Thomas M. Siebel

Mr. Siebel is the founder of our company and has served as the Chairman of our board of directors since January 2009, and as our Chief Executive Officer since July 2011. Prior to founding our company, Mr. Siebel founded and served as the Chief Executive Officer of Siebel Systems, a global CRM software company, from 1993 until it merged with Oracle Corporation in January 2006. Mr. Siebel served in various leadership positions with Oracle Corporation from January 1984 to September 1990. Mr. Siebel currently serves as a member of the College of Engineering boards at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of California, Berkeley. He was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in April 2013. Mr. Siebel holds a B.A. in History, an M.B.A., and an M.S. in Computer Science, each from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of four books, including most recently the best-selling Digital Transformation: Survive and Thrive in an Era of Mass Extinction (RosettaBooks, 2019).

Honors and Awards

• Entrepreneur of the Year – EY, 2018
• Glassdoor Top CEO – 2018
• Honorary Ph.D. – Politecnico di Torino, 2018
• Entrepreneur of the Year – EY, 2017
• Best Places to Work, 100% CEO approval rating – Glassdoor, 2017
• Most Admired CEO Lifetime Achievement Award – San Francisco Business Times, 2016
• Academy of Arts and Sciences, Elected Member – April 2013
• #3 of the World’s Top 25 Philanthropists – Barron’s, November 2010
• Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship
• Engineering at Illinois Hall of Fame – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010
• #5 of the World’s Top 25 Philanthropists – Barron’s, 2009
• Top 50 Philanthropists – BusinessWeek 2007, 2008
• Honorary Ph.D. Engineering – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006
• Thomas M. Siebel, Master Entrepreneur of the Year – Ernst & Young, 2003
• Entrepreneurial Company of the Year – Harvard Business School, 2003
• Hall of Fame – CRM Magazine, 2003
• CEO of the Year – Industry Week, 2002
• Top 25 Managers in Global Business – BusinessWeek, 1999 to 2002
• Top 10 CEOs of 2000 – Investor’s Business Daily, 2000
• The World’s Most Influential Software Company – BusinessWeek, 2000
• The Most Influential Company in IT – Intelligent Enterprise, 2000
• Fastest Growing Technology Company – Deloitte & Touche, 1999
• Fastest Growing Company in America – Fortune, 1999

Publications

• Digital Transformation: Survive and Thrive in an Era of Mass Extinction, RosettaBooks, July 2019
• “Digital Transformation: The Post-Industrial Utility,” Aspenia Magazine, June 2018
• “Why Digital Transformation Is Now on the CEO’s Shoulders,” McKinsey Quarterly 2018 Number 1
• “Thought Leaders Speak Out: Key Trends Driving Change in the Electric Power Industry,” The Edison
• Foundation Institute for Electric Innovation (IEI), 2015
• Advanced Smart Grid, introduction, Artech House, 2015
• “The Internet of Energy,” Electric Perspectives magazine, 2015
• Written Testimony to the United States House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee,
• Subcommittee on Energy and Power, 2015
• “Big Data and the Smart Grid: Is Hadoop the Answer?”, Stanford Energy Journal, 2014
• Taking Care of eBusiness, Doubleday, 2001
• Cyber Rules, Doubleday, 1999
• Virtual Selling, Free Press, 1996

Edward Abbo

Ed Abbo has served as the Chief Technology Officer of C3 AI since July 2011. He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer from September 2009 to July 2011 and a member of the board of directors from August 2009 to November 2020.​
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Prior to joining C3 AI, Mr. Abbo served as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Chief Technology Officer for Siebel Systems from July 1994 until it merged with Oracle Corporation in January 2006, and Senior Vice President of Oracle Corporation from January 2006 to July 2009.​
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Mr. Abbo holds a BS in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Houman Behzadi

Houman Behzadi serves as the Executive Vice President at C3 AI, contributing to the company’s strategic direction and growth.

Since 2010, Mr. Behzadi has held various leadership roles across the company including President and Chief Product Officer, where he oversaw key strategic functions, including Products, Engineering, Global Services, Pre-Sales, Alliances, IT, Operations, and Human Resources.

Prior to joining the company, he held leadership positions at Siebel Systems and Oracle Corporation in Products.

Mr. Behzadi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Hitesh Lath

Prior to his appointment as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Hitesh Lath served as the C3 AI’s Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer from December 2023 to February 2024.

Before joining C3 AI, Mr. Lath spent over 22 years with EY and was most recently a partner in their San Jose, CA office. At EY, he served several technology clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to Silicon Valley startups.

Mr. Lath holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University and Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California.

Nikhil Krishnan

Dr. Nikhil Krishnan is Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Data Science at C3 AI and is responsible for Data Science and Generative AI. Prior to C3 AI, Dr. Krishnan was an Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company, where he was a leader in McKinsey’s Advanced Industrials and Energy Practices. Dr. Krishnan was formerly an Assistant Professor at Columbia University. He also worked as a research scientist at Applied Materials, Inc.

Dr. Krishnan earned a bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and MS and PhD degrees from the University of California at Berkeley in Mechanical Engineering.

Merel Witteveen

Merel Witteveen is Senior Vice President, Operations at C3 AI. Having held multiple roles within the company over her tenure, Ms. Witteveen has deep experience within products, marketing, operations, and alliances. In her previous role at C3 AI as Group Vice President of Alliances, she focused on programs and partnerships to accelerate the evolution of C3 AI as a company that serves hundreds of customers to a company that serves thousands of customers. She led a team that established a strong and growing global partner and system integrator network with companies such as Google Cloud, AWS, Microsoft, and Booz Allen.

Before C3 AI, Ms. Witteveen was a consultant at McKinsey & Company. She was also a member of the Dutch Olympic Sailing Team for six years and holds a silver medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

She holds a B.S. in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Amsterdam, an M.S. in Applied Physics from Utrecht University, and an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Adi Bhashyam

Adi Bhashyam is Senior Vice President of North America Sales at C3 AI. In this role, he oversees new customer acquisition, sales strategy, and execution. Previously Mr. Bhashyam has held the roles of Group Vice President, Customer Solutions and Group Vice President, Solutions Engineering at C3 AI.

Prior to C3 AI, Mr. Bhashyam spent approximately 12 years at McKinsey and Company in Mumbai, Dubai, and Chicago. Mr. Bhashyam earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business where he was also a Siebel Scholar.

Andrew Thomases

Andrew Thomases is responsible for leading all legal functions at C3 AI, including corporate governance, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, litigation, privacy, and commercial transactions.

A nationally recognized trial lawyer with nearly 30 years of experience, he brings deep expertise in navigating complex legal and regulatory landscapes for technology companies. Before joining C3 AI, Andrew was a partner at Ropes & Gray and Skadden Arps, where he advised Fortune 100 companies on IP litigation, generative AI practices, and compliance matters. His experience includes serving as a first-chair litigator in landmark IP cases for leading tech and life sciences companies.

He holds a JD from the University of Chicago Law School and a BA in Physics from Amherst College.

Ildefonso Silva

Ildefonso Silva is Senior Vice President, Customer Solutions at C3 AI. In his role, Ildefonso is responsible for the success of our customer pilot programs globally, supporting C3 AI’s growth. He has extensive experience in digital, transformations and global end-to-end supply chains.

Prior to C3 AI, Mr. Silva was the Executive Vice President of Business Services and Digital Enablement at Tyson Foods, where he led the teams responsible for Logistics, Digital Enablement, the Centers of Excellence for Supply Chain and Manufacturing, Engineering & Automation, and Enterprise Programs. Previously, he was also a partner at McKinsey where he worked with consumer-facing companies to transform their performance. He was also a leader in McKinsey’s Supply Chain practice in Latin America and United States.

Mr. Silva earned a bachelor’s degree from the Universidade de São Paulo in mechanical engineering and an MBA with distinction from INSEAD.

Adrian Rami

Adrian Rami is Group Vice President, Products and Engineering at C3 AI. In his role, he oversees Applications and Platform products, Product Design, Engineering Services, Technology Transfer, Analyst Relations, Operations, and Information Security.

Mr. Rami has prior professional experience in oil and gas, new energy technologies, and biotechnology.

Mr. Rami earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Dan Gelston

As President C3 Federal Systems, Dan leads C3 AI’s efforts to help government organizations deploy and operate large-scale AI, predictive analytics, and enterprise AI applications. Previously, he was Group President of CAE’s Defense & Security business, overseeing a $2B training and simulation enterprise with 6,000+ employees.

With over 25 years of leadership experience in the US military, Intelligence Community, and global defense industry, Dan began his career as an US Army Military Intelligence Officer before joining the Intelligence Community as a counterterrorism targeting analyst.

Dan holds a Master of Science degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University and a double-major bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Strategic Policy from Bucknell University.

Alex Amato

Alex Amato is Group Vice President, Customer Services at C3 AI. Mr. Amato is responsible for all customer services globally, including CoE Services, Professional Services, Customer Success, and Customer Support. Prior to serving in this role, Mr. Amato held numerous leadership roles in both Customer Services and Product Management at C3 AI over the last 8 years.

Mr. Amato holds a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Thomas M. Siebel

Mr. Siebel is the founder of our company and has served as the Chairman of our board of directors since January 2009, and as our Chief Executive Officer since July 2011. Prior to founding our company, Mr. Siebel founded and served as the Chief Executive Officer of Siebel Systems, a global CRM software company, from 1993 until it merged with Oracle Corporation in January 2006. Mr. Siebel served in various leadership positions with Oracle Corporation from January 1984 to September 1990. Mr. Siebel currently serves as a member of the College of Engineering boards at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of California, Berkeley. He was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in April 2013. Mr. Siebel holds a B.A. in History, an M.B.A., and an M.S. in Computer Science, each from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of four books, including most recently the best-selling Digital Transformation: Survive and Thrive in an Era of Mass Extinction (RosettaBooks, 2019).

Honors and Awards

• Entrepreneur of the Year – EY, 2018
• Glassdoor Top CEO – 2018
• Honorary Ph.D. – Politecnico di Torino, 2018
• Entrepreneur of the Year – EY, 2017
• Best Places to Work, 100% CEO approval rating – Glassdoor, 2017
• Most Admired CEO Lifetime Achievement Award – San Francisco Business Times, 2016
• Academy of Arts and Sciences, Elected Member – April 2013
• #3 of the World’s Top 25 Philanthropists – Barron’s, November 2010
• Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship
• Engineering at Illinois Hall of Fame – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010
• #5 of the World’s Top 25 Philanthropists – Barron’s, 2009
• Top 50 Philanthropists – BusinessWeek 2007, 2008
• Honorary Ph.D. Engineering – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006
• Thomas M. Siebel, Master Entrepreneur of the Year – Ernst & Young, 2003
• Entrepreneurial Company of the Year – Harvard Business School, 2003
• Hall of Fame – CRM Magazine, 2003
• CEO of the Year – Industry Week, 2002
• Top 25 Managers in Global Business – BusinessWeek, 1999 to 2002
• Top 10 CEOs of 2000 – Investor’s Business Daily, 2000
• The World’s Most Influential Software Company – BusinessWeek, 2000
• The Most Influential Company in IT – Intelligent Enterprise, 2000
• Fastest Growing Technology Company – Deloitte & Touche, 1999
• Fastest Growing Company in America – Fortune, 1999

Publications

• Digital Transformation: Survive and Thrive in an Era of Mass Extinction, RosettaBooks, July 2019
• “Digital Transformation: The Post-Industrial Utility,” Aspenia Magazine, June 2018
• “Why Digital Transformation Is Now on the CEO’s Shoulders,” McKinsey Quarterly 2018 Number 1
• “Thought Leaders Speak Out: Key Trends Driving Change in the Electric Power Industry,” The Edison
• Foundation Institute for Electric Innovation (IEI), 2015
• Advanced Smart Grid, introduction, Artech House, 2015
• “The Internet of Energy,” Electric Perspectives magazine, 2015
• Written Testimony to the United States House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee,
• Subcommittee on Energy and Power, 2015
• “Big Data and the Smart Grid: Is Hadoop the Answer?”, Stanford Energy Journal, 2014
• Taking Care of eBusiness, Doubleday, 2001
• Cyber Rules, Doubleday, 1999
• Virtual Selling, Free Press, 1996

Condoleezza Rice

Dr. Rice has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2009. Since September 2020, Dr. Rice has served as the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. In addition, Dr. Rice has served as the Denning Professor of Global Business and the Economy for the Stanford Graduate School of Business since September 2010.

Since March 2009, Dr. Rice has served as the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow of Public Policy for the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, as a Senior Fellow for the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, and as a Professor of Political Science for Stanford University. Dr. Rice has also served as a partner at RiceHadleyGates LLC, an international strategic consulting firm that Dr. Rice founded, since November 2009.

From January 2005 to January 2009, Dr. Rice served as the Secretary of State of the United States of America and from January 2001 to January 2005, Dr. Rice served as Chief National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush. Dr. Rice currently serves on the boards of directors of C3 AI and Makena Capital Management, LLC, a private endowment firm.

Dr. Rice holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Denver, an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Denver.

Richard C. Levin

Dr. Levin has served as a member of our board of directors since August 2010. From April 2014 until June 2017, Dr. Levin was the Chief Executive Officer of Coursera, an online learning platform company.

Prior to his role at Coursera, Dr. Levin served as President of Yale University from July 1993 to June 2013. Dr. Levin is currently a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society and is a former trustee of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Dr. Levin served as a director of American Express Co. from January 2007 to May 2019. Dr. Levin also served as an advisor on President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Dr. Levin holds a B.A. from Stanford University, a B.Litt. from Oxford University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University.

Michael G. McCaffery

Mr. McCaffery has served as a member of our board of directors since March 2009. Since December 2005, Mr. McCaffery has served as the Managing Director for Makena Capital Management, an investment management firm, and was Chief Executive Officer of Makena Capital Management from December 2005 to January 2013. From February 2015 – May 2024, Mr. McCaffery served on the board of directors for NVIDIA Corporation, a technology company.

Mr. McCaffery holds a B.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, a B.A. Honours and an M.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Merton College at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Bruce Sewell

Mr. Sewell has served as a member of our board of directors since May 2017. Mr. Sewell served as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Apple Inc., a technology company, from September 2009 to December 2017.

From October 1996 to September 2009, Mr. Sewell served in various leadership positions with Intel Corporation, including as Senior Vice President, General Counsel from September 2002 to September 2009. Since January 2013, Mr. Sewell has served on the board of directors for Vail Resorts, Inc., a mountain resort company.

Mr. Sewell holds a B.S. from Lancaster University (U.K.) and a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.

Lisa A. Davis

Ms. Davis has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2021. From August 2014 to March 2020, Ms. Davis served as a member of the Managing Board for Siemens AG, the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe, with responsibility as CEO for Siemens Gas and Power, which includes Power Generation, Power Services, Oil and Gas, Transmission and New Fuels, and operates in over 80 countries. During her tenure at Siemens, she also served as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Corporation USA and as a member of the Board of Directors of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA.

From 2012 to August 2014, Ms. Davis served as Executive Vice President, Strategy, Portfolio & Alternative Energy of Royal Dutch Shell, UK. Prior to that, Ms. Davis served in various capacities and leadership positions with Royal Dutch Shell, Texaco USA and Exxon Corporation in upstream and downstream operations and project development.

Ms. Davis currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Penske Automotive Group, an international transportation services company; Kosmos Energy Limited, an international E&P company; Air Products and Chemicals, an international industrial gasses product and project company; and Phillips 66, an international downstream oil and gas company. Ms. Davis previously served on the board of directors of Spectris plc, an industrial productivity enhancement products company.

Ms. Davis holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Jim Hagemann Snabe

Jim Hagemann Snabe is the former co-CEO of SAP AG. He is now Chairman A. P. Moller Maersk (DK), and Nominated Chairman Siemens AG (D) Vice Chairman Allianz SE (D). He is member of the Board of Trustees at World Economic Forum (CH).

With 25 years of experience in the IT industry, Jim Hagemann Snabe is focused on leadership around innovation, digitization and societal progress. As co-CEO of SAP Jim, together with Bill McDermott, was instrumental in driving the strategic development of SAP to double the value of the company and play a more responsible role in society. In 2013 he and co-CEO Bill McDermott were ranked #2 on Glassdoor.com’s listing of the top fifty highest rated CEOs, based on their 99 percent approval rating from employees.

In his capacity as a global business leader, Jim is involved in a number of activities focused on societal progress and the role of business in society. Snabe’s views on leadership is shaped by his commitment to solving societal issues and his trust in human potential.

Snabe received a master’s degree in operational research from the Aarhus School of Business in Denmark. In 2016 Jim was appointed Adjunct Professor at Copenhagen Business School based on his work around digital transformation and its impact on business and society. He lives with his family in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Jim Hagemann Snabe has a master’s degree in Operational Research, University of Aarhus; Adjunct Professor at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.

Stephen M. Ward Jr.

Mr. Ward has served as a member of our board of directors since January 2009. Mr. Ward served as the Chief Executive Officer for Lenovo Group Limited, the international personal computer company formed by the acquisition of IBM’s personal computer division by Lenovo, from April 2005 to January 2006. Prior to that acquisition, Mr. Ward held a number of management positions with IBM from September 1978 to April 2005, including Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Personal Systems and Retail Systems Group from March 2003 to April 2005, General Manager of the Industrial Sector from February 2000 to March 2003, General Manager of the Thinkpad and Mobile division from January 1998 to March 2000 and Chief Information Officer from February 1997 to March 2000.

Mr. Ward has also served as a member of the board of directors for Carpenter Technology Corporation, a specialty metals company, since March 2001. From December 2014 until its sale to The Boeing Company in October 2018, Mr. Ward served as a member the board of directors of KLX Inc., an aerospace solutions and supply chain company, and since September 2018, he served as a member of the board of directors of KLX Energy Services Holdings, Inc., an oilfield services company spun out from KLX Inc.

Mr. Ward also previously served as a member of the board of directors of E2Open, a supply chain SAS company he co-founded, from January 2001 to March 2015, E-Ink Corporation, a maker of electronic paper displays, from December 2006 to December 2009 and QD Vision, Inc., a nanomaterials product company, from June 2014 until its sale to Samsung in November 2016.

Mr. Ward holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

KR Sridhar

Dr. KR Sridhar has served as a member of the C3 AI board of directors since February 2023. He is the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Bloom Energy, a world leader in reliable, always-on, on-site power. He was previously Director of the Space Technologies Laboratory (STL) at the University of Arizona where he was also a Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. As one of the early pioneers in green tech, he also serves as a strategic limited partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and as a special advisor to New Enterprise Associates. He has also served on many technical committees, panels and advisory boards, and has several publications and patents.​ He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering in the US and the Indian National Academy of Engineering.

Alan Murray

Alan Murray is a business thought leader and media executive, most recently serving as CEO of Fortune Media for over five years where he oversaw all of the company’s operations. He is the author of five books, including most recently Tomorrow’s Capitalist: My Search for the Soul of Business. Prior to joining Fortune in 2015, Murray led the Pew Research Center. Before that, he was at the Wall Street Journal for many years, serving as Deputy Managing Editor, Executive Editor Online, Washington Bureau Chief, and author of the Political Capital and Business columns. He also served for a time as Washington bureau chief of CNBC, and co-host of the network’s Capitol Report.

General John Hyten, Ret.

General John Hyten (Ret.) served as the 11th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retiring in November 2021 after a distinguished 40-year career in the United States Air Force. In this role, Gen. Hyten served as the nation’s second highest ranking military officer, responsible for supporting and overseeing joint military requirements for nearly 1.5 million service members and their families across the U.S. Armed Forces.

Gen Hyten (Ret.) previously led Air Force Space Command from 2014 to 2016 and U.S. Strategic Command from 2016 to 2019. Among many other assignments, he was deployed to Southwest Asia as the Director of Space Forces for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He has received numerous awards and recognition including, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster; the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster; the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster; the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters; the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters; and Commendation Medals from both Air Force and the Army.

He attended Harvard University on an Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and applied sciences. He also holds his MBA from Auburn University at Montgomery and is a distinguished graduate from Squadron Officer School as well as Air Command and Staff College. He was also a National Defense Fellow at the University of Illinois.

Kevin McCarthy

Kevin McCarthy has served as a member of our advisory board since June 2024. From January 2023 to October 2023, Mr. McCarthy served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, leading the legislative agenda and representing the Republican majority in the House.

Mr. McCarthy has had a distinguished career in public service. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2006, representing California’s 22nd congressional district, and later the 23rd district, following redistricting. Over his tenure in Congress, Mr. McCarthy has held several key leadership positions, including House Majority Leader from 2014 to 2019, and House Minority Leader from 2019 to 2023.

In addition to his legislative career, Mr. McCarthy has been actively involved in various public policy initiatives and has been a vocal advocate for technology and innovation in government. His leadership in Congress has been marked by efforts to promote economic growth, national security, and technological advancements.

Mr. McCarthy holds a B.S. in Marketing from California State University, Bakersfield, and an M.B.A. from the same institution.

Jacques Attali

Professor, writer, Honorary Member of the Council of State, Special Adviser to the President of the Republic from 1981 to 1991, founder and first President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London from 1991 to 1993, Jacques Attali (www.attali.com) is currently CEO of A&A, an international consulting firm (www.aeta.net) specialised in new technologies, based in Paris, and President of PlaNet Finance (www.planetfinance.org), an international non-profit organisation assisting microfinance institutions all over the world. PlaNet Finance is the most important world institution of support to the microfinance. PlaNet Finance advises and finances the development of the microfinance in 80 countries.

He founded Action Contre la Faim in 1980 and the European programme Eurêka (a major European programme on new technologies that invented, among other things, the MP3). In 1989, he also launched an international programme of action against the disastrous floods in Bangladesh. Jacques Attali then advised the Secretary General of the United Nations on the risks of nuclear proliferation. He is at the origin of the higher education reform, known as LMD, to bring all European degrees into line.

Jacques Attali has a doctorate in Economics and is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique (first in the class of 1963), the Ecole des Mines, the Institut d’Etudes Politiques and the Ecole Nationale de l’Administration. He taught Economic Theory at the Ecole Polytechnique, the Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées and the University of Paris-Dauphine. He has received honorary doctorates from several foreign universities and is a member of the Universal Academy of Cultures.

Jacques Attali is a columnist for the magazine L’Express. He has written 65 books, translated into more than 30 languages, with over eight million copies sold all over the world, including essays (dealing with a wide variety of subjects ranging from mathematical economics to music), biographies, novels, children’s tales and plays. Dr. Attali has been designated as one of the three most influential intellectuals in France and one of the 100 most influential worldwide.

On April 2011, he was honored with the Corporate Citizenship award from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Lord Aamer Sarfraz

Lord Aamer Sarfraz is a Member of the House of Lords, the upper house of United Kingdom Parliament.

He is a Member of the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy (JCNSS) and the AI in Weapon Systems Committee. He is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies and Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme.

Lord Sarfraz is the Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Singapore and co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sovereign Wealth Funds.

His earlier career was in venture capital and sustainable agriculture. He is Patron of The Lord Sarfraz Foundation and sits on several voluntary boards including at Texas A&M, Boston University and Panthera. He was previously a Treasurer of the Conservative Party. On his appointment to the Lords, he became its third youngest member.

Sir Gordon Messenger

General Sir Gordon Messenger KCB DSO* OBE DL

General Sir Gordon Messenger served as a Royal Marine from 1983 to 2019, in a career that spanned operational command, capability development, public communications and the strategic leadership of Defence.

His career was notable for two reasons: he was the first Royal Marine to be promoted to 4-star rank for 50 years, and the first member of the naval service since the Korean War to receive a Bar to the Distinguished Service Order.

His operational tours include Kosovo, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan, culminating in command of 3 Commando Brigade in Helmand from 2008 to 2009. He was appointed Vice Chief of Defence Staff in May 2016, acting as the Chief of Defence Staff’s principal deputy for operational matters and leading on the management and oversight of military capability, including nuclear and cyber issues.

Since retiring from the military in October 2019, he has established a portfolio career in both the public and private sectors. He is a Board member of UK Health Security Agency and a Patron of several military charities. He supported the Department of Health and Social Care on the Community Testing and Managed Quarantine programmes as part of the pandemic response. In October 2021, he was commissioned by the Government to lead a Review into leadership and management in the Health and Social Care sectors, which reported successfully in June 2022.

He was appointed Rear Admiral of the UK by the Sovereign in December 2021. He was installed as His Majesty’s Constable of the Tower of London in October 2022, a role which includes trusteeships of Royal Historic Palaces and the Royal Armouries.