Wilson served for a decade as Kenya’s top intelligence official and recently retired as the first director general of Kenya’s National Security Intelligence Service. He also served as chief of military intelligence in Kenya’s Defense Ministry and as a military aide to the president. Wilson commanded peace-keeping operations in Mozambique and was an advisor and special envoy to the peace process in Chad. He also served as the commanding officer for the Kenyan contingent to the Rhodesia/Zimbabwe election process. Wilson graduated from the National Defense University in Washington, DC, and speaks Kiswahili.

James has extensive experience in the financial services and technology sectors in both Asia and Europe. He has worked in Indonesia since the early 1990s, most recently as country head for Morgan Stanley’s Indonesian equities practice. James is the founder and former managing director of Signifo, the company behind the award-winning ‘webexpenses’ software solution. A native of New Zealand, James received his MBA from INSEAD and speaks fluent Swedish and conversational Bahasa Indonesia.

Anthony is a lawyer and international affairs consultant based in Washington DC. He is founding managing director of Acorus Capital, a private equity fund investing in Africa, and an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. He began his work in Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana from 1976–1978 and returned to the agency during the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations as assistant general counsel from 1986 to 1989. He has advised foundations, universities, corporations, nonprofits, and bi-lateral development organizations on trade, investment, and development matters. He has served on numerous academic and corporate boards in Africa and the United States. Anthony holds a BA and JD from the University of Denver and an MPA from the University of Wisconsin.

Forrest has 25 years’ in-country experience in both the public and private sectors. He divides his time between Dhaka and Bangkok, working as an economist, professor, and advisor to the Thai government, and as the founder and former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh. He has led numerous studies and projects in Bangladesh, including for the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, on financial, judicial, and energy reforms.

Mel served for four decades as an operations officer in the Central Intelligence Agency, where he was chief of the Africa Division and deputy chief of the European Division. As a senior intelligence officer he worked closely with the US National Security Council and the Departments of Defense and State on Africa matters. He has extensive experience managing operations in areas such as counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism, and counter-proliferation. Mel speaks French, Spanish, and German.

Mary Ellen has extensive diplomatic and consulting experience in Nigeria and a detailed understanding of the political and business landscapes in that country. She served for four years as the management, consular, and security officer at the Canadian High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, where she managed a wide variety of bilateral government issues. Additionally she has worked in the local Nigerian NGO community, particularly the education sector. Mary Ellen previously worked in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a member of the Division Executive Committee (Ontario) and has held management positions in information management and technology, corporate services, media relations, and strategic planning. She speaks French.

Ambassador Hume is a career foreign service officer with more than 40 years’ experience, having served as a United States ambassador to Algeria, South Africa, Sudan, and most recently Indonesia. Since retiring from his last ambassadorial post in 2010 he has worked as a business consultant in Indonesia and in 2018 was appointed chairman of the American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce. Ambassador Hume is a member of the bars of the District of Columbia and the State of New York, has published widely on the geopolitical dynamics of the regions in which he served, and speaks Arabic, French, and Italian.

Bill has worked on Chinese politics and government for more than 40 years. He served 25 years as an American diplomat, culminating as Chargé d’Affaires of the embassy in Beijing, where he played a key role in concluding the U.S.-China Market Access Agreement, the template for China’s WTO accession. Following government service, he became senior international business advisor in the WilmerHale law firm, where he assisted companies in doing business in China. Subsequently, working from Shanghai and Hong Kong, Bill ran an independent China market research firm, then served as senior China advisor to two boutique investment banks. Bill holds degrees from Boston College and Harvard University, and is currently a senior fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research.

David McKean most recently served as US ambassador to Luxembourg and, from 2013 to 2015, as the US Department of State’s director of policy planning. A distinguished strategic policy advisor and scholar, David has broad diplomatic and development expertise. Over the course of his nearly four-decade-long career, he has served in numerous high-profile government and academic positions, including as chief of staff to Senator John Kerry, CEO of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and minority staff director at the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He has authored four books on American political history and been recognized with the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award. He holds a BA from Harvard College, a JD from Duke University, and an MA from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He speaks French.

Founder and CEO of Zoramu Consulting Group ltd. Jimmy has held leadership roles for nearly three decades in the oil and gas sector, working across Africa and Europe. He has a strong background in managing complex projects, building government and stakeholder relationships, managing joint ventures, and ensuring marketing and operational excellence. From 2012 to 2020, he worked with Tullow Oil PLC as the Group Africa advisor / chair Uganda, and as managing director for Tullow Uganda. Previously, Jimmy spent 19 years at Royal Dutch Shell, where he served as senior regional advisor for Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa retail marketing manager, and Shell East Africa general manager. Jimmy is an experienced board chair and independent non-executive director in the financial, beverage, and oil and gas sectors, including as the chair of DFCU Bank, and as a non-executive director at East African Breweries Ltd (a Diageo PLC). Jimmy holds a bachelor’s in agricultural science from Makerere University and a master’s from the University of Wales, and has completed post graduate training in the Executive Business Leadership Program at IMD, Lausanne.

Audace has worked in senior roles for Kinross Gold and BHP, including as Kinross’ VP for external affairs in Africa and as BHP’s government relations manager for Africa. At both companies, he led interactions with African governments on exploration projects and acquisition of new business opportunities. He has broad experience across the continent, including in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Prior to joining Kinross and BHP Billiton, Audace worked as director general of geology and mines in Burundi and as a lecturer at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Burundi. Audace holds a PhD in geology from the University of Ghent in Belgium and speaks French and Swahili.

Ted recently returned to the United States after living and working in Asia for 26 years, namely Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore. During his time overseas, Ted was a research analyst, fund manager, and ultimately the chief investment officer for JP Morgan Asset Management Asia Pacific. In addition, Ted has spent significant time in India, South Korea, and the Philippines. The Securities & Futures Commission of Hong Kong invited Ted to serve two terms on its Public Shareholder Group Committee, and he is a current member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Ted graduated from Princeton University with a BA in history.

Daniel has more than 20 years of experience providing strategic counsel to the world’s leading corporations, investors, and sovereign entities at the intersection of public policy, geopolitics, finance, and international business. Daniel heads macro research for Medley Global Advisors, a leading advisor to the world’s top hedge funds, asset managers, and institutional investors, and for Energy Aspects, a leading advisory firm for the energy industry. Daniel regularly travels throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas, translating policy intelligence into financial market and business strategy for key figures in the business and policy worlds. Prior to his consulting career, Daniel was a Jerusalem-based correspondent for Reuters and directed the news agency’s New York-based markets group. He holds an MA in international economics and Middle East affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BA from Duke University. He speaks Arabic, Hebrew, French, and Portuguese.

George R. Trumbull IV is an expert on the Maghreb region and, in his long academic career, has focused on both politics and history with an emphasis on African studies. He has taught at Tulane University, NYU, and most recently Dartmouth College, where he was associate professor of history and African Studies. He holds degrees from Princeton (BA) and Yale (PhD). He has also worked as a consultant focused on political risk issues in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and Egypt. He speaks Arabic, French, and Portuguese.

Andy has more than 42 years of experience in the automotive industry. He currently holds executive roles at a variety of companies, including Switch Mobility, Optare, Inobat Jsa, HiLo, and Palmer Automotive. Andy has also been president and group CE of Aston Martin Lagonda and COO and CPO of Nissan Motor Corporation, where he was instrumental in developing the Nissan LEAF EV. He holds a Master of Science from the University of Warwick and a PhD in engineering management from Cranfield University. He is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a companion of the Chartered Management Institute. He was honored in 2014 with a companion of the most distinguished order of Saint Michael and Saint George for contribution to the British Automotive Industry.

Timothy Smith – Industry Advisor. Tim has over 30 years of experience with OEMs and major Tier 1 suppliers in the automotive industry, including Stellantis, Renault, Nissan, General Motors, and Toyota. He has led product-, program-, and business-development efforts in numerous executive positions in the USA, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. CEO of Osirius Group, Tim has international expertise in engineering, program management, vehicle development and quality processes of Honda, Nissan and Toyota. Tim received an MBA with honors from the University of Michigan Business School.

Mr. Dinerstein served as the global co-chair of the financial institutions practice atGreenberg Traurig, LLP and as a senior executive with UBS investment bank, where he held positions as vice chairman, Americas; global general counsel; andmanagement committee board member. His tenure at UBS included oversight of all legal, compliance, and regulatory matters. He also served as executive vice president and general counsel at Shearson Lehman Brothers and as vice president and general counsel at Citicorp’s investment bank. He was a member of the board of Medarex, Inc., until its acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2009, and chairman of Crossbow Ventures, Inc., a Florida-based venture capital firm. Robert is currently on the boards of Amalgamated Bank in New York City and the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds degrees from Harvard University and the University of Michigan Law School.

Sir Richard served as chief of MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, from 1999 to 2004. Previously, he was director of operations and assistant chief of thesame organization. Sir Richard’s intelligence career spanned 38 years and included postings in Nairobi, Prague, Paris, Geneva, London, and Washington. He is currently master of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Sir Richard holds an MA from Queens College, Cambridge.

Mr. Denton is Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), a position he has held since 2018. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Denton was the chief executive officer of Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Australia’s leading independent law firm. A former Australian diplomat, he has served as chair of theBusiness Council of Australia’s Global Engagement Taskforce, board member of Human Rights Watch and Asialink at the University of Melbourne, and chairman (emeritus) of the Experts Group on Trade and Investment in Indonesia, and he was a founding member of the Australia China CEO Roundtable meetings. An originating member of the B20—the business reference group of the G20— has been an advisor to the Australian government on Asia policy issues, and has been chairman of the UN High Commission for Refugees Australia for more than a decade. Mr. Denton is an alumnus of the University of Melbourne and Harvard Business School.

Ambassador Eizenstat has served as deputy treasury secretary, undersecretary of commerce, undersecretary of state for economic and business affairs, and US ambassador to the European Union. He is currently a partner and head of the international practice, including international finance and trade, at Covington & Burling LLP. Eizenstat holds degrees from the University of North Carolina (BA) and Harvard Law School, as well as seven honorary doctorates and numerous civilian awards from the US and foreign governments.

Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, a foreign policy expert and former diplomat specializing in national security, has held numerous Senate-confirmed and senior positions in the US government, including eight years as under secretary of state for global affairs. At State, she established and led the US-India, US-China, and US-Brazil Global Issues Fora, which advanced crucial work and international cooperation on environment, energy, health, development, and humanitarian issues. Additionally, she was head of delegation and lead negotiator on US climate change policy. Currently, Ambassador Dobriansky is a senior fellow in the Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard University’s JFK Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and vice chair of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council. She earned her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and her MA and PhD in Soviet political and military affairs from Harvard. She has also received five honorary doctorates.

Allen joins Veracity with more than 30 years’ experience in international investment banking. He is the founder and managing director of the investment advisory firm BK Partners Ltd., and from 1993 to 2007 he held a series of senior positions at Goldman Sachs, where he focused on Latin America, Spain, and Russia, among other CIS states. Allen has also served as the group executive chairman of the Good Governance Group (G3), and was a founding partner of Fidem, S.C., a Mexico-based investment bank. He sits on the boards of numerous cultural and business organizations, the Historical Royal Palace of Great Britain and the Council of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. Allen received his B.A. in economics from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico in 1982 and his PhD from Harvard, also in economics, in 1987.

Dr. Watt served for over 20 years in the Australian government, where he led the departments of communications, finance, and defense, and that of prime minister and cabinet. In his last position, he was Australia’s senior-most public servant and head of the Australian Public Service. Since retiring from government, Dr. Watt has served as a non-executive director of several corporations, including BAE Systems Australia, Citibank Pty Ltd, and Smartgroup. He recently completed a 10-year term on the board of Australia’s leading domestic think tank, the Grattan Institute. Dr. Watt holds degrees from the University of Melbourne, La Trobe University, and Harvard Business School.