Uolevi Raade is the former Chairman of the Finnish Oil Refining company, Neste. Born in 1912, he graduated with degrees from the Helsinki University of Technology and Åbo Akademi. Whilst studying at the Helsinki University of Technology he founded the student flying club and during World War II he served as a fighter pilot. In 1954 he became the Director of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and it was in this position that he devised a strategy to receive war reparation payments stipulated by the Soviet Union. The following year he became the Managing Director of Neste and he succeeded in bringing in the first oil refinery shortly after his appointment. Mr Raade worked with Former President Urho Kekkonen to promote the project, rallying politicians and industries at home and abroad. In 1959 he became Chairman of the Board of Neste and until his retirement in 1979 he served as both Chairman and Managing Director of Neste. During the course of his career he was also actively involved in industrial federations and served as a member of the board of 37 corporations.

Born in 1937, Seydina Oumar Sy is a former Senegalese politician. He served as the Minister of Trade from 1988 to 1990, before becoming the Foreign Minister in 1990 until 1991. He has continued to be active in politics throughout his life having recently chaired a committee at the 11th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Dakar in 2008.

Dr Ramon Artemio Bracho was born in Paraguay in 1924, graduating from the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Asuncion as a surgeon. He worked as a doctor in rural areas for fifteen years, before becoming a military doctor for the Ministry of National Defence and the Central Military Hospital. He retired from this position with the rank of Colonel of the Nation. In 1958 Dr Braucho helped found the Cruzada Mundial de la Amistad (World Friendship Crusade), a campaign that is designed to promote the value of friendship in order to foster a more peaceful society. His belief in this campaign stems from his certainty that friendship is central in overcoming people’s cultural, political and religious differences. Due to his efforts, July 30 was designated as ‘Friendship Day’ and is celebrated yearly in Paraguay and other South American countries. On July 27, 2011 the General Assembly of the U.N elected July 30 to become ‘International Friendship Day’ and urged all members to celebrate this day.

Ramon Areces Rodriguez was the founder of El Corte Inglés which has grown to become the biggest department franchise in Europe. Born in Spain in 1904, he immigrated to Cuba at the age of 15 in order to begin work as an apprentice at a department store. He continued his apprenticeship in the United States and Canada while working at an import company and studying economics. In 1934 he returned to Spain and settled in Madrid and the following year he bought a small children’s tailoring business named Preciados. Combing the success of Preciados with his global business knowledge, in 1940, Mr Rodriguez transformed Preciados into El Corte Inglés. El Corte Inglés popularity rapidly grew and under Mr Rodriguez’s leadership El Corte Inglés stores were soon open in almost all of Spain’s main cities. Since its foundation, The El Corte Inglés Group has extended to other companies including Hipercor, Viajes El Corte Inglés, Informática El Corte Inglés, Investrónica, Telecor, and Centro de Seguros. In 1976 Mr Rodriguez created The Ramón Areces Foundation which was formed as a private cultural foundation under the protection of the Ministry of Education and Science.

Dr Robert Gallo earned fame when he co-discovered HIV as the cause of AIDS in 1984. He pioneered the development of the HIV blood test and his research has helped to develop HIV therapies that prolong the lives of those infected. Gallo has dedicated his life to the fight against the AIDS epidemic as well as other viral diseases. He was the first to identify a human retrovirus and the only known human leukaemia virus. Robert Gallo is the Founder and Director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland. Prior to this he spent 30 years at the National Institute of Health. He recently founded the Global Virus Network, a world-wide network of reputed virologists committed to the task of identifying, investigating and controlling viral diseases that pose a threat to mankind. Gallo has received numerous honours for his contribution to science and holds 29 honorary doctorates. In 2006, he was awarded the Gold Mercury Award for Global Health.

The Hon Pietro Campilli, born in Frascati in 1891 was an Italian politician. He studied accountancy at university and graduated with a degree in Economics and Commerce. He began his political career in 1920, when he was elected as a councillor to the Province of Rome, a position he held until 1923.  He continued his career by participating in the formation of the Christian Democratic Party and eventually went on to become a part of the National Council in 1944. Serving as a member of the Economic Committee of the National Council and also in the Economic Commission of the Constituent Assembly, The Hon Mr Campilli was then elected to the constituent assembly in the district of Lazio in 1946. In July 1946 he was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Trade before becoming the Ministry of Finance and Treasury in 1947.  From 1947 to 1949 The Hon Mr Campilli represented Italy in the Committee of European Economic Cooperation. His achievements in the economic sector were soon recognised and after a short period of directing numerous companies, he became the Chairman of the newly established European Investment Bank located in Luxembourg in 1958. His political and economic achievements culminated in him being appointed President of the National Council for Economics and Labour from 1959 to 1970.

Robert J. Ouko (1931-1990) was a former politician who served as a Foreign Minister for Kenya from 1979 to 1983 and again from 1988 to 1990. Originally working as a teacher, he returned to university study economics, public administration and political science and upon graduating, began a career in politics. He initially worked as an Assistant Secretary in the office of the Governor before being promoted to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works. Following the East African Community collapse in 1977, Mr Ouko became a member of Kenyan parliament and was eventually appointed to the position of Minister for Economic Planning and Community Affairs. His excellent economic work during this period saw him being promoted to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as he sought to promote improve Kenya’s international presence.

Born in Cameroon, Michel Doo Kingue (1934-2005), began a career in politics in 1961 when he was appointed to the position of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education. During his time at the Ministry of Education, he assisted in the planning and creation of the country’s first university in Yaounde. In 1963 he was appointed to the position of Senior Advisor for African Affairs at UNESCO, a position he held until 1969. In 1969 Doo Kingue became UNESCO’s Director of International Organisations and Programs, where he was responsible for ensuring cooperation between UNESCO and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organisations. In 1971 he accepted a position at the UN as Assistant Secretary General and became Assistant Administrator for the UN Development Program. In 1983 he was made UN Under-Secretary General and also became the Executive Director of the UN Institute for Training and Research. In 1991 he was a candidate for the post of UN Secretary General before retiring the following year. Doo Kingue also issued several publications over the course of his career.

Mauricio Hatchwell Toledano was born in Morocco. He was the founder and Chairman of Excem Group and the driving force behind a number of cultural initiatives that include the International Jewish Committee Sepharad 1992 and the Fundación Amigos de Sefarad of Spain. In 1992, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the expulsion of Jewish  people from Spain,  Hatchwell published 500 copies of the Alba Bible; the medieval Spanish translation of the Tanakh. The book, later given to Juan Carlos I of Spain, is prized for its contributions to biblical and Jewish cultural history. In addition to other special acknowledgements Hatchwell received the Prince of Asturias Concord Prize in 1990, the Jerusalem 3000 award in 1995 and the Commander of the Spanish National Merit in 1999 . Hatchwell was an active member of cultural, academic, business and social circles in Spain, France, Israel, China and the United States. He also served as a member of several academic institution’s boards during his career.