Keynote speakers

	Dr. Elmar Ledergerber was voted onto Zurich’s city council in 1998, elected Mayor in 2002, and reelected in 2006. Prior to that he was a member of the National Council for more than ten years, and Managing Director of an economic and political consultancy that addresses questions relating to ecology, economics and infrastructure. Elmar Ledergerber studied history at the University of Freiburg, and foreign trade economics at the University of St. Gallen, obtaining his doctorate in 1979.
	Prof. Dr. h.c. Lothar Späth has been Chairman of the Board of the investment bank Merrill Lynch for Germany and Austria since June 2005. Prior to that he spent ten years at Jenoptik GmbH – first as Managing Director then as Chairman of the Board – and was responsible for floating the company on the stock exchange. Lothar Späth was politically active for several years. Among other positions he held was that of Minister-President of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. He was made honorary professor of media studies and ‘Zeitdiagnostik’ by the Friedrich Schiller University and received honorary doctorates from the economics faculties of the Universities of Karlsruhe (D) and Pecs (Hungary). In addition to being an author and editor of numerous publications, Lothar Späth also presents talk shows.
	Dr. Kjell A. Nordström is the enfant terrible of the new world of business. He is ranked as ninth among management thinkers of the world. Kjell A. Nordström has 20 years of experience of working with multinational companies and has served as a consultant to several large multinationals and to Tony Blairs current government. He talks to audiences all over the world and his performances are dynamic, highly interactive, thought provoking and always in line with the times. Kjell A. Nordström holds a licentiate degree in economics and a doctoral degree from the Stockholm School of Economics. He is presently an associate professor at the Institute of International Business (IIB) at the Stockholm School of Economics.
	Cathy O’Dowd is the first woman who has conquered Mount Everest from both the north and south sides. Even as a child she dreamt of becoming a mountaineer. While finishing her master degree she was selected from 200 women to join the first-ever South African expedition to Mount Everest. She reached the summit on May 25, 1996. In 1998 she attempted to scale the mountain from the north side, only to have to call off the expedition just hours from the summit. She returned one year later to follow the same route and achieved her goal.