Achmea is part of Eureko, a leading European conglomerate in financial services. Eureko is the holding company for a group of strong insurance brands in 11 countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey, and, since 2008, Russia. Eureko is a cooperative organization. As a result, the company's mindset is a balanced stakeholder approach, rather than a focus primarily on shareholders. Eureko's goal is to create value for all its equally important stakeholders: customers, distribution partners, shareholders, and employees. Eureko's core business is insurance—life, non-life, and health—and services relating to pensions and health. Eureko has over 10 billion euro revenue, and has close to 24,000 employees.

Jeroen van Breda Vriesman, member of the board of Achmea, held various positions in financial services before being appointed chairman of Division Occupational Health in 2004. He became chairman of Division Achmea Health in 2006. As of October 2008, he became a member of the Executive Board of Eureko. His core responsibilities include Health, Life & Pensions and Group Information Management & Technology.

With more than 6 million customers and nearly 21,000 employees, Cox Communications is the third-largest cable entertainment and broadband services provider in the United States. It is part of Cox Enterprises, founded in 1898 by James M. Cox, who served three terms as governor of Ohio and eventually ran in the 1920 U.S. presidential election as the Democratic Party nominee. In that same year, Gov. Cox purchased his first newspaper, the Dayton (OH) Evening News—the first step in creating the company that is Cox Enterprises today—a company with extensive interests in newspapers, television, radio, and automobile auctions and broadband residential and commercial services. The company proudly emphasizes its focus on customer care, which has led to industry accolades in customer satisfaction. Cox Communications is the only communications company to win top satisfaction honors in video, Internet, phone, and business categories.

William (Bill) J. Fitzsimmons is chief accounting officer of Cox Communications Inc. Fitzsimmons is responsible for overseeing all aspects of accounting and financial planning, including accounts payable, property, financial systems, general ledger, tax, budgeting and forecasting, internal reporting and analysis, program cost accounting, and payroll tax reporting. Since joining Cox in 1993, Mr. Fitzsimmons has built extensive experience with the company, both in the field and on the corporate level.

Global Soft Commodities Singapore (GSCS) has been in business since 1989. With more than 8,000 employees worldwide, the company operates an integrated supply chain for 20 products in over 60 countries worldwide, delivering these products to over 4,500 customers in over 60 destination markets. The soft commodities in which the company trades include wood, rice, cotton, coffee, cashew, and others. The integrated supply chain is managed from origination to processing, logistics, marketing, and distribution. This allows GSCS to achieve operational efficiencies, add value, and manage the various risks along the entire supply chain, enabling the company to appropriate the margins that exist in each part of the supply chain.

The COO is responsible for finance, the products portfolio, and a number of the regions in which the company is active.

Publishing Corp. is the largest publishing group in one of the English-speaking countries. The group has interests in newspapers, magazines, Internet businesses, book publishing, printing plants, and distribution companies. Millions of its magazines are sold on a monthly basis. Publishing Corp.'s Internet business reaches more than half of the country's online population. Publishing Corp. currently publishes more than 60 magazine titles, and has licensing agreements with international titles. The company's roots go back to the early twentieth century.

The company's CIO started out as a practicing engineer before he moved into the world of IT. He has kept his academic involvement alive as a part-time lecturer.

Central banks are responsible for safeguarding financial stability. This central bank in one of the European countries (which I refer to as NCB, for National Central Bank, to distinguish it from the European Central Bank) has a broad set of responsibilities. First, its monetary policy is aimed at creating price stability. In cooperation with all other central banks, and the European Central Bank, inflation is controlled through the interest rates. NCB also exercises oversight of all payment systems in the country, and is responsible for the circulation of cash. NCB is also responsible for the prudential supervision of the country's banks. Finally, NCB acts as an advisor to the national government on monetary policy and on other social and economic matters.

After a career in academia, the official I interviewed has had multiple roles in NCB for the past ten years. Currently, he is responsible for macro-prudential analysis, evaluating the health, soundness, and vulnerabilities of the country's financial system, for instance, by performing stress tests and scenario analysis. He characterizes NCB as a nuclear plant and a university within the same building. Payment systems operations can be compared to the nuclear plant. Absolutely no errors are permitted in managing the flow of cash money, from printing the money, to regulating its circulation, to the destruction of it at the end of its lifecycle. At the same time, NCB needs to be open. It is of paramount importance that decisions are not based on perceived wisdom, but are open to challenge. In this respect, the environment is more academic in nature. Moreover, for any regulator to remain healthy, there needs to be some degree of transparency that allows criticism. As a consequence, NCB's researchers are allowed to publish all their research, and cooperation with academia is strongly encouraged.

Novozymes is the world leader in bioinnovation, holding more than 6,000 patents. It has been in business since 1939, for many years as a division in a larger company focusing on producing insulin. Following an IPO and demerger in 2000, the company today successfully produces industrial enzymes, microorganisms, and biopharmaceutical ingredients. Enzymes are proteins that are naturally found in all living organisms and act as catalysts in transforming one substance into another, for instance, in breaking down waste. Proteins created by fermenting microorganisms or animal cells provide ingredients for medication produced by the biopharmaceutical industry. In 2008, Novozymes, headquartered in Denmark, reported 8,146 million Danish kroner revenue, which is over U.S.$1.5 billion. With more than 5,000 employees worldwide, the company offers more than 700 products sold in 130 countries.

Most members of the executive team, led by CEO Steen Riisgaard, have a tenure of more than 20 years, and the average staff tenure within the company is 10 years. Other characteristics that would define Novozymes' culture are being very collaborative and group and relationship oriented, and a "no-BS" attitude. You have to know your stuff in order to be taken seriously.

Polycom is the global leader in telepresence, video, and voice solutions. Voice solutions and videoconferencing systems include equipment for audio conferences, ranging from the desktop to the conference room, to enable more productive meetings and allow people to collaborate over large distances. Telepresence solutions represent the top of the range, providing what Polycom calls the "RealPresence Experience," with a natural, "across-the-table" experience where every meeting participant is shown in true-to-life dimensions—just as if you were all in the same room. Polycom, founded in 1990 and having gone public in 1996, has more than 2,500 employees worldwide and revenues of over $1 billion. With Polycom technology, customers can save significantly on travel costs, lower their carbon footprint, and enable global collaboration.

Heidi Melin joined Polycom in September 2007 as senior vice president and chief marketing officer. She is responsible for Polycom's marketing strategy, which includes global branding and corporate identity, field and channel marketing, corporate communications, analyst relations, enterprise solutions, demand generation, and events.

Vopak's history goes back to 1616, when the world-renowned Dutch East Indies Company was flourishing, bringing in coffee, tea, and spices from the Far East and making the Netherlands a rich and powerful nation. The speed of its growth necessitated smooth and effective transshipment and storage infrastructures at the Dutch harbors. Groups of weigh-house porters joined forces to offer the necessary services, including weighing, sorting, and storage. Today, Vopak is the world's largest provider of conditioned storage facilities for bulk liquids. Through 79 terminals in 31 countries, the company covers the world's major shipping lanes for oil products, petrochemicals, biofuels, vegetable oils, and liquefied natural gas. Vopak employs more than 3,500 people, and its revenue for 2008 was €923.5 million.

Jack de Kreij is a member of the executive board since 2003 and the company's chief financial officer. As a former partner at PwC, he specializes in mergers and acquisitions. Ton van Dijk is Vopak's chief information officer. He is an expert in IT architecture and governance and a specialist in lean process improvement.

General D.L. (Dick) Berlijn began his military career in 1969 at the Royal Military Academy in Breda. In 1973, he began his military pilot training in Canada, where he received his wings in 1975. He then did his conversion training for the NF-5 at Twenthe Air Base in the Netherlands. In 1976, he transferred to Leeuwarden Air Base for conversion to the F-104 Starfighter. He later trained as a weapons instructor. In 1981, he received conversion training for the F-16. From 1983 to 1985, he was operations officer and then commander of the Transition and Conversion Division at Leeuwarden Air Base. In 1986, as a member of the "Ready Team," he monitored 315 Squadron's conversion from the NF-5 to the F-16. In 1987, he was supervisor of the multinational Fighter Weapon Instruction Training (FWIT) in Denmark, a specialist weapon training course for experienced fighter pilots. In 1988, he was stationed at the Tactical Air Command, as head of the Fighter Weapon Branch. From 1989 to 1991, he attended the Advanced Staff Course at the Air Force Staff College. This was followed by a post as head of the Operations and Training Section at the Royal Netherlands Air Force Staff. From August 1992, he was chief of flying operations at Twenthe Air Base. In that capacity, he was tasked with the air base's operational preparations for Operation Deny Flight. From April to October 1993, he was commander of the first F-16 detachment deployed to Italy. In 1994, he became head of the Fighter Operations Division, and then in 1995, deputy chief (Operations) of the Royal Netherlands Air Staff, holding the rank of Air Commodore. In 1997, as deputy chief (Operations) of the Defense Staff, his tasks included heading the Defense Crisis Management Centre. In November 1998, he was appointed commander of the Tactical Air Force, ranked as Major General. On March 24, 2000, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Royal Netherlands Air Force and on June 24, 2004 he took over as chief of the Defense Staff, and was promoted to general. In 2005 General Berlijn became the First Commander of the Dutch Armed Forces. Currently, Mr. Berlijn holds the position of Senior Board Advisor at Deloitte Consulting, specialized in safety, strategy, and international collaboration.

Decorations

Nirmal Singh Hansra, based in Australia, has more than 35 years of experience as a chief financial officer and finance director in various business functions, including R&D, manufacturing, sales and marketing, distribution, and services, across varied industries: IT&T, FMCG, Chemicals, Pharmaceutical, Retail, Agriculture, and Rental Financing. The companies he has worked with and for have operations in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South and East Africa, the United Kingdom, and North America. Mr. Hansra has significantly contributed to M&A activity, including preparation of bidders/target statements, cost synergy assessment, business restructure and change management, board response committees, and so on. Today, Mr. Hansra is a business advisor for various firms at the board and executive management level, covering financial and strategic business management as well as setting up or improving performance of audit, investment, and remuneration board committees.

Dr. Edmund Stoiber is former minister-president of the state of Bavaria, Germany, and former chairman of the German political party, Christian Social Union (CSU).

In 1978, Dr. Stoiber was elected secretary general of the CSU, a post he held until 1982–1983. From 1982 to 1986, he served as Bavarian secretary of state, and then as minister of state until 1988. From 1988 to 1993, he served as minister of the interior in Bavaria. In May 1993, the Bavarian Landtag (parliament) elected him as minister-president, a role he would fill until 2007. Currently, Dr. Stoiber is the honorary chairman of the CSU, and chairman of the High Level Expert Group on Administrative Burdens of the European Union. As a keen football (soccer) fan, Dr. Stoiber also serves as co-chairman on the Advisory Council of FC Bayern Munich.