Abrahams Jonathan
Coordinator, Risk Reduction & Emergency Preparedness Health Action in Crises, World Health Organization
Jonathan Abrahams is the Coordinator, Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness in Health Action in Crises, World Health Organization, Geneva. Mr Abrahams works with WHO colleagues and partners on all-hazards global programmes, technical guidance and networks on health emergency risk management, including safer hospitals, climate change, community preparedness and ISDR system's thematic platform on disaster risk reduction for health. He provides support to WHO Regional and Country Offices and partners for assessing and strengthening the capacity of countries and communities to manage health risks of emergencies, disasters and other crises. Mr Abrahams has been author and editor of articles, technical guidance and learning packages in health emergency management, disaster risk management and business continuity planning.
Before joining WHO, Mr Abrahams was Director, Public Health in Emergencies, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, Thailand, and has worked with Emergency Management Australia, AusAID’s Humanitarian and Emergency Response Unit and WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response.
Afdjei Ali
Emergency Physician/ Disaster Medicine and Sport Medicine, France
Dr Ali Afdjei is an emergency physician and a sports medicine physician. He has a degree in Disaster medicine. He practices as responsible for the Emergency Department at the hospital of Parly 2 (France).
As an emergency physician, he participated in humanitarian missions in particular on the earthquake of Bhuj in India ( 2001 ) and after the Tsunami (in 2005).
As sports medicine physician, he was a doctor of the “rally Paris-Dakar”, and in the world championships of Rugby.He is the founding president of GEMNET(Global Emergency Medical Net)
Burger Patrice
Executive Director CARI, France
Patrice Burger – french- is involved since 20 years in rural developement in drylands in sud Saharan and northern Africa . His experience is based on project activities related to natural ressources management in training and technical support in agroecology towards farmers and their organisations. He is active in taking lobby initiatives in order to increase the priority of drylands in the developement agenda and decision makers foras. Currently he is the exe. director of CARI - NGO - based in Montpellier and involved in different networks like DESIRE, DRYNET and RADDO in order to give a future to drylands and oases by combating desertification.
Chomilier Bernard
Head of Logistics Development Unit World Food Program
25 years experience with Humanitarian Organisations (MSF, IFRC, and WFP)
1984 to 1992: Head of Missions for MSF in Mozambique, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Malawi, Liberia.
1992 – 1995 Director of Logistics for MSF-France
1995 – 1998 Head of regional Logistics Unit in Nairobi for the International Federation of Red Cross, in charge of Great Lakes and Somalia operations.
1998 – 2004 Director of Logistics International Federation of Red Cross
Since 2006 : Head of Logistics Development Unit World Food Program, in charge of staff development, systems development and change process.
Member of Board of Directors of the Humanitarian Logistics Association
Member of the Advisory Committee for the Certification in Humanitarian Logistics
Member of the Advisory Committee for the Master Degree in Humanitarian Logistics and Disaster management, Lugano University
de Kalbermatten, Gregoire
Former Deputy Executive Secretary UNCCD, Switzerland
Gregoire G. de Kalbermatten studied law in Geneva, international relations at the School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University in Bologna/Washington DC and political philosophy at the JHU Baltimore Campus where he was a fellow of the President of the JHU.
As a diplomat of his country, Switzerland, and as an international civil servant, G de Kalbermatten has over 30 years of professional experience in multilateral diplomacy, sustainable development and environmental policy planning, coordination and evaluation. He co-authored, directed and published a number of books and studies in related fields. He served the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Capital Development Fund and the UNCCD where he was the Deputy Executive Secretary. He led over 300 missions and/or organized events in some eighty countries of Africa, Asia, America and Europe. He is member of the Board of Directors of the Centre for Evolutionary Learning. He is married and has three children.
Du Bois-Reymond Alard
Director Federal Office for Migration, Switzerland
Alard du Bois-Reymond was born in Zurich in 1961. He studied economics (national economy branch) at the University of Zurich and completed his post-graduation studies for developing countries at the Federal Technical University in Zurich (1988-1989).
After university, from 1989 to 1996 Alard du Bois-Reymond worked as delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in particular in various African States and in Ex-Yugoslavia. In 1996 he became head of Pro Infirmis and in 2005 deputy director and head of the Invalidity Insurance at the Federal Social Insurance Office.
On 1 January 2010 he became director of the Federal Office for Migration.
Alard du Bois-Reymond is married and lives with his wife in Epalinges (Vaud).
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Ecweru Musa Francis
Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Prepardeness & Refugees, Uganda
Honourable Minister Ecweru holds a degree in Democracy and Development Studies and a certificate in Human Resource Management as well as a higher diploma in Accountancy. He participated in a number of International Disaster Prevention and Management Seminars and chaired various National Committees on Peace, Disaster Response and Refugee Management.
Minister Ecweru served as a Commander of Arrow Group (an Auxiliary Force) that helped liberate women and children from the LRA rebels in Eastern Uganda.
He was Resident District Commissioner (Representative of the President in Soroti District, Lira District, Nebbi District, Gulu District and Kesese before joining elective politics.
Minister Ecweru is married and has children, he has a passion in helping people in distress.
Fuhrer, Martin; Swiss Red Cross, Bern, Switzerland
1979 – 81 Teacher
1981 – 91
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva Switzerland
Delegate in Argentina, Chile, Cuba and Haiti
Head of Delegation Falkland Islands (82), Salvador (83-85) and Angola (86)
Director Human Resources (87-88)
Head of Zone Middle-East and North Africa. In charge of Lebanon (89-91), the first Intifada and the first Gulf War.
1991 – 93
Director of a Center for Asylum Seekers in the area of Zurich, Switzerland with up to 350 refugees
1993 –
Swiss Red Cross (SRC)
Director of International Department in Berne, Switzerland
Annual budget of Department: CHF 54 Mio.
Number of employees: up to 100 incl. field delegates
Field of activity: humanitarian aid, development and rehabilitation in 32 countries.
Member of the SRC Board of Directors
Member of the Swiss Solidarity Foundation Board
Fust Walter
Ambassador, Switzerland
Ambassador Walter Fust led the Global Humanitarian Forum from May 2008 until end of March 2010, following 15 years as the Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC). Fust is President of Globethics.net/Geneva. He serves as a board member of the International Forum of Federations (Ottawa), a global network on federalism and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina/Egypt. He also serves as a member of the boards of the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CODA), the International Risk Governance Council Geneva (IRGC) and philanthropic foundations. He is a member of the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Agenda Council of Humanitarian Assistance and a member of the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA 2010 - 2014).
Fust worked in banking and public administration before entering the Swiss Diplomatic service in 1975 with Geneva as a first assignment, followed by Baghdad and Tokyo. From September 1983 until the end of 1984 he served in the European Integration Office (EFTA/EU). From 1985 and 1986 he served as personal advisor to Federal Councilor Dr Kurt Furgler, Minister of Public Economy and President of the Swiss Confederation (1985). In 1986 he was appointed as Managing Director of the Swiss Office for Trade Promotion (OSEC) and from1990 to 1993 he served as Secretary General of the Ministry for the Interior with national responsibility for science and research, environment, culture, social affairs and public health, among other portfolios. Born in 1945, Fust studied at St. Gallen University, graduating with a Masters in political science.
Giardini Domenico
Director Swiss Seismological Service, Zurich, Switzerland
Domenico Giardini is Professor of Seismology and Geodynamics at the ETH Zurich and Director of the Swiss Seismological Service. In his position, he is responsible for hazard assessment and earthquake monitoring andalert for Switzerland. His areas of expertise span many fields of research and applications in seismology, with a focus on seismic hazard and risk assessment, including risk scenarios, the definition of the seismic input for the building codes and the safety assessment of critical infrastructures. He directs international projects for the UN and the European Commission, and was one of the founders of the OECD-initiated Global Earthquake Model program.
Gnacadja Luc
Executive Secretary UNCCD
Luc Gnacadja is the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
Born in Benin, Mr. Gnacadja is an architect by profession, having graduated from the African School of Architecture and Urbanism in Lome. He was also the successful CEO of a consultancy firm and an accomplished manager, honing his skills at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and the World Bank Training Institute.
Before taking up his position as UNCCD Executive Secretary, Mr. Gnacadja served as Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development of Benin from 1999 to 2005. He gained first-hand knowledge of the UNCCD process over a number of years in his capacity as Head of Delegation to the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD.
Mr. Gnacadja was also Head of Delegation to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity. His pronounced leadership qualities enabled him at the national level to initiate and build synergies between the Rio Conventions, in conjunction with the National Commission on Sustainable Development.
He has served as Chairman of several international ministerial Conferences, meetings and workshops related to the environment, urban and regional development, and sustainable development, including the African Ministers Conference on Environment and the Commission on Sustainable Development.
In March 2003 Mr. Gnacadja was honoured with the “2002 Green Award” in Washington by the World Bank.
Go Delfin Sia
Lead Economist, Development Prospects Group Worldbank,
Delfin Go is Lead Economist in the World Bank's Development Prospects Group, and the lead author of Global Monitoring Report 2010: The Millennium Development Goals After the Crisis. He was formerly in the Office of the Chief Economist of the Africa Region at the World Bank, where he focused on macroeconomic issues, aid effectiveness and management, and the exercise on Country Policy and Institutional Assessments (CPIA). He has also undertaken analytical work on macro-micro linkages for probing the distributional consequences and the impact on growth, poverty, and MDG indicators of alternative macroeconomic frameworks, external shocks, levels of aid flows as well as the composition of public expenditure. Go has also served as the World Bank’s Country Economist and PREM Cluster Leader in Southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia) and for Zambia.
Go started his career at the World Bank as a Research Economist involved in research relating to investment and growth in developing countries, trade liberalization, public expenditure analysis, macro-fiscal performance, external debt and adjustment problems, and tools for fiscal analysis. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University.
Haddad Lawrence
Director Institute of Development Studies, United Kingdom
Lawrence Haddad is the Director of the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, and the current President of the UK and Ireland's Development Studies Association. He is an economist and his main research interests are at the intersection of poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition. He was formerly Director of the International Food Policy Research Institute's Food Consumption and Nutrition Division and Lecturer in Development Economics at the University of Warwick. His field research has been in the Philippines, India and South Africa. He has a PhD from Stanford University.
Haemmerli Bernhard
Professor in Lucerne and Gjovic
Dr. Bernhard Hämmerli is professor for Networking and Information Security.His main interest in research is information security and critical information infrastructure protection CIIP.
He has participated in three EU FP CIIP research program the last on is Protection and Trust in Financial Infrastructures www.parsifal-project.eu. He is editor of the European CIIP Newsletter called ECN www.irriis.eu. In associations he serves as president of the Swiss Informatics Society and is chair of scientific an international affairs in the Swiss Information Security Society ISSS. In 2007 he was assigned as seconded national expert from Switzerland to Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. He is now chairing the CIP task force at the centre for European Policy Studies CEPS in Brussels. In consulting his corporation Acris offers service in the same field.
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Halbheer Roger
Chief Security Advisor (EMEA) Microsoft , Switzerland
Roger Halbheer joined Microsoft as Chief Security Advisor of Microsoft Switzerland in 2001 and was promoted to the role of Chief Security Advisor for Microsoft Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in February 2007. Roger leads a team of national Chief Security Advisors across EMEA who work with organizations in the commercial and public sectors on information technology issues and strategies. He is a trusted advisor to C-level executives, governments and law enforcement agencies and has established relationships with security communities and government agencies across the region.
A Swiss national, Roger holds a Master of Computer Science degree from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and is a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP).
Hays Walter
Earthquake specialist, USA
Walter Hays provided leadership over a 26-year period for strategic and tactical implementation of knowledge gained through the United States Geological Survey’s ongoing program of earthquake research and postearthquake studies.
Since 1990, contributed to local, national, regional, and international scientific and educational programs through the auspices of seven universities, a local private Christian school, a national institute, two professional organizations, two Federal agencies, programs of the United Nations Scientific Cultural and Educational Organization (UNESCO0), the International Decade for Natural disaster reduction, SEISMED, RELEMR, and the Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction.
Special awards:
Recipient of UNESCO-GADR Award, July 2006 and United Nations Sasakawa Award, October 2004
Honorary member, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, 1998;
Haller Matthias
President Foundation Risk-Dialogue , Switzerland
Born in 1941, business administration studies at the University of St. Gallen, a Ph.D. in Economics in 1972 with Prof. WA Jöhr on the issue of economic trade-offs. 1976 election as Director of the Institute of Insurance Economics (I.VW, HSG). 1980 Acquisition of the Chair of Risk Management and Insurance at the University of St. Gallen. 1987 Foundation and regular implementation of the nine-week-IMEA Top management courses for junior high squad Intl insurance industry.
1987 - 2007 Chairman of the Managing Committee of the I.VW-HSG. 1989 Establishment of the Risk Dialogue Foundation, which focuses on an integrated recording of risk problems and the improvement of the dialogue in the field of society, industry and financial services. 1998 co-founder of the MBA Financial Services and Insurance "(currently the
5th Time in Europe, China and the USA) in conjunction with colleagues at the Vlerick Management School, Gent (B). Involvement in establishing a scientific postgraduate courses "risk and safety" as a cooperation ETH / HSG. 2002 Invitation to the World Economic Forum, New York, on "September 11th - rethinking business risk in a social context". 2004 Key Note Presentation at ISC Congress of the HSG to "Insecurity - an epidemic?". Transition lecture at the University of St. Gallen.
Currently:
Member of several scientific advisory boards in public and private institutions, focusing in management training, facilitation of interdisciplinary events and the linking of risk insurance as part of a dialogue and socially integrated risk management (eg nano / Social / Financial dialogue); further development of integrated RM concepts. 2008-09 participation in numerous events to Subprime-/Finanz crisis.
Honors:
• 1997 (London) inclusion in the European Risk Management Hall of Fame.
• 2007 (Berlin) awarded the 'Gold Medal Founders' Award for Excellence' by the International Insurance Society (IIS) "honoring his original research on risk management and influental, the future of financial services and insurance ", esp. for his" pioneering work as The Founder of the Risk-Dialogue Foundation.
• 2009 (Zurich) appointment as a full member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) "in recognition of his great track record in the assessment of risky technologies and communication, especially as a founder the Risk Dialogue Foundation, which essential to the dialogue between politics, society and Technology helps. "
Hattotuwa Sanjana
Special Advisor to ICT4Peace Foundation, Switzerland
Sanjana is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Policy Alternatives, TEDGlobal Fellow 2010, and Head of ICT and Peacebuilding at InfoShare, located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He read English as an undergraduate in Delhi, India and was awarded an Advanced Masters in Conflict Resolution and International Relations from the University of Queensland, Brisbane with a Dean’s Commendation for High Achievement. With significant research and field experience supporting civil society processes for conflict transformation in Sri Lanka, South Asia and beyond, Sanjana is widely recognised as a leader in the design and implementation of ICTs and new media for peacebuilding.
Through work at the ICT4Peace Foundation, Sanjana explores and strengthens the use of ICTs in crisis information management and peacekeeping initiatives at the United Nations. As a Fellow of the Center for Information Technology and Dispute Resolution at the University of Massachusetts, Boston Sanjana examines and gives input into processes related to Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) and peacebuilding, with a special focus on the integration of mobiles.
In 2008, Sanjana was the first Sri Lankan to be awarded the prestigious News & Knowledge Entrepreneur Fellowship from the US based Ashoka Foundation in recognition of his work in Sri Lanka to leverage citizen journalism and new media in support of human rights, peace and reconciliation.
Sanjana is the founding editor of Groundviews (www.groundviews.org), an award-winning web based citizen journalism initiative now recognised domestically and internationally as one of the most vital sites for critical dissent in Sri Lanka. He writes frequently to traditional print and web media in Sri Lanka and internationally.
Heigh Ian
Director EVERYWHERE Humanitarian Response and Logistics Services
Ian has been involved in delivering international humanitarian assistance for over 15 major disasters since the mid 1990’s, working as a logistician and response manager, largely with the International Red Cross (IFRC) and the United Nations. This has been interspersed with a career in commercial logistics.
Outside of disaster operations, some notable achievements include managing a team to re-engineer the IFRC’s global supply chain, leading to the organisation winning the European Supply Chain Award for Excellence, and the award of best thesis when gaining his MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Cranfield University.
Ian has recently returned from working in Haiti where he was Logistics Coordinator for the IFRC, and is involved in setting up his new company, Everywhere Disaster Relief. He is also undertaking a PhD focusing improving the way actors providing logistics services work together in disaster response.
Jansen Roland A.
CEO Mother Earth Investments AG, Switzerland
Roland A. Jansen, from The Netherlands, holds a degree in Business Administration (lic.oec.HSG) from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Mr. Jansen is CEO of Mother Earth Investments AG (Switzerland). The company manages assets in natural resources for banks, private clients, pension funds and family offices in several funds and certificates. He publishes his research bi-monthly in the Mother Earth Commodity Analysis Report.
Mother Earth Investments AG also develops jatropha plantations in West Timor (Indonesia) and China to produce biodiesel and biokerosine.
He is the author of „Profits from Natural Resources“, John Wiley & Sons, New York, (1998) where he forecasted correctly the end of the commodity bear markets and the start of a new supercycle upwards.
He is appearing regularly on Bloomberg Television to give his views on commodity trends. He is also a regular guest speaker at conferences and universities around the world.
Mr Jansen serves as a honorary consul for The Netherlands in Liechtenstein. He is fluent in Dutch, English, French, German and Swiss German and has a working knowledge of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
Jaeger Carlo
Professor for Economy, PIK Potsdam, Germany
Carlo Jaeger, born 1947 in Switzerland is a professor for economy at the University of Potsdam, Germany. At the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research PIK, he is head of the department on „Transdisciplinary Concepts and methods“. Carlo studied sociology and economy in Berne, Switzerland and Frankfurt, D. He was a professor at the ETH in Zurich, at the Universities of Zurich, Frankfurt and the TU Darmstadt. Carlo Jaeger is the Chairman of the European Climate Forum, which has been initiated by the PIK and which is an association with members from universities, NGOs and the private sector, and which concentrates on solutions for global environmental problems. Together with Shi Peijun, Carlo is Co-Chair of the Integrated Risk Governance Projects (www.irg-project.org). His current interest in research is focused on climate change and financial markets.
Kamga Rameline
Financial Consultant to the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Congo, Congo
Excellence Rameline KAMGA is a member of the Global Outreach Committee and Chair, African Affairs Subcommittee of the board of advisors at VIRTUAL ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT INSTITUT (based in US) – VOMI. She is Financial Consultant to the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Congo. She is directly and indirectly, through conferences designed to educate corporate and world leaders how to do businesses in Africa. One of her crowning achievements has been the successful lobbying--over a 13-year period--for the eventual passage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in the United States Congress; which was signed into law on May 18, 2000.
Labbi Abdel
Research Manager IBM, Switzerland
Dr. Abdel Labbi is a research manager at IBM Research -Zurich, where he is leading several research programs in information analytics with a strong focus on operational risk management using advanced mathematical and statistical modeling technologies. Dr. Labbi received a PhD in Applied Mathematics in 1993 from the University of Grenoble, France. He then worked for several years as a researcher and lecturer at the French National Research Center (CNRS), then at the Department of Computer Science of the University of Geneva, Switzerland. He published more than 100 papers in international conferences and journals in the information analytics area, especially in statistical modeling and risk management. In 2007, he published the Handbook of Entreprise Risk Modeling, J. ross Publ.
Liu Shufeng
President of Baofeng County, Henan Province, China
Shufeng Liu is a member of the Communist Party of China and worked in Xinghua Middle School of West District, Education Department, Propaganda Department of Local District, Communist Youth League Committee of Local District, and Administration Office of Local District Office chronologically.
In 1994 he was elected to Vice President of West District and became in 1997 Vice President of Jia County, and then General Director of Jia County Party Committee. Since 2004 he is President of Baofeng County and Vice President of Baofeng County Party Committee in Henan province, China.
Liu Yanhua
Counsellor, Counsellor’s Office of the State Council of PRC, China
Prof. Liu has made distinguished contributions to organizing and carrying out researches in many fields, such as global environmental change, land use and land cover change, disaster prevention and reduction, and synthetic control of vulnerable ecological system; Prof. Liu published dozens of papers on the domestic and international journals; and Prof. Liu led, designed, organized and participated in a series of projects to promote domestic/ international scientific and technological cooperation research.
Lokuji Alfred
Associate Professor Management Sciences, Sudan
Associate Professor, Management Sciences, University of Juba (declined posting to Khartoum); currently, Senior Associate, International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), Juba, Southern Sudan. Born in Southern Sudan in 1944.
Education: Morsak Bush School (1956), Rejaf Elementary School(1957-8), St. Mary’s Minor Seminary (1959-63), St. John’s Junior Secondary School, Uganda (1964), St. Mary’s College Kisubi (Uganda, 1965-68). University: B.A. (Berea College, Berea, Kentucky), 1972-75; M.A. McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada), 1975-6; M.P.A. Eastern Kentucky University, (Richmond, Ky, 1980-82); Ph.D. University of Georgia, 1990
Have taught at University of Georgia, University of Dar es Salaam, Moi University, University of Juba, and Catholic University of Sudan.
Work on ICTJ: sensitization about Transitional Justice (TJ) in Southern Sudan, and building partnerships for TJ. ICTJ’s informal partner is the Southern Sudan Human Rights Commission.
Consultancies: Peace-building, Development, Evaluation, Management, Good Governance – major clients, Government of Southern Sudan, and both National and International NGOs.
Mascarenhas Adolfo
Tanzania Professor and Founder Director of the Institute of Resource
Assessment, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Presidential appointed as Chairman of the Commission of Science & Technology, Land Use Planning
Commission, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, served on the Board of Directors of several national research and development; At the international level was advisor to the Rector of the UNU, UNEP/FAO/WMO (on Climate), Founder Director of IUCN in Southern Africa. Presently works Poverty, Knowledge Climate Change; Vice Chairman of LInKS Trust Fund, Commission of Science and Technology
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Mutagamba Maria
Minister of Water and Environment, Uganda
Hon.Maria Emily Lubega Mutagamba (MP) is the Minister of Water and Environment, Uganda and the Woman Member of Parliament, Rakai District, Uganda. She is a member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) and also the Chairperson of Lake Victoria Environmental Management Program (LVEMP).
Formerly she was the President of the African Ministerial Council on Water (AMCOW 2005 - 2007), the Minister of State for Water (November 2002 -2006) and the Chairperson of the Nile-Com.
.
In the Water Sector, she is a strong advocate of Water for Humanity, Water for Production, Water for Eco system, and “WASH” – Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Messages. She is also a co-coordinator of the Global Women Leaders’ Initiative for WASH and has supervised the Water Sector Reforms to the present admirable performance of the National Water Utility.
In the Environmental Sector, She is a strong advocate for the preservation of the Environment. She is promoting tree planting in Uganda. The general public has been guided on the benefit of tree planting and afforestaion in order to mitigate the impacts of climate change. She believes that environment conservation development and avoidance of degradation of the soil and improving soil nutrients will be achieved through tree planting. Forest cover has been increased by engaging commercial/private tree planters and communities.
In the wetland Sector, she is an advocate of the RAMSAR principals of sustainable use and conservation of wetlands and eco systems
Michel Hans Peter
Mayor of the city of Davos, Switzerland
Hans Peter Michel was born in Davos in February 1954, and spent his youth in Davos Monstein, where he also completed his compulsory schooling. His parents managed a farm, getting help from Michel and his three siblings. It seemed clear that he would become a farmer. In addition to the work on the farm, he completed the correspondence high school exam type C, and continued his education to become a professional farmer. At the age of forty, he studied psychology at the correspondence university Hagen, with history and literature as minor subjects, graduating in 2001 with a masters. He completed more than 1500 days of service in the military, leaving with the rank of colonel, four years ago.
Between 1982 and 2004 he managed the biological farm of his parents, together with his wife and five children. In 2000, Hans Peter ended his work as a council politician, as the president of the municipality’s parliament and for the next three years acted as governor. Since the beginning of 2005 he is the Mayor of Davos and chairs the governing council of Davos.
Molin Valdes Helena
Deputy Director UN-ISDR , Switzerland
Helena Molin Valdés is currently the Deputy Director of the ISDR Secretariat in Geneva, where she has coordinated a number of projects and tasks. She is also coordinating the Making Cities Resilient campaign 2010-2011. She was a key person from UNISDR in the development and negotiation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2004-2005, she coordinated editing and production team of the publication Living with Risk: A global review of disaster reduction initiatives (2001-2004) and was initially involved in developing the UNISDR-WB partnership in the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. She has worked actively in regional networking for disaster risk reduction, with advocacy, on gender issues, and was the senior policy advisor to ISDR in charge of the sustainable development linkages and Inter-Agency coordination.
An architect by training, with a master degree in development planning, Helena joined the United Nations in 1992, when she set up the regional unit for Latin America and the Caribbean of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction in Costa Rica. She also worked for the Pan-American Health Organization on disaster mitigation in health facilities. Before that, she worked for several years heading a Swedish development NGO focusing on local and municipality strengthening, local building practices and social development projects in Nicaragua, after practicing architecture in Swedish private sector.
Professor Virginia Murray, FFPH, FRCP, FFOM, FRCPath
Consultant Medical Toxicologist and Environmental Public Health
Visiting Professor in Health Protection, King’s College
Virginia Murray qualified in medicine. In 1980 she joined Guy and St Thomas’s Hospitals’ Poisons Unit and in 1986 was appointed consultant medical toxicologist. In 1989 she started Chemical Incident Research Programme and was Director of Chemical Incident Response Service from 1995. Since April 2003 she works for Health Protection Agency’s Centre for Radiation, Chemicals and Environmental hazards. She has considerable experience in advising on toxicological and environmental public health aspects of response to acute and chronic chemical and extreme event incidents. Appointed as Visiting Professor in Health Protection, King’s College, London (2004) she has published widely on issues identified. She is UK Government member on the UN-ISDR Scientific and Technical Committee since 2008. She is a Coordinating Chapter Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Programme on Climate Change Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation, due for publication in 2011.
Nauen, Cornelia E.
Principal Policy Officer, International Cooperation (INCO), Research Directorate General (DG
RTD), European Commission, Brussels, Belgium
Dr. Nauen holds a PhD in marine ecology from Kiel University, Germany. She worked in FAO's Fisheries Department starting in the late 1970s in relation to the species identification programme (biodiversity) and on pollution issues (consumer safety levels in and advisories). In 1986, she joined the European Commission, where she worked in development cooperation and, since 1999, in international science cooperation.
Major achievements comprise EU-ACP policy dialogue around the development of an ACP-EU Fisheries Research Initiative associated also with the development of FishBase, the largest web-based archive on global scientific knowledge on all fishes and several major conferences setting more integrated research agendas focused on sustainability. In the same vein, she spent several years dedicated to integrated water research. In this context, she supported a major international review of 10 years of international water research co-sponsored by the EU led to new insights on how to bring research more effectively into the policy arena. Biodiversity and sustainability research and how to increase its impact in societal problem solving have been constant concerns in Dr. Nauen's professional work and feature in her publications. She now focuses on developing S&T relations between Europe and South America, where addressing risks associated with extreme events are high on the (bi-)regional agenda.
Nida-Ruemelin Julian
Professor, Germany
Julian Nida-Rümelin was born on 28 November 1954, and is descended from a family of artists in Munich. He studied from 1975 to 1980 Philosophy, Physics, Mathematics and Political Science in Munich and Tübingen. He was then a research assistant in Munich and became a professor there in 1989. After being a guest professor in the USA, Nida-Rümelin took over (1991-1993) a chair of ethics in the bio-sciences at the University of Tuebingen and then (1993-2003) bacame a professor of philosophy at the University of Göttingen. For the summer he was appointed to the chair of philosophy and political theory at the “Geschwister-Scholl-Institute” for Political Science in Munich, whose director he was in the years 2004 to 2007. For summer 2009, he took over a chair of philosophy at the Department of Philosophy of the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich.
In the years 1998 to 2000, Nida-Rümelin was Cultural Officer of the City of Munich and in the years 2001 and 2002 he was a member of the Federal Government , as Minister of State.
Nida-Rümelin is a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and the European Academy of Science, he is an honorary professor at Humboldt University in Berlin (Department of Philosophy) and Board of Trustees Chairman of the German Studies Award. In September 2008 he was elected President of the German Society for Philosophy (2009-2011).
Niebergall Hans J.
Attorney, Germany
Hans Joachim Niebergall graduated at Wilhelms University in Münster, Germany in 1974. He made his advanced law degree at the court in Hamburg, Germany in 1977.
In 1974 he founded the Volkshochschule ( University Extension), a German NGO and was Director until 1980. From 1976 to 1982 he was also the Majority leader of the CDU ( Christian Democratic Union) in the local parliament. He was International Business Consultant in New York from 1987 to 1995 and moved then to San Francisco, where he was elected as executive Vice President of the German - American Chamber of commerce in San Francisco.
In 2002 he founded the European American Trade Association a business and legal consultant service to corporate, community and consular corps clients with special emphasis on international relations. He still works as an attorney at law.
Hans J. Niebergall is a result-focused professional with wide-ranging expertise in law, business development, marketing, sales, sponsorship, fundraising, networking and consulting.
Nielsen Dag
Senior Advisor, Member of the Advisory Board, ICT for Peace Foundation
Areas of specific competence
• Disaster preparedness and response, disaster management
• PPP – public private partnerships development and implementation
• Community development to reach the MDGs through implementation of GSM and other ICT technologies
Experience
• 13 years experience with international organizations (plus 13 years with Ericsson)
• 9 years of experience working for UN organizations and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before joining Ericsson.
• Support to humanitarian operations in Indonesia, Iran, Liberia, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, El Salvador, Peru, Sudan, Sri Lanka, USA, Central African Republic, Tanzania, Chad and more.
• Roll out of GSM networks in Asia.
• Development of IT systems in Costa Rica and Nicaragua for their Governments.
Nyaba Peter Advok
Federal minister for Higher Education, Sudan
Sudanese by nationality was educated in Khartoum University and Eötvös Loránd Technical University in Hungary. Is a Geologist by profession; worked as a field geologist participating in the geological survey and mineral prospection of the Red Sea Hills. He joined Juba University shifting to the academic world, teaching geological sciences in Juba and Asmara University (Eritrea). He joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army where he trained as a combat officer. He was a member of the SPLM National Liberation Council; a member of the National Executive Committee serving in the Energy and Mining portfolio. A civil society activist, researcher having carried out several studies for International Humanitarian Agencies operating in the war torn Southern Sudan and contributed to Newspapers in Kenya. In 1997 he published a Noma Award winning book ‘The Politics of Liberation in South Sudan: An Insider’s View.[Fountain Publishers, Kampala. Was involved the Swiss funded project ‘The House Nationalities’ for accommodating the Sudanese diversities. Was representative of Upper Nile State in the Council of States in the National Legislature (2005 – 2008). Since 2008 has been Minister of Higher education and Scientific Research in the Government of National Unity in Khartoum. He is married and father to five
Pasztor Janos
Director of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Climate Change Support Team and Director-designate of the SG’s High Level Panel on Development and Climate Change
Janos Pasztor is a national of Hungary (and later also of Switzerland). He received his MS and BS degrees at MIT. For the last 25 years, he has worked for various United Nations as well as non-governmental organizations on issues of energy and the environment, and increasingly on climate change as well. His assignments have included work with the World Council of Churches (WCC), the World Commission on Environment and Development (The WCED or the “Brundtland Commission”), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), the secretariat of the United Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, or the “Earth Summit”), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Before joining the office of the UN Secretary-General, he was director of the UN’s Environment Management Group (EMG) in Geneva. During the period 1993-2006 he worked at the UNFCCC secretariat in various positions.
Pickl Stefan
Chair for Operations Research, COMTESSA Department of Computer Science
Prof. Dr. Stefan Pickl studied mathematics, electrical engineering, pedagogy and philosophy at TU Darmstadt and EPFL Lausanne 1987-93. Dipl.-Ing. ’93, Doctorate 1998 with award. Assistant Professor at Cologne University (Dr. habil. 2005; venia legendi "Mathematics"). Chair for Operations Research at UBw Munich since 2005.
Visiting Professor at University of New Mexico (USA), University Graz (Austria), Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, University of California at Berkeley.
Visiting scientist at SANDIA, Los Alamos National Lab, Santa Fe Institute for Complex Systems and MIT. Associated with Centre for the Advanced Study of Algorithms (CASA, USA), with Center for Network Innovation and Experimentation (CENETIX, USA).
Vice-chair of EURO working group “Experimental Economics”, chair of advisory board of the German Society for Operations Research (GOR), advisory board of the German Society for Disaster and Emergency Management. International Research Programs, 80 publications, international Best-Paper-Awards ’03, ’05, '07.
Foundation of COMTESSA (Competence Center for Operations Research, Management of Intelligent Engineered Secure Systems & Algorithms) and the Academy for Highly Gifted Pupils in Munich.
Pillai Dinesh
CEO Mahindra Special Services Group, India
Dinesh Pillai is the CEO of Mahindra Special Services Group (MSSG) a leading corporate risk
management consulting firm that helps organizations reduce risk and enhance competitive
advantage. He has been with Mahindra SSG since its inception in 2004, responsible for running
the operations and overseeing implementation of client projects across all service lines.
Dinesh was instrumental in setting up the physical security consulting practice in MSSG and
designed and delivered physical and environmental security solutions to a large number of
clients.
A postgraduate in Electronic Engineering, Dinesh comes with rich industry experience spanning
17 years in areas such as Information security audit and implementation, physical security
engineering, business process controls, enterprise solutions like ERP, Level III & Level IV process
control automation software’s & Information Security Audit & Implementation.
He started his career with the Tata Group and worked with the Mukund Group before joining
Mahindra & Mahindra.
Dinesh Pillai is a certified BS 7799 Lead Auditor and has played a prominent role in getting
various organizations certified in ISO27001 standard of Information Security.
He has shared his expertise at several national and international conferences on information
security and addressed key security challenges faced by the corporate and government sector.
Rahman Saifur
Professor, Virginia Tech, USA
Dr. Saifur Rahman is the Joseph R. Loring professor of electrical and computer engineering and the founding director of the Advanced Research Institute at Virginia Tech, USA. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, and a distinguished lecturer. He is the editor-in-chief of the IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy. He has served as a program director at the US National Science Foundation. He worked as a research scientist at the Tokyo Electric Power Company, Japan and at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. He has consulted for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Development Program.
Rahmstorf Stefan
Professor Potsdam University, Germany
Stefan Rahmstorf is a physicist by training, and professor of Physics of the Oceans at Potsdam University as well as head of department at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. He obtained his PhD in oceanography in New Zealand and has worked at the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute as well as the Institute for Marine Science in Kiel (Germany).
Rahmstorf is a member of the Academia Europaea and of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU). He is also one of the lead authors of the 4th Assessment Report of the IPCC. In 2007 he became an Honorary Fellow of the University of Wales and in 2010 a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.He has published over 60 scientific papers (14 of which in Nature and Science) and co-authored three books. Available in English is Our Threatened Oceans (2009, with Katherine Richardson) and The Climate Crisis (2010, with David Archer).
Razavi Khadija-Catherine
Executive Director of Center for Sustainable Development (CENESTA), Iran
Specialist in community participation, biodiversity conservation, women in sustainable development and appropriate technology, with over twenty years of experience in Iran and other countries. I have worked as NGO organiser and leader, and as free-lance consultant. Special emphasis on land degradation and the role of seasonal migration as a means of sustainable land use.
Main areas of experience include the promotion of sustainable and participatory development, renewable energies, women's participation in sustainable development, environmentally sound pest management programmes, desertification prevention, nomadism and development, training of community animators, public awareness, and project design and implementation.
Reij Chris
Professor University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Chris Reij is trained as a human geographer. From 1978 till 1982 he worked in Burkina Faso as a regional planner, where he developed an interest in soil and water conservation. Since 1982 he is working as a specialist in sustainable land management at the Center for International Cooperation of VU University Amsterdam. He has been involved in numerous consultancies for multilateral and bilateral agencies (World Bank, IFAD, UNSO, OECD/Club du Sahel, EU/CTA), as well as for NGOs, mainly in Africa. During the last 15 years he has coordinated research programs on indigenous soil and water conservation practices in Africa (13 countries) , on farmer innovation in Africa (7 countries) and on long term trends in agriculture and environment as well as impacts of investments in natural resource management in the Sahel (4 countries). These research programs have led to a number of publications. Chris is at present facilitator of a new initiative to promote re-greening in Africa’s drylands, which builds on existing success stories. This initiative is operational in Burkina Faso and Mali and is now epanding to Niger and Ethiopia.
Renaud, Fabrice
Director a.i., United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security, Bonn, Germany
Fabrice is originally from France and holds a PhD in agronomy (soil physics) from the University of Arkansas, USA and an MSc in Agricultural Engineering (soil conservation) from Cranfield Institute of Technology, UK. He has broad expertise in the fields of agronomy, soil science, and pesticide fate modelling. He has worked on rural development projects in Namibia where he mainly carried out farming system surveys and in Thailand where he worked on soil conservation projects. More recently, Fabrice was a lecturer at Cranfield University in the UK and was involved in pesticide fate research including pesticide fate modelling.
Fabrice has been with UNU-EHS since September 2004. He heads the Environmental Vulnerability and Energy Security Section and serves since November 2008 as the Associate Director of the Institute. He is responsible for developing concepts and projects dealing with the environmental dimension of vulnerability; water pollution; land degradation; and energy security which also represent his main research foci. He supervises PhD scholars and is involved in capacity development activities both in academia and in training seminars and workshops. (Additions from GRF: Fabrice is one of the authors of the publication: Control, Adapt or Flee: How to Face Environmental Migration?)
Renn Ortwin
Chair of Environmental Sociology and Technology Assessment , Germany
Ortwin Renn serves as full professor and Chair of Environmental Sociology and Technology Assessment at Stuttgart University (Germany). He directs the Interdisciplinary Research Unit for Risk Governance and Sustainable Technology Development (ZIRN) at Stuttgart University and the non-profit company DIALOGIK, a research institute for the investigation of communication and participation processes in environmental policy making. Since 2006 Renn has been elected Deputy Dean of the Economics- and Social Science Department. He also serves as Adjunct Professor for “Integrated Risk Analysis” at Stavanger University (Norway) and as Contract Professor at the Harbin Institute of Technology and Beijing Normal University.
Ortwin Renn has a doctoral degree in sociology and social psychology from the University of Cologne. His career included teaching and research positions at the Juelich Nuclear Research Center, Clark University (Worcester, USA), the Swiss Institute of Technology (Zuerich) and the Center of Technology Assessment (Stuttgart). His honours include an honorary doctorate from the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) and the “Distinguished Achievement Award” of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA). Among his many political advisory activities the chairmanship of the State Commission for Sustainable Development (German State of Baden-Württemberg) is most prominent. Renn is primarily interested in risk governance, political participation and technology assessment. His has published more than 30 books and 250 articles, most prominently the monograph “Risk Governance” (Earthscan: London 2008).
Rouhban Badaoui
Director Section for Disaster Reduction UNESCO, France
Badaoui Rouhban is Director of the Section for Disaster Reduction in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Paris. He manages and coordinates international activities related to the scientific, engineering and educational aspects of natural disaster studies and prevention. He is involved in global projects and mechanisms concerning disaster risk management. He holds a degree of Doctor of Engineering from the University ‘Pierre and Marie Curie’ in Paris and has carried out post-doctoral research at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Sabandar William
Special Envoy, Myanmar
Dr. William Sabandar serves as the Special Envoy of ASEAN Secretary General for Post-Nargis recovery in Myanmar and the Head ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force Operation since April 2009. He also, since October 2008, has been intermittently seconded by the Government of Indonesia as the Chief Technical Advisor for the ASEAN’s Post-Nargis operation. Between 2005 and 2009, he was with the Indonesian Agency for Post-Tsunami Reconstruction of Aceh and Nias (BRR Aceh-Nias), as the Director of Nias Recovery, in charge to coordinate and implement the post-tsunami and earthquake reconstruction of Nias Islands. He has strong academic background anchored in transport and development economics. From 1991 to 2001, he managed various development projects in Indonesia.
Schierholz Ragnar
Principal Scientist ABB, Switzerland
Dr. Ragnar Schierholz works as a Principal Scientist at ABB Corporate Research. He is the Research Area Coordinator for the area of Secure Remote Operations and Services in ABB's Industrial Software Systems research program. He is a contributor to various standardization bodies on cybersecurity of industrial control systems, e.g. ISA or IEC and a recognized member of the international industrial control system security community. He holds a PhD in Information Systems from the University of St.Gallen, a Master's degree in Computer Science from Western Michigan University and a Master's degree in Information Systems from the University of Paderborn. He is a member of the IEEE Computer Society and the IEEE Control System Society as well as the ACM.
Schmid Martin
Head of Departement Finance and Communities, Canton of Grisons, Switzerland
Dr. iur. Martin Schmid made his law degree at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland in 1995. Since 2002 he is part of the Government of the Canton of Grisons and was elected President of the Government of the Canton of Grisons in 2007.
In addition to his governmental work he is also meber of numerous boards, such as:
-Member of the Executive Committee and the Plenary of the Conference of Cantonal Governments (KDK)
- Member of the Conference of Cantonal Finance Inside and CFOs (FDK)
- Board of Directors of the United Swiss Rhine Salt Works
- Member of the Arge Alp Conference
- President of the Administrative Commission of the Grisons cantonal pension fund
- Member of the Administrative Commission of the Public Service Institute of the Eastern BVG and foundation oversight
- Board of Trustees Niarchos Foundation and winter relief Graubünden
- Member of the directorial committee of the Institute of Public Finance and Financial Law at the University of St. Gallen
Schuster Rudy
Chief of the Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch (PASA), United States Geological Survey
PASA projects integrate social, behavioral, economic, and biological analyses in the context of human-natural resource interactions. Specifically, Dr. Schuster provides social science to facilitate sustainable tourism, community resilience, and sustainable management of natural resources. He focuses on sustainable co-management of natural resources and the human communities dependent upon natural resources; public attitudes and perceptions of land management actions; understanding how visitors to public land cope with impacted resource and social conditions; and using concepts such as ‘sense of place’ to facilitate resilience and sustainability in local communities. His science is used for management at the local and regional levels.
Shah Haresh
Obayashi Professor of Engineering, Emeritus Stanford University, USA
Professor Haresh Shah has been a pioneer in the fields of risk analysis, earthquake engineering, and probabilistic methods for over 35 years. He has served Stanford University in many capacities, including Chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering and Founding Director of the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center.
Haresh Shah is the author of one book, has contributed to chapters in many books and has been an author or co-author of more than 350 technical papers and reports. He has been keynote speaker at many national, international conferences and has been a regular keynote invited speaker for many corporations.
Haresh Shah has been recently involved in the following activities:
• Founder and Senior Advisor of Risk Management Solutions, Inc. (RMS, Inc.)
• Founding Director and Chairman, World Seismic Safety Initiative (WSSI). Member of the Board of Trustees of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore.
• Chairman of the Academic Affairs Committee of the NTU Board of Trustees.
• Founder and Advisor of the Singapore-NTU Alliance for Micro-Insurance.
• Elected as honorary member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute of USA.
• Elected as the honorary member of the International Association of Earthquake Engineering.
Dr. Shah received a B. E. degree (1959) from Poona University, India, and degrees of M. S. (1960) and Ph. D. (1963) from Stanford University. Prof. Shah has received many awards, including the John S. Bickley Gold Medal for Excellence Award from the International Insurance Society for his sustained and outstanding contributions to the insurance industry. Dr. Shah was given a unique award as the “Top Seismic Engineer of the 20th Century” by the Applied Technology Council/Engineering News Record.
Shi Peijun
Professor Beijing Normal University, China
Professor SHI Peijun is the executive vice-president of Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China and director of the State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, China. He is a member of the Expert Committee under the National Disaster Reduction Committee, housed in Ministry of Civil Affairs of China and also a member of OECD’s High Level Advisory Board on Financial Management of Large‐Scale Catastrophes. His research focuses on natural disaster theories and risk management. He established the system of “regional natural disaster system” which consists of “environment, hazard and society”; put forward the technological system of regional agricultural natural disaster assessment. Now he is co-chairing Integrated Risk Governance Core Science project of International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change.
Schwarz Franziska
Director and Head of International Relations at the Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET)
Franziska Schwarz is Director and Head of International Relations at the Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET) which is the federal competence centre for upper-secondary level vocational education and training, tertiary-level professional education and training, universities of applied sciences and innovation promotion. Prior to this position, she gained five years of experience at the innovation promotion agency CTI as a Head of Department. Her areas of expertise are all of OPET’s fields of activity regarding the Swiss international integration as a cross-cutting theme.
Franziska Schwarz holds a PhD of Engineering Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich (ETH).
Admiral Stavridis James G
SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, EUROPE
COMMANDER, UNITED STATES EUROPEAN COMMAND
Admiral James Stavridis assumed duties as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe in early summer 2009.
Admiral Stavridis is a 1976 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a native of South Florida.
A Surface Warfare Officer, he commanded the Destroyer USS Barry (DDG-52) from 1993-1995completing UN and NATO deployments to Haiti and Bosnia, and a combat cruise to the Arabian Gulf. Barry won the Battenberg Cup as the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet under his command.
In 1998, he commanded Destroyer Squadron 21 and deployed to the Arabian Gulf, winning the Navy League's John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership.
From 2002-2004, he commanded Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, conducting combat operations in the Arabian Gulf in support of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
From 2006-2009, he commanded U.S. Southern Command in Miami, focused on Latin America and the Caribbean.
Ashore, the Admiral has served as a strategic and long range planner on the staffs of the Chief of Naval Operations and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has also served as the Executive Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defence.
Admiral Stavridis earned a PhD and MALD from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in International Relations in 1984, where he won the Gullion Prize as outstanding student. He is also a distinguished graduate of both the Naval and National War Colleges.
He holds various decorations and awards, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and five awards of the Legion of Merit. He is author or co-author of several books on naval shiphandling and leadership, including Command at Sea and Destroyer Captain.
Taylor Bron
Professor University of Florida, USA
Bron Taylor is Professor of Religion and Environmental Ethics at the University of Florida. His research focuses on the emotional and spiritual dimensions of environmental movements, and he has led and participated in a variety of international initiatives promoting the conservation of biological and cultural diversity. His books include Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future (2010) and Ecological Resistance Movements (1995). He edited the Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature (2005), founded the International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, and serves as editor of its journal. For more information see www.brontaylor.com
Thomas - Fritz Anisya
Co-Founder Fritz Institute, USA
Anisya Thomas Fritz is a co-founder of Fritz Institute and served as its Managing Director from its inception in 2001 until July 2007. During her tenure, Fritz Institute developed the award-winning Humanitarian Logistics Software (HLS) and its successor HELIOS; launched the sector-wide Certification in Humanitarian Logistics (CHL); and spearheaded the creation of the New Partnership for African Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (NEPARC). As part of her duties, Dr. Thomas led Fritz Institute's beneficiary-focused research and initiated collaborations with leading universities worldwide.
A respected scholar, Dr. Thomas is the author of numerous articles on the global system of humanitarian relief, competitive strategy and international entrepreneurship. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Harvard Business Review, Strategic Management Journal, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs and the Journal of International Business Studies.
Previously, Dr. Thomas was an associate professor of strategic management and international business at the Ryder College of Business Administration at Florida International University and a visiting professor at the Stockholm School of Economics. She has a B.A. from Loyola College in Maryland and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Management from Virginia Tech.
Thummarukudy Muralee
Emergency Management Expert, India
An Emergency Management Expert with over 15 years of experience in Industry and United Nations. Has been involved in assessment or follow up of most of the key disasters and conflicts in the 21st Century.
Experience in implementing projects in Indonesia, Myanmar, China, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Liberia. Work experience in India, Brunei, Oman and Switzerland. Traveled to over 40 countries and lectured in many universities around the world.
Member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Co-ordination Team.
Married to Ambili Menon. Currently based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Villacis Carlos
Coordinator Global Risk Identification Programme GRIP, UNDP
More than twenty years of experience advising local and central governments worldwide and implementing multi-disciplinary international initiatives for disaster risk reduction and sound emergency response and recovery planning. Mason Fellow at Harvard University’s J.F. Kennedy School of Government. Former Technical Director of GeoHazards International, a California-based non-profit organization, and Visiting Scholar at Stanford University. Dr. Villacis has implemented multidisciplinary programs in more than twenty countries worldwide. Most of these projects were implemented in collaboration with international organizations, such as the United Nations, the World Bank, USAID, NATO, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Von Daeniken Beat
Head of Staff for Humanitarian Aid SDC, Berne, Switzerland
since 2008
- SDC Humanitarian Aid (headquarters)
Position: Chief of Staff of the Humanitarian Aid
-Responsible for Rapid Response activities
March 2007-Sept. 2008
- SDC Humanitarian Aid (headquarters)
Position: Head of Division Europe and CIS countries
- Responsible for the humanitarian programs and projects in the Europe and CIS countries
March 2004 – Feb. 2007
- SDC Humanitarian Aid (Peru)
Position:
- Assistant Coordinator for humanitarian aid
Responsible for the humanitarian programs and projects in the Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador
Sept. 2000- Feb. 2004
- SDC Humanitarian Aid (headquarters)
Position: - Program Officer for Europe and CIS countries
May 1997 - August 2000 Swiss Education and Development Foundation
Position: - Scientific expert
-Education policies, training and NGO coordination
Wang Shaoyu
Professor Harbin Institute of Technology HIT, China
Shaoyu Wang is Professor and Doctorial Tutor of Integrated Disaster Risk Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, and also is Senior Advisor of The Forum of Disaster and Social Management of the Central Committee of China Democracy League. His research areas are Management of Urban Public Security and Integrated Disaster Risk; Disaster Assessment and Strategy of Prevention and Mitigation. Since recent years, he had taken charge and joined to finish tens of scientific projects, within which includes National Natural Science Foundation and National Social Science Foundation supporting, published eighteen books that content refers disaster risk management, public security management etc. and also appeared near hundred of scientific papers. He acted ever as Co-Chair of The IDRC 2006 Davos, Switzerland and Executive Chair of The IDRC 2007 Harbin, China
Willhaus Martin
Managing Director: Kuehne Foundation, Switzerland
Martin Willhaus was born in 1953 and made his degree in Business Administration studies at the DAV, Bremen German Foreign Trade and Transport Academy in 1979.
He's a committe member of the Forum SCM at ETH Zurich, member of the advisory board GS1(formerly Swiss Society of Logistics) and also member of the board of trustees of Pro Monastery Einsiedeln. From 1979 - 1982 he was Assistant to the Executive Board at the Andreas Christ Int. Forwarding, Heilbronn. In 1983 he started his position at Panalpina, Stuttgart as Authorized Officer / Marketing & Sales, where he became the Regional Director Southern Africa in 1989. He is Managing Director of the Kuehne Foundation since 2000.