An eminent former French diplomat, Gérard Araud is known for his in-depth knowledge of international relations, his clear and direct opinions on various issues and his reflections on working with world leaders in recent years.

Gérard is an expert on the Middle East as well as strategic and security issues.

HIS CAREER
Gérard was French Ambassador to the United States from 2014 to April 2019, before retiring from the diplomatic corps.

Previously, he held several positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Director of Strategic Affairs, Security and Disarmament (2000-2003), French Ambassador to Israel (2003-2006), Director General of Political Affairs (2006-2009) and Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations in New York (2009-2014).

Gérard was the French negotiator on the Iranian nuclear issue from 2006 to 2009. At the United Nations Security Council, he notably contributed to the adoption of resolutions on Libya, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and the Central African Republic. He also participated in the debates on the Syrian and Ukrainian crises.

A member of the Board of Directors of the International Crisis Group, Gérard is also Senior Vice-President for Strategy at Richard Attias and Associates in New York and Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington.

Gérard has published numerous articles on history, foreign policy, and the search for a new world order. A columnist for Le Point, he contributes regularly to France Inter and BFM TV, as well as to the journals Commentaire and Esprit.

An Officer of the Legion of Honour, Gérard is a graduate of the Ecole polytechnique, the Ecole nationale des statistiques et de l'administration économique, the Ecole nationale d'administration and the Institut d'études politiques de Paris.

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John Bercow is a British statesman and former Speaker of the House of Commons – and the first since World War II to keep order in front of four Prime Ministers.

HIS CAREER
From 2009 to 2019, John Bercow was the 157^th President of the House of Commons. A vigorous orator, his thunderous call to order ("Order! Order!") went around the world.

A reformer, John was the first Speaker to relinquish the traditional attire of this prestigious office, and to allow the Youth Parliament to debate in the House of Commons. He introduced former US President Barack Obama to address both Houses of Parliament, but opposed an invitation to President Donald Trump on grounds of racism and sexism.

From 2003 to 2005, John served as Minister of International Development.

In 2002, John was appointed Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, but resigned to support the Labour Government’s policy to allow unmarried gay and heterosexual couples to adopt.

John entered Parliament in 1997 as Conservative MP for Buckingham.

John Bercow is a graduate of the University of Essex.



 

Fabrice Brégier is the President of Palantir France, an American software company dedicated to big data integration and analysis. A business leader, he took up the role in 2018.

HIS CAREER
Previously, Fabrice has worked as the President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, the Airbus Chief Operating Officer and a member of Airbus Group Executive Committee.

In 2003, Fabrice Brégier became CEO of Eurocopter, before joining Airbus as Deputy CEO in October 2006 and becoming CEO in June 2012.

His career in defence and aerospace began in 1993 when he joined Matra Défense. He became CEO of Matra Bae Dynamics in 1998, following the joint creation of the group by Aérospatiale-Matra, British Aerospace, and Finmeccanica, and became CEO of MBDA, the group’s current name, in 2001.

Fabrice started his career in 1986 in the French Ministry of Industry, and was appointed as Director of Economic and Financial Affairs with the French Ministry of Agriculture in 1989, before serving as technical advisor to several ministers.

Fabrice Brégier is a graduate of both the École polytechnique and the École des mines of Paris.

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Geostrategist and author, Brahma Chellaney is currently professor of strategic studies at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.

Brahma is an expert in the geopolitics of natural resources, particularly water – a subject to which he has devoted several books.

HIS CAREER
As a specialist on international strategic issues, he has held positions at Harvard University, the Brookings Institution, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and the Australian National University.

Brahma is a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, a trustee of the National Book Trust, and an affiliate to the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King’s College London.

He has served as a member of the Policy Advisory Group headed by India’s Foreign Minister.

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André Chieng is Vice-President of the France-China Committee and President of Asiatique européenne de commerce (AEC), a consulting firm that helps French companies set up in China.

An honorary member of the Chinese Council for the Promotion of International Trade, André is also an advisor on France's foreign trade.

His expertise and ability to remove obstacles (political, administrative, cultural) are recognised internationally, notably by the French and Chinese business communities.

HIS CAREER
Born in Marseille to a Chinese family, André has been living in Beijing since 2001.

Before he moved, André was appointed Vice Chairman of the France-China Committee in 1994.

In 1988, André became Chairman of AEC (ex-Bambrilla), one of France's oldest trading companies specializing in trade with China.

André joined the Louis Dreyfus Group as Managing Director of Bambrilla in 1980, after two years as a university Professor of Economics in China.

A Knight of the Legion of Honour, André has published a series of books on China, including Les Nouvelles Routes de la Soie (Economica), La pratique de la Chine (Grasset) and Les 100 mots de la Chine (PUF).

André is a graduate of  the Ecole polytechnique, the Ecole nationale de la statistique et de l'administration économique, and the Institut d'études politiques de Paris.

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CEO of Coface since February 2016, Xavier Durand has more than 25 years experience in the regulated financial services industry in Europe, the United States, and Asia.

He currently serves as Board Member and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of the French-listed ALD Automotive.

HIS CAREER
Previously, Xavier Durand had been Chief Strategy and Growth Officer of London-based General Electric (GE) Capital since 2013.

Xavier has spent most of his professional life with GE Capital, which he joined in 1996. There, he began a long international career, first in Chicago as Director of Strategy and Growth of the Finance division of the Global Auto business. He was then appointed successively CEO of GE Money in France in 2002, in Europe in 2005, and of GE Capital’s banking activities in Europe, Russia and Turkey in 2009. In 2011, he was named CEO of GE Capital Asia Pacific, based in Japan.

He started his career in 1987 at The Mac Group (Gemini Consulting), before joining the GMF in 1991, and the Sovac Real Estate Bank in 1994 as Deputy CEO.

He is a graduate of the Ecole polytechnique and the Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussées.

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An associate professor and doctor of history, François Durpaire is a lecturer in Educational Sciences at the University of Cergy-Pontoise. He is also in charge of the Master’s degree for training senior education advisers at the Versailles Academy.

François also teaches United States geostrategy at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations.

François has been a consultant for BFM TV on the United States since 2011.

An author, his latest book Histoire mondiale du bonheur (Cherche Midi) brings together more than fifty historians to examine the concept of happiness as the driving force of civilisations.

HIS CAREER
In 2018, François co-founded the BONHEURS laboratory at the University of Cergy-Pontoise, the first European laboratory on the issue of well-being (well-being and education, well-being at work, well-being and health...), which launched the Semaine du bonheur à l’école (Week of Happiness at School) initiative.

Previously, in 2014, François became Programme Director of the television channel France Diversité Média, where he presents the programmes Avant j'aimais pas la politique and 10 minutes pour comprendre.

From 2009 to 2012, François was a member of the French National Committee for the Memory and History of Slavery.

In 2004, François obtained his doctorate with the thesis Les Etats-Unis et la décolonisation de l'Afrique noire francophone (1945-1962) under the supervision of André Kaspi.

Author of some fifteen books, François has notably published Histoire des Etats-Unis (Que sais-je ? - PUF collection), Les Etats-Unis pour les nuls (First), Les écoles du bonheur (Tétraèdre) and the successful comic book series La présidente (les Arènes). He also produces documentaries.

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Since 2010, Franck Galland has been the founder and CEO of Environmental Emergency & Security Services, a consulting engineering and services company specialising in urban resilience.

He is considered one of Europe's leading experts on security and strategic issues related to water resources.

HIS CAREER
Between 2004 and 2010, Franck was Vice President of Corporate Security at Suez Environnement. He also worked as Advisor to the President for Mediterranean Affairs.

From 2001 to 2004, Franck served as Risk Manager for Ondeo Services (the international arm of Suez-Lyonnaise des Eaux), where he was in charge of development.

Before this, Franck was Director of Operations at Miallot & Associés (Mazars & Guérard Group), specializing in international risk management, between 1997 and 2001. In this position, he accompanied many major groups in emerging markets, including Lyonnaise des Eaux.

As an Associate Researcher at the Foundation for Strategic Research, Franck was chosen by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs in November 2015 to represent France ad hominem on the Global High Level Panel for Water & Peace, a group of some fifteen experts brought together by the Swiss government on the issue of water and collective security.

For his civil-military commitments, he was made a Knight and then an Officer of the National Order of Merit.

Franck is a graduate in international affairs from the Ecole supérieure de commerce de Marseille.

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Natixis’ Chief Economist for the Asia-Pacific region since 2015, Alicia García Herrero is also a Senior Fellow at European think-tank Bruegel, and a non-resident Research Fellow at Madrid-based think tank Real Instituto Elcano.

Alicia is a co-founder of Bright Hong Kong, a working group focusing on the future of Hong Kong. She is a member of the board of the Hong Kong Forum, and advisor to both the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s research arm and the Asian Development Bank.

Alicia is Adjunct Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

HER CAREER
Before joining Natixis, Alicia was Chief Economist for Emerging Markets at Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) in Hong Kong.

She also was a Member of the Asian Research Program at the Bank of International Settlements, and Head of the International Economy Division of the Bank of Spain.

In addition, Alicia has been a Member of the Counsel to the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, Head of Emerging Economies at the Research Department at Banco Santander, and Economist at the International Monetary Fund.

Alicia holds a PhD in Economics from George Washington University.

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Agatha Kratz is an Associate Director at Rhodium Group, an independent research firm specialising on the Chinese economy. She heads Rhodium’s European activities, and contributes to the group’s research on European Union-China relations and China’s economic impact on OECD countries.

Agatha is also a non-resident Adjunct Fellow in the Reconnecting Asia Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington DC-based foreign policy think-tank.

HER CAREER
Agatha was previously an Associate Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), for the Asia & China Program. Within this think tank, she served as Assistant Editor for the China Economic Quarterly, and also as Editor-in-Chief of China Analysis, ECFR’s quarterly journal.

Prior to her role at the ECFR, Agatha was a Junior Fellow at the Asia Centre in Paris.
Agatha holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Finance from the Institut d’études politiques de Paris, a Master’s in Public Administration from the London School of Economics and Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, and a PhD. in Chinese Studies from King’s College London.

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Julien Marcilly has been Coface’s Chief Economist since March 2015. He has an extensive background in emerging markets and country risk.

HIS CAREER
Julien joined Coface in 2012 as Deputy Chief Economist and Head of Country Risk.

Previously, Julien Marcilly had been working as an economist since 2010 at Artio Global Investors, a capital management company based in New York.

He started his career in 2007 as an economist at Société Générale.

Julien holds a PhD in financial economics from Paris-Dauphine University, and a Master’s in Management from ESCP Europe.

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Both a doctor and an explorer, Bertrand Piccard is the founder and president of Solar Impulse, a foundation that aims to bridge the gap between ecology and economy.

Nicknamed the "Saventurer", Bertrand’s dual "identity" gives him a unique perspective on the psychological resources essential for crisis management and change.

An influential opinion leader, Bertrand works with major international institutions and government bodies, particularly on the themes of progress and sustainable development.

HIS CAREER
Bertrand first studied medicine in Lausanne (Switzerland), and graduated in 1996 with a double specialisation (psychiatry and psychotherapy for adults and children) as well as hypnosis.

In the early 2000s, Bertrand was one of the first to advocate a cost-effective approach to ecology, highlighting the economic opportunities in the fight against climate change. In 2004, development began on Solar Impulse – the first solar-powered aircraft with perpetual autonomy –,which was designed to carry this message.

Fascinated by the major challenges of our time, Bertrand made history by making two major aeronautical firsts: a non-stop round-the-world balloon flight (1999) and a round-the-world flight in a solar-powered aircraft (in 2016).

A world-renowned speaker, Bertrand was named Champion of the Earth and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the Environment in 2012 under the Population Fund.

Actively committed to humanitarian causes, he co-founded and currently chairs Winds of Hope, an organisation that aims to eradicate and chairs the humanitarian function Winds of Hope for the eradication of noma, a disease associated with extreme poverty caused by malnutrition and lack of hygiene.

Officer of the Legion of Honour and author, Bertrand has published several best-sellers such as Le tour du Monde en 20 jours (Robert Laffont, 1999) and Changer d'altitude (Editions Stock, 2014).

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Janani Vivekananda is a Senior Advisor on climate change and peacebuilding at adelphi, a Berlin-based think tank. Her work involves leading participatory field research on community-level resilience to conflict and climate change, developing conflict-sensitive approaches to climate change adaptation, and increasing the capacity of governments and civil society to integrate climate and conflict risk into policies and field projects.

She currently leads the United Nation Development Program (UNDP) Climate Fragility Risk Assessment of Lake Chad. She is also supporting the climate security work of the United Nation Security Council (UNSC), as part of Germany’s presidency.

Janani is one of the lead authors of the 2015 flagship report "A New Climate for Peace".

HER CAREER
Before joining adelphi, Janani was the Head of the Environment, Climate Change and Security at International Alert, an international non-governmental organization (INGO) specialising in peacebuilding.

Prior to this, she was the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) advisor at Plan International, based in London.

Janani holds a Master’s in Violence, Conflict and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and a Bachelor’s (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University.

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@adelphi_berlin
@ClimateDiplo