Katrin Arnold – Head of Sector, Technical Central Bank Cooperation, German Central Bank

Katrin Arnold is head of sector at the Centre for Technical Central Bank Cooperation at the German Central Bank. Previously, she worked at the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Moreover, she has advised a number of economic policy-related projects. Katrin holds a PhD and a Master of Philosophy in Economics from the universities of London and Cambridge. She has lived, studied, and worked in several European and African countries, as well as the United States.

Bruce Au – Operations Director, Dalberg Global Development Advisors

Bruce Au is the director of North America operations at Dalberg Global Development Advisors, where he provides executive decision support to the US management team of the consultancy firm. Bruce is an expert in the areas of innovative financing as well as green and inclusive growth. He frequently advises clients on management, operational issues as well as strategy development and he has helped multilateral institutions to make better investment decisions through evaluation and lesson learning. In addition, he has conducted evaluations of the investments in China by the UK development finance institution CDC Group, as well as the China secured transaction project of the International Finance Corporation. Bruce holds a Master of Public Administration in International Development from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s in computer science and electrical engineering from MIT. He also contributes to China Daily on climate and international development issues.

Rainer Breul – Political Advisor, German Federal Foreign Office

Rainer Breul is a political advisor in the Office of the Minister in the German Federal Foreign Office. Previously, he worked in its Policy Planning Staff and in the Permanent Representation of Germany to the European Union, where he focused on the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy. Before joining the Foreign Office, he worked at the University of Constance, the United Nations General Secretariat and the German Bundestag. Rainer studied politics and management with a major in international organizations and European integration at the University of Konstanz, the University of Warwick and the Aix-en-Provence Institute of Political Studies.

Jeff Colgan – Assistant Professor, Brown University

Jeff D. Colgan is the Richard Holbrooke assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University. His research focuses on the causes of war and global energy politics. He is the author of two books, including Petro-Aggression: When Oil Causes War (Cambridge University Press, 2013). His article “Oil and Revolutionary Governments: Fuel for International Conflict” in International Organization won the 2010 Robert O. Keohane award for best article published by an untenured scholar. He previously taught at the School of International Service at the American University in Washington DC. Jeff has also worked at McKinsey and Company, the Brattle Group and the World Bank. He holds a PhD in politics and public policy from Princeton University, a master’s from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s in nuclear engineering from McMaster University.

Alfred Liangchun Deng – Policy Program Manager, WWF China

Alfred Liangchun Deng is a policy manager in the Climate and Energy Program at the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) China. He leads WWF China’s work on international climate negotiation in United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). He also works with the WWF global network and other partners to negotiate for a global climate policy deal at the Paris Conference of Parties (COP) 2015  and to engage key stakeholders in China. Alfred is also working on negotiations for a global deal to find market-based mechanisms to reduce emissions from international aviation, through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). He also oversees WWF China’s projects on the Chinese government’s low carbon policy and climate-resilience/adaptation processes, with particular focuses on China’s sustainable energy transition, covering fossil fuels control and renewable energy scale-up. Prior to joining WWF, Alfred worked with The Climate Group and ENSR/AECOM. He has 9 years of working experience in climate, energy and environment and is an environmental economist by training, holding a masters from Peking University.

Meron Hadero – Meijer Creative Writing Fellow, University of Michigan

Meron Hadero is currently a Meijer Creative Writing Fellow with the University of Michigan working on a novel and short story collection. Her writing experience includes residencies at Yaddo, Ragdale and MacDowell, grants through Artist Trust, the Elizabeth George Foundation, the International Institute at the University of Michigan and a range of freelance assignments. She was previously a research analyst for the Office of the President of Global Development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and has done work in human rights, international policy and African affairs both in the US and abroad. She has been a World Affairs Council Fellow and holds a master of fine arts in creative writing from the University of Michigan. She is a member of the Washington State Bar, received her JD from Yale Law School and AB from Princeton University.

Thomas Hale – Associate Professor, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

Thomas Hale is an associate professor at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. His research explores how transnational problems can be managed effectively and fairly. Thomas’ work seeks to explain how political institutions evolve, or do not evolve, to face the challenges raised by globalization and interdependence, particularly emphasizing environmental and economic issues. He holds a PhD in politics from Princeton University, a master’s degree in global politics from the London School of Economics, and a bachelor’s in public policy from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School. A US national, Thomas has studied and worked in Argentina, China, and Europe, and currently lives in London.

Arzu Hatakoy – Deputy Head, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Arzu Hatakoy is the deputy head of office at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Turkey, focusing on the Syria crisis. During the last seven years, she has served in various posts with the United Nations. Before joining the UN, Arzu worked as a negotiation consultant at the Kennedy School Negotiation project, training public and private sector clients on the Harvard Negotiation Concept throughout 2005 and 2006. During the same period, she served as a voluntary mediator in Boston, Massachusetts, in small claims courts through the Harvard Mediation Program. In addition, Arzu has experience in development consulting and as a researcher with various academic institutions. She holds a PhD from the Free University of Berlin, a master’s in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a master’s in political science from the Paris Institute of Political Studies Sciences Po.

Shixin Jiao – Associate Professor, Institute of International Relations Studies, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences

Shixin Jiao is an associate professor at the Institute of International Relation Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Science (SASS). His areas of expertise include international institutions, Sino-US relations global security governance, and the integration of East Asia and China in world affairs. He has published a book, The Trade-Off of Interests: the Role of the United States in China's Accession to International Mechanisms (World Affairs Press, 2009), as well as several academic articles in leading Chinese journals. From 2010 to 2011, Shixin was a visiting scholar at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also completed an advanced security course at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies at the US Department of Defense. He holds a master’s in political science from Hebei Normal University, and a PhD in international politics from Fudan University in Shanghai.

Katrin Kinzelbach – Associate Director, Global Public Policy Institute

Katrin Kinzelbach is associate director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin and a visiting professor at the Central European University’s School of Public Policy in Budapest. Katrin joined GPPi after completing the GGF 2020 program, initially as a non-resident fellow while living in China from 2010 to 2012. Prior to joining GPPi, Katrin worked at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights and the United Nations Development Program as well as the UN’s Refugee Agency in Geneva and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in both Croatia (1999) and Bosnia and Herzegovina. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Vienna and also studied at the universities of Bonn and Florence as well as King’s College London.

Tobias Leipprand – LEAD - Mercator Capacity Building Center for Leadership & Advocacy

Tobias Leipprand is executive director of LEAD, the Mercator Capacity Building Center for Leadership and Advocacy. LEAD is a non-profit organization that offers free executive education in leadership and advocacy to non-profit executives, conducts research in these fields and hosts events. Prior to his position at LEAD, he was a member of the executive board at Stiftung Neue Verantwortung, a Berlin-based non-profit, independent think-tank, which he helped to build and where he researched contemporary leadership as well as sustainability in the context of urban planning. He also ran the organization's leadership program for its associates. Before joining Stiftung Neue Verantwortung, Tobias worked as a strategy consultant at McKinsey and Company focusing his consulting work on large-scale change and capacity building programs. Tobias holds a master's in theoretical physics from Cambridge University and a master in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was a McCloy Scholar. He also teaches applied leadership at Central European University's School of Public Policy within their Skills for Impact program. He writes on topics of contemporary leadership and sustainability, and his commentary has appeared in German and international newspapers. Tobias is a member of the advisory board of the Executive MBA “Leadership and Human Resources” at the Quadriga University of Applied Sciences Berlin. Following his belief that a more balanced life leads to better decision-making he practices and teaches yoga.

André Lieber – Desk Officer, German Federal Ministry of Finance

André Lieber is a desk officer at the German Federal Ministry of Finance, focusing on policy planning and strategy. André previously worked for a member of the German Bundestag, the Sino-German Economic and Structural Reform Program in Beijing for the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and UNESCO in Paris. He holds a diploma in economics from the University Witten/Herdecke where he is also a PhD candidate.

Yaping Lou – Teacher, Shenzhen University

Yaping Lou is a teacher of Shenzhen University in Shenzhen. Her research interests focus on US foreign economic policies and Sino-US relations. Previously, she was involved in two research programs: “US Foreign Economic Policy” and “US Economic Diplomacy.” Yaping authored a number of articles that were published in leading Chinese journals. She has also been active in several academic programs, including the 2009 Center for Strategic and International Studies’ 2nd Young Leaders Forum Shanghai and the 2009 Fulbright American Studies Research Institute in China program. She holds a master’s from Shenzhen University and a doctorate from Fudan University.

Scott Moore – International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

Scott Moore is an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to his work with CFR, he was a Giorgio Ruffolo postdoctoral research fellow with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. His research examines water resource politics and policy with a particular focus on water rights trading programs and the South-North Water Transfer project in China. Previously, he worked at the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution and at the US Department of Energy's China Office. Scott holds a PhD in politics and a master’s in environmental change and management from the University of Oxford as well as a bachelor’s degree from Princeton. He is a Truman, Fulbright and Rhodes Scholar and intends to pursue a career bridging scholarship and policy.

Swati Mylavarapu – International Business Operations, Square Inc.

Swati Mylavarapu is part of the International Business team at Square Inc., a company that facilitates commerce, offering simple and affordable tools to businesses of all sizes to help them start, run, and grow. Swati particularly focuses on the company's growth efforts in Canada, which include operations, new product efforts, and partnerships. Prior to joining Square Inc., Swati was head of business operations and sales and part of the founding team at the data science company Quid. She was also part of the founding team for Google.org, Google's in-house philanthropic arm, where she focused on mobile products and services for emerging markets. Swati holds degrees in Economics and History from Harvard and Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.

Ely Ratner – Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow in China Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

Ely Ratner is the Maurice R. Greenberg senior fellow in China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. His work focuses on U.S.-China relations, regional security in East Asia, and U.S. national security policy. From 2015 to 2017, he served as the deputy national security advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, covering the global portfolio with particular focus on Asia and China policy, the South China Sea, North Korea, and US alliances in Asia. Prior to joining the executive office of the vice president, he was senior fellow and deputy director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Previously, he served on the China Desk at the State Department as the lead political officer covering China’s external relations in Asia. He also worked as an associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation and as a professional staff member on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His commentary and research have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Washington Quarterly, The National Interest, Democracy, Journal of Conflict Resolution, International Studies Quarterly and The Chinese Journal of International Politics. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.

A. Gabriel von Roda – Social Entrepreneur

Gabriel von Roda is based out of Chile, working in foreign-invested enterprises that manage investments in the energy and mining sector. Previously, he was a fellow at Harvard’s Committee on Regional Studies and a visiting researcher at Zhejiang University on a Chinese Scholarship Council grant from 2010 until 2011. He has also served as an adviser to the Colombo-based Mahatma Gandhi Centre, and worked with Chatham House, the German Mission to the UN as well as a Sri Lankan humanitarian NGO offering post-Tsunami assistance. Gabriel holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a master’s in economic history, and bachelor’s degrees in politics, Southeast Asian studies, and Mandarin from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.

D. Rajeev Sibal – Economist, London-based Investment Firm

Rajeev Sibal is an economist at an investment firm in London. Previously, he was a principal at Fenrix, a boutique advisory/consulting firm in London.  He began his career in banking with Citi in New York and Atlanta.  He wrote his PhD at the London School of Economics on market structures and firm incentives, with a particular focus on emerging markets. He also holds a MSc in international political economy from LSE and BSc degrees from Georgia Tech in industrial/systems engineering, economics and international affairs.

Jin Wang – Assistant Research Professor, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations

Jin Wang is an assistant research professor at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), where she also holds a PhD. She focuses her research on Sino-US relations and US foreign policy. Jin has published several articles on terrorism and on the Iran nuclear crisis. Before joining CICIR, she held a teaching position at the China Institute of Defense Science and Technology and interned at the Beijing TV Station and Xinhua News Agency. She holds a bachelor’s in history from Shandong University as well as a master’s in international relations from the School of International Studies at Peking University.

Liang Wang – Special Assistant to the Vice President for Change, Knowledge and Learning, World Bank

Liang Wang is the special assistant to the vice president for Change, Knowledge and Learning at the World Bank in Washington, DC. In his work, he also focuses on Africa, including Nigeria, Tanzania, and Guinea Bissau. Previously, he worked with the managing director overseeing the World Bank’s investments and operations in Africa, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia. Prior to joining the World Bank, Liang worked with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, the UN Development Programme in Beijing, Greenpeace in Hong Kong, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. His articles have been published in The Washington Quarterly, The South China Morning Post, and The Straits Times. Liang holds a master’s from George Washington University, a Master of Philosophy from the University of Hong Kong, and a bachelor’s from the Foreign Affairs College in Beijing. He has also studied at Sciences Po in France and the University of Oslo in Norway.

Zachary Wasserman – PhD candidate, Yale University

Zachary Wasserman is a PhD candidate in history at Yale University. His dissertation, “Invading the Living Room: Silicon Valley and the Reinvention of American Politics,” reframes the history of the United States during the Cold War by relating the rise of the Silicon Valley to the collapse of New Deal liberalism and the emergence of a durable, center-right consensus in American politics. He is also an advisor to a growing transportation technology company. Before beginning graduate school, Zack co-founded and managed Pacific Stainless, an international specialty steel firm with operations in China, the Philippines, and the United States. He holds three graduate degrees from Yale University and a bachelor’s from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

Ting Xu – Co-Founder and Director of Advisory, Aetos Strategy & Advisory, Hong Kong

Ting Xu is Co-Founder and Director of Advisory at Aetos Strategy and Advisory in Hong Kong. Prior to founding Aetos, she was a senior project manager for the Bertelsmann Foundation in Washington, DC, worked on several sustainable development projects at the World Bank and was a member of the World Bank team on Wenchuan Earthquake Emergency Relief and Reconstruction in 2008. She also worked for the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Washington, DC and for the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo and originally started her career as an account executive for Dentsu Inc. Since then, she has published a number of texts, including China’s Rise and the Emerging G3 Global Framework. Ting holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Beijing Normal University and a master’s in international economics and international affairs from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. She was a graduate fellow of the United Nations Association.

Xiaozhou Yang – Opinion Editor, Oriental Morning Post

Xiaozhou Yang is an opinion editor on world affairs for the Oriental Morning Post, a leading Chinese news agency based in Shanghai. In this capacity, she has established a dynamic network of International Relations scholars in China and interviewed people from a number of international organizations including Greenpeace, Doctors Without Borders and the World Health Organization. Xiaozhou also authored academic articles on French foreign policy during the Iraq crisis and on the role of inter-regionalism in the global order. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in law with a focus on international relations from the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University. Her master’s thesis was entitled The Problem-Solving Negotiation and Sino-EU Trade Disputes: The Case of Sino-European Textile Disputes Negotiation in 2005.