Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea, the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, brings to his post 37 years of service both in government and on the global stage.

At the time of his election as Secretary-General, Mr. Ban was his country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. His long tenure with the ministry included postings in New Delhi, Washington D.C. and Vienna, and responsibility for a variety of portfolios, including Foreign Policy Advisor to the President, Chief National Security Advisor to the President, Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and Director-General of American Affairs. Throughout this service, his guiding vision was that of a peaceful Korean peninsula, playing an expanding role for peace and prosperity in the region and the wider world.

Mr. Ban has longstanding ties with the United Nations, dating back to 1975, when he worked for the Foreign Ministry’s United Nations division. That work expanded over the years, with assignments as First Secretary at the ROK’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, Director of the UN Division at the ministry’s headquarters in Seoul, and Ambassador to Vienna, during which time, in 1999, he served as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. In 2001-2002, as Chef-de-Cabinet during the ROK’s Presidency of the General Assembly, he facilitated the prompt adoption of the first resolution of the session, condemning the terrorist attacks of 11 September, and undertook a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening the Assembly’s functioning, thereby helping to turn a session that started out in crisis and confusion into one in which a number of important reforms were adopted. In September 2005, as Foreign Minister, he played a leading role in bringing about another landmark agreement aimed at promoting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula with the adoption at the Six Party Talks of the Joint Statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.

Han Seung-soo is Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea. He served as Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Climate Change and sat on the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation where he chaired a High-Level Expert Panel on Water and Disaster. Educated at Yonsei University(BA 1960/ Hon.D.Politics 2002), Seoul National University(MPA 1963) and The University of York, UK(Ph.D. 1968/ D.Univ. 1997), he was President of the 56th Session of the United Nations General Assembly(2001-02), Korea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs(2001-02), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance(1996-97), Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic(1994-95), Korean Ambassador to the United States(1993-94) and Minister of Trade and Industry(1988-90). He was a three-term Member of National Assembly representing Chuncheon in Gangwon Province(1988-2004). Before entering politics, he was Professor of Economics at Seoul National University(1970-88). He received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the United Nations in 2001 and was awarded an Honorary Knighthood (KBE) from HM Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom in 2004.

Georg Kell is the executive director of the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative with 4,800 participants from 120 countries. Following extensive experiences in Africa and Asia as a financial analyst, Kell began his career at the UN in Geneva, where he worked from 1987 to 1990 with the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In 1990, he joined the New York office of UNCTAD, which he headed from 1993 to 1997. In 1997, Kell became a senior officer in the Executive Office of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, responsible for fostering cooperation with the private sector. He has served as head of the UN Global Compact since 2000. A native of Germany, Kell holds advanced degrees in economics and engineering from the Technical University of Berlin.

Toshio Arima is President and Representative Director, of the Fuji Xerox company of Tokyo, Japan.

He was educated at International Christian University College of Liberal Arts, Division of Social Sciences, graduating in 1967, after which he joined Fuji Xerox of which he became President and Representative Director in 2002. Under his direction, the company created a new business vision called Open Office Frontier or OOF. 

Tae Won Chey, 47, currently serves as Chairman of SK Group, which has core businesses in energy, telecommunications and trading/services - industries strategically critical to Korea. In this role, Chairman Chey oversees and unites the 63 companies that comprise SK Group.

Beginning his career in 1991, Chairman Chey moved up the ranks by gaining global insights and experiences at various posts, serving as a Business Development Manager at Metra Inc.

in San Jose, California and Managing Director at Yukong Limited, now named SK Energy (previously SK Corp.). He was appointed Chairman of the Board and CEO in 1998. With his innovative and dynamic leadership style, Chairman Chey continues to expand the group - which had combined sales revenue of KRW 78 trillion in 2007 - beyond the Asia Pacific region.

Chairman Chey was named as one of the "Global Leaders for Tomorrow" at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 1999.  He also served as one of co-chairs of the East Asia Economic Summit 2002 in Malaysia, the Asian regional forum of WEF.  Chairman Chey is a member of numerous business and civic organizations, including the World Economic Forum and the Boao Forum. Additionally, he has taught a Techno Economics and Policy Program at Seoul National University. Chairman Chey not only actively engages with global leaders, customers and investors, but also spends significant time with employees to share thoughts and ideas.

Mr. Donald MacDonald is the Chair of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Board. As a Member Nominated Trustee, he is presently a Director of the Trustee Board of the British Telecommunications plc (BT) Pension Scheme, a defined benefit (final salary) scheme, with assets of approximately £36bn (€55bn, US$75bn). He has many years of experience in the UK telecommunications industry and the trade union movement and previously served as a Director of BT Quest Ltd (BT Qualifying Employee Shares Trust). Mr. MacDonald is also a member and current pensioner of the British Telecommunication plc Pension Scheme.

Paul Clements-Hunt has been the Head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative (FI) since November 2000. UNEP FI, based in Geneva, is the largest partnership between the United Nations and the financial services sector counting more than 170 banks, insurers and asset managers as members. UNEP FI was instrumental in the 2004-2006 development and launch of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI). The PRI is now backed by close to 230 institutional asset owners and managers representing approx. $13,000 bn in assets under management. Clements-Hunt was one of the two lead United Nations representatives throughout the PRI negotiation in 2005-6.

In 2007 he was invited to join the Financial Times (FT) Sustainability Banking Awards judges panel and the United Nations special climate change panel on finance and investment. Clements-Hunt is a Board Member of Sustainable Finance Geneva, a network of professional finance executives committed to pushing forward sustainability practice amongst the Swiss financial services sector.

Georg Kell is the executive director of the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative with 4,800 participants from 120 countries. Following extensive experiences in Africa and Asia as a financial analyst, Kell began his career at the UN in Geneva, where he worked from 1987 to 1990 with the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In 1990, he joined the New York office of UNCTAD, which he headed from 1993 to 1997. In 1997, Kell became a senior officer in the Executive Office of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, responsible for fostering cooperation with the private sector. He has served as head of the UN Global Compact since 2000. A native of Germany, Kell holds advanced degrees in economics and engineering from the Technical University of Berlin.

He later became the Special Aide to the Minister in 2001 and was appointed the position of Minister in 2008. He has served in several Korean embassies, namely in Japan (1973), Singapore (1981), Barbados (1983), USA (1988). He has had the honour of serving as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the State of Israel (2002), the Phillippines (2004) and most recently Japan (2007). He was awarded the Order of Service Merit (Red Stripes) in 1996 and more recently in 2005 was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Sikatuna from the Phillippines.

SOHN, Kyung Shik is the chairman of The Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry and The Seoul Chamber of Commerce & Industry. He also serves as the chairman of CJ Group, a leading Korean company concentrating in Food & Food Service, Bio Pharma, Entertainment Media, and Home Shopping & Logistics. Educated at Seoul National University (B.A. Law 1961) and Oklahoma State University U.S.A., MBA 1968), he also completed Advanced Management Program in Seoul National University (1987). He initiated his career in Hanil Bank, Seoul (1961), and continued in Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. as a Marketing Manager (1968). In 1974, he started to work in Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd., where he worked as the Executive Director (1974-77), President/CEO (77-91), and Vice Chairman (1991-93). It was 1993 when he became the Vice-Chairman/CEO of CheilJedang Corporation, the former company of CJ Group.

Kim Jong Chang became Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service on March 27, 2008. Prior to the appointment, Mr. Kim served as a member of the Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of Korea, Chairman and CEO of the Industrial Bank of Korea and Deputy Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service.

Mr. Kim began his career in public service in 1976 at the Ministry of Finance where he went on to serve in key senior economic and financial posts. After more than two decades at the ministry, he was appointed Standing Commissioner of the Securities and Futures Commission in June, 1998. A year later, he was appointed Standing Commissioner of the Financial Supervisory Commission, and in February, 2000, Deputy Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service. Mr. Kim then took the helm of Industrial Bank of Korea as the Chairman and CEO in May, 2001. During his term at IBK, he was widely credited with laying the groundwork for the bank’s privatization efforts. After his tenure at IBK ended in February, 2004, Mr. Kim was appointed Member of the Monetary Policy Committee, the interest rate-setting body, at the Bank of Korea. Upon completing his term at the Monetary Policy Committee in April, 2006, Mr. Kim moved to the law firm Lee & Ko and worked as a senior advisor until March, 2008.

Mr. Kim graduated from Seoul National University with a B.A. in Commerce in 1971. He also received an M.A. in Economics from University of Washington in 1985, and an Honorary Ph.D. in Business Administration from Joongbu University in 2003.