Chung Min Lee is a senior fellow in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is a council member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). From 2013 to 2016, he served as ambassador for national security affairs for South Korea, and from 2010 to 2011 as ambassador for international security affairs. Prior to joining Carnegie, he taught for twenty years at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) in Yonsei University in Seoul. Lee works primarily on Asian security with a focus on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula. He closely follows defense planning, force structures, military strategies and weapons systems, domestic political trends, net assessment in conflict-prone areas, and political-military intelligence estimates in key Asian states. Lee is also an avid follower of European political and security developments through his long-term association with the IISS.

D. B. Venkatesh Varma is a distinguished fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi. He served in the Indian Foreign Service from 1988 to 2021, during which he worked in the office of the External Affairs Minister and the Prime Minister’s Office, and as India’s ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, the Kingdom of Spain, and the Russian Federation. He has vast experience in India’s security and defense policies and served as joint secretary in charge of disarmament and international security in the Ministry of External Affairs. Varma was the first recipient of the S. K. Singh Award for Excellence in the Indian Foreign Service in 2011 for his contribution to the negotiations of the civil nuclear initiative. He is a visiting professor at School of International Studies, Jawaharlala Nehru University; National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore; Kautilya School of Public Policy; and associate fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. He is a member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.

Jakob Hensing is a research fellow at the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin, where he focuses on the intersection of economic and security policy. His work looks at how power and security considerations are reshaping the global economy, especially in terms of competition and collaboration on critical and emerging technologies. He is also interested in the political economy of violent crises and stabilization efforts, and in the relationship between business and the state in different political settings. Jakob’s experience comprises more than five years working as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and at Orphoz Public, McKinsey’s dedicated public sector branch in Germany. Jakob earned his doctorate from the University of Oxford, where he had previously also completed the MPhil in international relations.

James Crabtree is a distinguished visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Crabtree is a geopolitical analyst and author with extensive experience living and working in Asia, and a columnist for Foreign Policy. His book The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India’s New Gilded Age, was short-listed as a Financial Times & McKinsey business book of the year. Prior to joining the ECFR, he was the Singapore-based executive director of the Institute of International Strategic Studies in Asia, where he led the organisation of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit, and an associate professor in practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School, Asia’s leading school of public policy. Crabtree previously worked as a senior advisor in the UK prime minister’s Strategy Unit, under Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.

Manuel Kilian is managing director of the Global Government Technology Centre (GGTC) in Berlin, a collaboration between GovTech Campus Germany and the World Economic Forum. He previously founded and served as CEO of GovMind, a leading provider of GovTech intelligence, which he sold in 2024. Prior to that, Manuel worked as an investment manager in the FinTech space, as a principal at Axel Springer's technology consultancy and as chief of staff to the President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). He also gained experience as a guest researcher at the UK Cabinet Office. Manuel holds a Master of Philosophy in Public Policy from the University of Cambridge and completed earlier studies at Lund University, Maastricht University, and Sciences Po. His career has focused on driving innovation and fostering technology adoption in the public sector.

NSN Murty is the Government and Public Services leader for Deloitte Technology & Transformation. He has over 24 years of experience working with India’s central government and state departments around digital public infrastructure/digital public goods, AI-driven transformation, digital modernization, smart infrastructure, sustainability, and public policy. He is also the marketing, brand, and communications leader for Deloitte Consulting.​ Murty has worked on several first-of-its-kind projects and has rich experience in smart mobility, InfraTech, public safety and security, integrated command and control centers, smart utilities, public policy, and citizen service delivery. He has led Smart City implementation for more than 30 cities, assisting in developing their vision, goals, and blueprint. He is experienced in implementing solutions across domains such as integrated command and control center, surveillance, traffic, and water management. Muthy has also advised various governments and cities on PPP projects.

Russell Woruba serves as the chief technology officer for the Government of Papua New Guinea, leading key initiatives to modernize and digitalize public services. He has extensive experience in technology management, risk assessment, and business development, underpinned by a Master of Science in Internetworking from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Communications from the Papua New Guinea University of Technology. In his current role, Russell champions the adoption of the GovStack and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) approach to ensure scalable and citizen-focused digital solutions. He is overseeing the delivery of the SevisPNG project, which targets the enrollment of 5 million Digital ID users by 2026, advancing accessibility and efficiency in government services. His work is aligned with global best practices, aiming to create an inclusive and sustainable digital transformation framework for Papua New Guinea.

Raj Shukla is a former army commander with over four decades of distinguished service in the Indian Army, across operational, ideational, and training assignments. Shukla has made noteworthy contributions to the development of India’s strategic-military futures, technological innovation, professional military education, capacity building, operational poise, and civil-military fusion. A combat aviator and accomplished public speaker, the officer has an abiding interest in strategic-military affairs. He has published more than 74 articles in journals and prominent dailies. He has also lectured and participated in over 383 talks, seminars, and events in India and abroad. He is a distinguished fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) and was elected to the Executive Council of the USI in January 2023. He was appointed to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in July 2022.

Shankar Maruwada is a social entrepreneur and the CEO of EkStep Foundation, which he co-founded in 2015 with Nandan Nilekani and Rohini Nilekani. With nearly three decades of experience spanning corporate, entrepreneurial, government, and development sectors, Shankar specializes in catalyzing population-scale societal transformation leveraging technology. At EkStep, he champions innovative solutions using digital public infrastructure, open digital networks, and Artificial Intelligence to impact billions, collaborating with governments, businesses, non-profits, and academia. A founding member of Aadhaar’s success, Shankar was responsible for the name itself, and led its demand generation, communication and data modeling efforts. He has served on multiple government committees and task forces on digital transformation and education, including DIKSHA, NDEAR, and the National Curriculum Framework. An IIT Kharagpur and IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, Shankar also co-founded, and successfully exited, Marketics, one of India’s first data analytics startups. He also mentors emerging leaders in the social and entrepreneurial sectors

Ajay Kumar is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie India. He served as the defense secretary of India between August 2019 and October 2022 and is the longest serving secretary in Ministry of the Defence, where he also served as secretary in the Department of Defence Production. As the defense secretary of India, Kumar was the key architect for several major transformations including restructuring of higher defense management in the country, formation of the chief of defense staff in the Indian Armed Forces, and the launch of Agniveer scheme. He was among the key decision-makers who successfully managed the tense stand-off on Indo-China Line of Actual control resulting after the Galwan incident of 2020. Kumar is credited with having transformed the defense industry ecosystem under AtmaNirbhar Bharat. He also originated the Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme—a start-up ecosystem which today powers new technologies in defence, space, drones, artificial intelligence, and more.

Ashley J. Tellis is a senior fellow and the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, specializing in international security and U.S. foreign and defense policy with a special focus on Asia and the Indian subcontinent. While on assignment to the U.S. Department of State as senior adviser to the undersecretary of state for political affairs, he was intimately involved in negotiating the civil nuclear agreement with India. Previously he was commissioned into the U.S. Foreign Service and served as senior adviser to the ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. He also served on the National Security Council staff as special assistant to President George W. Bush and senior director for strategic planning and Southwest Asia. Prior to his government service, Tellis was senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation and professor of policy analysis at the RAND Graduate School.

Janka Oertel is director of the Asia programme and senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She has worked at various think tanks, including the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP Berlin) and the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Dr Oertel’s research covers topics related to EU-China relations, US-China relations, security in the Asia-Pacific region, Chinese foreign policy, 5G and emerging technologies, as well as climate cooperation. In August 2023, she published her book "End of the China Illusion. How we must deal with Beijing's claim to power" by Piper in Germany.

C. Raja Mohan is a Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a Visiting Research Professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, where he previously served as Director. He was the founding Director of Carnegie India and has held academic positions at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore. Mohan has been associated with Indian think tanks such as the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, the Observer Research Foundation, and the Centre for Policy Research. He served on India's National Security Advisory Board and was the Henry Alfred Kissinger Chair in International Affairs at the U.S. Library of Congress from 2009 to 2010. His research focuses on Asian geopolitics, Indian foreign and security policies, and the global governance of new technologies. A regular columnist for Foreign Policy and The Indian Express, his notable works include "Samudra Manthan: Sino- Indian Rivalry in the Indo-Pacific" (2012) and "Modi’s World: Expanding India's Sphere of Influence" (2015). In 2016, he was awarded the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour).

Yushi Nagano is the head of the JICA DXLab, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and is a seasoned development practitioner at JICA. Having worked at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and International Finance Corporation (IFC), Nagana has engaged in large public/private infrastructure projects, industry strategy and reform agendas in partner countries, ESG and impact investing, and digital transformation. He has initiated several flagship programs at JICA in the areas of innovative finance, sustainability, and digital. Over the past four years, Yushi has led the JICA’s digital transformation efforts for its 2,000+ portfolio projects across sectors and regions and established the JICA DXLab to accelerate the novel DPI/DPGs and AI agenda through flexible co-creation with the private sector. He was a speaker at multiple global fora including Responsible Investor Forum, 2X Global, Startup UN-COP, DPI/DPGs events, GPAI, etc. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Vinícius de Faria Silva has over 22 years of experience in innovations across various fields and countries. He began his career in Brazil with advanced computer science projects at ICMC-USP and manufacturing automation at USP São Carlos. Internationally, he has worked with intelligent agents in Germany and has engaged in algorithmic trading at UBS in the United States. In Brazil, he designed, implemented and deployed complex systems architectures for major companies like Bradesco, DrogaRaia, and Medial Saúde. In the public sector, Vinícius led initiatives such as automating the control of inbound and outbound people traffic at the Federal Police and applying machine learning to digital government and social policies. Through the Ministry of Planning, he introduced regulations for public cloud computing and agile methodologies and developed management frameworks adopted by multiple public agencies. He has also contributed to the design and construction of the National Innovation Strategy at the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI).

Vijay Gokhale is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie India. He retired from the Indian Foreign Service in January 2020 after a diplomatic career that spanned thirty-nine years. From January 2018 to January 2020, he served as the foreign secretary of India. Prior to his term as foreign secretary, he had served as India’s high commissioner to Malaysia from January 2010 to October 2013, as ambassador of India to the Federal Republic of Germany from October 2013 to January 2016, and as ambassador of India to the People’s Republic of China from January 2016 to October 2017. He has served as head of the India-Taipei Association, in Taiwan, from July 2003 to January 2007. During his time in the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs, he has also worked in key positions in the East Asia Division, including as the joint secretary (Director General) for East Asia from March 2007 to December 2009.

Shikoh Gitau is the CEO of Qhala, a leading digital innovation company transforming Africa. With over a decade of expertise in digital technologies, she drives digital transformation for organizations in Africa and emerging markets, focusing on sectors like agriculture, education, health, payments, retail, and renewable energies. She established Safaricom Alpha, Africa's first corporate innovation hub, serving as Head of Products – Innovation and Chief Innovation Officer, leading Safaricom's digital transformation. At the Africa Development Bank, she guided governments in adopting ICT for service delivery, developing the Digital Government Blueprint. Her experience at Google and Microsoft in emerging markets further bridges business, government, and technology. Gitau influences ICT companies, steering committees, and think tanks across Africa and technology. She advises governments on data and digital development policies and serves on the boards of WiDEF, Longhorn, Open Institute, ANU, and IPSL. Gitau has a PhD and MSc in Computer Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.