EWB - Key Persons
Academician Rakic is a member of a great number of scientific societies and academies in former Yugoslavia, member of Serbian Academy of Science and Art since 1974, Montenegrin Academy of Science and Art, Academy of Science and Art of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Academy of Science and Art of Kosovo and abroad - foreign member of Academy of Science of the former Soviet Union - nowadays Russian Academy of Science, New York Academy of Science, Eurasian Academy of Science, European Academy of Sciences, Art and Literature seated in Paris, of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, headquartered in Salzburg, Academy of Sciences and Arts of the Republic of Srpskа, UNESCO's International Brain Research Organization, Royal Medical Society, London, International societies for physiology, biochemistry, neurological sciences, neurochemistry, biological psychiatry, neuropharmacology and developmental neurology, etc. He is an honorary member of Society of physiologists and biochemist of former Soviet Union and British Society for Brain and Behavioral Research.
Food and feed commodity trader, Aleksandar is Agricom Company Group doo, Sombor, Serbia, CEO, co-owner, shareholder and General Manager, since 2011. Member of the Trilateral Commission, Serbian Group.
Aleksandar Nikolić was born in Belgrade on July 30, 1965. He is an economist with respectable experience as a successful entrepreneur and a graduate from the Advanced Security and Defence Studies at the Defence University in Belgrade.
He is the East West Bridge Board of Governors Chairman, Serbian Trilateral Commission National Group Secretary-General and member of the Trilateral Commission from 2015 to 2018. He was a member of the Organizing Committee for the 38 th European Session of the Trilateral Commission held in Belgrade 2014.
Aleksandar started political career in 2008 as one of the founders of the SNS (Serbian Progressive Party) and a member of the SNS Presidium.
In June 2012 he was appointed Advisor to the President of the Republic of Serbia, after which he successfully served as the First Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence in charge of coordinating security services.
From 2014 to 2017 he has served as the First Secretary of State in the Ministry of Interior.
Aleksandar was the President of the Negotiating Group on Chapter 24 "Justice, Freedom and Security" in the process of Serbia's accession to the European Union and the member of the Working Group on Serbian OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office activities in which coordinates issues relevant to Internal Affairs. He was also the President of the Working Group on developing the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism and its related Action Plan and the member of the Political Council for implementation of UNSC Resolution 1325 "Women, Peace and Security".
Aleksandar speaks English. He is married, devoted family man and father of three children.
Job Titles:
- President and Chief Executive Officer of the Plain Dealer, Ohio
Alex Machaskee is the retired Publisher, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Plain Dealer, Ohio's largest newspaper. In that capacity, he was responsible for the overall policy, operation and direction of the newspaper.
Mr. Machaskee joined The Plain Dealer in 1960. Before being named Publisher in 1990, he had served five years as Vice President and General Manager. Previously, he served as Director of Labor Relations and Personnel, Assistant to the Publisher and Promotion Director. In June, 2006 Mr. Machaskee retired from The Plain Dealer.
Born in Warren, Ohio, Mr. Machaskee worked as a sports reporter and general assignment reporter for the Warren Tribune before joining The Plain Dealer. He is a graduate of Cleveland State University with a bachelor's degree in marketing. Mr. Machaskee was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Cleveland State University in 1995, from the University of Akron in 1998 and from Heidelberg College in 2006.
Ali is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a David Rockefeller fellow with the Trilateral Commission, a security fellow with the Truman National Security Project and one of the 99 most influential professionals in foreign policy under 33, according to Young Professionals in Foreign Policy and the Diplomatic Courier
Ali Wyne is a Washington, DC-based policy analyst in the RAND Corporation's Defense and Political Sciences Department. He serves as a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a nonresident fellow with the Modern War Institute. Since January 2015 he has been the rapporteur for a National Intelligence Council working group that convenes government officials and international relations scholars to analyze trends in world order.
Ali served as a junior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's China Program from 2008 to 2009 and as a research assistant to Graham Allison at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs from 2009 to 2012. He has also conducted research for Robert Blackwill, Derek Chollet, Henry Kissinger, Wendy Sherman, and Richard Stengel. From January to July 2013 he worked on a team that prepared Samantha Power for her confirmation hearing to be ambassador to the United Nations. From 2014 to 2015 he was a member of the RAND Corporation's adjunct staff, working for the late Richard Solomon on its Strategic Rethink series.
Ali graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with dual degrees in Management Science and Political Science (2008) and received his Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School (2017), where he was a course assistant to Joseph Nye. While at the Kennedy School, he served on a Hillary for America working group on U.S. policy towards Asia.
Ali is a coauthor of Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World; (2013) and a contributing author to Our American Story: The Search for a Shared National Narrative (2019); Power Relations in the Twenty-First Century: Mapping a Multipolar World? (2017); and the Routledge Handbook of Public Diplomacy (2008). He has published extensively in outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and the Christian Science Monitor.
Ali delivered the welcome address at the 2011 St. Gallen Symposium, participated in the 2015 Manfred Wörner Seminar, was selected to attend the 2016 Young Strategists Forum and the 2018 Brussels Forum Young Professionals Summit, and participated in the 2018 China-U.S. Young Scholars Dialogue. In 2012, Young Professionals in Foreign Policy and the Diplomatic Courier selected him as one of the 99 most influential professionals in foreign policy under 33.
Ali is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a David Rockefeller fellow with the Trilateral Commission, and a security fellow with the Truman National Security Project.
Darko Tanaskovic born in Zagreb, 1948, the leading Orientalist scholar in this part of Europe, is currently serving as Serbia's Ambassador to UNESCO. He is a regular or visiting Professor and head of Oriental studies in several universities and institutes in Serbia and abroad, including Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Skopje, the College of Social Sciences (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales - EHESS) in Paris. He is teaching multiple subjects: Arabic, Turkish, Introduction into Oriental Philology, Arabic Literature, Persian Literature, Foundation of Islamic Civilization, and in postgraduate curriculum - Introduction to the Comparative Grammar of Semitic Languages, Linguistic and Literary Arabic, Islam and Christianity, Islamic Fundamentalism, etc.
He has published more than a score of books and over 600 pertinent scientific and professional papers in the field of Oriental studies. Darko is a member of the Executive Committee of the Euro-Arabic University in Rome and member of the European Academy of Arts and Sciences - Salzburg. He is a corresponding member of the Turkish Language Society in Ankara and is fluent in several languages. He is also a member of the Council of Foreign Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia.
Darko served as the Ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan from 1995 till 1999. He was appointed a member of the Yugoslav Commission for Truth and Reconciliation in March 2001. From 2002 till 2008th served as the Yugoslav Ambassador to the Holy See (the Vatican) and with the Knights of Malta . Pope John Paul II awarded him the with The Order of the Grand Cross of Order of Pius IX (October 2004) and the Grand Master of Malta Knights Order (October 2005), Order of the Grand Cross of the Order for military merits. Darko Tanaskovic is married with three children
Highly experienced career diplomat with missions in bilateral and multilateral affairs, representing either country, or international organisations, working in the headquarters, or in the field. Law school graduate, Dragana has provided leadership across the fields of negotiations, security issues, preventive diplomacy, mediation, post-conflict capacity building, implementation of judicial reforms, and promotion of democracy and human rights. Key-note speaker or panelist on issues related to conflict management, women's rights, human rights, international law, religious and cultural diversity.
Dragana served as Ambassador, Head of Office, Permanent Observer of the Council of Europe to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva; Ambassador, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Head of CoE Office in Azerbaijan Republic; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Serbia to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France; Director - Directorate for Americas (North and South), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Serbia; Deputy Head, Research and Documentation Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Serbia; Director for Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism and Organized Crime, Research and Documentation Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Serbia; Minister Counselor, Directorate for Americas (North and South), Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Montenegro; Counselor for Political Affairs, Embassy of Republic of Serbia and Montenegro to U.S.A. Washington, D.C.; Counselor for United Nations Security Council Affairs, Department for United Nations and International Organizations Ministry of Foreign Affairs of FR of Yugoslavia.
Igor is appointed by the United Nations Secretary General as Member, the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (formerly Group of experts on the United Nations Programme in public administration and finance) for the initial four years starting from January 2014 and then at the first session of the Committee in April 2014 Igor was elected by the Committee as its deputy Chairman. The Committee is responsible for supporting the work of ECOSOC concerning the promotion and development of public administration and governance among Member States. Igor is also the Chairman of the Board of Russian Diplomats Association, appointed in March 2013, and the Vice-President of the International Alliance "Labor Migration". He has finished his term as director of the Customs Union Commission, Department for Management, November (2012).
Born in Novosibirsk. Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) in 1967. In 1974 he was awarded a degree of Candidate of Economic Sciences from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow.
From 1967 till 2009 he was on the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, USSR/Russia. 1967-69 and 1974-79 - the USSR Embassy in Pakistan. 1969-74; 1980-83 - in the MFA. USSR. 1983-88 - Senior Counsellor, the USSR Permanent Mission to the United Nations, New York, USA. Member, Advisory Committee on administrative and budgetary questions, UN. 1988-1991-Deputy Director, Director, Consular Affairs Department, USSR MFA.
In 1992 he was Deputy Minister of Labor and Employment of the Russian Federation. 1992-96 - Deputy Minister of Labor of Russia; 1996-97 - Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development of Russia; 1997-98 - Ambassador-at-Large and Deputy Inspector General in the Russian MFA; 1998-2003 - Head of the UN Office in Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro; 2003-2009 - Ambassador-at-Large in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, including in 2004-2006 - Plenipotentiary Representative of Russia to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), in 2005-06 - Chairman of the Permanent Council at the CSTO as well as in 2006-2008 - Member, Advisory Committee on administrative and budgetary questions, UN. Since June 2009-Director, Department of Management, in the Secretariat of the Customs Union Commission.
Igor has written a number of publications on the issues of international relations, world economy and social policy.
Since 1994 he has been Vice- President of the International Information Academy. Since 2002 he has been member of the Management Board of Serbian Society for Fight against Cancer.
One of the Founding Fathers of East West Bridge Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Jakob Finci is a prominent Sarajevo lawyer, specializing in international commercial law, ambassador, professor and one of the most prominent humanitarian, social and religious leaders in his country, recognized for his efforts worldwide. Born in 1943, Jakob comes from an old Jewish Sephardic family, which draws its roots in Sarajevo from mid-16 th century after being expelled from Spain.
Jakob is very active in Jewish Community and in 1991 was one of the founders and first Vice-President of the reborn Jewish cultural, educational and humanitarian society LA BENEVOLENCIJA, the only implementing partner for UNHCR, and one of the most successful NGOs, helping all citizens of Sarajevo and BiH on a non-sectarian basis in the war-torn country. In 1993, Jakob became its President, a post he holds to this day. In 1995 he became the first elected President of the Jewish BiH Community. From 1996 until 2000 Mr. Finci was the Executive Director of the Soros Foundation - Open Society Fund for BiH. Since 1994 he is a member, and from 2001 to 2002 was the President of the Association of Free Intellectuals Circle 99. In 1997 Mr. Finci co-founded the Inter Religious Council of BiH, and for two years served as the first President of the IRC, fulfilling the same function again in 2003.
In 2000, he was elected Chairman of the Association of Citizens "Truth and Reconciliation" aimed at establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in BiH. In 2001 the High Representative appointed him to Chair the Constitutional Commission of the Federal Parliament and in 2002 the first director of the State Agency for Civil Service. In 2008 he was named as BiH's Ambassador to Switzerland, and non-resident ambassador to Lichtenstein.
On academic side, after working as a tutor at the UN University on the ECMIR project between 1988 and 1990, Jakob since 2001 lectures at an interdisciplinary postgraduate studies program at Sarajevo University. He also lectures on international commercial law, privatization, conflict resolution, interethnic coexistence, as well as about matters as the organization of humanitarian work, fund raising, Judaism, etc. As the only Bosnian representative, Mr. Finci is a member of the Advisory Council of OSCE -ODHIR's Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
For his work, Jakob has been decorated several times: the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany as well as the American decoration First American Freedom in Richmond Virginia. He has also been named Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur of the French Republic, and in 2009 was proclaimed "Person of the Year" by Sarajevo's daily newspaper SAN, and Man of the Year for 2013 by Bosnian daily "Večernji list". Jakob Finci received International Prize Primo Levi in 2013 in Genoa - Italy. Mr. Finci is married with two sons.
Jenny has received numerous awards for her outstanding work including: Superior Honor Award for managing Embassy Ashgabat during the historic aftermath of the death of President Saparmurad Niyazov, Superior Honor Award for managing Embassy Majuro during the negotiations on the Compact of Free Association, John B. Weinberg Fellow in the Masters of Public Policy program at the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University, Superior Honor Award for courage and bravery in arbitrating ethnic differences in the Bosniak/Croatian Federation, Superior Honor Award for courage and bravery in establishing the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo during wartime conditions, Meritorious Honor Award for courage and bravery in assessing the potential for the outbreak of violence in Kosovo, National Defense Fellow for Russian studies at the University of Washington, Russian and East European Studies Program, Thomas J. Watson Fellow studying workers' self-management at the Political Science Faculties at the Universities of Zagreb and Sarajevo.
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Experienced Ambassador With a Demonstrated History of Working in the Government Relations Industry. Honorary EWB Malta Chairman.
Maurice organized the historic Malta Summit between US President George H. W. Bush and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, on December 2-3, 1989, just a few weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was their second meeting following a meeting that included Ronald Reagan, in New York in December 1988.
Ambassador (ret.) Ralph R. Johnson, President of the International Practice Group of Quinn Gillespie & Associates, has deep and long experience working with key policymakers in the foreign affairs arena, including at the Department of State, the National Security Council and in the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Prior to his role at QGA, Ralph was the Principal Deputy High Representative in the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo from August 1999 until July 2001.
He assumed his responsibilities in Sarajevo following three years (1996-1999) as Ambassador of the United States of America to Slovakia. Following his retirement from the Foreign Service in 1999, Ralph established a consulting firm that provided political risk assessment and political advisory services to U.S. and other investors in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. From 1993 until 1995, Ralph was the Coordinator for U.S. assistance to Central and Eastern Europe where he was responsible for the oversight and coordination of all U.S. assistance to the region.
Ambassador Yalım Eralp (retired) is a faculty member in the Department of International Relations of Istanbul Kültür University, and a diplomatic commentator at CNN TÜRK.
In 1962 he received his bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Political Sciences at Ankara University. His career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spanned from 1962 to 2000, during which time he worked in New York, Brussels, Washington, D.C., Rome, and India, where he served as ambassador. He has also served as Advisor to Prime Ministers Mesut Yılmaz and Tansu Çiller, and as Ambassador at OSCE in Vienna.
At the present he is the Chairman of Defne/Daphne a Turkish-Greek Friendship Society.
Ana Trišić-Babić served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Holding a BA in Law and MA in Management, she started her career as a journalist with Radio Free Europe. In the post-war period Ana contributed to peacebuilding efforts through her work with USAID - OTI as the Project Leader for Media and NGO Development, and the Office of the High Representative (OHR) where she was the Assistant Head of OHR Political Adviser for International Relations. Her political and diplomatic career intertwined when she served as Foreign Affairs Advisor in the Government of Republika Srpska. Ana later worked as Assistant Minister for Bilateral Relations for six years, during which period she also headed the Work Group I for Stabilization and Accession Agreement.
While being Deputy Minister, she was also the President of BiH Council of Minister's NATO Coordination Team. She pursued her security and state-building expertise academically and is an alumna of programs of distinguished world institutions, such as the Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Throughout her career, Ana worked hard to empower women as a part of peacebuilding and society development process. Her efforts were acknowledged when she was Bosnia and Herzegovina's candidate for CEDAW. Ana now works as a political analyst and consultant and is one of the founders and Board members of Center for Policy Development - CPD and Institute for Strategic Analysis and Dialogue - ISAD.
Job Titles:
- Adviser in the Ministry of the Interior of Serbia
- President, Expert
- Special Adviser for Foreign Relations
- Special Advisor to the Economics Institute
Branko is currently an adviser in the Ministry of the Interior of Serbia having completed his tour of duty as the Chargé d'Affaires a.i. in the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia to the Hellenic Republic where he has spent altogether more than five years. Prior to the post, Branko was employed in the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia as the Adviser to the Minister and his Chief of Staff. His many major achievements in his career include facilitating Visa liberalization for the citizens of the Republic of Serbia and organizing Serbia's participation in the police peace-keeping mission of the United Nations.
Branko started his career in business working in companies like "Croll Invest" and "Roller". He was the CFO of KMG Trudbenik, one of the biggest construction companies in ex-Yugoslavia. He was also the General Manager of the most successful Serbian basketball club "Partizan".
Branko graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School, Athens, Greece and is enrolled in PhD studies at Faculty for management and economics, Novi Sad, Serbia. He earned his master's degree at the same faculty. Branko graduated from the state university of economics in Belgrade in 1986.
Branko is a Special Advisor to the Economics Institute, Belgrade, a member of the Navy Club, Piraeus, Greece and a Honourable Member of the Rotary Club, Agia Paraskevi, Greece. He was also a member of the Executive Board of Football Association of Serbia, and of the Board of the water polo club "Partizan".
Job Titles:
- Advisory Board President of the U.S. Serbian
- Co - Founder and Chief Development Officer of American Military Housing Services, Inc
David Vuich has spent his career advising clients and top-level government officials in both Congress and the Executive Branch spanning the Carter through the Bush Administrations. Mr. Vuich has compiled over 30 years of experience in defense, aerospace, security, energy, and transportation-related industries and has held key executive positions with several leading U.S. and international firms. He was a member of the legendary Apollo Spacecraft Launch Team.
As a professional staff member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Defense and Military Construction, Mr. Vuich acted as the principal advisor to the Committee Chairman, on funding for military equipment and services for the Department of Defense. He has been a successful consultant representing aerospace, environment, energy transportation and security issues to include research support to key congressional committees.
Vuich is the co-founder and Chief Development Officer of American Military Housing Services, Inc., He has been recently appointed as Co-Chairman of the HUD/Veterans Administration Task Force. He serves as a member of several Boards in Washington D.C., including the National Press Club, We Will Survive Cancer, Summer Opera Theatre, Opera Cameratta of DC, the US -Serbia Business Council, and the Honorary Chairman of the Tesla Science Foundation.
David is also the Advisory Board President of the U.S. Serbian independent, non-partisan SAVA Political Action Committee which is rallying to raise funds to financially support and elect candidates to federal office whose vision, views, and values are aligned with those of the Serbian-American community. This is the first successful attempt in more than 160 years to rally some 1.2 million Serbian-Americans to finally have a strong and united voice in shaping the major decisions in the federal government.
Fahri Musliu is a retired journalist and one of the most prominent analysts in SEE. He wrote for Koha Ditore, BBC and the Voice of America in Belgrade. He is one of the founders of European Movement in Serbia and co-founder of Forum for ethnical relations and Independent journalist association of Serbia. He graduated from Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade, major in journalism.
He was born in 1948 in the village Zaplužje in Kosovo. He became a journalist in 1968 and was a correspondent and associate for many news agencies in Serbo-Croatian, Albanian and English. He started his career in Rilindi in Belgrade only to be continued at Radio Yugoslavia, Borba, Danas, etc. Prior to his retirement he worked at Radio Television of Kosovo while he is still contributing to Koha Ditore and Al Jazeera Balkans. He was one of the founders, director and Editor in Chief for magazine "Europe" in Serbian and English (1996-1998) in Belgrade.
He is into publishing and he has published several documentary books in Albanian and Serbian. Some of them are "Montirani procesi protiv kosovskih Albanaca 1999-2002-(2002, 2007); "Razrešenje kosovskog čvora - pogled s'obe strane", (2005); "Dnevnik Albanca u Beogradu", 2006 (war diary): "Masakar u Suvoj Reci", (2010); Monografia "Bekim Fehmiu- Odisej Kosova" in Albanian, while the Serbo-Croatian version is under preparation.
Goran Svilanovic, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Montenegro, has just been appointed Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, in June 2012. Before this, he was the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the Chairman of the Working Table I of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe and a member of the Serbian Parliament since 2004.
Active in politics for more than a decade, Mr. Svilanovic was a member of the Upper Chamber of the Federal Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro from 2000-2003, President of the Civic Alliance of Serbia from 1999-2004, and before that the party's Vice President (1998) and Spokesperson (1997). From 1989-1998 he was a Teaching Assistant at the Law School, University of Belgrade.
Mr. Svilanovic also served on the International Commission on the Balkans, and in 2004 was the Laureate of the Sasakawa Foundation Prize for the Young Future Leaders of the World. Mr. Svilanovic has worked with a number of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Anti-War Action, the Belgrade Center for Human Rights, and the Center for Advancement of Legal Studies. He has published many articles and books on civil procedure and civil law, as well as on the legal status of refugees and issues relating to citizenship.
Gábor Kovács is a banker and philanthropist from Hungary. After high school he received a scholarship to the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) from where he graduated in 1980. Mr Kovács started a professional career at the foreign currency division of the Hungarian National Bank. In 1985 he transferred to Citibank as managing director, later he moved to Citibank London where he was responsible for the bank's Eastern European investments. In 1991 Mr Kovács returned to Hungary to form an investment company, Bankár Holding, specialized in corporate mergers and acquisitions and investment banking. Expanding his interests beyond the financial sector, Mr Kovács opened the first private hospital in Hungary in 1998. Mr Kovács has been purchasing works of art for fifteen years. Covering the period from the early 18th century to the present, the collection is comprised of nearly 400 pieces. In 2002 he established the Kovács Gábor Art Foundation (KOGART) with a donation of 3 billion HUF (approximately 10 million GBP) with the aim of supporting contemporary artists in Hungary. The Foundation's gallery is located in a historic villa on Andrássy Avenue in Budapest, bought and renovated by him. Mr Kovács also purchased a monastery in Sopron, Hungary. The project received significant support from the Norwegian Fund and the building was renovated in 2010 to become the home of an international retreat, education and meditation centre of an international organization, World Servers Foundation (WSF) that was enabled by Mr Kovács in Geneva in November 2010. Mr Kovács is very honoured to be a member of the Trilateral Commission since 2006.
Princess Elizabeth is the daughter of Prince Paul, the Prince Regent of Yugoslavia and Princess Olga of Greece. She is second cousin to the Prince of Wales, Queen Sophie of Spain and the great great granddaughter of Karageorge, a near-mythic hero who started the first uprising against the Turks in 1804. On her mother's side she descends from Empress Catherine the Great of Russia.
Banished at an early age from Yugoslavia to Kenya with her parents and two brothers, they all lived under British house arrest for three years. From there they went to South Africa for five more years before finally returning to Europe in search of a new home, first to Greece and then Switzerland and Paris. Three marriages, three children, several continents and half a century later she finally returned to Yugoslavia in 1987, the first member of her family to do so since the war despite a communist national law forbidding entry to anyone of the dynasty. From then on, having re-learned her native language, she defied the ban regularly and engaged herself fully to education, publishing and charity work. She published a book in 1990 called "Prince Paul, Britain's much Maligned Friend".
Next she created a non-political, not for profit Foundation at end of 1990 called the "Princess Elizabeth Foundation" to address the brewing inter-ethnic tension.
Every year she organized fund raisers in New York and accompanied shipments of medicines and medical supplies back home. In 2000 in Belgrade she formed a new foundation called ‘Serbian Foundation' which is dedicated to promoting young and talented artists from Serbia. A regular resident of Belgrade since 2002. She has written four children's books and has had 100 book promotions during four years across Serbia. At each event, part of the proceeds goes to the local hospital or kindergarten or playground.
Howard L. Graff has had a several-decades long distinguished career in commercial finance and insurance. His expertise sought after, Howard has lectured across Europe, Asia, North and South America. Published by numerous chambers of commerce worldwide, he has written scores of articles concerning cash flow.
Howard's involvement facilitating international fraternal relations and helping cultivate the growth of youth organizations, such as DeMolay International, has earned him international recognition. He has been honored internationally for creating and raising significant amounts of money for charities that benefit both youth and senior citizens, and for his work in the ecumenical movement. An individual dedicated to family, he is married with two grown children and a granddaughter. As he proudly points out, Howard is a long-time resident of a Chicago suburb, Skokie, Illinois, USA. where he has served as a Village Commissioner.
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Madagascar to Serbia, a member of the core founding team of East West Bridge and Chief of EWB Secretariat. A top charity and fund-raising event expert, Jagoda has organized the biggest and most glamorous donor events in over the past decades in Belgrade. Most recently, she was a part of the team that organized the landmark 38th European Session of the Trilateral Commission in Belgrade from Oct 31 to Nov 2, 2014. Jagoda was in charge of the very effective spouses program which as a result left a lasting and pleasant memory of Belgrade, its people, churches, museums and restaurants among the partners of the Trilateral Commission members.
A Law School graduate, Jagoda started her career in the Yugoslav Airlines, but won her PR spurs by bringing and setting up the Stimorol brand in the then Yugoslavia. During the stormy ‘90ties she worked as producer for international media outfits like RAI, Danish and Swedish TV. After the wars of the ‘90ties, Jagoda organized the first ever visit by the HSBC bank to Serbia. Jagoda is the co-owner of the London-based Global Communications Associates GCA Ltd consultancy with offices in Nicosia, Brussels, Helsinki and Washington DC.
At the start of the new millennia, Jagoda and three other ladies from the USA, Great Britain and another from Serbia, formed the famous Dream Team which raised millions for the Children's Oncology hospital in Belgrade, mainly by organizing the talk-of-the-town and fully-booked black-tie gala dinners. Thanks to their dedication, an entire new floor of the hospital was built, fully equipped, including three ORs. Furthermore, they raised funds to buy three vital pieces of equipment worth more than 500,000 euros for the Dragisa Misovic Hospital, Belgrade, and another for the Zemun Hospital. Jagoda participated in the events' organization, PR, marketing, fund raising, donor and media relations, etc.
Jagoda has lived Switzerland, England, USA and BiH. While in England, she also pursued her private passion - interior decoration and graduated from the famous British KLC School of Interior Design. Speaks English, Italian and French, married and mother of three accomplished children.
Job Titles:
- Vice - President of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Ljubiša Rakić, Vice-President of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, is a leading scientist in the field of the central nervous system and primarily of neurological basis of behavior. He is also an Honorary Member of the Serbian National Group of the Trilateral Commission.
As invited speaker he attended many international congresses of physiology, biochemistry, neurochemistry, neurology and developmental neurological sciences. He held numerous lectures as invited speaker at the universities and scientific institutes in former Soviet Union, USA, Great Britain, France, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Germany, Egypt, Israel, Libya, Albania, including all universities in former Yugoslavia. He published over 500 papers in extenso (two thirds in international scientific journals), 6 monographs abroad, 3 in the country, and he was co-author in five textbooks. As a member of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Art during more than 38 years, he participated in many research projects and in organization of scientific meetings and he is the president of the Board for Biomedical Research. He was also the president of Joint Committee for cooperation between Council of Academy of Science and Art of former Yugoslavia and National Academy of Science of USA.
Marko Čadež, born in 1977 in Belgrade (Serbia), is the President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. He is a leading media, communications and Serb-German relations expert who has made an immeasurable contribution to the development of the NGO and media sector in Serbia. Schooled in Germany, Marko graduated at the Academy for Marketing Communications, Frankfurt (Main) in 2001. He also studied at the International Institute for Journalism (IIJ), Sofia and the Deutsche Welle Akademie and Television Training Centre, Sofia, the South East European Network for Professionalisation of Media (SEENPM) and Danish School of Journalism. He is also a Licensed Trainer for Multimedia Journalism.
He started his professional career as an intern in daily newspaper "Politika" in Belgrade, later became a journalist with daily newspaper "Vesti" in Frankfurt (Main), and then moved on to staff the Serbian Desk of WDR in Cologne. He was a member of "Forum of Media Initiatives" (FOMIN), Belgrade, and in 1999-2000 Coordinator for Campaign on voters mobilisation "Nas je više" ("We are the majority") of FOMIN and opposition movement OTPOR. He was a lecturer at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Montenegro; Coordinator of investigative reporting workshops in Belgrade, organised by SEENPM, FOMIN and FRESTA of Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Coordinator of court reporting workshops in Belgrade, organised by FOMIN und Heinrich Boell Foundation, Programme Coordinator and Advisor for Politics und Communications with Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Belgrade, Editor and presenter of monthly TV business show "PUT" at the Serbian State TV - RTS, trainer for Strategic Communication Management for Press/Media Officers of Serbian political party "G17Plus" (financed by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation), Editor-in-chief of online magazine "Politikas" of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Belgrade.
Marko joined the Press Department of German Embassy, Belgrade in 2003 and two years later was appointed the Embassy Spokesperson, a job he still holds. He is also the Deutsche Welle Coordinator for Serbia and Montenegro
Marko Škreb, former Croatian National Bank Governor, is the Chief Economist and Strategist at Privredna banka Zagreb, Croatia. Before that, he was a professor at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics. Following his academic career he joined the Croatian central bank, first as Research and Statistics Director and later on as Governor (from 1996 to 2000). In 1997 he was awarded the Central European Annual Award for Excellence - Best Central Bank Governor by the prestigious Banker media.
Since then he worked as consultant for International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to central banks in numerous countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Madagascar, Montenegro, Romania, Ukraine, etc. Marko also worked as a consultant, Independent Evaluation Office, IMF, Washington DC, on the evaluation of the Financial Sector Assessment Project (FSAP). During that time participated in a short term mission to Ukraine for the WB (on monetary policy and liquidity).
Besides his work at the PBZ, he teaches Money and Banking course at a private University in Zagreb, Croatia. Marko is a member of Intesa Sanpaolo International Network Research Steering Committee. He published a few articles and edited books, most of them on transition questions with the focus on financial issues.
Job Titles:
- Vice - President of the European Investment Bank
Mihai Nicolae Tanasescu is the Vice-President of the European Investment Bank as od 2012. Previously, Mihai was a Senior Adviser to the International Monetary Fund's Executive Director for 13 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus region and the Middle East since 2007. He is also a member of the Trilateral Commission.
Previously, Mihai was a member of the Romanian National Assembly and Chairman of the Budget Committee (2004-07). As Minister of Public Finance (2000-04) he strengthened the macroeconomic stability of Romania and negotiated its entry into the European Union. He also sat on the Board of Governors of a number of international financial institutions including the IMF and the World Bank.
Mihai has taught economics and public finance at Bucharest's Academy of Economic Studies. He also studied economics and budget planning at the prestigious École Nationale D'Administration (Institute Internationale D'Administration Pubique) in Paris and participated in Harvard's Business School's executive development programme. He has written more than 500 articles and interviews, published in leading world papers like the FT, WSJ, Emerging Markets, etc.
Milica was part of the Organizing Committee of the 38th European Session of the Trilateral Commission. Her sterling efforts helped make this Session a landmark one, a full success in every respect.
Miloš Stevanović, born in 1983 in Bijeljina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, is an attorney at law in the Law firm Stevanović. Since 2006, when Milos took over the company, it has grown into the largest law firm in BiH and one of the leading law firms in the region, all in a very short time. Milos is the newest Associate Member of the Serbian Group of the Trilateral Commission as a representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
After finishing his studies at the Faculty of Law in Belgrade in 2006, he expanded his legal and business knowledge through work and cooperation with prestigious offices in the UK, Israel and the leading offices in the region.
In previous governments of Republic of Srpska, he was the Prime Minister's advisor, he was also engaged in the Ministery of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, as the advisor for International Relations and Diplopamcy, as well as the advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs in the field of international relations and diplomacy.
At the moment, he is expanding his family business in the field of finance, banking and accounting, within the "Standard Group".
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board at TCCA
Mladen is the Chairman of the Board at TCCA, the most influential global association leading the development and promotion of standardised critical communications solutions for mission and business critical users. A telecommunication professional for 37 years, Mladen covered many jobs: from installation and maintenance engineer, embedded software designer, quality assurance manager to large scale project management, different key expert consultancy positions and senior management in leading international associations and organizations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees of Friends of Europe
Paul Révay is a member of the Board of Trustees of Friends of Europe, a "Think and Do Tank" in Brussels after having served the Trilateral Commission as its European Director from 1981 to 2017.
He was actively engaged from 1996 to 2017 with the Lisbon-based Fundaçao Oriente organizing its annual Arrabida Meetings.
In 1994-2000, he coordinated the "Informal Advisory Group" set up in Geneva by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
In 1978 he joined the Foreign Trade Board of the French Government (CFCE) involved, as senior research officer, in assisting French exporting companies to the (then) centrally-planned economies of the COMECON countries and was appointed desk manager for Yugoslavia-Albania-China.
In 1995-1996, he participated in European Union TACIS projects on technical assistance (institution-building) to the Executive Secretariat and to the Inter-State Economic Committee (MEK) of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Minsk and in Moscow.
Between 1980 and 1996, he was secretary general of the French Committee of the East-West Vienna International Council and, in 1994-1996, a member and treasurer of the French Business Association for the World UN Social Summit (BUSCO) as well as in 1989-92 secretary general of an East-West project on creating a Management Institute for Training in Europe (MITIE).
After his secondary education in the United Kingdom and in Switzerland, he graduated in from Sciences-Po Paris, the Institut d'Études Politiques, and the Faculty of Law of the University of Paris II. A Reserve Officer in the French Air Force, he attended the Senior Executive Seminar of the Aspen Institute in Colorado in the summer of 1984, and contributed to Le Dictionnaire des Premiers Ministres et Présidents du Conseil de la France (1815-2002) on Robert Schuman (Editions Perrin, Paris, 2002).
Job Titles:
- President
- President of the Center for Global Dialogue
President of the Republic of Bulgaria 1997-2002, Petar is President of the Center for Global Dialogue and Cooperation. He won the 1996 presidential election as a candidate of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF).
From 1992 to 1993 Mr. Stoyanov was Deputy Minister of Justice in the first non-communist (UDF) government of Bulgaria since 1944.
In 1994, as the holder of a doctorate in law, he was elected as a member of the 37th National Assembly in Bulgaria and in 1995 he was elected Deputy Chairman of the UDF. Petar Stoyanov is an active and passionate promoter of democracy and European ideals.
In 2002 he founded the "Petar Stoyanov Centre for Political Dialogue" in Sofia. He is member of several different international associations, e.g the Clinton's Global Initiative, the Board of Global Fairness Initiative, the Judging Committee of the European Business Awards, the International Advisory Board of the American Bar Association, Honorary co-chair of the World Justice Project and is a member of the European Executive Committee of the Trilateral Commission. Additionally, he has been the winner of numerous awards like the Anti-Defamation League's Courage to Care Award, the Annual Award of the Association of the Russian Lawyers, etc.
Leading neurosurgeon in the region, Lucas, 48, is the head of the Department for Surgery of the Peripheral Nerves, Functional and pain management surgery (Department B), Clinic of Neurosurgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia. He is also a professor of neurosurgery, School of Medicine University of Belgrade.
Lukas graduated Medical School, University in Belgrade, in 1991 with an average grade 9.36.and specialized in neurosurgery in 1998 with cum laude. His further training in neuroscience, neurosurgery, radio surgery and health service management took him to Japan, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Portugal, France, Croatia, Romania, Brazil, Argentina, UAE, to name just a few countries with relevant and outstanding medical institutions where he worked, trained and excelled with summa cum laude. Since then he continued cooperating with dozens of hospitals, institutes and institutions worldwide.
Lukas has so far published 318 scientific publications, papers and presentations in international and national scientific papers and chapters in scientific books, including the Medical Lexicon which he co-authored. He has organized tens of international conferences and symposia on his subject in Serbia and the region and is a member of 17 international organizations in his field, including the Southeast European Neurosurgical Society-SEENS, which he founded in 2012, the European Association of Neurological Surgeons - EANS, Executive Committee, and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons - CNS. Lucas was an invited speaker at too-many-to-count international meetings and mentored dozens of future experts. Married with two children.
Job Titles:
- President of the International Practice Group of Quinn Gillespie & Associates
Ranko VUJACIC, born in 1951 in Belgrade, is a UN and development projects expert is currently Montenegrin AMbassador to Germany. He has spent three decades working in the United Nations International Development Organization where he started in 1981 as Chief of UNIDO Division of Administration, General Services, Buildings Management Section, Electrical Engineering and Buildings Operation Unit all the way to Director of UNIDO, Program Support and General Management Division, Operational Services Branch. Ranko is a chairman or member of numerous high-level committees within UNIDO, other international organizations and Austrian authorities. Ranko resides in Vienna.
De La Salle College, Malta , the Technical University, Graz, Austrija, the Technical University, West Berlin, Germany, where he received his MS in electrical engineering, Diplomatic Academy, Vienna, Austria, Ecole Nationale d'Administration, Paris, France and Escuela Diplomatica, Madrid, Spain. Needless to say, Ranko is fluent English, French, Spanish, Russian and German. He was awarded a honorary PhD by the European University at the Technical University in Vienna.
Ranko has published numerous articles in local and international press on various subjects like UNIDO and related matters but also on Njegos, Nikola Tesla, Mileva Maric Einstein. He has organized scores of events related to culture and arts and promoted Serbian and Montenegrin culture in various European capitals.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Transport and Logistics
Sasa was part of the Organizing Committee of the 38th European Session of the Trilateral Commission. His sterling efforts helped make this Session a landmark one, a full success in every respect.
Shlomo is a retired Colonel from the Israeli Defense Forces - IDF, with more than 25 years of practical and operative experience as an Intelligence officer in Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, Research and Analysis, Risk and Threat Assessment. He is now a research fellow in the ICT (International Institute for Counterterrorism - Herzliya, Israel). Shlomo also provides strategic consulting to countries and organizations in the fields of National Security, HLS, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, including integrated solutions and technology.
Shlomo is doing his Doctoral studies at Bar-Ilan University, after completing his MA in Political Science (with distinction), University of Haifa, and BA in History of the Middle East (with distinction), Tel -Aviv University. He also graduated from the Israeli National Security College.
During his active IDF days he was the Deputy Head of the Directorate of Military Intelligences (DMI) Research Division, Representative of the DMI in the United States and head of the Counter Terrorism Department in the DMI.
Professor Slobodan Grebeldinger (born in 1962, Novi Sad) is children's and vascular surgeon, professor at the Medical Faculty of the University of Novi Sad, Director of the Institute for Health Care of Children and Youth of Vojvodina, founder and a chair of the Centre for National Strategy (CNS). Professor Grebeldinger is a founder and president of NGO "Right to work"which has been achieving significant results in its humanitarian activities. He is the founder of the first Department of pediatric vascular surgery in Serbia.
Member of the Trilateral Commission and Executive Secretary of the Serbian National Group of the Trilateral Commission. Tahir did an outstanding job of Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the landmark, 38th European Session of the Trilateral Commission held in Belgrade, Oct 31 to Nov 2, 2014.
In his decades long political career which included some top posts, Tahir Hasanovic has earned himself a reputation of a constructive, moderate and liberal politician, eager to mend bridges where others tear them down. Tahir was one of the founders of New Democracy which evolved later into the Liberal party and was its first Secretary General. He also held a vital post of Chairman of the Cadre Commission of the DOS alliance of anti-Milosevic parties, which gave Serbia the first authentic democratic government led by the later assassinated Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. He founded in the early 90ties the Bureau for Serbia's International Cooperation, one of the first NGOs to openly advocate Serbia's inclusion into Europe at the time. Retired from active politics, Tahir today splits his time between his family: wife and two daughters, his philanthropic work and his duties as member of board of governors or shareholders in a score of Serbian and international companies. He is very active in promoting a liberal and tolerant image of Serbia in the world and travels extensively for that purpose. He has also published over 20 books, including studies about Albania, Turkey etc. He wrote " Evropa 1992", which at the time was the first reference book in Serbia about Europe after Maastricht.
Tahir is one of only two people in the Balkans to have graduated from the Dale Carnegie Leadership and Human Relations principal course in St Louis and is now a bona fide Dale Carnegie Coach. He is now successfully teaching others the human relations skills, confidence and enthusiasm, so badly needed in this part of the world.
Arts patron and leading businessman, Ulysses Kyriacopoulos was the Chairman of the companies S&B Industrial Minerals S.A. and Motodynamics S.A, a member of the Trilateral Commission and the General Council of the Bank of Greece. He was the Chairman of the Federation of Greek Industries, UNICE Special Representative for Mediterranean Affairs and former Vice President of UNICE, the leading organization that represents employers΄ interests in Europe.
Ulysses served as member of the Board of Lambda Development SA and of Lavipharm SA. and on the Βoard of Air Liquide Hellas S.A., Delta Holding S.A, and J.Boutaris & Son Holding S.A. as well as on the Advisory boards of INSEAD and Athens College. He was also formerly the President of the Greek National Opera and Vice President of the Hellenic Exchanges Holdings SA. .
He studied Mining Engineering at Montanuniversitaet Loeben in Austria and at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in England. He received his M.B.A. at the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD) in Fontainebleau, France.
Ulysses was born in New York in 1952, spoke four languages. He was married to Nicole and had three children.
Voicing his condolences, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said Kyriacopoulos left "a difficult-to-replace void" in Greek economy and society, "as he combined a successful business career with an interest in the welfare of his employees, industrial tradition combined with extroverted innovation, cosmopolitanism with a quiet patriotism, and a contribution to the arts with anonymous assistance to weaker fellow human beings."
Vladan Atanasijević is a leading Serbian IT expert with a reputation that well surpasses the region. He is a member of the Asseco SEE Board of Governors and Integration Systems Director. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED). Born in Kragujevac in 1967, he attended technical faculties in Zagreb and Belgrade. Vladan has over 20 years of experience in the IT sector, working on projects involving large information systems for the government and both the public and financial sectors. He also has 15 years of experience in managing leading IT companies at the Serbian market.
He began his career in the Zastava company, Kragujevac, where he moved up the ladder from the position of manager of the organization system development department to the company's telecommunications Executive Director. He founded his own start-up company, Virtual Team, in 2001 producing software for regional and global leaders. Five years later the company was merged into Hermes SoftLab, of Slovenia, and Vladan ran the Serbian branch. After being the head of ComTrade Spinnaker New Technologies for one year, he moved to the leading IT company in the region, Asseco SEE, to the position of Integration Systems Director, a post he occupies today. His cooperation partners are banks, state organs and institutions and large systems.
Vladan has won numerous awards, including Microsoft World Wide Award twice, Manager of the Year awarded by the Business Journalists Club, Manager of the Year awarded by The Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Best Start-Up Investment in Serbia Award and many others. Vladan is also very active in a number of business and manager's associations and is involved in economic development and manager profession promotion. He was appointed NALED Chairman of the Board of Governors in 2013: he is a founder of the Serbian Managers Association (SAM): deputy Chairman of the IT Experts Society of Serbia (DIS); member of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), member of the Advisory Board of EMC company, etc.
Vladimir was part of the Organizing Committee of the 38th European Session of the Trilateral Commission. His sterling efforts helped make this Session a landmark one, a full success in every respect.
Director of Business Development, Ernst & Young, Belgrade, Serbia, Vladimir is a leading Serbian and regional banking expert whose experience encompasses general management of financial, state and consultancy institutions and projects, privatization, corporate strategies development, evaluation, restructuring and reorganization of enterprises, either in ex-Yugoslavia or in the Central and Eastern Europe.
Vladimir's impressive experience includes: CEO, ALTA Banka a.d. Belgrade, Director, Atlantic Grupa, Representative Office in Serbia, two times , CFO, Victoria Group, Belgrade, Serbia, CEO, AIK Banka a.d. Niš, Belgrade, Serbia, CEO, Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Belgrade, Member of the Executive Board, Hypo Alpe Adria Bank a.d. Belgrade, Executive Director for Privatization, Privatization Agency, Republic of Serbia, Director, Privatization Agency, Republic of Serbia, Advisor to the Minister, Government of the Republic of Serbia, Ministry of Economics and Privatization and Manager in Charge, Deloitte & Touche Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Vladimir is a member of dozens of related associations and committees with varying functions: Formerly Untitled Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia, Chairman of the Food and Agriculture Council of NALED, Member of the Supervisory Board Serbia, Chairman of the Board of Directors of National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED), Vice Chairman of the Finance Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia, Member of the Board of Directors of Serbian Association of Managers SAM, Chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Member of the Board of Directors of Serbian Tennis Association, Member of Serbian Business Club Privrednik, Member of the Board of Directors of Association of Serbian banks, Chairman of the Finance Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia, Member of the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia, Member of the Board of Serbian Economists Association and Member of the Business Advisory Council for South Eastern Europe.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- International Advisor for Goldman Sachs
Vladimir Dlouhy was elected European deputy chairman of the Trilateral Commission in 2010.
Vladimír Dlouhy is currently international advisor for Goldman Sachs, located in Prague and covering the region of Central and Eastern Europe, and Chairman of the Czech Chamber of Commerce. He was also European Deputy Chairman of the Trilateral Commission.
Vladimir studied mathematical economics and econometrics at the School of Economics and at Charles University in Prague and later pursued MBA studies at Catholic University in Leuven (Belgium). Mr. Dlouhy started his professional career as university lecturer, and in 1983 he moved to the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences as a researcher, later becoming deputy director of the Forecasting Institute. In 1989, he was invited to join the first post-communist government, and he served as minister of economy of Czechoslovakia until 1992.
After the split of the country, he served as Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic until June 1997. He was simultaneously a member of the Parliament and Vice-Chairman of Civic Democratic Alliance, part of the governing coalition. In 1997, he announced his departure from politics and joined Goldman Sachs as an international advisor for Central and Eastern Europe. Between 1997 and 2010, he advised ABB in a similar capacity.
Former advisor to the US President and National Security Advisor, Walter has extensive 23 years of comprehensive experience in problem solving working in the State Department and the White House and subsequently as a manager in the private sector. He is currently the Director, Program in National and Competitive Intelligence and Adjunct Professor for Business Administration at the University of South Florida.
He was Deputy U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO where he managed a mission of 170 during the Obama transition and prepared the President's participation in the NATO summit in Strasbourg/Kehl, 2001-2003 l Security Council / White House, Director, European Directorate, Department of State - Since August, 1980, Fall 2001 Director, Task Force on Terrorism, supervising a staff of over 300 in the largest task force in State Department history following the September 11 attack, 1999-2001 Director, NATO Office where he managed the largest policy office in the State Department and supervised annual programs of $200 million, 1997-1998 Chief of Mission, American Embassy Tallinn, Estonia, 1996-1999 Political Counselor, American Embassy Stockholm, 1995-1996 detailed to American Embassy Sarajevo during the Dayton Peace Talks, 1994-1995
Political Officer, American Embassy Bonn, 1992-1994 Senior Baltics Desk Officer, and before that Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Grenada desk officer, Political Officer, American Embassy Berlin (East), Visa Officer, American Embassy Stockholm etc.
Walter was decorated in 1996 with Secretary of State's Award for Heroism, one of the State Department's most prestigious awards. On the eve of the Dayton Peace Talks, he talked his way through Serbian guard posts and navigated a harsh snow storm to drive about 250 miles and successfully secure the release of an American journalist. He also holds the Superior Honor Award, 1991, for contributing to the negotiated settlement of the re-unification of Germany, and has received the highest country awards from the Presidents of Germany, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, and Latvia as well as the King of Sweden for improving ties between the United States and their countries.
Zeljko Mitrovic born in 1967 in Zemun, Belgrade, an excellent musician, music and TV producer and businessman, is the CEO and founder of the Pink Media Group, the biggest media company in the region. He is also a member of the Serbian Group of the Trilateral Commission. Zeljko started in the late 80's with a recording studio, then opened a radio station in 1993 which was followed in 1994 by a TV station, TV Pink, soon the most popular commercial TV in the country. Zeljko founded the music publishing house CITY Records which today boasts of millions CDs sold and 500 performers under its label. After launching his satellite program, Zeljko in 2002 launched TV Pink Montenegro and a year later Pink BiH, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the only truly pan-entity station.
Today, Zeljko also owns another 43 channels broadcast in the networks of the biggest cable operators in Serbia, Montenegro and BiH. By the end of 2014, he will round up his program with 60 channels of various profiles like music, 10 blockbuster channels, educational, fashion etc. Zeljko then included into PINK INTERNATIONAL COMPANY a subsidiary, the PFI - PINK FILMS INTERNATIONAL - a unique film production complex catering to the most exacting producers of blockbusters and TV shows. In 2004 Zeljko bought a business jet airline which today operates six planes.
Zeljko is also a philanthropist and financially supports the needy and orphaned. In his teen years, Zeljko founded a popular band Oktobar 1864 as one of the most talented base guitar players of his generation. He has now formed another one, "Berklee Groove", which has released so far four singles and an album is in the making. Happily married, father of four.
Zoran Ilievski is a Professor at St.Cyril and Methodius University, Head of East-West Bridge, Skopje and member of the Presidency of East-West Bridge International.
Formerly, Professor at the Department of Political Science at the Faculty of Law Iustianus Primus and Head of the Centre for Policy Research and Analysis, Zoran won his B.A. in Political Science, Faculty of Law "Iustinianus Primus", in 2004, a M.A. in European Integration and Regionalism, Faculty of Law, University of Graz, Graz, Austria in 2006, PhD in Political Science, Faculty of Law "Iustinianus Primus" in 2009, attended the Academic Fellowship Program for Returning Scholars of the Open Society Institute, Budapest, Hungary and the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education, Istanbul, Turkey. Until recently he was the Political Affairs Advisor to the Macedonian President and also coordinated the School of Young Leaders of President Ivanov and the President's Council of Foreign Affairs.
Zoran was engaged at the Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, as Assistant Chair for Political Theory (2007-2009), Assistant Professor of Political Theory (2009-2014), Head of Department of Political Science (2009-ongoing) and Associate Professor of Political Theory (2014-present), 2009-2012 Coordinator of the Теmpus IV ETF-JP-00442-2008 international project: "Examples of Excellence in Joint Degree Program Development in South-Eastern-Europe", 2009-2014 Contact person for the Republic of Macedonia of the FP7 Research Program of the European Union, in the area of Socio-Economic Sciences and the Humanities, 2008-2010 Assistant Coordinator of the Tempus JEP-41035-2006 international project: "Masters Programs in EU Institutions and Policies and Political Management", 2005-2009 Senior Non-Resident Researcher at the Kompetenzzentrum Südosteuropa in Graz, Austria and a collaborator of EURAC Research in Bolzano, Italy.
For his extensive research work, Zoran won several awards including Knight of the European Order of St. George of the House of Habsburg-Lothringen, (St. Pölten, Austria). He is an Associate Fellow, World Academy of Art and Science (San Jose, California, USA), Distinguished Fellow and Appointed Professor of Ethical Leadership, New Westminster College (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada). more...
Ambassador Ünal Çeviköz is a Turkish diplomat who retired from Government service in September 2014. He began his diplomatic career as second secretary at the Turkish embassy in Moscow in 1981. He served as the chief of section at the East European Department of the Turkish MFA in Ankara, later as counsellor of the Turkish embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria.
In 1989, he was detached from the MFA to work in NATO's International Secretariat, first at the Economics Directorate and then the Political Directorate as an East European expert. In 1994, he was commissioned with launching the NATO Information Office in Moscow, after which he prepared the NATO-Russia Founding Act. On return to the MFA in 1997, he worked as the head of the Balkan Department and then as the Deputy Director General for Caucasus and Central Asia.
He has served as the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan (2001-2004), to Iraq (2004-2006) and to the United Kingdom (2010-2014). He was also the Deputy Under-Secretary for bilateral political affairs at the Turkish MFA from 2007 to 2010 and prepared the protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia. Ambassador Çeviköz presided the 28th General Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation between 2013 and 2015.