Founder, The William J. Clinton Foundation; 42^nd President of the United States of America

Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States in 1992, and again in 1996—the first Democratic president to be awarded a second term in six decades. President Clinton’s core values of building community, creating opportunity, and demanding responsibility resulted in unprecedented progress for America.

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: President Clinton spoke to a record-breaking crowd at the Annual Convention of the National Retail Federation in NYC recently. The organization's blog site boasted: "He was the first current or former President to appear, and helped boost attendance to a record 25,500." Read more...

Secretary-General of the United Nations,
1997-2006; Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, 2001; Board of Directors, United Nations Foundation; Chairman of the Board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa; Li Ka Shing Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

As the world’s most prominent diplomat, Kofi Annan has been a powerful voice on issues of human rights, international cooperation, and in the fight against HIV/AIDS. A skilled leader during a difficult era, Secretary-General Annan provides powerful insights into the challenges facing the international community, and the role of the United Nations in achieving global peace and security.

Secretary of State, 1973-1977; Nobel Peace Laureate

Foreign Policy Magazine named Henry Kissinger one of the "Top 100 Global Thinkers" for a "Half-Century Ruling the U.S. Foreign Policy Community." World-renowned for his unparalleled skills in the art of diplomacy, Dr. Kissinger is one of the shrewdest, best-informed and most articulate figures ever to occupy a position in Washington. A vital presence in international and national politics, Dr. Kissinger understands firsthand the delicate balance of world power and America’s influence.

President of Pakistan, 2001-2008; Chief Executive of Pakistan, 1999-2001

As the former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf held "the world's most dangerous job," according to TIME Magazine. He has twice come within inches of assassination. His forces have caught more than 670 members of al Qaeda in the mountains and cities, yet many others remain at large and active, including Osama bin Laden. Long locked in a deadly embrace with its nuclear neighbor India, Pakistan has come close to full-scale war on two occasions since exploding a nuclear bomb in 1998. No stranger to controversy, President Musharraf has faced challenges with high stakes for the world at large. He offers an unparalleled view into the center of a region where the eyes of the world remain focused. President Musharraf's fascinating and compelling insights into Pakistan and its role in today's global challenges – from the economy to trade to energy – are not to be missed.

MEDIA SPOTLIGHT: Click HERE and view President Musharraf's Interview on CNN's Piers Morgan, where he addresses relations between Pakistan and the U.S., since Osama bin Laden's death.

Lead Singer of U2; Co-Founder of DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa)

Bono uses his rock star status to raise awareness about the crises in Africa: unpayable debts, uncontrolled spread of AIDS, and the unfair trade rules which keep Africans poor. In 2002, Bono co-founded DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) to raise public awareness of the issues in its name, and influence government policy on Africa. On behalf of DATA, Bono has lobbied U.S. Presidents and Congressional leaders, along with the heads of many other G8 nations. DATA is a founding member of the One Campaign to make poverty history, which is part of a global network of millions of people campaigning against extreme poverty.

Former U.S. Trade Representative 1996-2001; Board Member, America China Foundation; Board of Directors of the American Express Company; The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.; Intel Corporation; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.; and the Council on Foreign Relations

Known globally as the architect and negotiator of China’s WTO agreement, Ambassador Barshefsky is one of the world’s experts on China. With two decades of experience, she offers highly expert, in-depth knowledge about conducting business with this coming superpower. Ambassador Barshefsky also draws on the skills she used to spearhead hundreds of trade and investment agreements, as well as her unique understanding of international economic policy, and foreign and U.S. government policies,  to enlighten audiences with her wide breadth of global knowledge.

Author, One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China; Senior Counselor, APCO Worldwide; Senior China Advisor, Vistage, World’s Leading Chief Executive Organization ; Member, Council on Foreign Relations, International Council Asia Society, National Committee US-China Relations; Chairman US-Government Relations Committee, American Chamber of Commerce in China

James McGregor is everybody's go-to guy on China - providing strategic advice to top political leaders and Fortune 500 CEOs and serving as an insightful and influential China commentator for television, radio and print media across the globe. James McGregor knows how China really works. With formidable storytelling skills, he reveals indispensable and street-smart strategies, tactics and lessons for succeeding in the world’s fastest growing consumer market.

President of Mexico, 2000-2006

A visionary leader with a deep understanding of the economic and social challenges facing Latin America, President Vicente Fox is one of the world’s most important voices on the contemporary geopolitical landscape and the role of business in the developing world.

Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan; Founder & Chair, King Hussein Foundation; Founding Member, Global Zero (international initiative working towards the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide)

Her Majesty Queen Noor is an international humanitarian, activist and an outspoken voice on issues of global peace-building, nuclear non-proliferation, women's empowerment, and cross-cultural understanding. She is actively involved in a number of international organizations dealing with global peace-building and conflict recovery and currently serves as an expert advisor to the United Nations on these issues.

President of Poland, 1995-2005; Co-Founder of the Social Democratic Party; Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership, Georgetown University, 2006

One of the most influential political figures to come out of Eastern Europe since the fall of communism, President Aleksander Kwasniewski is a powerful voice in the debate over the economic and political future of the former Eastern Bloc nations, including Russia and Poland; the political and economic success of these emerging democracies; and such relevant issues as energy reserves and oil.

Member of President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness (Present); Member of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board (Present); Member of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board (Feb. 2009 - Feb. 2011); National Economic Advisor to President Clinton, 1995-1996 ; First Female Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, 1993-1995 ; First Female Dean, London Business School, 2002-2006; S.K. and Angela Chan Professor of Global Management, Haas School of Business, Present

Dr. Tyson's experience as an established economic advisor, a dean at two top-ranked business schools and a board member of three multinational companies gives her an extraordinary breadth of knowledge to forecast economic trends for specific industry sectors, as well as offer prospects for world trade and international markets.

Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 1997-2009; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Nobel Prize winner, veteran diplomat, and international lawyer, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei emerged as a high-profile opposition figure in the 2011 Egyptian protests which culminated in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak. Dr. Elbaradei continues efforts to transform Egypt into a democracy that treats people with dignity and respects human rights. Previously, he headed the International Atomic Energy Agency for 12 years, and in 2005, Dr. ElBaradei and the IAEA were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. ElBaradei speaks about democratic reform, global security, the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and other subjects that draw upon his experience as an international statesman.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT:  View an interview with TIME, where Dr. ElBaradei discusses security, the Iraq war and Iran, or view his Nobel Lecture or his address at MIT.

Global Human Rights Advocate ; Nominee, 2008 Nobel Peace Prize

Ingrid Betancourt was the longest female hostage held in captivity and also the most recalled one. A global symbol of freedom and human resistance in the face of the toughest of adversaries, her fight for democracy, freedom and peace has been a shining example of dignity and bravery for the entire world.

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE! Watch Ingrid Betancourt's exclusive interview on the Oprah Winfrey Show, detailing her 6.5 year captivity deep in the jungles of South America. Watch Now!

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY: Click here to find out about a special offer for events taking place in September 2011.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, 1977-1979; United States Congressman, 1973-1977; Mayor of Atlanta, 1982-1990; Co-Founding Principal and Chairman, GoodWorks International

Ambassador, Congressman, Mayor, humanitarian, ordained minister, international businessman, and sports enthusiast, Andrew Young has been serving and shaping our country for almost 50 years.

Recipient of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics; Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President, The World Bank, 1997-2000; Chairman, U.S. Council of Economic Advisors, 1995-1996; Professor, Columbia University and Chair of Columbia University's Committee on Global Thought; Author of the New York Times Bestseller, Globalization and Its Discontents

Stiglitz helped create a new branch of economics, "The Economics of Information," exploring the consequences of information asymmetries and pioneering such pivotal concepts as adverse selection and moral hazard, which have now become standard tools not only of theorists, but of policy analysts. He has made major contributions to macro-economics and monetary theory, to development economics and trade theory, to public and corporate finance, to the theories of industrial organization and rural organization, and to the theories of welfare economics and of income and wealth distribution. In the 1980s, he helped revive interest in the economics of R&D. His work has helped explain the circumstances in which markets do not work well, and how selective government intervention can improve their performance.

U.S. Ambassador to India, 2004-2009 ; Chairman International, Credit Suisse First Boston, 1992-2003 ; Under Secretary/ Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Treasury, 1984 - 1992

United States Ambassador David C. Mulford came to India in early 2004, at a time when India-U.S. relations were undergoing a dramatic shift and the strategic partnership between New Delhi and Washington was gaining momentum as the two sides began working closely together on an unprecedented range of issues. Ambassador Mulford has been a major player for five years in the building of a strong partnership between the United States and India, the world’s two largest multicultural democracies. With charm and aplomb, Ambassador Mulford shares his first-hand perspective, taking audiences inside the comprehensive development of one of the most important relationships the U.S. will have with any country in the 21st century.

Former Governor of Hong Kong; Former European Commissioner for External Relations (EU Secretary of State); Chancellor, University of Oxford

Christopher Patten draws on his experience as Great Britain's last Governor of Hong Kong and as the Former European Commissioner of External Affairs (the EU's Secretary of State) to address current world political and economic topics.

National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter; Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for American-Chinese Relations; Author of Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower

Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski uses his experiences as an international advisor to multi-national corporations to address the most important international issues facing businesses today.

Chairman, Institute for Large Scale Innovation; Chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Advisory Council on Innovation ; Bestselling Author, Innovation Nation and Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity; Innovation Consultant to Public and Private Sector Leaders Worldwide

John Kao has made a career out of helping organizations go from “getting” the importance of innovation to “getting innovation done.”

Dubbed “Mr. Creativity” by The Economist, John is Chairman of the Institute for Large Scale Innovation, whose i20 group is an association of 30 national ‘Chief Innovation Officers.’  He is considered a leading authority on the subjects of innovation, organizational transformation, and new media. He is author of the best-selling Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity, a BusinessWeek best-seller that has been published in a dozen languages, and Innovation Nation: How America is Losing its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters, and What We Can Do To Get It Back.  

Kao’s life and career are a study in innovation: he focused on philosophy and social science at Yale where he earned his BA; he spent a summer as a keyboard player with Frank Zappa (he’s an accomplished jazz pianist); and he graduated Yale Medical School with a specialty in psychiatry. He did his residency at Harvard, where he then earned his MBA and stayed on for 14 years to teach as a Harvard Business School professor. His elective, "Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Organizations" drew some 2,000 MBA students, and the executive program he developed and taught, "Enhancing Corporate Creativity," attracted top executives from companies such as Merck, Merrill Lynch, and Saudi Aramco. He is this year's Chair of the World Economic Forum's (Davos) Global Advisory Council on Innovation.

It is the eclectic quality of Kao’s knowledge and experience that make his insights so useful and unique.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT: View a video clip of John Kao speaking at the Tides Momentum Leadership Conference. In a presentation that mixes speech, music, and audience input, Kao talks about the meaning and importance of innovation, how we innovate, and the future as a design problem. 

John Kao explained why innovation is the key to America's future in a recent CNN special report, Restoring the American Dream: How to Innovate. View video... In addition to his appearance, Kao contributed a special article to CNN,"Defining Innovation."

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, 2007-2009 ; Ambassador to Iraq, 2005-2007 ; Ambassador to Afghanistan, 2003-2005

Praised for his inclusive tactics, convivial style, and result oriented approach, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad’s record in the most turbulent areas of U.S. foreign policy has earned him broad respect throughout the world. Serving as the 26th United States Ambassador to the United Nations, he dealt with extraordinary global issues during one of the most challenging periods in our history, including the recent Russia-Georgia conflict and the Mumbai terror attacks. He is the highest-ranking Muslim in U.S. Government in United States history. Previously, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, where he played a significant role in facilitating both countries’ constitutions, elections and formation of government. In Iraq, he was instrumental in getting the Sunni Arabs to participate in the political process and move away from al-Qaeda. Ambassador Khalilzad’s first-hand knowledge and experience as a statesman in these important hotspots at this crucial juncture in time give him unparalleled insights into the global issues of security, terror, extremism, state building, peace negotiation, and energy.

Chairman of WPP Group; Senior Advisor to Morgan Stanley International; U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James’, 1997-2001

Former U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James’, Phillip Lader is uniquely qualified to discuss current international, economic and political issues, as well as business strategy, leadership, and ethics.

First Deputy Managing Director, IMF 2006-2011 ; Co-Director, Aspen Institute’s Program on the Global Economy ; Director, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Advisory Board Member, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) ; Former Vice Chairman, JPMorgan Investment Bank; Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies

John Lipsky’s service at the International Monetary Fund coincided with the onset of the greatest economic and financial challenges faced yet by the rapidly globalizing world. Having served as the IMF’s First Deputy Managing Director between 2006-2011, as well as Acting Managing Director from May-July 2011, Lipsky helped lead the IMF’s efforts to halt the global downturn, to reestablish economic and financial stability, and to restart growth through unprecedented international policy cooperation in the face of historic market upheavals and systemic disruption.

Over the course of his distinguished career in both the private and public sectors, he has earned the credentials that give him the respect of leaders from both sectors around the world. Lipsky offers a unique insight into how economic policy is being negotiated and implemented today, reflecting the unique challenges and the global realities of shifting relative power in both economic and political arenas.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa and the Near East in the Clinton Administration ; President of The Barnett Group, L.L.C.

An expert in the economic opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Judith Barnett is the founder of The Barnett Group, LLC. Her opinions and unparalleled knowledge are highly prized by companies looking to compete in these rapidly expanding markets. In her speeches, Ms. Barnett addresses the economic opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa from a geopolitical and economic perspective. Specializing in creating or expanding trade and investment in the Middle East, North Africa and China, Ms. Barnett is uniquely qualified to discuss global economy issues.

Global Business Strategy Expert ; Thought Leader ; Noted Author ; Successful Global Businessman

With a specific expertise in India and China, John Caslione provides hands-on experience with a keen focus on how US and European firms can develop strategies to succeed as they grow globally. His highly valued presentations are dynamic, information-packed, and sought after by CEOs and audiences from around the world seeking current, first-hand knowledge of global business markets.

President of the European Parliament (2002-2004)

Parliament's President Cox is convinced that the 21st century will see Europe's second renaissance, when following the consolidation of a process of unification, the EU will deliver on jobs, peace and stability and enhance the living standards and quality of life of all its people.

Co-chairman of the European-American Business Council (EABC); Head of the International Trade and Finance Division of the Law Firm of Covington and Burling; Former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union; Former U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce, Undersecretary of State; Former Deputy Treasury Secretary; Former Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to President Carter

With an expertise in international business transactions and regulations and on resolving international trade problems, Stuart Eizenstat addresses issues relating to global competition and economic policies worldwide.

Juan Trippe Professor of International Trade, Finance and Business at the Yale School of Management; Chairman of Garten Rothkopf; Former Dean of Yale School of Management; Author

Addressing today’s increasingly global economy, Jeffrey Garten explores the timely challenges that corporate executives and other top business leaders will face in the decade ahead. Mr. Garten offers audiences his unique perspective on how to run a business in today’s volatile business climate.

Leading Expert on Strategy, Globalization and Emerging Markets

Anil Gupta, world-renowned scholar on global strategy, is a regular speaker at major conferences and serves as an adviser and director for corporations in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT: In this engaging Globe and Mail interview about Business Management, Anil Gupta says that "CEO's can make mistakes, but they must always act with integrity." Watch Video..

President, Kotler Marketing Group

Milton Kotler in an expert doing business in China. In partnership with Philip Kotler, the S.C. Johnson and Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at Northwestern University, Kotler advises companies on how to create, win and dominate markets.

U.S. Ambassador to China (1985-1989); Board of Directors, the International Rescue Committee

Any audience fortunate enough to hear Ambassador Winston Lord speak reaps the benefits of his rare combination of extraordinary experience in foreign affairs and unique exposure to U.S. strategic policy. Lord has the ability to take a subject which most others make complex and - stripped of emotion – fashion it into one which is remarkably clear, coherent and absolutely fascinating.

Former OPEC Secretary-General and Nigerian Minister of Petroleum

Dr. Lukman was elected as OPEC Secretary-General on Nov. 22, 1994 to a three-year term to succeed Dr. Subroto of Indonesia. Lukman was re-elected to a second three-year term as OPEC Secretary-General in 1997. Later he became a key force behind a price defense deal reached by Iran and Saudi Arabia in early 1999. He then served for four years as Special Adviser on Petroleum and Energy Matters to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and then as Nigerian Minister of Petroleum from 2008-2010 resigning his post in March 2010.

Senior Editor, Asia for Forbes Magazine; Author, The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it Means for All of Us

Hong Kong-based Forbes foreign correspondent Robyn Meredith wrote the definitive book on the rise of India and China: The Elephant and the Dragon, which The Wall Street Journal named one of the top 10 books on Asia. She also writes the "Off Shore" column on globalization and geopolitics for Forbes.com, and anchors a weekly webcast.

As Asia becomes the engine of growth for a post-crisis global economy, changes in China and India are rapidly shaping the world's political and economic future. Robyn Meredith's insights are a convergence of her extensive travels throughout Asia and her unique access to business leaders worldwide.

Meredith explains how dramatic developments in Asia are changing the world for all of us. Her talks serve as a wake-up call, delivering crucial information to Main Street and Wall Street alike. She connects with her audiences via thought-provoking speeches along with frank and lively question-and-answer sessions that alter the way audiences look at the world.

Nobel Laureate Economics; Professor of Economics, Columbia University; Father of the Theory of Optimum Currency Areas

Professor Mundell has lectured widely in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia. He has given the Frank Graham Memorial Lecture at Princeton, the Marshall Lecture at Cambridge, The Ohlin Lecture and the Robbins Memorial Lecture. Professor Mundell customizes his speeches - he has addressed audiences in France after the French Referendum, Indonesia for the Bank of Indonesia and audiences in China at Peking University, tailoring his speech to the economic and monetary conditions of those regions.

Former Prime Minister of Jamaica

As the longest serving Prime Minister in Jamaica, Percival Patterson presided over the unprecedented modernization and transformation of the economic, social and political landscape of the country.

Economist ; Principal Advisor to the European Union on Economic Development, Energy Security and Climate Change Policy ; President, Foundation on Economic Trends; Bestselling Author, The End of Work and The Age of Access; Fellow, Wharton School’s Executive Education Program

Jeremy Rifkin and his ideas are not without controversy. The author of seventeen books on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society and the environment, Mr. Rifkin advocates a new type of economic thinking. He is a proponent of sustainable development, quality of life and the nurturing of community. His books have been translated into more than thirty languages and are used in hundreds of universities, corporations and government agencies around the world. Mr. Rifkin is one of the highest rated speakers on the international lecture circuit on the topics of globalization, sustainability and shifting to a new energy era and low-carbon economy. CNN-International is airing a documentary on his Third Industrial Revolution vision for their program Principal Voices.  Click here to view the trailer.

"Indiana Jones of Finance" (Time Magazine); Founder of the Quantum Fund; Author Investment Biker and Adventure Capitalist

Called the “Indiana Jones of finance” by TIME, James Rogers is cut from a different cloth than most people on Wall Street and his speeches are reflective of that. With impressive financial credentials (he founded the Quantum Fund with George Soros), a zest for life and experience and knowledge unmatched by most armchair economists, Rogers is not content to study economies from afar. He's traveled the world (once on motorcycle and once by Mercedes Benz) to learn about the world’s developing countries and investment markets first hand. His speeches get to the heart of what drives successful nations and economies upward and what sends troubled ones downward.

Freedom Fighter Against Apartheid; Judge, Constitutional Court of South Africa (Ret.) 1994- 2009

Internationally acclaimed Freedom Fighter and Champion of Human Rights regardless of race, creed or sexual orientation,  A pillar of the international law community, Albie Sachs has helped shape our modern world, both in South Africa and around the world. 

Founder and Principal, Straszheim Global Advisors; Vice Chairman, Milken Institute; Former Chief Economist, Merrill Lynch

Combining an expertise in global economics with an emphasis on China, Donald Straszheim is one of the world’s foremost economists. Widely quoted in the major business and financial media, has been a regular analyst on CNBC, CNN and FOX and a frequent network guest. His perspectives on global economies, business conditions and financial markets are highly sought after by governments and corporations worldwide.

Expert on Global Strategy ; Managing Partner, China India Institute ; Adjunct Professor of Strategy at INSEAD; Co-author of Two Highly Acclaimed Books: Getting China and India Right and The Quest for Global Dominance ; Regular Columnist on "Getting China and India Right" for BusinessWeek

Haiyan Wang is managing partner of China India Institute, a research and consulting organization with a focus on creating winning global strategies that leverage the transformational rise of China and India. She is the co-author of two highly acclaimed books: Getting China and India Right and The Quest for Global Dominance. Wang serves as a regular columnist on "Getting China and India Right" for BusinessWeek. Her co-authored opinion pieces have also appeared in top international media such as The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Chief Executive, The Economic Times, China Daily, The Times of India, as well as other outlets. A native of China, Wang has spent the last twenty years consulting for and managing multinational business operations in China and the United States in several different industry sectors. Drawing on her broad international experience, she consults with clients and speaks at conferences on building and exploiting global presence, with a particular focus on China and India. In a global market that is increasingly Asia-focused, Wang's expertise and insight on strategic direction in the East is undeniably valuable and not to be missed.