Speakers
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Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia |
Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia is Chairperson, Board of Governors, the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), where she served as Director and Chief Executive from 1997 to 2001. Dr Ahluwalia was awarded Padma Bhushan by the President of India in the year 2009 for her services in the field of education and literature. Dr Ahluwalia was Chairperson of the High Powered Expert Committee on Urban Infrastructure Services, appointed by the Ministry of Urban Development (India). She is Member, National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (India) and is on the Boards of a number of premier research institutes in India. Dr Ahluwalia was Vice Chairperson of the Punjab State Planning Board from 2005 to 2007.
Dr Ahluwalia is a Member of a recently set up Eminent Persons Group on India-ASEAN by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, which is tasked to prepare a Report on ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations. She is Vice Chairperson, Global Development Network, New Delhi and Member, Board of Trustees of the International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka. She was Chairperson, Board of Trustees of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington DC from 2003 to 2006. Dr Ahluwalia was a Member of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and continues to serve on an advisory committee of the ADB on regional integration. She was also a member of the Commission on Macro-Economics and Health, WHO.
Dr Ahluwalia's research has focused on industrial development, macro-economic reforms, and issues in social sector development in India. She is author/co-author/editor of several books including India's Economic Reforms and Development: Essays for Manmohan Singh (OUP, 1998), which she co-edited with Prof. I.M.D Little.
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Masatoshi An |
Mr. Masatoshi An is the Executive Vice President of Nikken Sekkei Ltd., one of the largest architectural design/urban planning firm in the world. With over 36 years of experience in urban planning, he has held a number of high-level management posts while compiling a string of professional achievements, the most recent being the Tokyo Midtown Complex which received an MIPIM Asia Award for Mixed Use Development in 2007. He is a member of the City Planning Institute of Japan, and Japan Society of Urban & Regional Planners.
He also served as a committee member as well as the leader of Housing & Urban Planning Sector of The Council of Growth Strategy of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), where he played a key role promoting cross-industrial study and research, and compiled proposals for revitalization of Japan's overall economic growth to the government. In 2009, Mr. An has been awarded for his long-time contribution in the field of urban planning from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, transport and Tourism (MLIT).
Mr. An has received Master's degree in Architecture from Kyoto University in 1975, and completed Special Program for Urban and Regional Studies (SPURS) in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S. in 1983.
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H.E. Pia Allerslev |
Mrs. Pia Allerslev is the Mayor of Culture and Leisure in the City of Copenhagen. She was elected to the City Council in 2001 and was appointed as the mayor of Culture and Leisure in 2008. She believes that Culture and Leisure is a vital part of the city planning and that these elements should be a part of the long-term planning as well. Prior to politics she worked within the field of education as a teacher as well as a consultant.
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H.E. Edson Aparecido |
Edson Aparecido is a Congressman with a bachelor degree in history from the Catholic University of São Paulo. Born in São Paulo, began his political life in the 70's in the student movement, participating in major campaigns for democratization of the country. Held office of state representative for two terms (1998/2006) when he was leader of the Geraldo Alckmin´s administration. It is one of the founders of the PSDB, the social democratic party of Brazil and currently its vice-president. He was advisor to the Minister Sergio Motta, participating in the successful privatization of telecommunications in the country. Since 2011, he is Secretary of Metropolitan Development of the State of São Paulo and is responsible for articulating solutions with other state departments and plan together with the municipalities in addressing the major regional problems. As these problems are generally of high scale and complexity, in general, municipalities are unable to address them alone and it is required state and federal participation. Those are the cases of policies to improve urban mobility, transport, sanitation, combating floods, waste treatment, housing and public safety, planning and actions that require coordinated and integrated actions.
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Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan |
Education
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, 50, studied Medicine at the National University of Singapore after being awarded the President's Scholarship in 1980. He was elected President of the NUS Students' Union from 1981 to 1983 and Chairman from 1984 to 1985.
Professional Career
After graduation, he specialised in Ophthalmology. He was appointed Associate Professor of the National University of Singapore and Deputy Director of Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) in 1997. He led several clinical research trials to control the progression of myopia in children. In 1999, he became the Medical Director of SNEC. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore General Hospital in 2000.
Dr Balakrishnan was also the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Combat Support Hospital of the Singapore Armed Forces from November 1999 to January 2002.
Dr Balakrishnan has served as the Honorary Treasurer of the Singapore Medical Association, member of the National Library Board, the Singapore Broadcasting Authority Programmes Advisory Committee and National Volunteer Centre. He was also a well-known debater from the 80s, and host of the television series "Health Matters" in the 90s.
Political Career
Dr Balakrishnan has been a Member of Parliament since 2001. He is currently the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources. He previously held appointments as the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Second Minister for Trade and Industry, Minister responsible for Entrepreneurship, Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts and Minister of State for National Development.
During the early years of his political career, he served as Chairman of the "Remaking Singapore" committee and Chairman of the National Youth Council. He also served two terms as Chairman of the Young PAP.
In Parliament, he has moved several pieces of new legislation. These include the Competition Act, Community Care Endowment Fund Act, Mental Capacity Act and the International Child Abduction Act. He has also moved amendments to the Children Development Co-Savings Act, Children and Young Persons Act, Women's Charter, Charities Act, Hindu Endowment Board, Postal Services Act, Animals and Birds Act, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority Act and Sale of Food Act.
Dr Balakrishnan has overseen the establishment of the Comcare Endowment Fund; refinement of the Comcare Social Assistance framework; the Enabling Masterplan for persons with disability; the establishment of the Central Youth Guidance Office; the expansion of Family Service Centres and the Accreditation of Social Workers.
He has also led the upgrading of the Childcare sector; establishment of National Family Council, Charities Council, Community Foundation, National Steering Committee on Racial & Religious Harmony, the National Integration Council, the Centre for Third Age, and the National Council against Problem Gambling. He supervised the successful hosting of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games; and the ongoing redevelopment of the National Stadium.
Whilst at MTI, he oversaw tourism and coordinated the Project team that facilitated the development of the two Integrated Resorts. At MICA, he was deeply involved with the design and rollout of the Next Generation National Broadband Network.
Personal
Dr Balakrishnan has been married for 24 years to his wife, Joy. He enjoys spending precious time with his daughter and three sons. To keep fit, he runs and cycles. He is also a computer enthusiast and an avid reader.
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Dr. Guruduth Banavar |
Dr. Guruduth Banavar is Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Global Public Sector in IBM. In this role, he is responsible for providing technical leadership across the Public Sector, with a particular focus on IBM's Smarter Cities initiatives to capture strategic opportunities, improve upon solutions, harvest core assets, and maintain a vital link to IBM Research.
Previously, Dr. Banavar was the Director of IBM Research in India, one of eight labs of the worldleading IBM Research Division. He was responsible for establishing India as a pre-eminent research lab in the areas of services research and mobile computing. He also created the Bangalore branch of IBM Research as well as a Collaboratory with the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. In his additional role as Chief Technologist (CTO) of IBM India / South Asia, Guru led the creation of a technical leadership group, a regional technical strategy, and sales enablers aligned with the business objectives. Finally, he served as the external face and spokesperson for IBM's technology leadership in India.
Earlier, Dr. Banavar worked for 10 years at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center in New York, which he joined in 1995 after his PhD. His broad technical interests and contributions have been in Service Science, Pervasive Computing, Distributed Systems, and Programming Models. Guru has published more than 40 research papers in top international forums, invented more than 25 US patents, chaired major international technical conferences and workshops in his research areas, and served on PhD committees in major US universities.
Dr. Banavar is an elected member of the IBM Academy of Technology. He serves on the advisory boards of international governmental, educational, and industrial organizations.
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Alex Ross |
Mr. Alex Ross is the Director of the WHO Centre for Health Development in Kobe, Japan. He is a public health policy expert trained at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) with specializations in health systems. Prior to his joining the Centre, he served as Director for Partnerships at WHO Headquarters (Geneva), as well as in senior advisory posts to Assistant Director-Generals for Communicable Diseases and for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. Mr Ross led development of WHO's partnerships policy, nurtured WHO's engagement with global health initiatives, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. Mr Ross was very involved in developing innovative health financing approaches, such as the Solidarity Tobacco Contribution, as well as the creation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and UNITAID. Before joining WHO, Mr Ross served in senior domestic and international health positions for the UK Department for International Development between 2001 and 2003 (health policy and systems), and in several U.S. Government agencies between 1987 and 2001 (USAID, US Department of Health and Human Services, and US Congress as professional staff).
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The Honourable Adrian Benepe |
Adrian Benepe has worked for over 30 years protecting and enhancing New York City's natural and historic beauty. He has continued this effort as Commissioner of the Department of Parks & Recreation, appointed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on January 25, 2002. In this role he has focused on improving park facilities and programs for children, developing new waterfront parks and greenways, and making New York City bloom with millions of new flowers and hundreds of gardens.
Commissioner Benepe started his Parks & Recreation career in 1973 as a teenage seasonal helper in East River Park on Manhattan's Lower East Side, picking up litter and mopping locker rooms. After graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont, he became a member of the first corps of Parks & Recreation's Urban Park Rangers in 1979. From 1979 to 1990, he served in a number of different capacities at Park & Recreation. Following his time as a Ranger stationed in Central Park, he took on a variety of positions ranging from Director of Natural Resources & Horticulture (overseeing scores of restoration projects in the City's wetlands and forests) to Director of Art & Antiquities (in charge of the City's conservation and interpretation of 1,300 statues and monuments and 23 historic house museums). During this latter assignment, he helped found the Historic House Trust, a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and promote the historic house museums located in New York City parks.
From 1990 to 1993, Commissioner Benepe was the Director of the Annual Fund & Major Gifts for the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, where he expanded his knowledge of plants, trees and children's education. At the Garden, he co-founded the "Holiday Garden Railway" exhibition. From 1993 to 1995, he served as Vice President for Issues & Public Affairs for the Municipal Art Society. In that role, he managed public relations and developed strategies for public advocacy efforts in city planning, historic preservation, and public art, and he curated the "Kid City" exhibition to teach children about the built environment. After six years in the non-profit sector, he returned to Parks & Recreation in January 1996 as the Manhattan Borough Commissioner, managing Manhattan's green infrastructure of more than 300 parks, playgrounds, and malls. During his tenure he helped found the Fort Tryon Park Trust, a public-private partnership for the historic park and its Heather Garden. He served in that position until promoted to Commissioner of Parks & Recreation, where he now oversees the operation of over 29,000 acres and nearly 5,000 properties including over 1,000 playgrounds, 600 ballfields, 550 tennis courts, 63 swimming pools, 35 recreation centers, 14 miles of beach, and over 2.5 million street and park trees.
Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Bloomberg, First Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris and the rest of the City administration, as well as the participation of the City Council and other elected officials, the Department is currently managing the largest program of park expansion and renovation since the 1930s. A large part of the construction budget funds PlaNYC and MillionTreesNYC, Mayor Bloomberg's signature projects to green the city and develop a more sustainable future. Additionally, a steady rebuilding of the operating budget under Mayor Bloomberg has given the Department its largest workforce in decades, with over 10,000 employees at the height of the summer operating season.
During the current period of budget restraints, Commissioner Benepe and the Department will continue to work with and expand public-private partnerships, building on a remarkable network of over 400 civic organizations, 1,800 community groups and more than 65,000 individual volunteers, who donate collectively more than 1.7 million hours of volunteer labor every year to parks and gardens.
In addition to his B.A. in English Literature from Middlebury College, Adrian Benepe also earned a Master's Degree in Journalism from Columbia University, where he was awarded a Pulitzer Fellowship. In 1987, he participated in the Mayor's Top 40 Program, and in 1992 he was selected to participate in Leadership New York, a program of the Coro Foundation. Although born in New Rochelle, NY, he has lived in New York City since 1959. He lives with his wife and two sons on the Upper West Side of Manhattan where he grew up. He likes to run, walk, bicycle, and cross-country ski in Central and Riverside Parks and throughout the City's park system.
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Jeremy Bentham |
Jeremy has been in the energy business for 30 years. He is a graduate of Oxford University where he read physics. He joined Shell in 1980 following post-graduate experience at the California Institute of Technology. He also holds a masters degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a Sloan Fellow from 1990 to 1991.
Following experience in both research and technology process design, Jeremy worked in the areas of manufacturing economics, industry analysis and commercial information technology. He then held line management positions coordinating commercial and production activities at a number of refinery facilities. Subsequently he became manager of corporate strategy analysis within the Corporate Centre of the Shell Group, and then led a strategic project for Shell's Exploration and Production Business.
Jeremy joined the leadership team of Shell's global commercial technology company, Shell Global Solutions in 1999, with specific responsibility for commercial and strategic developments including new business. He was subsequently appointed as chief executive of Shell Hydrogen. Since January 2006 he has been responsible for Shell's Global Business Environment team, which is best known for developing forward-looking scenarios to support strategic thinking and direction-setting.
Jeremy is married to an American artist, and they have three children ranging from 31 to 14 years old. He is deeply interested in theatre and passionate about encouraging young people through his church community.
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Bruno Berthon |
Bruno Berthon is the Global Managing Director for Accenture Sustainability Services, the most successful Sustainability Services practice in the consulting world according to key analysts. With a team of more than 1,500 consultants worldwide, Mr Berthon helps large multinational companies and cities to evaluate the challenges and opportunities arising from globalization, climate change and sustainability, and to support them on their journey from 'Issues to Outcomes'. He was previously Growth & Strategy Managing Director for Accenture Management Consulting and in that position was also in charge of shaping and leading the launch of Accenture's sustainability practice globally. He has authored numerous articles and studies on the sustainability imperative and is a regular contributor to blogs and the media. Based in Paris, Mr Berthon is a graduate of the École Centrale Paris and holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Masters in Macroeconomics from La Sorbonne.
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Prof. Asit Biswas |
Prof. Asit K. Biswas is the founder of the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico, and currently is the Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School for Public Policy in Singapore and Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar, India. Formerly a Professor in UK, Canada and Sweden, he was a member of the World Commission on Water. He has been a senior advisor to 19 governments, six Heads of the United Agencies, Secretary General of OECD and many other major international organisations. He is a Past President of the International Water Resources Association. He has been the author of 81 books (6 more are now under publication) and published over 680 scientific and technical papers. His work has now been translated into 37 languages. Among his numerous prizes are the two highest awards of the International Water Resources Association, Walter Huber Award of the American Society of Civil Engineering and Honorary Degree of Doctor of Technology from University of Lund, Sweden, and Honorary Degrees of Doctor of Science from University of Strathclyde, Helsinki University of Technology, and Indian Institute of Technology. Prof. Biswas received the Stockholm Water Prize in 2006, which is considered to be the equivalent of Nobel Prize in water.
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Flemming Borreskov |
Mr. Flemming Borreskov is the CEO of Realdania, which is a strategic philanthropic foundation, based in Denmark, created with the objective of initiating and supporting projects that improve the built environment and subsequently improve the quality of life for the common good. Mr. Borreskov holds an array of board and committee positions, which include:President of IFHP - the International Federation for Housing and Planning; Vice Chairman of the Board, DAC: Danish Architecture Centre; Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Strategic Urban Governance program, a masterclass program for Danish urban executives; Green Growth Leaders Councilor and Founding Father; Member of the World City Summit 2012 International Advisory Group.
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Dr. Roland Busch |
Dr. Roland Busch is responsible for executive management of the newly-created Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector globally. He also has executive oversight of the Asia-Pacific region for Siemens AG. The Infrastructure & Cities (IC) Sector offers sustainable technologies for metropolitan areas and their infrastructures. Its offerings include integrated mobility solutions, building and security technology, power distribution, smart grid applications, and low- and medium-voltage products.
Dr. Busch joined Siemens AG in 1994, starting in the Corporate Research and Development Department and moving through various positions developing expertise in the areas of automotive, transportation and internal processes and management. His recent executive posts include heading up Siemens' Infotainment Solutions Division in 2002, president and CEO of Siemens automotive for Asia Pacific in Shanghai in 2005, then moving back to Germany in 2007 to head up the Mass Transit division for the Transportation Systems Group. His most recent position was Head of Corporate Strategies for Siemens AG in Munich.
Dr. Busch studied physics at Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, and at the University of Grenoble in France, where he received his doctorate.
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Dr. Lena Chan |
Dr. Lena Chan is the Deputy Director of the National Biodiversity Centre (NBC), National Parks Board of Singapore. She leads a team of 30 officers who are responsible for a diverse range of expertise relevant to biodiversity conservation. NBC is a one-stop biodiversity hub that a) formulates policies on biodiversity, b) documents Singapore's native biodiversity through surveys and in partnership with tertiary institutions, non-governmental organisations, and amateur naturalists, c) maintains a biodiversity database (BIOME), d) safeguards Singapore's native biodiversity through species conservation, recovery and enhancement programmes, e) provides biodiversity considerations to development projects, f) enhances education and public awareness through outreach activities and working with non-governmental organisations, schools, tertiary institutions, amateur naturalists, etc., and g) partakes in regional and international biodiversity fora.
Lena has been instrumental in the success of the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity. She sits in the Technical Task Force for the Singapore Index and has led its development since it was first proposed in 2009 at the Ninth Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Lena spent her undergraduate vacation observing the behaviour of the black-handed gibbon, Hylobates agilis at Kuala Dal, Perak in Malaysia. She researched on parasitology at the Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, for her M.Sc. Her work on the design of cost-effective chemotherapeutic soil-transmitted parasite control strategies for an urban slum community in Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur, earned her a Ph. D. from Imperial College, London.
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Dr. Cheong Koon Hean |
Dr Cheong Koon Hean is the current CEO of HDB since August 2010, overseeing the development of some 1 million public housing flats. She is concurrently Deputy Secretary (Special Duties) in the Ministry of National Development. Prior to this, she was CEO of URA for 6 years, during which she spearheaded the large scale transformation and strategic development of various areas in Singapore, including Marina Bay. She also initiated URA's Architecture and Urban Design Excellence Programme and set up its international consultancy arm. She received a Doctor of Architecture honoris causa and the Convocation Medal for Professional Excellence from the University of Newcastle. Dr Cheong was also conferred the silver, gold and meritorious service medals by the President of Singapore for outstanding public service.
Dr Cheong is on the boards of the HDB and Jurong Port and is a board trustee of the international Urban Land Institute. She serves on several international expert panels, advising on sustainable development and cities development.
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Chia Wee Boon |
Mr Chia was appointed Chief Executive Officer of NCS on 1 July 2010. Mr Chia first joined NCS as the Chief Operating Officer in June 2009.
Prior to joining NCS, Mr Chia was the Senior Vice President for Worldwide Alliance Sales in the Technology Solutions Group sales organisation for HP where he was responsible for effectively engaging and leveraging Systems Integrators and Outsourcers globally. In this role, based in Palo Alto, Mr Chia led a global team responsible for growing HP's business with Accenture, BearingPoint, Capgemini, Deloitte, Infosys, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Tata Consultancy Group, Wipro, and other Systems Integrators and Outsourcers.
Mr Chia began his career in HP in 1982 as a systems engineer. Since then, he has accumulated experience across HP's diverse business units and has also held a series of senior positions in the company, including Senior Vice President for Sales in the Technology Solutions Group, Asia-Pacific & Japan (APJ), Senior Vice President of the APJ Customer Solutions Group, Vice President of the APJ Customer Support Business and Managing Director of HP Singapore and South East Asia.
Mr Chia is a member of the Singapore Police Association for National Servicemen and the Civil Defence Association for National Servicemen. He previously served on the boards of National Heritage Board; International Enterprise Singapore; Singapore Land Authority; the Ministry of Education's Committee to Review Upgrading Opportunity at Degree Level; Economic Review Committee (ERC), sub-committee for Policies Related to Taxation, the Central Provident Fund system, Wages and Land; the Singapore Green Plan 2012 Coordinating Committee; and the National Institute of Education Council.
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Choo Chiau Beng |
He is the Chief Executive Officer of Keppel Corporation Ltd and is also the Chairman of Keppel Land Limited, Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd and Keppel Energy Pte Ltd.
Mr Choo was awarded the Colombo Plan Scholarship to study Naval Architecture in the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in 1970 and a Master of Science degree in Naval Architecture in 1971. He attended the Programme for Management Development in Harvard Business School in 1982 and is a Member of Wharton Society of Fellows, University of Pennsylvania.
Mr Choo sits on the Board of Directors of k1 Ventures Limited and he is a Board Member of Energy Studies Institute, a Board & Council Member of American Bureau of Shipping and the Chairman of Det Norske Veritas South East Asia Committee. He is a member of the American Bureau of Shipping's Southeast Asia Regional Committee, Special Committee on Mobile Offshore Drilling Units, National Productivity and Continuing Education Council and Singapore University of Technology and Design's Board of Trustee.
Mr Choo was conferred the Public Service Star Award (BBM) in August 2004, The Meritorious Service Medal in 2008 and NTUC Medal of Commendation (Gold) Award in May 2007.
He is Singapore's Non-Resident Ambassador to Brazil.
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James Close |
James Close is the lead partner for Ernst & Young's Sustainability and Cleantech Services practice and leads Ernst & Young's Government and Public Services Corporate Finance in EMEIA with responsibility for our Smart Cities initiative. He has worked with many city leaders on developing the vision and strategy for cities and authored the Mayor of London's Low Carbon Capital Prospectus. He works on financing infrastructure projects for cities with high population density including the London Underground and the financing of the Thames Tunnel and he supports our teams in many cities including Moscow, Mumbai, Paris, Rome and Masdar. He was a major contributor to Cities for Citizens thought leadership initiative and regularly speaks at conferences throughout the world. He was formerly Head of Corporate and Private Finance at the UK Treasury. He is trustee of the Whitehall and Industry Group in the UK and a governor of St Dominic's Sixth Form College. He holds a degree in Chemistry from the University of Durham and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
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Edgar Chua |
Edgar O. Chua is the Country Chairman of the Shell Companies in the Philippines. He has corporate responsibility for the various Shell companies in the exploration, manufacturing and marketing sector of the petroleum business. Likewise, he oversees the Chemicals businesses and Shared Services. He is currently the Chairman of the Philippine Business for the Environment and the Energy Council of the Philippines; and is also the President of Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. and Philippine Solar Car Challenge Society, Inc.
Ed joined the Shell companies in the Philippines in 1979 and has had many years of experience in the business fields of chemicals, auditing, supply planning and trading, marketing and sales, lubricants, corporate affairs and general management. He held senior positions outside the Philippines as Transport analyst in Group Planning in the UK and as General Manager of the Shell Company of Cambodia. From July1999 to August 2003, he held various regional positions in Shell Oil Products East including GM for Consumer Lubricants covering all countries East of Suez Canal including Saudi Arabia, China, India, Korea, ASEAN, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Ed earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from De La Salle University in 1978 and attended various international seminars and courses including the senior management course in INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.
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Ms. Helen Clark |
Helen Clark became the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme in April 2009, and is the first woman to lead the organization. She is also the Chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, programmes and departments working on development issues.
Prior to her appointment with UNDP, Helen Clark served for nine years as Prime Minister of New Zealand, serving three successive terms from 1999 - 2008. Throughout her tenure as Prime Minister, Helen Clark engaged widely in policy development and advocacy across the international, economic, social and cultural spheres.
Under her leadership, New Zealand achieved significant economic growth, low levels of unemployment, and high levels of investment in education and health, and in the well-being of families and older citizens. She and her government prioritized reconciliation and the settlement of historical grievances with New Zealand's indigenous people and the development of an inclusive multicultural and multi-faith society.
Helen Clark advocated strongly for New Zealand's comprehensive programme on sustainability and for tackling the problems of climate change. Her objectives have been to establish New Zealand as being among the world's leading nations in dealing with these challenges. Helen Clark was also an active leader of her country's foreign relations and policies, engaging in a wide range of international issues. As Prime Minister, Helen Clark was a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an international network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highestlevel women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.
Helen Clark held ministerial responsibility during her nine years as Prime Minister for New Zealand's intelligence agencies and for the portfolio of arts, culture and heritage. She has seen the promotion of this latter portfolio as important in expressing the unique identity of her nation in a positive way. Helen Clark came to the role of Prime Minister after an extensive parliamentary and ministerial career. First elected to Parliament in 1981, Helen Clark was re-elected to her multicultural Auckland constituency for the tenth time in November 2008. Earlier in her career, she chaired Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
Between 1987 and 1990, she was a Minister responsible for first, the portfolios of Conservation and Housing, and then Health and Labour. She was Deputy Prime Minister between August 1989 and November 1990. From that date until December 1993 she served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and then as Leader of the Opposition until winning the election in November 1999.
Prior to entering the New Zealand Parliament, Helen Clark taught in the Political Studies Department of the University of Auckland. She graduated with a BA in 1971 and an MA with First Class Honours in 1974. She is married to Peter Davis, a Professor at Auckland University.
Post of the UNDP Administrator
The UNDP Administrator is appointed by the Secretary-General and confirmed by the General Assembly for a term of four years. Paul G. Hoffman was appointed as the first Administrator of UNDP in 1966 and served until retirement in 1972. David Owen, who led UNDP's predecessor organization, the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance (EPTA), was appointed as Mr. Hoffman's Co-Administrator. Rudolph A. Peterson was appointed Administrator in 1972 followed by Bradford Morse in 1976; William H. Draper lll, 1986; James Gustave Speth, 1993 to 30 June 1999; Mark Malloch Brown, 1999-2005; and Kemal Dervis, 2005-2009.
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Ms. Pamela Cox |
Pamela Cox was appointed World Bank East Asia and Pacific Regional Vice President on January 1, 2012. She oversees a portfolio of over US$ 30 billion in loans, grants, credits and trust funds, coordinating and supervising the activities of more than 1,000 staff.
Ms. Cox leads the World Bank's strategy in the region which supports countries by addressing four shared challenges: natural disasters; poverty and equality; infrastructure and urbanization; and making governments work for people. Despite the region's success in reducing poverty, about a half billion people are still living on less than US$2 a day. The Bank's goal is to help countries improve the lives of the poor and vulnerable by delivering innovative development solutions and results on the ground.
Before her appointment to East Asia and the Pacific, Ms. Cox served as Regional Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) from January 2005. In LAC, Ms. Cox guided a strategic shift to reposition the Bank as a key development partner among diverse clients seeking a variety of knowledge and financial services. She also helped countries confront the challenges of reducing high levels of poverty and inequality while increasing economic growth and improving infrastructure. Disaster risk management was also a priority issue in the region which has experienced billions of dollars in damages and losses from natural disasters in the last 3 decades.
Ms. Cox has previous experience working in East Asia and Pacific since joining the Bank in 1980. From 1994-1996, she was Chief of the Country Operations Division in East Asia covering Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Korea. She also served as Chief of the Agriculture and Environment Operations Division from 1992 to 1994 in the region. During that period, she was involved in the re-engagement of Vietnam and Cambodia with the Bank.
Earlier in her career, she was a Bank economist working on agricultural and environmental issues in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. From 2000 to 2004, Ms. Cox was Director of Strategy and Operations in the Office of the Vice President for Africa. She served as Country Director for South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland from 1996 to 2000.
Ms. Cox is a United States citizen and holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Development Economics and Policy and a Master of Arts degree in Law and Diplomacy and Development Economics from the Fletcher School at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in International Studies/International Economics from Reed College in Portland, Oregon.
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Prof. Jacqueline Cramer |
Prof. dr. Jacqueline Cramer is director of the Utrecht Sustainability Institute and professor in sustainable innovation at Utrecht University. Before she was Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment for the Labour Party (February 2007 – February 2010). Earlier she was director of the consultancy firm ‘Sustainable Entrepreneurship; strategy and innovation consulting’. She worked with more than 100 companies on the implementation of sustainable entrepreneurship. Moreover she worked as part-time professor since 1990.
Prof. dr. Jacqueline Cramer started her career as an associate professor at the University of Amsterdam (1976- 1989), as senior researcher at the Centre ‘Strategy, Technology and Policy’ of TNO (1989-1999). She was also member of various (inter) national advisory boards of the government, industry and non-profit organisations (e.g. crown member of the Dutch Social-Economic Council, member of the Advisory Board of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)/Netherlands, the University Maastricht and the Applied University Arnhem-Nijmegen and member of the non-executive board of Shell Netherlands, FMO (Finance for Development Bank) and the sustainability funds of ASN Bank.
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Mark Ebbinghaus |
Mark Ebbinghaus is the Global Head of Real Estate. Mr Ebbinghaus is a real estate specialist with more than 25 years experience in the real estate sector of which more than 15 years have been in equities research and investment banking. He has been an advisor to a number of both high profile and substantial real estate investors globally and particularly in relation to the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to investment banking Mark has been a No 1 rated equities research analyst covering real estate, developers & contractors, and the hotel sector.
Prior to joining SCB, Mr Ebbinghaus was the Asia Head of Real Estate Lodging & Leisure investment banking for UBS spearheading the establishment and development of the real estate investment banking franchise. Before his time at UBS, Mr Ebbinghaus spent five years at JLW Advisory (a former division of Jones Lang LaSalle) where he was Head of Strategic Investment Advice for their Australian business. In this role Mr Ebbinghaus was responsible for asset allocation, strategic investment and divestment advice and asset management for a number of leading direct real estate investors and pension plans.
He holds an Economics undergraduate degree (accounting and finance major) from the University of Adelaide and a Masters degree (real estate and finance major) from the University of South Australia. Mark also holds post-graduate qualifications from the Financial Services Institute of Australia and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Mark is a fellow of FINSIA and is a full member of both AIMR and the Australian Property Institute. He also holds a Real Estate Agents and Business License as well as being a former registered valuer in the state of NSW.
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Feng Lun |
Feng Lun is now Chairman of Vantone Holdings Co., Ltd. From 1984, Mr. Feng successively took various important positions, including lecturer at the Marxism-Leninism Research Institute of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, Deputy Director of the Research Office of the Economic System Reform Institute of the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System, Executive Deputy Director of the Research Office of China Institute for Reform and Development, Founding Director of China Minsheng Banking Corporation Limited, Deputy Director of the Urban Development Committee of China Real Estate Enterprises Management Association, Rotating Chairman of China Urban Realty Association and the Fourth Chairman of Society of Entrepreneurs & Ecology. Mr. Feng established Vantone in 1991, and has been Chairman ever since. Mr. Feng graduated with a bachelor's degree from Northwest University, majoring in economics. Later, he obtained a master's degree in law from the Party School of the CPC Central Committee and a doctor's degree in law from the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
In China, Feng Lun is honored as a "real estate thinker". In 2009, Feng Lun initiated the establishment of Beijing Vantone Citylogic Investment Corp. Having observed in depth the current status and problems of the Chinese and international community in residence, land, environmental protection, energy, science & technology, transportation, life, psychology and other aspects, Mr. Feng has developed an integrated operating system through deliberate research and practice that helps sustainable urban construction. Now, Mr. Feng is exploring an all-new way of urban construction featuring new real estate, new building and new life space, and expecting to bring a simple and green ideal lifestyle to residents.
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Alain Flausch |
Alain Flausch was selected Secretary General of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) in September 2011 by UITP Executive Board.
This choice acknowledges the long-standing engagement of Mr Flausch on the international stage. Chairman of the sub-committee Finance & Commerce of the International Metro Committee (2001-2009), he was also member of the UITP Executive and Policy Boards (2004-2009), Executive member of the International Metro Committee (UITP- 2001/2009), member of the Transport Management Committee (UITP) and Chairman of the Design & Culture Platform. Mr Flausch was also elected President of UITP during the Association's 58th World Congress in Vienna in June 2009.
Mr Flausch is also the president of the Belgium Union of Regional Public Transports (UBTCUR) which gathers the three national public transport companies.
From 2000 to 2011, Mr. Flausch led the STIB through an in-depth cultural change, conducting a complete renewal both of the commercial approach and the corporate management, setting a new company culture where clients are at the very heart of the service provision. Since 1999, STIB ridership has increased by more than 100% and last June STIB received the '4-star Recognised for Excellence' label awarded by the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).
From September 1973 to January 1982 Mr Flausch was an attorney at the cabinet Simont Gutt & Simont in Brussels.
From February 1982 to March 1990 He held the position of Deputy General Manager with the Chemical Belgian Group Prayon-Rupel.
From April 1990 to 1999 Alain Flausch joins IP Belgium, the first media sales house in Belgium, as Managing Director.
Mr Flausch was born in Brussels on November 1950. He still lives in the Belgium capital. He is a lawyer and holds a Master from the University of Berkeley (California). He is bilingual French-Dutch, he speaks fluently English and as a good command of Italian.
Alain Flausch is married and father of two children. His centres of interest include all different forms of arts and culture as well as political history. Mr Flausch is also engaged in favour of nature preservation.
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Goh Kok Huat |
Mr Goh Kok Huat is President of GIC Real Estate (GIC RE), the real estate investment arm of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation. Prior to this, Mr Goh was Regional Head, Asia, managing GIC RE's investment activities in Asia.
Mr Goh joined GIC from Tishman Speyer in New York, where he was MD of Equity Capital Markets. Prior to that, he was with the Ascendas Group where he held various appointments including Chief Operating Officer of the Group, CEOAscendas – MGM, managing the listed Ascendas REIT; CEO of Singapore operations; and CEO of Bangalore IT Park.
Mr Goh also spent 10 years in the military and is a graduate of Cambridge University, UK, where he read Economics.
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Ms. Jane Henley |
Jane Henley leads the world's largest organization influencing the green building marketplace. As Chief Executive Officer of the World Green Building Council, Jane's role is to drive collaboration between 90 national green building councils, provide leadership and support, and advocate for green building as a mechanism to deliver environmental, economic and social benefits.
An experienced sustainable building, communities and cities advocate, Jane's recent achievements include:
- Advisor to New Zealand Ministry of Environment sustainability strategy
- Delegation leader at COP 17, Durban and COP 16, Cancun
- Member of the Supervisory Board Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, Russia
- Member Deloitte Think Tank, Paris
- Global Advisory Committee Member of Women and the Green Economy (WAGE)
- Facilitator of Global Leadership in Our Built Environment Alliance (GLOBE)
- Founding board member and chief executive officer of the New Zealand GBC
- Former director of the United Nations Sustainable Building Climate Change Initiative (UNEP-SBCI) board
Jane has addressed audiences at the COP 17 climate change negotiations in Durban, South Africa, the APEC – ASEAN workshop on green building in Singapore and the World Cities Summit of Mayors. Jane sets a positive and entrepreneurial agenda for business to drive change, and proactively create the future we want today.
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Ho Tong Yen |
Mr. Ho Tong Yen was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co. Ltd (SSTEC) on 1 January 2011. Mr. Ho is concurrently an adviser on the Eco-city project in the Ministry of National Development in Singapore, and a board member of Singapore's Building and Construction Authority.
Mr. Ho Tong Yen is a seasoned Singapore diplomat, whose overseas postings included the Permanent Mission of Singapore to the United Nations in New York and Singapore's Trade Office in Taipei. Before assuming the position of CEO of SSTEC, Mr. Ho was the Press Secretary to Singapore's Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in the Prime Minister's Office. He was concurrently a director in Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and the MFA Diplomatic Academy. Mr. Ho has a Bachelor of Science in Economics (Honours) from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Master of Public Management from the National University of Singapore. He was also a Lee Kuan Yew Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University.
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Bert Hofman |
Mr. Hofman is the World Bank's Chief Economist for the East Asia and Pacific Region and Director, Singapore Office, effective, September 2011. Before moving to Singapore, Mr. Hofman was the Country Director for the Philippines from 2007 until August, 2011, responsible for a growing portfolio of projects and advisory services to the Philippines government.
Mr. Hofman has accumulated 20 years of experience in the World Bank, 14 of which in the East Asia region. Mr. Hofman was lead economist China for three years where he headed a team that provided economic policy advice to the government. Prior to that, Mr. Hofman had spent more than five years in Indonesia as it was recovering from the Asian Crisis. He had also worked on Brazil, South Africa, Mongolia, Zambia, and Namibia in his earlier years with the Bank.
Prior to joining the World Bank, Mr. Hofman worked at the Kiel Institute of World Economics in Germany, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, and NMB Bank in the Netherlands (now ING).
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Peter Holland |
Peter has 30 years' experience consulting in property and retail economics to a wide and impressive range of clients. He is currently the director in charge of Urbis' International Property Economics team.
Peter has a strong interest in the shaping of the built environment and most of his work involves large property projects. In addition to having specialist skills in the retail and entertainment sectors, Peter also has wide experience in other property sectors including office, residential and hospitality.
In recent years, virtually all Peter's consulting has been devoted to assignments in Asia and the Middle East in both mature and emerging markets. Countries outside his homeland Australia in which Peter has undertaken consulting assignments include Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Libya and Lebanon.
In addition to his consulting work Peter is an active participant in industry related organizations including the Urban Land Institute and the ICSC.
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Ms. Huang Yan |
Yan Huang, the Director General of Beijing Urban Planning Commission, graduated from the Architecture Department, Southeast University, China in 1986. She spend two years in Graduate Center of Human Settlement at the Katholiec Universiteit Leuven in Belgium from 1992 to 1994, and got her master degree. During the period from 1998 to 2000, as a senor visiting scholar, Yan Huang had her short term researches at Economic Management Department / University of Illinois, and the Urban Planning Department / University of Cincinnati, USA. From 2003 to 2004, as a Loeb Fellow, she spend a year in GSD, Harvard University, and co-scholar in Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Yan Huang has worked as a city planner for the city of Beijing for over 25 years. As deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Urban Planning Commission form 2000 to 2007, she was also responsible for Olympic venue planning and design for the Games and post Game use as the Deputy Director of the Olympic Venue Development Coordination Commission. Since 2007, Yan Huang has been serving as the Director General of Beijing Urban Planning Commission, taking the full responsibility for the urban planning affairs of the city of Beijing. Over the next 10 to 20 years, Beijing will be still experiencing a peak in urban development, but should be in a new sustainable development model. Yan Huang, with her team of the planning authority, will continually search meaningful solutions to the various problems under the development and transformation of the city of Beijing.
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H.E. Shintaro Ishihara |
Governor Shintaro Ishihara was elected to the House of Councilors for the first time in l968, and to the House of Representatives in 1972 (elected eight consecutive times). He has served as the Minister of State, Director-General of the Environment Agency, and the Minister of Transport.
He was elected Governor of Tokyo in 1999, and re-elected to his fourth term of office in April 2011. Governor Ishihara goes unrivalled among Japan's politicians, displaying clear leadership and strategic thinking. Under the slogan of "changing Japan by changing Tokyo," which he has maintained since taking office, Governor Ishihara's actions have caught the attention of not only the citizens of Tokyo, but the whole nation.
Under the governor, Tokyo was Japan's first local government to introduce double-entry bookkeeping and accrual accounting. Tokyo is also now working on initiatives raised in its urban strategy targeting the year 2020. Goals include becoming an advanced disaster-resilient city, creating a society with independent and distributed energy through the construction of a highly efficient natural gas-fired power plant, and significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent from 2000 levels.
Tokyo has also presented its bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, hoping to use the power of sport to help restore and revive Japan from the disastrous effects of the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011. In this way, Governor Ishihara continues to devote his energies to invigorating Japan and taking Tokyo to further heights.
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Amitabh Kant |
Mr Amitabh Kant is the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC). This is India’s most ambitious Infrastructure programme aiming to develop new industrial cities as “Smart Cities” and converging next generation technologies across infrastructure sectors. The objective is to expand India’s manufacturing and services base and develop DMIC as a “Global Manufacturing and Trading Hub”. The programme will provide a major impetus to planned urbanization in India with manufacturing as the key driver. In the first phase seven new industrial cities are being developed. The programme has been conceptualized in partnership and collaboration with Government of Japan.
Mr. Kant is a member of the Indian Administrative Service, IAS (Kerala Cadre: 1980 Batch). He also the author of “Branding India – An Incredible Story” and has been the key driver of the “Incredible India” and “God’s Own Country” campaigns which positioned and branded India and Kerala State as leading tourism destinations. Both these campaigns have won several international awards and embraced a host of activities – infrastructure development, product enhancement, private-public partnership and positioning and branding based on extensive market research.
Mr. Kant also conceptualized and executed the “Atithi Devo Bhavah” – “Guest is God” campaign to train Taxi Drivers, Guides, immigration officials and make them stake holders in the tourism development process.
Mr. Amitabh Kant was also the National Project Director of the Rural Tourism Project of UNDP which made a paradigm shift in spreading tourism to Indian villages which had core-competency in handicrafts, handloom and culture. During his tenure India Tourism focused on infrastructure development, diversification of India’s tourism products and raising the quality of its products and services. To improve the quality of infrastructure he sourced international funding from ADB and JBIC.
Mr. Kant has worked as Secretary, Tourism, Government of Kerala, Managing Director, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, District Collector, Kozikhode and Managing Director, Matsyafed. During his tenure in Kerala he structured the Calicut Airport as a private sector project based on User’s Fee and developed the BSES Power Project and Mattanchery Bridge under Private Public Partnership. He was also responsible for introducing new technology (fiberglass crafts and outboard motor) in the fisheries sector and launching beach level auctions which substantially enhanced returns to traditional fishermen.
He had his schooling in Modern School, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi. He is a graduate in Economics (Hons.) from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, Post-Graduate in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University and a British Chevening Scholar from the Manchester Business School. He has also undertaken a course on Governance and Public Administration conducted by John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University) and IIM, Ahmedabad.
Mr. Amitabh Kant can be reached at ceo@dmicdc.com and amitabhk87@gmail.com.
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Dr. Emi Kiyota |
Dr. Emi Kiyota, an environmental gerontologist and organizational culture change expert, focuses on initiatives to improve the quality of the built environment for long-term care and aging services. Emi is a consultant to numerous age-friendly design projects for senior housing, hospitals, and clinical care centers in the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa. Dr. Kiyota is also a frequent speaker on these issues to audiences of both academics and practitioners.
In addition to her consultant work on quality improvement in the built environment for long-term care and aging services, Emi holds great concern for the similar needs of elders in the developing world. To this end, Emi and a group of like-minded colleagues have created a new not-for-profit, international organization entitled Ibasho, embodying the Japanese concept of "a place where one feels at home being one's self."
Dr. Kiyota is awarded as a Bellagio Fellowship for a one month residency on an 'Innovative Response to Global Aging' from the Rockefeller Foundation. She plans to further develop her idea on creating a process for community planning that embraces and engages elders for the benefit of all.
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Michael Krause |
Michael Krause (42) is a place maker who believes in negotiating solutions to shape urban environments. He grew up in East Germany, studied Urban Design and Spatial Planning at the Bauhausuniversity Weimar, Germany and in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. From 1995 onwards he had the privilege to work for a couple of years with Rodney Harber and Associates in Durban, South Africamainly in informal settlements including Phoenix Settlement – Gandhi's second Ashram.
Since 2006 Michael leads a highly dedicated and transversal team of people to implement and further develop the programme Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading – an area based approach model of transforming low income areas into neighbourhoods.The programme started off in formal areas and is now being adapted to suit informal settlements in the Cape Town metropolitan area.
Michael is the Director of Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods PTY Ltd a practise of about 30 people who seek to enable a dialogue between residents, local authorities and other interested partners in a development with the vision to find appropriate social, economic and cultural solutions in the urban context to achieve resilient neighbourhoods.
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Gary Lawrence |
Mr. Gary Lawrence leads AECOM's sustainability efforts by managing AECOM's extensive resources and skills in sustainability for projects across the enteVice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, AECOMrprise. He is also an AECOM spokesperson and thought leader on sustainability issues and frequently presents at conferences around the world on topics including age-friendly cities, sustainable transformation and adaptation and resilience.
Prior to joining AECOM, Mr. Lawrence served as the urban strategies leader at Arup. Previously, he led Sustainable Strategies and Solutions Inc. and served on the faculty of the University of Washington's College of Architecture and Urban Planning. He was also planning director for the City of Seattle, where he led development of one of the world's first comprehensive plan, "Toward a Sustainable Seattle," which required the development of a planning department capable of inter-disciplinary thinking and understanding the whole range of integrated needs for urban development.
His 20 years of global sustainability experience also include serving as advisor to U.S. President Clinton's Administration Council on Sustainable Development, the U.S. government at the United Nation's Habitat II, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Brazilian President's Office, the British Prime Minister's Office, the European Academy for the Urban Environment in Berlin and the Organization for Economic and Community Development in Paris on matters of sustainable development, economics and environmental policy. His writing and lectures have helped shape sustainability theory, policy and practice throughout the world.
During his 30-year-plus career in public and private policy and management, his leadership skills have contributed to various global initiatives promoting climate change, sustainable living and economic development.
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Liak Teng Lit |
Mr Liak is the Chief Executive Officer of Alexandra Health, which provides healthcare services for some 700,000 people living in the north of Singapore. Alexandra Health manages the new Khoo Teck Puat Hospital which began full operations in 2010. Since its inception, Mr Liak has been fully involved in the planning and commissioning of the new general hospital. Prior to this, Mr Liak was also the CEO of Alexandra Hospital from October 2000 to July 2010, Changi General Hospital from January 1997 to January 2000 and Toa Payoh Hospital from February 1992 to December 1996.
A pharmacist by training, he was involved in the restructuring of major hospitals including The National University Hospital, Kandang Kerbau Hospital and Singapore General Hospital.
A man of many hats, Mr Liak serves on the boards of Alexandra Health, NTUC First Campus, NTUC Healthcare, Pathlight School, NorthLight School, Advisory Panel of the Singapore Human Resources Institute, Advisory Council of the Singapore Computer Society and The Advisory Panel of the School of Information Systems at the Singapore Management University.
Mr Liak is the Chairman of Water Networks and Public Hygiene Council, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. He is an active Councillor in the South West Community Development Council and Chairman of the Healthy Lifestyle Functional Committee. He also sits on the committees of the Institute of Service Excellence (ISES) Governing Council (SMU) and Community Chest.
He had previously served on the Singapore Tourism Board, National Parks Board, Skills Development Fund Technical Committee, Lifelong Learning Endowment Fund Advisory Council, NUS business School Advisory Board, Nanyang Polytechnic Health Sciences Advisory Committee, Victoria Executive Committee/Victoria AdvisoryCommittee and the ITE Health Care Academic Advisory Committee.
He holds an MBA and a BSc (Pharmacy) from the National University of Singapore and MSc (Pharmaceutical Sciences) from the University of Aston, Birmingham, UK.
Mr Liak enjoys running, reading and gardening.
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Dr. Bindu N. Lohani |
Mr. Bindu N. Lohani is Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development and a member of the ADB's Management Team. He is responsible for ADB's Regional and Sustainable Development Department, Economics and Research Department (Office of the Chief Economist), Office of Regional Economic Integration, Regional and Sustainable Development Department (RSDD), and the Office of Information Systems and Technology.
Prior to assuming his current post, Mr. Lohani was Vice-President (Finance and Administration) of ADB. During his 25 years in the Bank, Mr. Lohani held several positions, including Director General of RSDD (responsible for sectoral and thematic areas like energy, water, transport, urban development, education, environment, gender and social development, and governance) concurrently Chief Compliance Officer, Special Advisor to the President on Clean Energy, Climate Change and Environment, The Secretary of the Bank, and Deputy Director General of Infrastructure Department and Office of Environment and Social Department. Before joining ADB, he worked for the Government of Nepal and was Division Chairman of the Environmental Engineering Program at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok.
Dr. Lohani holds a Doctorate degree in Environmental Engineering. Dr. Lohani is a member of the National Academy of Engineering of United States, and is a diplomate of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Council. Dr. Lohani served on the 18-member Blue Ribbon Committee for "Grand Challenges for Engineering for the 21st Century", an American National Science Foundation Project, to identify the world's greatest challenges and opportunities in the next century.
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Fumitaka Machida |
Fumitaka Machida is Chief Representative, Representative Office in Singapore (Regional Headquarters for Asia and Pacific), Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). He has been in international finance society for 20 years since he joined The Export-Import Bank of Japan in 1992 and has got plenty of experience to be involved in financing operations such as sovereign loan, corporate finance, structured finance, fund, securitization and so forth in Asia and Oceania, Europe, Middle East and Africa, accordingly he is especially familiar with the infrastructure projects like power, water, energy-saving, eco-city mainly in emerging market.
Following experience in the project deals and policy coordination, he became Counsellor and Special Advisor, National Policy Unit (NPU), Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Japan, appointed by Prime Minister in 2009. NPU was created to enhance political leadership following the historic change of power on September 16, 2009, which put Democratic Party of Japan into office. He was responsible for Japan's foreign economic policy in NPU andinvolved in the launch of "New Growth Strategy"by Government of Japan as well as "Strategy for Rebirth of Japan" (including Revival from the Great East Japan Earthquake) since then, and some of the area where he provided strong leadership under "New Growth Strategy"were "deployment of Integrated infrastructure system"and"Future City Initiative", which aim to resolve common global issues such as the environment and aging societies, etc. in order to create infrastructures and cities that are home to human-centered value.
His international finance experience includes working in London (1996-1998) and Singapore (2007-2009 and2012-now), and he graduated from Advanced Research Program of Harvard University (2001-2002).
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H.E. Mauricio Macri |
Born in Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri received his degree in Civil Engineering from the Catholic University of Argentina. He furthered his education in Economy and Finance, both in Argentina and abroad.
Mayor Macri made his political debut in 2001, when he founded the Fundación Creer y Crecer (Believe and Grow Foundation) a public policy think-tank. In 2003, he founded the Compromiso para el Cambio (Commitment to Change) party. He also served in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies from 2005 to 2007. In 2007, Mayor Macri ran successfully for Mayor of the City of Buenos Aires, winning decisively with 61 percent of the votes. He was re-elected as Mayor of the City of Buenos Aires in 2011 with over 64 percent of votes.
Mayor Macri is married with four children.
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Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra |
Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra is a senior IAS Officer (of 1986 batch) in the rank of the Secretary to the Government of Gujarat.
He is currently working as the Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad
He had a long stint in development and regulatory administration as District Development Officer in Surendranagar and then as District Magistrate and Collector at Junagadh and Rajkot districts. Some of the major assignments handled by him have been with Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) as Joint MD, with Sales Tax Department as Special Commissioner (Enforcement), with Surat Municipal Corporation as the Municipal Commissioner and with the transport sector as the Commissioner of Transport. He had a long stint in the power sector, where he worked as Member (Administration) in Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. and MD of Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd., a generation utility. Presently he is also working as the Chairman of Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Ltd., a distribution utility. During his stint in the power sector, he was involved in the comprehensive reforms in the power sector and restructuring of the erstwhile Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) into several commercial entities. He has rich and varied experience in the chemicals & fertilizers sector as he has worked as the Managing Director of Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd. (GACL) and Managing Director of Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers Company Limited (GNFC).
He has held Directorship on the Boards of several companies such as DoW-GACL SolVenture Ltd., Gujarat Industries Power Co.Ltd. (GIPCL), Bhavnagar Energy Co.Ltd. (BECL), Paschim Gujarat Vij Co.Ltd. (PGVCL), Gujarat Guardian Ltd. and Gujarat Alumina and Bauxite Ltd. and Gujarat Chemical Port Terminal Co.Ltd. (GCPTCL).
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Mohamad Nur Ismal Bin Mohamed Kamal |
Mohamad Nur Ismal Bin Mohamed Kamal is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia's Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), a statutory body tasked with spearheading long-term reforms in land-based passenger and goods transportation.
Prior to SPAD, in 2008, Mohamad Nur was a Special Adviser to the Ministry of Transport (MOT). At MOT, Mohamad Nur successfully led the Urban Public Transport NKRA Lab in developing 11 high impact initiatives as a component of the high-profile Government Transformation Program.
Between 2007 and July 2008, Mohamad Nur was a Program Director at the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia. At MOHE, he facilitated the preparation of the ministry's strategic plan and led various teams to develop the critically acclaimed National Higher Education Action Plan.
Between 2002 and 2006, he was a Senior General Manager of DRB-HICOM Berhad, a Malaysian public listed company.
Prior to this, Mohamad Nur was a Manager of Strategy and Business Architecture group at Accenture, an Associate with AT Kearney's Chicago and Southeast Asian practices as well as a Senior Financial Analyst with CNA Financial Corp in Chicago.
Educationally, Mohamad Nur holds a Master of Business Administration Degree (MBA with distinction) in Strategy, Finance, and Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Hons) Degree in Finance and Decision Sciences from the University of Denver, Colorado, USA.
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H.E. Kamal Nath |
Mr. Kamal Nath is India's Minister of Urban Development. To address the growing urban infrastructure challenge in India, Minister Nath aims to create economically vibrant, inclusive, efficient and sustainable urban habitats.
As the Minister of Road Transport and Highways from May 2009 to January 2011, Minister Nath created a significant momentum to the development of National Highways. Minister Nath introduced a new national permit system for goods vehicles, initiated the electronic toll collection system across the country and introduced Bharat Stage-IV emission norms.
As Commerce & Industry Minister of India from 2004-2009, Mr. Kamal Nath enunciated India's first comprehensive Foreign Trade Policy in 2004, laying out a coherent roadmap with a twin focus on exports as well as employment. He was successful in tripling India's foreign trade within this period, and engineering a seven-fold increase in FDI in-flows to India.
His firm grasp of economic issues and consummate diplomatic skills were evident in the World Trade Organisation negotiations, where he emerged as one of the chief architects of the G-20 and G-33 Alliances and the NAMA 11. At the 2005 WTO Ministerial at Hong Kong, he effectively championed the cause of developing countries.
Mr. Kamal Nath was first inducted into the Union Council of Ministers in 1991. During his four years as the Minister of Environment & Forests of India, he enunciated global concepts on Environmental Tariffs and conceptualized Global Emission Quotas. At the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, Mr. Kamal Nath emerged as one of the chief spokesmen for developing countries, and contributed significantly to the contours of the Climate Change Convention, the Biodiversity Conservation Convention and the Forestry Agreement. From 1995 to 1996, he was Textiles Minister of India.
Mr. Kamal Nath was elected to Parliament from the Chhindwara constituency for the first time in 1980. He has won Parliamentary elections from the same constituency eight times.
Mr. Nath was educated at the prestigious Doon School, and subsequently obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Commerce from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta. In 2006, Jabalpur University conferred on him an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his remarkable contribution to public life.
Mr. Nath has immensely contributed to higher education in his capacity as the President of Board of Governors of Institute of Management Technology (IMT) at Ghaziabad, Nagpur, Hyderabad & Dubai.
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Prof. Peter Newman |
Peter Newman is the Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University in Perth. He is on the Board of Infrastructure Australia and is a Lead Author for Transport on the IPCC. He has a new book 'Green Urbanism in Asia' which will be launched at the World Cities Summit along with a film called 'Singapore: Biophilic City'. Both have arisen out of his work as a Visiting Professor at National University of Singapore. Other books from Professor Newman include 'Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change' and 'Green Urbanism Down Under' with Tim Beatley in 2009 and 'Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence' with Jeff Kenworthy and which was launched in the White House in 1999.In 2001-3 Peter directed the production of Western Australia's Sustainability Strategy in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. In 2004-5 he was a Sustainability Commissioner in Sydney advising the government on planning and transport issues. In 2006/7 he was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Virginia Charlottesville. In late 2011 Peter was awarded the Sidney Luker medal by the Planning Institute of Australia (NSW) for his contribution to the science and practice of town planning in Australia.
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Ng Lang |
Ng Lang was appointed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) in August 2010.
Before this, Lang was CEO of the National Parks Board of Singapore for 5 years, where he played a key role in implementing major green infrastructural programmes to achieve the “City in a Garden” vision.
Prior to his national parks appointment, Lang had served in various capacities in the Singapore public service, including the Singapore Foreign Service and the public healthcare sector. He was awarded the NTUC May Day Medal of Commendation Award in 2009.
Lang is currently on the boards of PUB, the Water Agency.
Mr Ng graduated from the National School of Chemistry of Montpellier in 1990 in Chemical Engineering on a Singapore Public Service Commission's scholarship.
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Dr. Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman |
Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman was born in Singapore in 1965.
Dr Maliki graduated with his Bachelor and Masters degrees from the National University of Singapore (NUS). He obtained his doctorate in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1998 and became an Assistant Professor at the NUS Department of Social Work and Psychology that year.
Dr Maliki was elected a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in 2001. He was re-elected for a second term in May 2006.
Dr Maliki served as Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports (MCYS) from Aug 2004 to Jun 2006 and the Ministry of Health (MOH) from Aug 2004 to Oct 2005. He moved on to become Parliamentary Secretary for Minister of National Development (MND), and was promoted to Senior Parliamentary Secretary on 1 November 2010.
Dr Maliki was elected as one of the MPs for the East Coast GRC in the 2011 General Elections. He was re-appointed as the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development. He was concurrently appointed as the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Defence. Dr Maliki was also appointed the Mayor for the Southeast District by the People's Association (PA).
Dr Maliki serves as Chairman of the Community Improvement Projects Committee in the Ministry of National Development. He is also the Deputy President of SAFRA. He is also the the Vice-Chairman of the REACH Panel and the National Youth Guidance and Rehabilitation Committee (NYGR). He also serves on the Board of the National Community Leadership Institute (NACLI).
At the community level, Dr Maliki is Advisor to the Centre for Promoting Alternative to Violence (PAVe) and ADAM Association.
Dr Maliki is married with two children, a girl and a boy. He spends most of his leisure time with his wife and children, going out to the movies or to the library. He plays badminton and golf regularly to keep himself fit and healthy and performs on the Guzheng to raise funds for charity.
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Konrad Otto-Zimmermann |
Konrad Otto-Zimmerman is the Secretary General of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. He has a degree in Architecture and Urban Planning and an Engineering Diploma from the University of Hannover, Germany. He also holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Public Administration, Speyer, Germany.
Mr. Otto-Zimmermann is member of the World Economic Forum´s Global Agenda Council on Urban Management and alumni of HRH The Prince of Wales' Business & the Environment Programme, Cambridge, UK. He also has several board and advisory functions such as with the International Green Purchasing Network, the International Centre for Sustainable Cities, the World Economic Forum's SlimCity initiative and the Forum's Agenda Council for Urban Management. He is author, editor, or co-editor of 11 books and hundreds of articles in various magazines on local environmental planning & management and non-motorized urban transport.
In addition he has lectured at over 200 congresses, conferences, symposia and training sessions and been the initiator and scientific director of congresses on sustainable cities, Local Agenda 21, local environmental management, environmental impact assessment, non-motorized urban transport and eco-procurement. He has also held positions in national and local government as well as an inter-municipal consultancy.
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Councillor Angela Owen-Taylor |
Councillor Angela Owen-Taylor was elected as the inaugural Councillor for Parkinson Ward in 2008 and re-elected in April 2012.
A long term community advocate, Councillor Angela Owen-Taylor has lived in the local community she represents for almost 30 years.
Professionally, Councillor Angela Owen-Taylor is a Certified Practicing Accountant and has worked at all levels of Government as well as in the corporate sector.
Her roles have encompassed senior management and Financial Controller positions, Ministerial and political advisory, as well as University lecturing in Masters of Business and Masters of Professional Accounting.
Councillor Angela Owen-Taylor actively supports many multicultural groups across the City of Brisbane and enthusiastically promotes economic prospects through Brisbane's Sister City agreements and International opportunities.
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Prof. Pan Haixiao |
Pan Haixiao is Professor of Urban Planning in the Department of Urban Planning at Tongji University in Shanghai, China. . He is one of China's leading researchers in urban land use and transport planning. He has published several books and numerous articles in this area. In addition, he has been involved in many urban planning projects and transport planning studies commissioned by local governments, including Transport and Towns Development in Shanghai Region, Shanghai 2010 Expo Transport Management Framework, Metro Transport and Urban Spatial Structure, and Urban Spatial Strategy toward Low Carbon City.
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Patrick Phillips |
Patrick L. Phillips is the Chief Executive Officer of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Established in 1936, ULI is a global non-profit research and education organization. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Phillips has a career in the economic analysis of real estate and land use that spans more than 20 years. Prior to taking the position as the top staff executive at ULI, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of ERA AECOM (formerly Economics Research Associates). In that regard, he coordinated all aspects of ERA's organization, strategy, business development, and service delivery. To further expand ERA's reach and impact, Phillips guided the successful sale of the company in 2007 to AECOM, a globally renowned provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of industries. His work at ERA AECOM focused on economic and feasibility analysis, strategic planning, and transaction-related services for real estate investors and developers, public agencies, financial institutions, universities, and non-profit organizations.
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Poon Hong Yuen |
As CEO of the National Parks Board (NParks), Hong Yuen is leading efforts to make Singapore a City in a Garden (CIAG), with pervasive greenery, rich biodiversity and a strong sense of community ownership. Major CIAG initiatives include developing Gardens by the Bay, the Round Island Route and Destination Parks; bringing biodiversity deeper into the urban landscape; and deepening community involvement through the Community in Bloom and Community in Nature programmes.
Before joining NParks, Hong Yuen was Director of Economic Programmes at the Ministry of Finance (MOF). He also oversaw MOF's international relations unit, representing Singapore's interest in international finance forums like ASEAN, ASEAN+3 and APEC, and in organisations such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
As Director of Budget 2009, he launched the Jobs Credit Scheme and the Special Risk-sharing Initiative (SRI), which helped companies in Singapore weather the economic downturn.
Prior to the MOF, he held various appointments across the Public Service, including the Economic Development Board (EDB), the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). Hong Yuen also worked as a venture capitalist covering markets in Shanghai and Silicon Valley, and was absorbed into the Administrative Service in 2006.
He is a member of the Board of Governors of Temasek Polytechnic.
In recognition of his achievements, he was conferred the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2008.
Hong Yuen graduated with a Bachelor in Electronic Engineering (First Class Honours) from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, UK, in 1993.
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Henri Proglio |
In November 2009, Henri PROGLIO was appointed Chairman and CEO of EDF Group. A leading player in the energy industry, active in all areas of the electricity value chain, from generating to trading and network management, with expanding operations in the natural gas chain.
At the same time he was named Chairman of the board of Veolia Environnement, the world leader of environmental services in water, waste management, energy services and public transportation, up until December 2010.
Born in June 29th 1949 at Antibes (France), Mr. PROGLIO graduated from HEC Business School in 1971, joined in 1973, COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES EAUX where he became Executive Vice-President in 1997. He was appointed Senior Executive Vice-President of the company (then Vivendi) in 1999 and Chairman of Vivendi Environnement Management Board in 2000 after the IPO of the company. He became Chairman and CEO of Veolia Environnement Group in May 2003.
Mr. PROGLIO is also a member of the board of CNP Assurances, DASSAULT Aviation, NATIXIS, Veolia Environnement and FCC (Spain)
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Prof. Carlo Ratti |
An architect and engineer by training, Carlo Ratti practices in Italy and teaches at MIT, where he directs the Senseable City Lab. He graduated from the Politecnico di Torino and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, later earning his MPhil and PhD at the University of Cambridge, UK. Carlo holds several patents and has co-authored over 200 publications: a regular contributor to the architecture magazine Domus and the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, he has also written for the BBC, La Stampa, Scientific American and The New York Times. His work has been exhibited worldwide at venues such as the Venice Biennale and the MoMA in New York and his 'Digital Water Pavilion' at the 2008 World Expo was hailed by Time Magazine as one of the Best Inventions of the Year. In 2010 Blueprint Magazine selected him as one of the '25 People Who Will Change the World of Design' and in 2011 Fast Company named him as one of the '50 Most Influential Designers in America'. Carlopresented at TED 2011 and is currently a program director at the Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design in Moscow and a curator of the 2012 BMW Guggenheim Pavilion in Berlin.
For further information on Carlo's projects, visit www.carloratti.com and senseable.mit.edu
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H.E. Ilmar Reepalu |
Ilmar Reepalu was born 1943 in Estonia. He holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Architecture from Chalmers University and a Supplementary Degree in Architecture from the Royal University College of Fine Arts. From 1970-1985 he worked as architect in Gothenburg specialising in sustainable city planning. From 1985-1994 he was Vice Mayor of Malmö. Since 1994 he is Chairman of the City Executive Board and Lord Mayor. From 1999-2007 he was President of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, and since 2007 he is its Vice President. He also is member of the Policy Committee of the Council for European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) since 2001. He is a member of the EU Committee of Regions since 2007 and the chairman of its Commission for Climate, Environment and Energy (ENVE).
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Paul Reiter |
30 years of experience in utility project innovation and utility management in the areas of water, electricity and solid waste. Through this period, Paul has worked as a utility leader, private consultant and as an association director.
Paul's experience in water has focused on sustainable urban water management including water resources optimization for human and environmental needs, water efficiency and reuse, urban drainage, and waters sensitive urban design. On the management side, Paul has been a leader in change-focused utility management and leadership, including the pioneering of innovative procurement methods for large scale capital projects in the U.S.
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His Worship Gregor Robertson |
Gregor Robertson was elected Mayor of Vancouver in November 2008 and is currently serving his second term. He was re-elected to continue progress on ending street homelessness, addressing housing affordability, improving public transit, and making Vancouver the greenest city in the world.
He spearheaded the creation of Vancouver's first comprehensive Economic Action Strategy which focuses on low-carbon, high-growth industries such as clean technology, renewable energy and digital media.
Building on the successful legacy of the 2010 Winter Olympics, which has generated over $350 million in economic impact and more than 3000 new jobs, Mayor Robertson has established Vancouver internationally as the Green Capital—a City where going green is good for business.
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Keishin Sasaki |
Mr. Keishin Sasaki is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of e-solutions Inc., established in 1999.
After earning a Master's Degree in Engineering from Keio University in 1984, Keishin Sasaki obtained an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After working several years at Booz-Allen Hamilton Japan and as Director of Business Planning for SoftBank Corp., he established e-solutions inc. in 1999.
The mission of e-solutions is to develop and implement business solutions for the urgent problems of modern society in areas such as the environment, health, education, and to create future design of social system. The company has significant results especially in the field of environment businesses; it helped the success of "Team -6% Project," a national campaign for CO2 reduction that more than 34,000 companies have participated, by strategy planning and implementation support, and now is working closely with national leaders, academia, and global companies on "Smart City Project," which is a model of next-generation environmental city applying new technologies such as smart grid system.
For further information on "Smart City Project", please visit http://www.smartcity-planning.co.jp/english/
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Yasuyuki Shintani |
Mr. Yasuyuki Shintani, 47, is the General Manager, Eco Management Development Office, Energy Solutions Development Center, Panasonic Corporation responsible for R&D of Energy Management System as corporate R&D including Discovery, Incubation & Acceleration of innovation to make it business until it can stand on its own. Overseas; he is a strategic player of a key eco test-bed project in Singapore that runs in collaboration with the Singapore governmental bodies; Housing Development Board and Energy Market Authority.
He is appointed to his current role from April 1, 2009, after managing Panasonic Singapore Laboratories as MD for three years since May 2006. He was responsible for ASEAN R&D as well during that time including managing Panasonic R&D Center Malaysia as MD and dealt with establishment of Panasonic R&D Center Vietnam.
In 1989, he joined Panasonic Corporation (then Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.) and placed to Intelligent Control Technology Development Office of Corporate R&D in Osaka Japan. He has since devoted himself into innovative R&D including Qualitative reasoning learning controller (QUARC), Building Energy Management System, Home Networks (ECHONET), Home Gateway, Home Energy Management System and Intelligent Power Conditioning System.
He completed graduate of School of Engineering, Master's Program of Mechanical Engineering for Industrial Machinery and Systems, Osaka University, Japan.
He is married and has two daughters. His hobbies include listening to jazz music and playing the guitars.
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James Stewart |
James joined KPMG in May 2011 as Chairman of KPMG's Global Infrastructure practice. In the last year James has visited some 30 countries to discuss their infrastructure investment plans. James has particular experience in the Rail, Road and Social Infrastructure sectors and advising Government on delivering infrastructure investment programmes. Recently he has been closely involved in the setting up of KPMG's City Infrastructure practice.
Prior to joining KPMG, James was Chief Executive of Infrastructure UK and before that Chief Executive of Partnerships UK. In these roles James has been at the centre of the UK Government's thinking on PFI and PPPs and has had a significant involvement in many of the major projects and programmes in the infrastructure market; eg Crossrail, LIFT, Building Schools for the Future. Last year James was responsible for the publication of the UK's first National Infrastructure Plan and UK Government's Infrastructure Cost Review.
Previously James was appointed Head of European project finance at Newcourt Capital, part of the CIT Group. During this time James helped establish the Newcourt Capital European Project Finance Fund that was the first institutional debt fund. Before that James spent fourteen years at Hambros and Société Generale. His final position was Managing Director, Project Finance, and the Global Head of Infrastructure and Environment.
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H.E. Nobuya Suzuki |
Mr. Nobuya Suzuki was born in 1955, and entered the employment of the City of Yokohama in 1978. Since then, he has been in charge of the projects including housing policy planning of the City and redevelopment of the Yokohama station areas, experiencing urban planning in the midst of close ties with the regional community. Afterwards, he has held the posts of Director-General of Housing and Architecture Bureau before assuming office as Deputy Mayor in April 2012.
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Prof. Tamotsu Takase |
Professor Takase has been the Counselor to the Governor of Tokyo since 1999. Prior before that, he was previously the Researcher of Harvard Yenching Institute in 1953. 2 years later, he moved on to assume the role of Director of Hoover Institution on war, peace and revolution, Stanford University. In 1968, he became a Professor of Kyoto Sangyo University and a visiting professor of Sino-Soviet Institute, George Washington University in 1971, before moving on to be an Expert Adviser of UNEP in 1979. He continued his career as a visiting lecturer of Dept. of International Relations, Nihon University in 1990 and became the Dean of Foreign language faculty, Kyoto Sangyo University in 1995. He has been the Professor emeritus of Kyoto Sangyo University since 1999 and has been the visiting professor of Tokyo Metropolitan University since 2005.
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Tan Yong Soon |
Mr Tan Yong Soon is the Permanent Secretary for National Climate Change in the Prime Minister's Office, Singapore. He was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources from 2004-June 2010.
He studied in Raffles Institution and National Junior College, Singapore and graduated with a BA(Hons) and an MA from Cambridge University, an MBA from the National University of Singapore and an MPA from Harvard University. He also attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
He began his career in the Singapore Armed Forces and rose to the rank of Brigadier General before joining the Administrative Service. He has served as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Finance, and CEO of the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
He was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Military)(Gold) and the Public Administration Medal (Gold).
He is married and has two children.
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Tay Hun Kiat |
Mr Tay Hun Kiat is the CEO of Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Investment and Development Co., Ltd - a joint venture between Singbridge International Singapore – a wholly owned subsidiary under Singapore's Temasek Group and the Guangzhou Development District, China. The company's main project currently is to invest and develop Guangzhou Knowledge City (GKC) - a 123 square kilometer of land in the Luogang district of Guangzhou, China
Envisioned to be a city of distinction in China and around the world, GKC's vision is to be a showcase for the transformation of Guangdong's labor-intensive, manufacturing-centered economy into one that is driven by knowledge- and innovation-based industries, focusing around human talent development and ecological sustainability. It will be a vibrant community where people live, work, learn and play in harmony. The city aims to be a magnet for talent, enterprises and industries. When completed, GKC will be the catalyst of Guangdong's economic transformation and a development model for the rest of China.
Mr Tay is responsible for the establishment and operationalization of GKC with investments, capacity and capability, resources, processes and management systems. He also provides strategic leadership in its investment and industry promotions, master planning, infrastructure and physical development as well as the implementation of the city's smart, eco, learning and design strategic initiatives.
With over 15 years of senior management experience, of which 13 are with Temasek Group of companies such as Singbridge International, Capitaland, Keppel Land, ST Engineering. Mr. Tay's breadth of experience includes high tech industries, investment marketing, township development, infrastructure, real estate and engineering. He also spent 12 years in the public sector with the Singapore Government.
Mr. Tay has a Bachelor of Arts (Honors with Double First Class) in Mathematics from University of Oxford, UK, a Master of Science (Distinction) in Operational Research from the Naval Postgraduate School, US and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Hull, UK.
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Ronnie Tay |
Ronnie Tay was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) on 19 November 2007. IDA has the roles of developing a vibrant information technology and communications industry; master-planning and implementing infocomm capabilities as the Government Chief information Officer(GCIO); and spearheading the transformation of key economic sectors, Government and society through the innovative use of infocomm, therby contributing to the economic and social development of Singapore.
Prior to joining IDA, Ronnie served 25 years in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), during which he held various command and staff positions in the Republic of Singapore Navy. He served as the Chief of Navy from 2003 – 2007 with the rank of Rear-Admiral.
Ronnie was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship in 1982 to pursue undergraduate studies at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, graduation in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) in Engineering Science. He also obtained a Master of Science in Management degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in USA in 1997 under a SAF post-graduate scholarship and attended the Advanced Management Programme at Insead, France in 2007. He was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Gold) (Military) in 2005, and the Long Service Medal (Military) in 2007.
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Prof Marilyn Jordan Taylor |
Prof Marilyn Jordan Taylor is the Dean of the School of Design, University of Pennsylvania since 1 October 2008. She is internationally respected as a distinguished thinker in urban design, and as a woman pioneer in the fields of architecture, planning, and construction.
As a former Partner in Urban Design and Transportation at Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP and the first woman to serve as Chairman, she is well-known for her innovative and passionate involvement in the design of large-scale urban projects, airports and transportation systems, and civic initiatives. In over 35 years with the firm, she has led many of the firm's largest and most complex projects around the world. She was also both the first architect and the first woman to serve as chairman (2005-07) of the Urban Land Institute, a non-profit research and educational institution where she championed a renewed focus on cities, sustainable communities, and infrastructure investment.
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Dr. Mary Ann Tsao |
Mary Ann Tsao is the President and Founding Director of the Tsao Foundation, a Singapore-based, but regionally oriented, non-profit operational foundation. Established in 1993, the Tsao Foundation is dedicated to addressing the wellbeing of older people and population ageing issues through the pioneering of replicable community-based health and social care programs to promote ageing-inplace, provision of training and capacity building in community aged care, as well as policy and practice advocacy through high impact research and building of stakeholder platforms.
Over the past years, Dr. Tsao has served on numerous policy committees in Singapore, including the various Inter-Ministerial Committees on Ageing, as well as other boards and management committees, such as the Tote Board, the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Center and the Asia Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy at the National University of Singapore. For her work on ageing, she received from the government of Singapore the Public Service Medal in 2000 and Public Service Star in 2004.
Dr Tsao has also been involved with various international organizations related to ageing, such as being a Director and past Chairperson of the Board of HelpAge International (a UK-based international developmental NGO serving disadvantaged older people worldwide) and is currently on the advisory board to HelpAge's Asia Regional Development Centre in Thailand. She was a technical advisor to various ageing related projects for the WHO's Geneva-based Ageing and Life Course unit, and continues to be involved with UNESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific) and the ASEAN Secretariat in the area of ageing.
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Dr. Alfonso Vegara |
Alfonso Vegara is an Architect, Economist and Sociologist and earned a PhD in City and Regional Planning. He is the founder and President of the Fundación Metrópoli, fellow and Trustee of the Eisenhower Foundation. He has taught architecture and planning at the Universities of Madrid, Navarra and Pennsylvania School of Design. He has also worked as an advisor to the Government of Singapore for the One North Project, as well as Cities as Curitiba, Dublin, Bilbao, Casablanca, Sydney, etc.
From 2002-2005 he was President of ISOCARP, The International Society of City and Regional Planners. In 2006 he received the European City and Regional Planning Award and in 2007 the Jaime I Award on Planning, Landscape, and Sustainability delivered by the King of Spain. His research on Urban Planning has been presented in the book "Territorios Inteligentes".
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Ram Walase |
Mr Ram Walase is the Chief Executive Officer of IL&FS Township & Urban Assets Limited (IL&FS Urban Infrastructure), a 100% subsidiary of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS), located in Mumbai, India. After completing his Bachelors in Engineering and Masters in Industrial Engineering in 1997, Mr Walase developed a career in the areas of Project Finance, Investment Banking, Infrastructure Development and Management, Real Estate and Property Services.
IL&FS is a premier infrastructure development and finance Institution that plays a variety of roles in the infrastructure sector. Mr Walase is a senior resource at IL&FS Group and has worked across functional and sectoral spread of the Group. Over the past 20 years, IL&FS Group has pioneered the concept of Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) arrangements in infrastructure in India and has implemented projects in almost all infrastructure sectors such as telecom, power, roads ports, industrial parks, water supply, power, airports, sanitation, education and urban development. The present IL&FS project pipeline across all these sectors exceeds USD 30 bn. In addition, the Institution offers a wide range of project finance, investment and merchant banking support to infrastructure projects.
IL&FS Urban Infrastructure is the specialized entity focused on development of new cities, affordable housing and urban infrastructure projects. The Company is currently engaged in development of projects such as Gujarat International Finance Tec-city, Bhutan Education City, Agricultural Mall & City Centre, Multi-sports Outdoor Stadium and a few Housing Development Projects.
Earlier in his career, Mr Walase has worked as a consultant at A F Ferguson & Co, a management consulting firm in India, and as a senior consultant at CRISIL, an affiliate of Standard & Poor's.
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Dr. Anthony G.O. Yeh |
Prof. Anthony G.O. Yeh is Chair Professor and Head of Department of Urban Planning and Design, Director of Centre of Urban Studies and Urban Planning, Director of GIS Research Centre, and former Dean of Graduate School and Director of Institute of Transport Studies at the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR. He is an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of TWAS (The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World), Hong Kong Institute of Planners (HKIP), Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), Planning Institute of Australia (FPIA), and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). He is the Secretary General of the Asian Planning Schools Association and past Secretary General of Asia GIS Association. His research interests are in urban planning and development in Hong Kong and China and the applications of GIS as planning support system. He has published over 30 books and monographs and over 180 international journal papers and book chapters. He received the UN-HABITAT Lecture Award in 2008 for his outstanding and sustained contribution to research, thinking and practice in the human settlements field.
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Nicholas You |
Nicholas You serves as the chairman of the Assurance Group for Urban Infrastructure of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and of the UN World Urban Campaign Steering Committee. He is also the Executive Director of the Global Ecological Security Council and a board member of the African Medical and Research Foundation. He regularly advises governments, cities, civil society organisations and leading technology companies on urban development policies and strategies worldwide.
Prior to his current positions, he served as the Senior Policy Advisor to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme where he helped establish over a span of 20 years several municipal leadership development and knowledge management programs focusing on service delivery, financial management, local economic development and environmental planning and management.
In 1994 he joined the Secretariat for the Habitat II Conference which resulted in 1996 in the Habitat Agenda - the global plan of action for sustainable human settlement development. As a follow-up to the Conference, he established the Best Practices and Local Leadership Programme, a global knowledge network dedicated to the transfer of lessons learned from best practices in improving the living environment.
He is the author/editor of numerous books and articles on housing, urban management and sustainable development. Since 2000 he has been a visiting professor at the University Federico II in Naples. In 2004 he was commissioned by the Universal Forum on Cultures (Barcelona) to serve as the curator and chief designer of a major exhibition entitled the "Best Practices City and Water Exhibit" - a flagship exhibit of the 141-day Forum.
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Rolf Atler |
Stay tuned for more information!
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Budiarsa Sastrawinata |
Budiarsa Sastrawinata is the Managing Director of Ciputra Group and the President Director of PT Ciputra Residence, the company behind numerous leading new town developments in Indonesia (i.e. CitraGarden City Jakarta, CitraRaya Tangerang & CitraGrand City Palembang).
He is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ciputra Group's latest international new town developments, namely Grand Phnom Penh International City in Cambodia, Grand Shenyang International City in China and Ciputra Hanoi International City in Vietnam. For his outstanding performance in the project in Hanoi, Budiarsa received an award from Hanoi People's Committee (HPC) in 2007. He was also presented with the Asean Businessmen Award 2007 by ACBF (Asean Capital Business Forum).
His present professional positions also include the President Director of PT Damai Indah Golf, a company that owns and operates two prestigious golf courses: a Jack Nicklaus Signature course and a Robert Trent Jones designed course, both in Jakarta.
Budiarsa is also actively involved in real estate organizations both domestically and internationally. He is a Member of the Advisory Council in Real Estate Indonesia (REI) and has served as President of International Urban Development Association (INTA) since 2007.
He was also a Member of the House of Representative and the Parliament of the Republic of Indonesia from 2004 to 2009.
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Li Tie |
Mr. Li Tie is the Director General of the China Center for Urban Development (CCUD), a policy research and advisory institution of the National Development and Reform Commission of China (NDRC), specializing in urbanization and urban development issues. In addition to managing CCUD's overall work, Mr. Li is currently leading several major research projects, i.e. China's Urbanization Strategy for the Twelfth Five-year Plan, Capacity Building of Governments in Promoting Social Inclusion for Migrant Workers and their Family Members, Urban Planning to Promote Healthy Development, Governance Structure of Governments and Farmers' Employment in the Process of Urbanization, Movement of Population in the Process of Urbanization, and Strategies for and Management of Urbanization in Rural Areas.
Prior to assuming his leadership role at CCUD in June 1998, Mr. Li worked in the State Council's Commission on Economic Structural Reform for more than 7 years and held positions from Division Director to Deputy Director General. From 1990 to 1991, Mr. Li was with the State Council's Research Development Center, and from 1987 to 1990 with the State Council's Rural Development Research Center. During the years at the State Council, Mr. Li hosted and conducted many policy research projects and participated in drafting important documents for the Central Government concerning urbanization. He was one of the main writers of Comments on Promoting the Healthy Development of Towns, which was issued by the State Council as a formal document (ref. no. Zhong Fa [2000] No.11), and Providing Migrant Workers with Good Services and Management (ref. no. Guo Ban Fa 〔2003〕No.1).
Mr. Li receives the State Council Special Expert Allowance, a prestigious status for top experts. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Tsinghua University and a Doctoral Advisor at the China Agricultural University. He received his bachelor's degree in geography from China Northeastern Normal University in 1982 and a master's degree in history in 1987 from the same university.
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Joaquim Oliveira Martins |
Joaquim Oliveira Martins is the Head of the OECD Regional Development Policy Division. Current projects cover the determinants and distribution of regional growth, regional innovation, urban development and green growth and multi-level governance. He was the former Head of the Structural Economic Statistics Division, focusing on Trade & Globalisation indicators, Productivity measurement and Business statistics. Previously, he was Senior Economist at the Economics Department heading projects on the Economics of Education, Ageing and Growth, and Health Systems. He was also Head of Desk for emerging markets, where he was in charge of the first Economic Surveys of Brazil, Chile and several transition countries. Other OECD projects include monographs on Competition, Regulation and Performance and Policy Response to the Threat of Global Warming. He was also Research Fellow at the CEPII (Centre d'Etudes Prospectives et d'Informations Internationales, Paris). He is Associate Professor at the University of Paris-Dauphine. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Paris-I, Panthéon-Sorbonne.
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Qian Min |
Mr. Qian Min was born in October 1955 in Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. He is a member of the Chinese Communist Party, and holds a Master of Engineering and is a senior engineer at the professor level. He is currently the Director of the Huaihe Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources P. R. China.
From February 1978 - January 1982, Mr Qian studied in River system department of Hohai University (formerly the East China Institute of Water Conservancy ).
Mr Qian has worked in the Huaihe River Water Resources Commission since February 1982, and has engaged in the project construction and planning management, audit and large and medium-sized water conservancy project construction work.
In 1986, Mr Qian joined the Chinese Communist Party. He became the Deputy Director of the Huaihe River Water Resources Commission in September 1999, and has served as Director of the Huaihe River Water Resources Commission since January 2002.
Mr Qian is well-experienced in organising and presiding over the large and medium-sized water projects construction, and is highly knowledgeable in related policies and regulations as well as the technical specifications.
Mr Qian has participated in or organized key projects such as reconstruction of the Banqiao and Shimantan reservoirs, extension of Huaihongxinhe, the construction of Ruhaishuidao (river channel to the sea), and the Linhuaigang flood control project etc.
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Dr. Hong Zhihua |
Dr Hong Zhihua has been the Executive Director of Yanlord Land Group since his appointment in September 2006. He is also the Group's Executive Vice President responsible for human resources, outreach and other administrative matters since May 2005. Dr. Hong oversees the development and construction of Singapore-Nanjing Eco Hi-Tech Island in the capacity of the Executive Director of the new Nanjing Eco Island Development Co., Ltd. . Prior to joining Yanlord Land Group, Dr Hong was the Executive Director and CEO of Shanghai Hua Hong investment Management Co., and was involved in state-level development zones in China as the Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Lujiazui (Group) Co., Ltd. and Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Waigaoqiao (Group) Co., Ltd respectively.
In 1992-1999, Dr Hong Zhihua was the Deputy Director of the Economic and Trade Bureau of Shanghai Pudong New Area, boosting local and foreign trade and investment in the Pudong New Area. From 1985 to 1992, Dr. Hong was the Secretary of the Communist Youth League of the Transportation Department in Shanghai.
Dr Hong Zhihua received a PHD in Business Administration from University of South Australia and an MBA degree from La Trobe University Australia. Dr Hong graduated from Shanghai University in 1997.
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Tang Jie |
Mr. TANG Jie, Vice Mayor of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government
Mr. Tang Jie was born in July 1955 in Deyang, Sichuan province. He obtained postgraduate diploma in Political Economy at Nankai University. He is PhD holder, research fellow, and PhD supervisor.
| 1971.1-1979.9 | Worked at Tianjin Metallurgical Construction Corporation |
| 1979.9-1983.7 | Student majoring in Political Economy at the School of Economics, Nankai University |
| 1983.7-1986.7 | Post-graduate student majoring in Political Economy at Nankai Institute of Economics (NKIE), Nankai University |
| 1986.7-1995.4 | Director of the Office of Quantitative Economics at NKIE, Vice President of NKIE, Lecturer, Associate Research Fellow, and Research Fellow (1990.9-1993.12 Studying Political Economy at NKIE and recieving PhD in Economics; 1992.9-1993.10 Fulbright Professor and Visiting Research Fellow / Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania) |
| 1995.4-1998.8 | Assistant Secretary General of China Development Institute (Shenzhen China) (CDI), Director and Deputy Secretary General of the Department of Research of CDI |
| 1998.8--2001.8 | Deputy Director General of the General Office of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Guangdong Province |
| 2001.8-2003.4 | Deputy Secretary General of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government |
| 2003.4-2007.3 | Secretary General of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Guangdong Province, Director General of the General Office of the Municipal Government |
| 2007.3-2009.3 | Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Congress, Guangdong Province |
| 2009.3-present | Vice Mayor of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Guangdong Province，in charge of development and reform, state assets management, human resources and social security etc. |
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Zhou Nansen |
Mr. Zhou Nansen, with the professional title of Senior Engineer, is currently the Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Planning Committee. He has been responsible for organising and participating in urban planning projects including the research and development of infrastructure, as well as projects on the planning, evaluation and management of municipality transportation construction. Mr. Zhou has many years of experience in establishing and managing transportation systems. Specifically, he has completed various plans such as an Infrastructure Plan on Recent Developments for the Beijing Urban Railway System, an Infrastructure Plan for the Provision of Facilities at Beijing Refuse Collection Points, a Spatial Layout Plan for Underground Pipelines for the period of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17), a Plan for Capacity Limit in Beijing Municipality and a Plan for Transportation Network in the Lize Business District and the Transformed Shougang Industrial Area, among others.
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Zhou Zhengyu |
Mr. Zhou Zhengyu, a Professor-level Senior Engineer, has been appointed as the Deputy Secretary General of the Beijing Municipal Government (BMG) since November 2008. His main responsibilities are related to city operations and management. These include coordinating functions associated with police force, public security, judiciary, prison management, environmental protection, municipality administration and cityscape, city management and enforcement transportation and civil defence, as well as facilitating the work of the Administrative Committee of Beijing West Railway Station District and the Administrative Committee of Tian'anmen Area. In addition, Mr. Zhou provides reception services for Central Government meetings in Beijing; assists the Secretary General of the BMG in daily matters; and liaises with the Beijing Garrison Command, Beijing Armed Police Corps and the Beijing Railway Bureau.
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Boyd Dionysius Joeman |
Mr. Boyd Dionysius Joeman has been involved in environmental planning and management at IRDA since 2008. Prior to his work in IRDA, he had a variety of work experiences including spatial planning in Sabah (Borneo), Brunei and in the United Kingdom. He worked on a Danida-sponsored projectin Sabah (preparation of development plans), the UNDP/GEF-sponsored project on peat swamp forests in Sabah, the Sabah Shoreline Management Plan and studies for the Malaysian Federal Town and Country Planning Department. He has written books on Public Awareness and Involvement, on Charrettes, Village Appraisals and a Paper on City Environmental Enhancement for the Kota Kinabalu City Hall. Among his current work in IRDA is the development of low carbon scenarios for Iskandar Malaysia, a JICA-sponsored 5-year research study, working closely with University Technology Malaysia (UTM), Kyoto University, Okayama University and the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan. He obtained his degree in Town Planning Studies in the UK where he worked for over 12 years before returning to Sabah, Malaysia. He was a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute UK for several years.
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Dr. Shirish Sankhe |
Shirish Sankhe is a Director in the Mumbai office of McKinsey & Company. He joined McKinsey & Company in 1996. He is the leader of Public Sector and Infrastructure Practice in India.
Dr. Sankhe recently led the team that published the report on India's urbanization "India's urban awakening: Building inclusive cities, sustaining economic growth". This report was presented to the Prime Minister and his cabinet. He also worked on the design of the next generation JNNURM with the Planning Commission. In 2000-01, he led the team that presented to the Prime Minister and India policy-maker how India can achieve 10% GDP growth.
Dr. Sankhe is a graduate of the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Bombay (UDCT).
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The Honourable Amal Pepple |
Ms Amal Inyingiala Pepple, CFR, was born on June 16th 1949 to the Perekule Royal House in Grand Bonny Island in Rivers State.
She attended Archdeacon Crowther Memorial Girl's School Elelenwa, Port Harcourt, Nigeria for her O Levels and proceeded to the College of Further Education, Bath Lane, Newcastle-Upon Tyne, England for her A Levels.
After her A Levels, she proceeded to the University of Ile-Ife, Nigeria for University Education where she read Political Science and graduated with first class honours. In 1981, she acquired her Master of Science Degree from the School of Oriental & African studies, University of London, UK. She did her Youth Service in NBC, Port Harcourt and then began her working career as Lecturer in Political Science at the Rivers State College of Education.
In 1992, she was appointed the Clerk of the Senate of the National Assembly, where she began her Federal Civil Service Career. She meritoriously served in the Federal Civil Service, culminating in her being appointed as a Permanent Secretary in 1999. She served in that capacity in several Ministries, such as the Federal Civil Service Commission, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ministry of Finance. While serving in these Ministries, she held the following positions: Governor of OPEC for Nigeria, Governor Common Fund for Commodities, Alternate Governor International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Governor OPEC fund for International Development, Alternate Governor Islamic Development Bank, Alternate Governor African Development Bank, Alternate Governor International Monetary Fund. She is also a Board Member of Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM), a Director in Zenith PLC and Oando PLC until her Ministerial Appointment.
On 16th June 2008, she was appointed the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. She is an Awardee of the National Honour of Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR). As a reward for excellence and dedicated service to her Fatherland, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, found her worthy and appointed her a Minister of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in July 2011 and assigned her the portfolio of the Honourable Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.
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H.E. Ir. Djoko Kirmanto |
Djoko Kirmanto is the Minister of Public Works of Indonesia. He has over 40 years of experience in this industry where he started out as an Irrigation Engineer from 1970 – 1991. Before his appointment as the Minister of Public Works, he was the Secretary General of the Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure from 2002 to 2003. Through the years, he has won several awards such as Presidential Award for 20 Years Service in 1994, Presidential Award for Good Performance and Service in 1995 and Presidential Award for Indonesia Development in 1996.
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Dr. Beng Khemro |
Dr. Khemro has received 5 Diplomas including:
- Ph.D. in Development Planning Studies, University College London, United Kingdom.
- Master of Science in Economic of Urbanisation and Managing the City Economy, University College London, United Kingdom.
- Post Graduate Diploma in Urban Development and Planning Practice for the Developing Countries, University College London, United Kingdom.
- Post Graduate Diploma in Land Management and Informal Settlement Regularisation, Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) of the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
- Civil Engineer, Institute of High Technology Friendship Cambodia-Soviet.
He has been working with the ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction in the capacity as Deputy Director General in the General Department of Land Management and Urban Planning. He also has held a position as Deputy General Secretary of the General Secretariat of the Council of Land Policy. In early 2012, Dr. Khemro was given the honour by the Royal Government of Cambodia with another additional task as Deputy General Secretary with the rank of Under-Secretary of State, of the newly established Board of Cambodia Architects.
Dr. Khemro has also involved in capacity building through providing lectures to a number of universities including the Royal University of Law and Economic, The Royal University of Agriculture and the Royal Academy of Cambodia. At the same times, he has also worked as a freelance consultant to many National and International Organisations including the ADB, World Bank, Cities Alliances, World Vision, UNHABITAT, UNESCAP, FAO, Global Platform and a few other NGOs.
At the same times, He also have worked as a freelance consultant to many National and International Organisations including the ADB, UNDP, UNDAF, World Bank, Cities Alliances, UN-HABITAT, UN-ESCAP, FAO, Global Platform, World Vision and a few other NGOs. He has published and authored many articles and books both in Khmer and English for local and International Institutions such as the recent publication, 2008 by the ADB and Cities Alliances on Urbanisation and Sustainability in Asia which is widely accessible on the ADB's Website.
He had been given the honour by the Chevening Alumni colleagues by electing him as the first President of the Association (British Chevening Alumni Association of Cambodia-BCAAC) from 2008 to 2010 which obtained by-law recognition from the Royal Government of Cambodia in October 2008.
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Bui Xuan Cuong |
Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong is the Deputy Director General of the Department of Transport, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Before his current portfolio, he was a Consultant Engineer with No7 Transport Construction Consultant Company from 1997 to 2003. Mr. Bui graduated from Hanoi University of Transport and Communication in 1997. He is presently undertaking a Master Course for Road and Bridge Engineers.
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Professor Dr. Andreas Rechkemmer |
Andreas Rechkemmer is an accomplished, internationally experienced and well-connected scholar and practitioner of international relations and global sustainability, with a distin-guished background in U.N. diplomacy and science-to-practice management. He has vast experience and holds significant achievements in international affairs and policy making as well as in developing, promoting and leading global research programs and think tanks. He has contributed to the inquiry and knowledge of transformative global governance and sustainability practice, particularly in the areas of urban risk analysis, assessment and resilience, global environmental change including climate change, global health, as well as of economic development and human security.
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Prof Komara Djaja |
Stay tuned for more information!
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Bart Parmet |
Mr. Bart Parmet holds a degree in Hydrology from the University of Wageningen. He started his career in 1990 with the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water, Institute of Inland Watermanagement Management as project leader in charge of research projects on effects of climate change for water management in the Netherlands. After working as programme leader river hydrology, he was appointed Head of the department Monitoring, Institute of Inland Watermanagement, Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management in 1999. He was Head of the department Flood Defense, Road and Hydraulic Division for the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management from 2001 till 2004, after which he became Head of policy department Flood defense at the Directorate General. In 2007 he joined as Secretary of State Committee on Flood Safety of the Netherlands (second Delta Committee). Since then, Mr. Parmet was appointed chair of the group of directors managing the Delta Programme in 2010 and is acting Delta Commissioner.
The Delta Programme is a national programme and involves collaboration between the national government, provincial authorities, municipal authorities and water boards. Civil society organizations also have a say in the programme. The object of the Delta Programme is to protect the Netherlands and its future generations from high water and ensure a sufficient supply of freshwater. The Delta Programme aims to bring the parties involved (administrative bodies, companies and civil society organisations) together horizontally (within Central Government) and vertically (between the various tiers of government) on the national objectives based on law, in order to bolster a decisive approach.
