Lee Myung-bak was elected Mayor of Seoul in 2002. Mr Lee entered politics in 1992, twice being elected as a legislator in the National Assembly, after a very successful business career in the Hyundai Group. In 1999, he was named among the top 30 Korean business leaders of the 20th century. As Mayor, he has been known for his innovative policy initiatives and his vision to make Seoul the financial hub of Northeast Asia.

Alan Greenspan recently stepped down as Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board after five terms in the post spanning more than 18 years and four US Presidents. Previous to his role as one of the world's foremost central bankers, Dr Greenspan served on several presidential bodies, including as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers from 1974 to 1977. He was the first recipient of the Gerald R Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service in 2003.

Gordon Brown was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in May 1997. He has been MP for Dunfermline East since 1983 and was Opposition spokesperson on Treasury and Economic Affairs (Shadow Chancellor) from 1992 to 1997. Mr Brown was Rector of Edinburgh University and Chairman of the University Court between 1972 and 1975. From 1976 to 1980, he lectured at Edinburgh University and then Caledonian University before taking up a post at Scottish TV (1980-83). Mr Brown has had a number of works published including 'Maxton, The Politics of Nationalism and Devolution', and 'Where There is Greed'

Rudolph (Rudy) Giuliani, former Mayor of New York, is currently Chairman and CEO of Giuliani Partners LLP, a professional services firm focused on emergency preparedness, public safety and corporate governance. Before serving two terms as Mayor of New York, Mr Giuliani held a variety of law enforcement and legal positions including Associate Attorney General, the third highest position in the Justice Department. Mr Giuliani was named Person of the Year by Time in 2001.

Yoon Jeung-hyun is Chairman of South Korea's Financial Supervisory Commission and also Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service. He assumed this joint position in August 2004 after a long and distinguished career at the Ministry of Finance and Economy and a five-year stint as an Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank. As head of the FSC and FSS, Mr Yoon has been instrumental in improving the stability and soundness of Korea's financial service industry. He has also vigorously stressed prudential regulation and supervision to ensure investor protection, transparency and market discipline.

Kwon Tae-shin was appointed as South Korea's Vice Minister of Finance and Economy in July 2005, after serving a year as Secretary to the President for Economic Policy. Since joining the civil service in 1977, he has held a number of significant positions at MOFE, including Deputy Minister for International Affairs, Director General of the International Finance Bureau and major posts in the Budget Office. Mr Kwon has also served as Secretary to the President for Industrial Policy and Telecommunications, and was Financial Counsellor in the Korean Embassy in the UK for three years.

David Eldon retired as Chairman of HSBC Asia-Pacific and a director of HSBC Holdings plc in May 2005 after a 37-year career with the group. Since September 2005, he has been a Senior Adviser to PricewaterhouseCoopers, based in Hong Kong. Mr Eldon holds a number of directorships and other appointments both in Hong Kong and internationally, and has received many awards in recognition of his contribution to banking and the community.

Martin Sullivan was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of AIG in March 2005, after having served almost three years as Vice Chairman and Co-chief Operating Officer of the global insurance and financial services group. Mr Sullivan has been with AIG since 1971, when he joined the finance department of American International Underwriters in the UK. Among his many advisory roles, he currently chairs the US-ASEAN Business Council.

Kai Nargolwala joined Standard Chartered Bank in 1998 and was appointed to the Board of Standard Chartered PLC in May 1999. Mr Nargolwala's key focus is on growth and governance of the Group's franchise across the Asia Pacific region, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In this role, he provides leadership and governance to the Bank's Country Managers in Asia, working with them to develop strategy, drive stronger regulatory and government relations, address governance issues and monitor performance at a country level. Mr Nargolwala also has responsibility for driving Standard Chartered's strategic merger and acquisition activities in Asia.

Brett Goodin is president of Asia Pacific for Fidelity International Ltd (FIL). He is a member of FIL's Global Operating Committee and serves as a director of numerous Fidelity companies and fund boards. Mr Goodin joined Fidelity Investments in 1994 as chief legal officer and corporate secretary for Fidelity's international group of companies, based in Bermuda. In 1997, he relocated to Hong Kong to serve as managing director for the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining Fidelity, Mr Goodin worked for Credit Suisse First Boston in London and held various other international positions in the finance industry.

Stephen Barter is Group Projects Director of Grosvenor Group, responsible for the international development of a number of business areas, including the Group's urban development programme. Grosvenor is a UK-based private investment company with property assets of over US$16 billion, including interests in the UK and 17 countries across Continental Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Before joining Grosvenor, Mr Barter was Head of European Real Estate at Babcock & Brown. He is currently a member of the UK Deputy Prime Minister's Property Consultative Committee, the Ministry of Defence's Defence Estates Committee and the Bank of England Property Forum.

Stephen Bear currently leads McKinsey & Co practice in Korea, where he has been based since January 2004. Mr Bear focuses on serving clients in the financial services, industrial and packaged goods sectors. He is a leader in the firm's Organisation Practice with particular emphasis on leadership and leadership transitions. Mr Bear also serves as a member of McKinsey Shareholder Council. Before joining McKinsey in 1987, he ran a family-owned group with interests in automotive retailing, mining, agriculture and property development in South Africa.

Victor Chu is Chairman of First Eastern Investment Group, a leading regional investment firm. Mr Chu has served as Director and Council Member of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Member of the Hong Kong Takeovers and Mergers Panel, Advisory Committee Member of the Securities and Futures Commission, and part-time member of the Hong Kong Government's Central Policy Unit. He is a Foundation Board Member of the World Economic Forum and serves as Co-Chair of the WEF's International Business Council. He was elected a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 1998.

Fang Xinghai is Deputy Director-General in the Shanghai Metropolitan Government's Office for Financial Services. Prior to assuming this position in December 2005, Dr Fang was Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. He has also held senior positions with China Galaxy Securities Company and China Construction Bank. After graduating from Stanford University in 1993 with a PhD in Economics, Dr Fang was recruited under the World Bank's Young Professionals Programme to be an economist/investment officer at its Washington headquarters. He returned to China in 1998.

Ha Yung-ku is CEO of both Citibank Korea Inc and Citigroup Korea. Mr Ha worked for Citibank for 20 years, working in a variety of country head positions, before joining KorAm Bank as a CEO in May 2001. In April 2004. KorAm became a part of Citigroup, and in November of that year, was integrated into Citibank Korea. Under his leadership, Citibank Korea has become the most profitable and largest foreign bank in the country. Mr Ha is a member of the Ministry of Finance and Economy's Financial Industry Development Committee and its Deregulation Committee.

John J. Haley is President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a global human resources and financial management consulting firm headquartered in Washington, DC. Mr Haley also serves on the Board of Directors of the US-China Business Council. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries and a Trustee of the Actuarial Foundation. Mr Haley also served on the Technical Panel of Experts for President Clinton Advisory Council on Social Security.

Michael Henry is a Senior Executive for Capital Markets in Accenture's Financial Services practice based in New York, and is responsible for tailoring the firm's financial services offerings for hedge funds. Mr Henry, who joined Accenture in 1988 in San Francisco, has served clients on both the west and east coasts of the US, as well as in Europe and Asia, focusing on the asset management industry. He has had a broad diversity of buy- and sell-side clients, with significant experience in convertible and corporate bonds, equities, options and futures.

Jang Hasung is Dean and Professor of Finance at Korea University Business School. He is also an Executive Director of the Asian Institute of Corporate Governance. Since 1996, Dr Jang has headed a minority shareholder activist group (PSPD) in Korea and been at the forefront of efforts to improve corporate governance. Dr Jang received a Ph.D. in finance from the Wharton School in 1987, and has taught at Wharton and the University of Houston. He won the Financial Analyst Journal's Graham & Dodd award in 1995 and the International Corporate Governance Network's annual award in 2001.

Kenneth Kang is the International Monetary Fund's Resident Representative in Korea. He has been with the IMF for 11 years. Besides focusing on the Korean peninsula, he has served as a Senior Economist on Japan, and worked in the Policy Development & Review and African departments. Prior to joining the Fund, Mr Kang was a visiting researcher with Korea Development Institute (KDI). He has a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University.

Masahiro Kawai is Head of the Asian Development Bank's Office of Regional Economic Integration, and Special Advisor to the ADB President. Before joining the ADB last year, Mr Kawai was Professor at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Social Science. He served as Chief Economist for the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific Region in 1998-2001, and Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs at Japan's Ministry of Finance in 2001-03. He served as consultant for the Board of the US Federal Reserve and for the International Monetary Fund. He has a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University.

Kim Kihwan is International Chair of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) and Chair of the Seoul Financial Forum. He is also an International Advisor at Goldman Sachs. Dr. Kim has held many leadership positions in government and business. During the 1997-98 financial crisis, he was Korea’s Ambassador-at-Large for Economic Affairs. Other government posts include Chief Trade Policy Coordinator and Negotiator (1984-86) and Vice Minister of Trade and Industry (1983-84). He has also served on the Bank of Korea’s Monetary Board. He has a Ph. D in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kim Soo-ryong is Chairman and Chief Country Officer of Deutsche Bank Group Korea and a Member of the Asia-Pacific Regional Executive Committee. He has been in investment banking for more than 29 years, executing over US$23 billion in financial transactions for institutions such as Manufacturers Hanover Trust, Chase, and Chemical Bank. His career in South Korea's public sector started in 1998, when he was appointed Adviser to the Chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission. In 2003, he was elected Commissioner of the Presidential Committee on Northeast Asian Business Hub. Mr. Kim is currently a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Advisory Council for Financial Hub City Task Force.

Kim Sun-bae is managing director and co-director of Asia economic research at Goldman Sachs (Asia) in Hong Kong, where he has been based since July 1994. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Dr Kim worked as an economist in the Research Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 1990 to 1994, providing the Bank’s management with policy analysis on international and Pacific Basin economic issues. Dr Kim received a Ph.D in economics from the University of Toronto and was a Japanese-government sponsored research fellow at the Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, from 1983 to 1987.

David Knott was appointed Chief Executive of the Dubai Financial Services Authority in June 2005. During the previous 10 years, he held a number of senior regulatory positions in Australia and internationally, including Chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Chief Executive of the Australian Financial Institutions Commission and Chief Operating Officer of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. He also served as Managing Director of Commonwealth Funds Management, the Australian government's public sector pension funds manager. In his earlier career David practised as a lawyer and also worked in investment banking.

John Il Kwun, based in Seoul, is a Managing Director of the Carlyle Group focused on Asian buyout opportunities. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr Kwun worked from 1994 to 2003 in the Hong Kong and New York offices of Goldman Sachs, serving as Executive Director and Head of North Asia Mergers and Acquisitions. At Carlyle, Mr Kwun oversaw the Group's investment in KorAm Bank, and he serves on the Board of Directors of Boto International, Caribbean Investment Holdings, Taiwan Broadband Communications and WILLCOM. He is also an Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Daum Communications.

Lee Jung-hwan has been President of the Korea Exchange's Management Strategy Division since January 2005. Prior to joining the exchange, Mr Lee served in the Office of the Prime Minister, as Deputy Minister for Information and Policy Monitoring, and for Policy Analysis and Evaluation. He has also held several positions in the Ministry of Finance and Economy, including Spokesperson, and was Assistant Secretary to the President for Justice and Civil Affairs.

Warwick Morris has been British Ambassador to the Republic of Korea since November 2003. He served in Seoul twice before: between 1975 and 1979 he studied Korean and worked as Second Secretary Political; he returned just before the 1988 Olympics and spent three and a half years as Head of Political Affairs. He was involved in the first official contacts with North Korea in London in the early 1990s, and visited North Korea in 1991 and 2004. Other postings include Paris (1972–74), Mexico City (1984–87), New Delhi (1994–98) and Hanoi (2000-03, as Ambassador). He joined the Diplomatic Service in 1969.

Park Chul-joon is a Partner in Bain & Company's Seoul office and Head of Bain's Asia-Pacific Private Equity Group. He is also a core member of the firm's Global Financial Practice. A founding member of the Seoul office, which opened in 1991, Mr Park has been involved in numerous private equity and corporate M&A transactions in Asia across multiple industries including financial services, telecommunications, automotive and industrial as well as consumer and retail. Prior to joining Bain, Mr Park was a marketing manager at GE's engineering plastics business in Detroit.

David Powers is Partner for Global Projects at Baker Botts, based in Hong Kong. Mr Powers handles project financing, public and private securities offerings, leveraged buyouts and acquisitions on behalf of issuers, sellers, investors, lenders and investment bankers. He also has broad experience in the acquisition and financing of independent power projects. From 1984 to 1986, Mr Powers was counsel to Commissioner Aulana Peters of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. He was named one of Washington top securities and corporate lawyers by Washingtonian magazine in 2004.

Takumi Shibata is CEO of Nomura Asset Management Co Ltd and sits on the Operating Board of Nomura Holdings Inc. He has been with Nomura for 30 years, including 12 years in London, 11 years in Tokyo, three years in Hong Kong and two years each in Boston and Kobe. Mr Shibata is also a member of Japan's Business Accounting Council. In July 2004, International Financing Review named him as one of 30 individuals representing a generation of achievement in European capital markets.

Warwick Smith is an Executive Director in Macquarie Bank's Central Executive Group. He is also International Head of the bank's Corporate Communications division, responsible for Macquarie's image and reputation. Mr Smith has an extensive political background, having served as federal government minister in numerous portfolios, including family services, arts, communications and the environment, and in a variety of public roles in a parliamentary career spanning 15 years. He is National President of the Australia China Business Council and an Asia Society Executive Committee member. He is also the inaugural Australian member of the BOAO Forum for Asia.

Song Kyung-soon is a Visiting Professor at Seoul National University, and has been Representative Director of LECG Korea, a leading consulting firm, since 2003. During the previous 20 years, Dr Song held a number of positions at major global financial institutions, including Advisor to the Vice President for Co-Financing and Resource Mobilisation at the World Bank and Executive Vice President and COO of Nomura Project Finance International Limited in Hong Kong. Prior to joining the World Bank in 1982, Dr. Song held several government positions in Korea. Currently, Dr. Song serves on several high-level government policy advisory committees.

Young Soogil is President of the National Strategy Institute (NSI), a private think-tank in Seoul that sponsors public debates on economic policy issues. He is also currently Vice-Chairman of the Korea National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (KOPEC) and Chairman of the Financial Hub Advisory Council for the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Dr Young has also served as a senior fellow with the Korea Development Institute (KDI) and as President of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP). He was Korea Ambassador to the OECD in 1998-2000. Dr Young received a Ph.D. in economics from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

John Ridding is Editor and Publisher of the Financial Times, Asia, as well as Chairman of Pearson in Asia. He moved to Hong Kong to launch the Asian edition of the FT in 2003, after having served as deputy editor and managing editor of the Financial Times in London. He has held a series of international positions since joining the FT in 1987, including Korea correspondent in 1989-1991, Hong Kong bureau chief and Paris correspondent.

Anna Fifield is Korea correspondent for the Financial Times, writing about both North and South Korea. She joined the Financial Times in London in January 2001, working on the foreign desk of FT.com. She was then posted to Sydney as Australasia correspondent before returning to London to cover economics. She has been in Seoul since September 2004. Before joining the FT, Anna covered economics and politics for Bridge News, a financial news agency, in New Zealand.

Guy de Jonquieres is the Financial Times' Asia columnist and commentator, based in Hong Kong. He joined the newspaper in 1968, serving as a staff correspondent in Paris, Washington and Saigon, and then as bureau chief in New York and Brussels. In 1980, he moved back to London to cover the global IT industry, later working as international business editor, consumer industries editor and world trade editor. He took up his current assignment in early 2005.

Victor Mallet is the Financial Times' chief Asia correspondent, based in Hong Kong. He took up his assignment in July 2003, after two years as a correspondent in Paris. His 20-year career at the FT spans a variety of roles, including posts focusing on South-East Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Before joining the Financial Times, Victor was a correspondent for Reuters in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Paris. He is the author of The Trouble with Tigers: the Rise and Fall of South-East Asia, published in 1999.