Chedly Ayari was born in Tunisia in 1933 and throughout his life worked as an economist, politician and diplomat. He studied Economics at Sorbonne in Paris before completing further studies in Private Law. He initially worked as a Professor of Economics and Law at the University of Tunis, before being promoted to Dean of the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences and Management. During this period he was also an Associate Professor at the University of Aix-Marseille. During his academic career his research focused on the subjects of international monetary and financial relations and macroeconomic policy. Ayari is a published author, having produced numerous books on economic policies and fiscal relations. Ayri also worked within Tunisia’s political sector as Planning Minister, Minister of Youth and Sports, Minister of Education and Minister of Economy. In 2010 he was appointed as a member of the House of Councillors. In addition he has held several diplomatic posts, as Economic Advisor to the Tunisian delegation of the U.N. and Ambassador to the European Commission.  He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the African Development Bank.

Dr Cayetano Nino Rota is the current President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Production (CCIAI) of Argentina. Dr Rota has worked for CCIAI for 25 years and throughout his lengthy career he has strived to foster good business practices and community involvement, contribute to the quality of life and help to create diverse cultural and entrepreneurial opportunities for all Argentineans. Dr Rota’s efforts in promoting the CCIAI’s goals also earned the Chamber Special Consultative Status from the United Nations in 1996. He also developed structured academic lessons for professors and teachers around the world who work in the fields of industry and development. It was because of his lesson plans and knowledge of the industry that today, CACIPRA, also operates as an education centre, offering education careers in tourism, international trade, customs administration and technical development.

Anton Jaumann was a German CSU politician who served as the Bavarian Minister for Economy and Transport. Born in 1927 he studied Theology, Economics and Law before founding and leading his own law firm in Munich in 1957. During this time he also served as the CEO of the National Association of the Bavarian Capital and Foreign Trade. He was a member of Bavarian parliament from 1958 until 1990. In 1966 he became the State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance before eventually serving as the Bavarian State Minister of Economy and Transport until 1988. During his term as Minister of Economy and Transport he made several key decisions and was an outspoken critic of the planning approval process and construction of the Franz Josef Strauss Airport.

His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan Bin Talal has founded and is actively involved in a number of Jordanian and international institutes and committees. He established and now directs the Islamic Scientific Academy; the Tri-annual Conferences on the History and Archaeology of Jordan; the Hashemite Aid and Relief Agency; the Centre for Educational Development; the Institute for Diplomacy; and the Al al-Bait University in Mafraq. At the 36th Session of the United Nations in 1981, Prince Hassan proposed the establishment of the New International Humanitarian Order, which led to him being asked by the U.N Secretary-General, to found and co-chair the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues (ICIHI). In 2002, Prince Hassan founded the International Cultures Foundation and from this The Parliament of Cultures was formed in 2004. In 2003, Prince Hassan launched Partners in Humanity as a joint initiative with John Marks from Search for Common Ground (SFCG). Decorated by over twenty nations, Prince Hassan is the holder of the Order of Al Hussein bin Ali, Jordan’s highest decoration.

Masaru Ibuka is renowned as a pioneer of electronic products and the co-founder of Sony Corporation. Ibuka was born in Japan in 1908 and attended the School of Science and Engineering at Waseda University, graduating in 1933. He worked at the Optico- Acoustical Engineering Company as the Chief of the Radio Section from 1937 to 1940. He was then appointed Managing Director and Chief Engineer at the Japan Measuring Instruments Company. In 1945 he formed a radio repair shop in Tokyo, before being joined by Akio Morita the following year. They co-founded Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation and went on to build the first Japanese tape recorder. In the early 1950’s, Ibuka helped secure Bell Labs licensing transistor technology, which would become crucial in Sony’s technological developments. In 1958 they changed the company name to the Sony Corporation and revolutionised technology with the creation of such products as the transistor radio and video recording. Ibuka served as President from 1950 to 1971 before becoming Chairman and later, Honorary Chairman in 1976. He retired from the Sony Corporation in 1976 but continued on as an adviser until his death in 1997.

Angelo Rizzoli was an Italian publisher and entrepreneur who founded Rizzoli Editore. Born in 1889 in Milan, he was orphaned at a young age yet managed to succeed in becoming an apprentice in the printing trade during his youth. In 1927 he founded A. Rizzoli and Co, a press company which began with the acquisition of the magazine Novella, and later, several other national magazines. In 1949 the company began to publish books and in 1952 they changed the name to Rizzoli Editore. In 1954  Rizzoli purchased Cartiera di Lama di Reno which served as a basis for his subsequent publishing empire. In 1960 the operations moved and he became one of the first producers of daily newspapers within the newly established nation of Italy. He was also actively involved in film production, producing La Dolce Vita and 81/2. In 1964 he opened the Rizzoli International Bookstore in New York.  Rizzoli died in 1970, but the company continues today as RCS Media Group operating daily and producing newspapers, magazines, books, radio broadcasts and television programmes.

Alfonso Escamez was the former President of Banco Central. He was appointed President of the bank in 1973 and served as the driving force behind the international expansion of the bank, acquiring Hispanic and American subsidiaries as well as entering the company on the New York Stock Exchange. During his presidency he also expanded Banco Central’s influence by financially supporting the capacity of the Spanish industrial sector. This involved a focus on the petrochemical company Cepsa, of which he was named president in 1984. In the 1980’s Escamez restructured the bank through a flexible system of regulations and in 1991 he successfully merged Banco Central with Banco Hispano Americano (BHA). Escamez retired the following year, but was later named Honorary President of the company and remained on the Board of the Foundation Central Hispano.

Count Ludovico Incisa di Camerana served as the Ambassador of Italy in both Venezuela and Argentina. He also served as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the Dini government. He is best known today for his written work, primarily on the popularisation of Latin American history. He has authored numerous publications and continues to write a foreign policy column in the newspaper La Nazione. Publications include ‘State of War’ (2001) which attempts to define a typology of armed conflict in post-modern society, ‘Pinocchio’ (2004) which looks at national identity in Italy and ‘The Children of Che: History of a Non-Revolution’ (2007) which details the success of the figure of Che Guevara alongside the Latin American variants of revolution.

Soichiro Honda was the founder of the Japanese manufacturer Honda, which has been the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959. Born in Japan in 1906, his childhood was spent assisting his father in his bicycle repair business. After training as a mechanic he started his own auto repair business in Hamamatsu. In 1937 he founded the Tōkai Seiki Company to manufacture piston rings which he sold to Toyota, a prominent Japanese car manufacturer. Honda later sold the remainder of his business and used the money to fund the Honda Technical Research Institute in 1946.  The following year he began manufacturing motorcycles from the Honda Motor Company and within a decade Honda became the leading motorcycle manufacturer in the world. Through effective marketing they entered the American market and opened the first U.S dealership in 1959. As President, Honda helped to advance the Japanese business sector and he was recognised as being one of the few CEO’s who promoted executives on performance rather than age.  He served as President until his retirement 1973, yet continued to work with the company as its Director. He died in 1991 and was appointed a Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

Sir William Rees Mogg is an English journalist and life peer who is well-known for his role as Editor of The Times. Born in 1928, he completed his studies at Oxford University where he also served as President of the Oxford Union in 1951. His journalism career began at The Financial Times in 1952, before he undertook a position at The Sunday Times in 1960. His journalistic skills were quickly recognised and shortly after joining the publication he was made Deputy Editor. Sir Rees Mogg also branched out into politics during the 1956 by election when he contested the seat of Chester-le-Street as a Conservative candidate, he was however, defeated by Labour’s Norman Pentland. From 1967 to 1981, Sir Rees Mogg served as Editor of The Times. In 1978 he served as High Sherriff of Somerset for a year before being made a life peer in 1988. He sat in the House of Lords as a cross bencher and also served as a member of the European Reform Forum. He also held the role of  Chairman at Pickering & Chatto Publishers and NewsMax Media, as well as writing a weekly column for The Mail on Sunday.