of the Discovery Group of South Africa. Mark’s public appointments include chairing the TheCityUK; membership of the Prime Minister’s Building Back Better Business Council and the UK Investment Council, and chairing the UK Multinational Chairmen’s Group (which brings together the largest UK-based multinational firms). Mark also belongs to the Trade Finance Advisory Group of the International Chamber of Commerce, and to the UK Department of Trade’s Financial Services Trade Advisory Group. He has over 35 years’ experience in the financial services industry in Asia, the US and the UK, including 25 years based in Hong Kong. Mr Tucker was most recently Group Chief Executive and President of AIA Group Limited, having joined in July 2010. Before AIA he was Group Chief Executive of Prudential plc. Mark has served on the Court of The Bank of England, and on the Board of the Goldman Sachs Group. He is an Associate Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a Director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and sits on the Advisory Board of the British Museum. Mark gained a BA from Leeds University and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in England and Wales in 1985. He is married with two children. He is passionate about football, including, for a short time, as a professional football player.

Shemara has been Macquarie Group’s Managing Director and CEO since late 2018. Macquarie is a global financial group providing clients with asset management, banking, leasing, advisory and risk and capital solutions. Headquartered and listed in Australia, Macquarie operates in 30 markets and has over $A600 billion in assets under management. Shemara joined Macquarie in 1987 in Macquarie Capital in Sydney. In her time at Macquarie, Shemara has worked in six countries and across several business lines, establishing and leading Macquarie’s corporate advisory offices in New Zealand, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and the infrastructure funds management business in the US and Canada. Shemara has also served as Chair of the Macquarie Group Foundation. As Head of Macquarie Asset Management for 10 years before her appointment as CEO, Shemara led a team of 1,600 staff in 24 markets. Macquarie Asset Management grew to become a world-leading manager of infrastructure and real assets and a top 50 global public securities manager. In 2018, Shemara was appointed a Commissioner of the Global Commission on Adaptation, a World Bank-led initiative which seeks to accelerate climate adaptation action and create concrete solutions which enhance resilience. In 2019 Shemara was appointed by the UN’s Special Envoy for Climate Action, Michael Bloomberg, to the Climate Finance Leadership Initiative which seeks a six-fold increase in climate mitigation investment from the private sector. In 1986 before joining Macquarie, Shemara worked as a corporate lawyer at Blake Dawson Waldron in Sydney for 12 months. She holds Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degrees from University of New South Wales and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1996.

ZHANG Yuzhuo, Chairman of Sinopec Group. Mr. Zhang Yuzhuo has a researcher title with a doctoral degree in engineering and is a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. In January 1997, he was appointed Vice President of China Coal Research Institute (CCRI). In February 1998, he took a temporary post as Vice President of Yankuang (Group) Co., Ltd. From July 1998, he served as Vice President of CCRI, Director and Vice President of China Coal Technology Corporation. In March 1999, he was appointed President of CCRI and Chairman of China Coal Technology Corporation. Since June 1999, he had been President of CCRI, and Chairman of China Coal Technology Corporation. In January 2002, he was appointed Vice President of Shenhua Group and Chairman and President of China Shenhua Coal to Liquid Co., Ltd. He assumed the office of Vice President of Shenhua Group, and Chairman of China Shenhua Coal to Liquid and Chemical Co., Ltd. in August 2003. In December 2008, he was appointed Board Director and President of Shenhua Group. From July 2009, he concurrently served as Vice Chairman of All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. He was appointed Chairman of Shenhua Group, and Chairman of China Shenhua Energy Company Limited in May 2014. Since March 2017, he had been Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee and Secretary of CPC Tianjin Binhai New District Committee. In May 2018, he concurrently served as Director of China (Tianjin) Pilot Free Trade Zone Administration. In January 2020, he was appointed Chairman of Sinopec Group.