Ambassador Pierre Vimont is a Senior Associate at Carnegie Europe, where his research focuses on the European Neighbourhood Policy, transatlantic relations, and French foreign policy. From 2010 to 2015, Ambassador Vimont served as Executive Secretary-General of the European External Action Service of the European Union. Prior to this, he worked for thirty eight years in the French diplomatic service. During this time, he served as Ambassador to the United States (2007 to 2010); Ambassador to the European Union (1999 to 2002); and Chief of Staff to three former French Foreign Ministers.  Ambassador Vimont holds the title of Ambassador of France, a dignity bestowed for life on only a few French diplomats, and he is also a Knight of the French National Order of Merit. Ambassador Vimont joined HD’s Board in 2015 and was elected as its Chair in 2016.

Mr Eide is United Nations Special Adviser on Cyprus, chairing the negotiations aiming at reunifying the divided island. From 2014-2016, he was Managing Director and Member of the Managing Board of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Geneva. Until October 2013, Mr Eide was Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. During his 10 years in government (2000-2001 and 2005-2013), he also held the positions of Minister of Defence, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Deputy Minister of Defence. Apart from his posts in government, Mr Eide has pursued an academic career in political science. From 1993 to 2000, he was a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and from 2002 to 2005, he directed NUPI’s Department of International Politics. He has been involved in several United Nations reform and lessons-learned activities as well as in a number of peace negotiations worldwide. Mr Eide has been a member of HD’s Board since 2013 and he is now its Vice-Chair and Chair of its Operations Committee.

Mr Brooks is the former Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of the anti-corruption civil society organisation Transparency International. He served on Transparency International’s Board of Directors from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2014. Mr Brooks continues to support the organisation’s work to improve corporate transparency and integrity. He was the initial independent Chair of the Global Network Initiative until 2014. Mr Brooks is also a former worldwide Chairman of Price Waterhouse and took a key role in the merger negotiations which resulted in the company becoming PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1998. He has been a member of HD’s Board since 2011 and also holds the position of Chairman of the Audit and Finance Committee which reviews the financial management of the organisation on behalf of the Board.

Sarah F. Cliffe is the Director of the Center on International Cooperation at the University of New York. Prior to that, she was Special Representative for the World Bank’s World Development Report on Conflict, Security and Development as well as Special Adviser and Assistant Secretary-General of Civilian Capacities to the United Nations. Ms Cliffe has worked for the last twenty years in countries emerging from conflict and political transition, including Afghanistan, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Liberia, Mali, Rwanda, South Sudan, South Africa, Somalia, and Timor-Leste. At the World Bank, her work covered post-conflict reconstruction, community-driven development, and civil service reform. Ms. Cliffe was the Chief of mission for the Bank’s programme in Timor-Leste (1999 to 2002). She led the Bank’s Fragile and Conflict-Affected Countries Group (2002-2007) and was also the Bank’s Director of Strategy and Operations for the East Asia and Pacific Region (2007 to 2009). Ms. Cliffe has also worked for the United Nations Development Programme in Rwanda, the Government of South Africa, and the Congress of South African Trade Unions, as well as for a major management consultancy company in the United Kingdom on public sector reform issues. She joined HD’s Board in 2015.

Mr Guéhenno is President of the International Crisis Group, a position he took on in 2014. He is also a distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Prior to this, he was Arnold Saltzman Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University and Director of its Center for International Conflict Resolution. From March to July 2012, Mr Guéhenno held the position of Deputy Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States on Syria, a position he left to chair a Commission appointed by President François Hollande to review French defence and national security policies. He had previously served as United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations between 2000 and 2008. A former French diplomat, he served as Director of the French policy planning staff and as Ambassador to the Western European Union. He also held the position of Chairman of the Institut des hautes études de défense nationale between 1998 and 2000, and he was a Member of the Cour des Comptes in Paris from 1976 to 2000. Mr Guéhenno is an Officer of the ‘Légion d’honneur’ and a Commander of the ‘Bundesverdienstkreuz’. He has been a member of HD’s Board since 2009 and held the position of Chair from December 2010 to December 2015.

Ms Ameerah Haq was Vice Chair of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations for the United Nations (UN) as well as UN Under-Secretary-General for Field Support from 2012 to 2014. She has over 39 years of UN experience including 19 years of field experience. She was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. Ms Haq has also served as Deputy SRSG and UN Resident Coordinator in Sudan, Deputy SRSG and UN Resident Coordinator in Afghanistan, as well as UN Resident Coordinator in Malaysia and Laos. She has also held senior positions within the UN Development Programme. Ms Haq is a mother to a son aged 32 and a daughter aged 30. She joined HD’s Board in 2015.

Mr Neil Janin is a Director Emeritus of McKinsey & Company and currently counsels senior executives on matters of strategy and leadership. He is the Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Georgia, and a member of the Board of Ipsos SA, as well as that of a number of non-profit organisations. He spent twenty-seven years with McKinsey & Company, conducting engagements in every area of organisational practice – design, leadership, governance, performance enhancement, culture change and transformation. Before joining the management consulting firm, Mr Janin worked for Chase Manhattan in New York and Paris, as well as Procter & Gamble in Toronto. He has been a Member of HD’s Board since 2013 and chairs its Nominations Committee in charge of identifying suitable candidates for membership.

Ms Khan is the Director-General of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), a position she formally took up on 1 January 2012. An international thought leader on human rights, gender and social justice issues, Ms Khan was Secretary General of Amnesty International from 2001 to 2009. Prior to that, she worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for 21 years at its headquarters and in various field operations. She was Visiting Professor at the State University of New York Law School (Buffalo) in 2011. Ms Khan has been a Member of HD’s Board since 2010 and also sits on the Boards of several international human rights and development organisations. Ms Khan received the Sydney Peace Prize in 2006 for her work to end violence against women and girls. Her book, The Unheard Truth: Poverty and Human Rights has been translated into seven languages.

Ambassador Loretan is a founding partner of the consulting firm Fasel Balet Loretan Associés. He also served as Chairman of the Board of the Swiss broadcasting corporation (SRG SSR) from 2012 to 2015. A former Swiss Ambassador and Diplomatic Secretary to the Swiss Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Loretan also worked as personal adviser to the Minister of Defence and of Justice and Police. He was Ambassador of Switzerland in Singapore and Consul General in New York, and served as Secretary-General of the Swiss Christian Democratic Party from 1993 to 1997. Ambassador Loretan has been a Member of HD’s Board since 2011 and he is also Chairman of the Genolier Swiss Medical Network Group, as well as a Member of the Boards of several other companies.

Dr ‘Funmi Olonisakin directs the Security, Leadership and Society Programme at King’s College London. She is the founding Director of the African Leadership Centre and a founding member of the African Security Sector Network (ASSN). She served as the ASSN’s West African Regional Coordinator from 2008 to 2012. From 2003 to 2013, she was Director of the Conflict, Security and Development Group at King’s College in London. From 2000 to 2003, she worked in the Office of the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict in New York, overseeing Africa programmes. Prior to this, she held various research positions including at the Centre for Defence Studies and the Department for War Studies at King’s College London; at the Institute for Strategic Studies in the University of Pretoria, South Africa; and at the Department of Political Science at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Dr Olonisakin joined HD’s Board in 2013. She is also a member of the International Advisory Board of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and a Distinguished Fellow of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

Dr Pitsuwan is the former Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a position he held from 2008 to 2013. Prior to this, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Thailand from 1997 to 2001 and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 1995. He has also served as Assistant Secretary to the Minister of the Interior, as well as a Member of the Thai Parliament. From 2001 to 2003, Dr Pitsuwan was a member of the Commission on Human Security of the United Nations. Between 1999 and 2001, he served as an advisor to the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty and sat on the International Advisory Board of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Since the end of his term as ASEAN Secretary-General, Dr Pitsuwan has been teaching at several universities including Thammasat University in Thailand, the Graduate Institute for Policy Studies at the University of Nara in Japan, and the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies in the United Kingdom. He joined HD’s Board in 2013 and also sits on the Boards of the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security and the International Crisis Group.

Mr Steimer has been the Chairman of the Board for the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise since 2002. He is also the Chairman of the Foundation Board of the Swiss Finance Institute as well as Vice-Chairman of the Bank Council of the Swiss National Bank. From 1983 to 2002, Mr Steimer held various positions with Credit Suisse Group in domestic and international banking including roles as Head, Geneva Region; Member of the Executive Board, Private Banking and Financial Services; and Chief Executive Officer, Private Banking International. Mr Steimer has been a Member of HD’s Board since 2009. He is also a Member of the Boards of economiesuisse, Avenir Suisse, ACE Chubb Ltd, and Allreal Holding AG, and was a Member of the Board of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology until December 2016.