Yang Rui is China’s answer to Larry King. Direct and incisive, he focuses on the global trends behind the daily headlines. He is the global voice of New China.

At a time when world perspectives have been largely monopolized by western views and preconceptions, Yang Rui brings the views of a vigorous New China to the discussion table. An unapologetic patriot and passionate journalist, Yang Rui presents China’s accomplishments, challenges and future from the Chinese perspective.

As the senior global broadcast journalist for CCTV News International, which broadcasts to over 100 countries and regions to over 85 million viewers, Yang Rui interviews the people influencing and implementing global policy; as world events unfold he unravels the threads which link these events; and where there are dialogues involving China and its interests, he is there as a moderator.

Yang Rui was educated in China and abroad, and has been named the “hope of Chinese media” by Germany’s Der Spiegel. Within China, he has been given numerous awards and honors including China’s highest award for “Best Anchor in Asia”.

Yang Rui left CCTV in May 2020 and became the partner of International business of TMT Post, as well as the Senior Partner of an influence and potential Network Education Group.

Honors：
− Best Anchor prize of China Central Television in 2011
− Tsinghua University, Honorary Professor of International Journalis
− Shanghai International Studies University, Honorary Professor of Media Studies
− Top-ten hosts of China Central Television in 2004
− Special Prize winner, CNN World Report in 1998
− Winner of national Golden Micro-phone Best Anchor Contest
− Named to the list of 60 Best Anchors in 60 Years in 2009
− East China Normal University, Honorary Professor of School of Communications

Svein began as Managing Director of Nordic Innovation in 2017. Before that, he held various positions in Innovation Norway, including Senior Vice President and Regional Director.

Svein has also been CEO of The Norwegian Seafood Council and an Advisor in the Norwegian Ministry for Local Government. He holds a master’s degree in economics from The University of Oslo.

Chairman of World Green design Organization, Former Counselor of the State Council, Former Secretary-General of Ministry of Science & Technology. Mr. Shi also serves as the Chairman of China Renewable Energy Society.

Mr. Shi has long been responsible for the research and formulation of strategies and policies for energy, science and technology management, and technology development, He has taken part in the implementation of the Seventh Five-Year-Plan of national economy and the Plan of Technology Development 2000, Mr. Shi has also contributed to the formulation of technology programmes and the implementation of key technology projects in hi-tech areas for the Eighth, Ninth and Five-year-plans. He has been taking part in various hi-tech industrialization programmes, such as High &New Technology Industries Development Zones, enterprise incubation, Productivity Centers and technology and innovation engineering.

Ms. Signe Brudeset is Ambassador of Norway to China and Mongolia and has previously been Ambassador of Norway to Japan. Ms. Brudeset has served in several senior positions within the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Director in the Section for Middle East and North Africa and Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq. Ms. Brudeset has also been Deputy Director in the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General. Ms. Brudeset holds a MSc degree in Business Administration from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), with additional studies in international business and marketing from University of Barcelona. She has studied Chinese language at universities in Oslo and Taipei.

Kari Nessa Nordtun was elected Mayor of Stavanger on 21th October 2019. She represents the Labour Party, and is now serving her first four-year term as Stavangers’s 53rd mayor. Prior to her election as mayor, Nordtun served for 8 years in Stavanger Municipal Council.
She has been a member of the Municipal Executive Presidency since 2013 and a Municipal Executive Board member since 2015. Nordtun has a law degree from the University of Bergen, and during her time in university she worked with pro bono legal advice. She also studied European law in Brussels.

Kim has a background with Urban development in Denmark and Urban Management in the Netherlands. The last five years he has worked with smart city strategies and smart city initiatives for the City of Copenhagen in Copenhagen Solutions Lab. Kim combines his experience from previous jobs into transforming the smart city visions and strategies of Copenhagen into real solutions. Kim is, among other things, member of the board for the Danish smart city network for organizations in Denmark and is also founding partner and chairman of the Nordic Smart City Network with 20 Nordic Cities.

Zhang Li is the Dean / Professor of Architecture in the School of Architecture, Vice Principal in THADI, Tsinghua University, China. He also leads the design office Atelier TeamMinus in Beijing. He is a currently a standing board member of the Architectural Society of China, Alternate Council Member of UIA, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese magazine World Architecture.

Zhang Li’s is the founder and a main advocator of Urban Ergonomics, an inter-disciplinary domain focusing on human body and space, and the design of active urban spaces.

Zhang Li’s design works cover a wide range of scales, from urban designs, buildings to micrososm interventions. All of his works adopt the principles of Urban Ergonomics, and try to establish sustainable solutions through the re-connection of the human body and the environment. His best internationally known works include a visitor centre to the Jianamani stone pile in Tibet (2013), a youth camp in a seaside community (2017), and the iconic Olympic big-air slope in an industrial heritage (2019)..

Zhang Li is also an active promoter of contemporary Chinese architecture on the international stage.  He has curated many exhibitions, competitions and publications centred around Chinese cities and architecture. He is committed to promote UN and UIA values, particularly SDG awareness in China.

Zhang Li has been a visiting professor in Politecnico   di Torino (2017), Syracuse University (2012), and NUS (2010). He has been invited to lecture in GSD, HKU, Berlage, and many other institutions.

Zhang Li and Atelier TeamMinus have won Zomtobel Group Award for Young Practice (Frankfurt, 2017), ArchMarathon Best Art and Culture Building (Milan, 2014), AR+D Highly Commended (London, 2013), along with multiple Chinese national awards. Zhang Li is also deeply involved in important state-sponsored projects in China. He is currently the Architect-in-Chief of Zhangjiakou Zone, and Shougang Big Air, both for Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. He is also the curator of China Pavilion in Venice Architecture Biennale 2020

Malin is a Senior Advisor for Design and Architecture Norway (DOGA). She works with innovative urban and local development, and how interaction between people and technology can contribute to smarter and more sustainable cities and places. Malin holds a Master’s Degree in political communication from Aarhus University in Denmark.

Bjarne Uldal is a brand & business innovator who, over the last 25 years, has been involved in more than 30 start-ups, both as an investor, business developer and brand consultant.  Marrying a deep knowledge of branding with a hands-on approach to entrepreneurship, Bjarne has earned a reputation as a creative, commercially oriented person, who’s always on the lookout for points of differentiation that can be accentuated by compelling storytelling.

Bjarne is one of the co-founders of Nordic Edge, the official Norwegian innovation cluster on smarter cities and communities, and the organizer of the Nordic Edge Expo – the largest annual conference and exhibition in the Nordics on Smart City trends, methodology, new innovation and technology.

In his capacity of being the Chief Innovation Officer at Nordic Edge, Bjarne is responsible for establishing innovation partnerships with companies, organizations and academic institutions around Europe, in China and in the US. Bjarne has also been the main facilitator of the process leading up to the launch of the national Smart Roadmap for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities last year. Furthermore Bjarne acts as a facilitator and advisor to a number of cities and municipalities who are determined to build smarter and more sustainable communities.

Zhang Fan is Chairman and CEO of Inspur Zhuoshu Big Data Industry Development Co. Ltd., Honorary architect of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ITSS committee (unique in Shandong), Director of Shandong Blockchain Laboratory, and Chairman of Qingdao Big Data Promotion Association Shibei Branch.

Mr. Fan was hired as the special expert of Hainan Big Data Association. One of “Qingdao Top Talents of Science and Technology”, and “Special Contributors of Jinan Annual Economic Influencers”.

Science research direction: cloud computing; technology & software engineering regarding big data; blockchain; smart city; operation and maintenance management; e-government, and approaches to promote the integration of the new-generation IT and the real economy.

Mr Rusdal holds a graduate degree from the University of Oslo (cand. real. (M. Sc.)). He has been active within the newspaper and media business for over 20 years, as co-owner and CEO of Nordsjø Media AS. He has also served as Chief Editor of the Group’s main title Jærbladet. He retired from the Group in 2019.

He was President of the Norwegian Media Businesses’ Association (MBL)  2008-2010 (Board member from 1999) and subsequently President of the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) 2010-2015 (Board member from 2005).

Mr Rusdal was Chairman of the Board of Lyse AS – the regional hydroelectric and telecom company, owned by 16 municipalities in the Stavanger region – in the period 2008-2015 (Board member from 1998) Lyse AS was one of the founders of Nordic Edge AS.

Since 2015, Mr Rusdal has been Chairman of the Board of Nordic Edge AS, the organisers of Nordic Edge – Conference and Expo, and the hub of an ecosystem of activities: The Smart City cluster, Innoasis and international activities.