His Highness the Aga Khan
His Highness the Aga Khan, a direct lineal descendant of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), is the 49th hereditary Imam - spiritual leader - of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. Consistent with general Muslim tradition, the Imam’s mandate is to guide his community in matters of faith, and to work for its security and improved quality of life, alongside that of wider society. The Aga Khan is the founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of non-denominational international development agencies, active in 38 countries, dedicated to improving the quality of life of vulnerable societies.

Mr. Antonio Maria Costa
Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2002 - 2010

Mr. Antonio Maria Costa served as Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna (UNOV) from 2002 to 2010. Mr. Costa was born in Italy. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Turin (1963), a Degree in mathematical economics from the Moscow State University (1967), and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley (1971). From 1969 to 1983, Mr. Costa served as senior economist in the United Nations Department of International Economics and Social Affairs in New York.
 

Mr. Georg Kell
Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact Office
Georg Kell is the Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative with More than 6,000 participants in over 130 countries. Spanning More than two decades, his career with the United Nations began in 1987 at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. In 1997, Mr. Kell joined the Office of the UN Secretary-General in New York,

Her Royal Highness Princess Mathilde of Belgium

H.R.H. Princess Mathilde of Belgium has a special interest in working with vulnerable people, in particular with children. Within these areas of interest, the "Fund Princess Mathilde" was created in December 2000. Each year, the Fund identifies projects that aim to make a difference in helping vulnerable people and bestows an annual Prize on the most valuable project. Since 2009, Princess Mathilde has been the Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium. In this capacity, Princess Mathilde has headed humanitarian missions to Niger and Mali, highlighting children rights, health issues, the empowerment of women, the eradication of poverty and good governance. Princess Mathilde has also become a UNICEF and UNAIDS special representative and goodwill ambassador for their world campaign for orphans and other vulnerable children affected or infected by HIV/AIDS.

 

Mr. Bjørn Kj. Haugland
Executive Vice President, Det Norske Veritas

Mr. Bjørn Kj. Haugland is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Division of Sustainability & Innovation in Det Norske Veritas (DNV). In this capacity, Mr. Haugland is responsible for a number of service areas, including risk management and corporate responsibility, climate change, healthcare and bio risk. Mr. Haugland has been a member of DNV’s Executive Committee since 2008. He started his career in DNV in 1991, and has held various management positions in both Norway and abroad.