Marcus Andersson is the research manager at Geobrands, the leading place-branding consultancy in Sweden. He is currently advising the BaltMet Promo project on place-branding strategy and has previously worked for the Baltic Development Forum (BDF) on, among other things, the project aimed at building a brand for the Baltic Sea Region. He has formerly also worked for the European Commission and the Swedish Government.
He has conducted research on nation and region branding and been published in various international journals, including Place branding and Public Diplomacy, Journal of Place Management and Development and Crossing Perspectives – the Baltic Sea Region. He is a member of the expert group of the Berlin-based Association of Place Branding and Public Diplomacy and holds an MSc in Business and Economics and an MA in Political Science.

Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdottir has lived and worked in the UK for the last 16 years. After completing her MA studies in Radio at Goldsmith’s College, she worked in radio and TV constantly between 1992 and 1999.
In 1998, Anna started her own management and consultancy company, Hill Media, centred around female rock band Bellatrix; she has since worked with several Icelandic and UK bands as well as festivals and record labels.
Anna has also been an active member of the Music Managers Forum, the Association of Independent Music as well as the New Acoustic Music Association.
Be happy and enjoy the music!

Annika Sigurdardottir (b.1977) is since 2008 the Director of Internal Affairs at the United Nations of Norden. She earned her Doctorate in political history from Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies with a dissertation on Native Pragmatism: Historical Foundations and Future Challenges of Nordic Diplomacy. She is also the founding member of the Feminist Movement Theology at Harvard Divinity School. Currently, she divides her time traveling between US, Europe, and Japan - lecturing widely on cultural strategies and analysis as the acting Secretary General of the Swedish Colonial Society in Philadelphia and as the Nordic market researcher for Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçon. Annika was the mastermind behind Rei Kawakubo's recent "body meets dress dress meets body" series, and is working on the theme design of the brand's first flagship store opening in Stockholm scheduled for autumn 2010.

Bergljót Jónsdóttir has been the director of Nordic Culture Point since 1 April 2007. She is from Iceland and she has studied and worked for several years in various international contexts.

Bergljót Jónsdóttir (born 1954) performed her basic studies at the Reykjavik Conservatory. She has an MA in Music and Art Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, and a diploma in European Cultural Management. In 1986-1994 Bergljót Jónsdóttir served as director of the Iceland Music Information Centre and in 1995-2004 as director of the Bergen International Festival. Bergljót Jónsdóttir has also been a member of Arts Council Norway and a board member of the Norwegian National Opera and the National Museum in Oslo.

Nils Erik Forsgård, born 1968, docent in history of science, Director for Magma, the Swedish Think Tank in Finland. He has held positions as guest professor at Humboldt -Universität zu Berlin, professor in history at Helsinki University and published several books in Swedish.

Born 1945 in Flensburg, Northern Germany; studied political science, Nordic philology, philosophy, and psychology at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich; M.A. in 1972; doctor of philosophy in 1974, doctoral dissertation entitled: Die Politik des Einzelnen. Zur Genese der skandinavischen Ziviltheologie ; qualified as professor in 1984 on the basis of a second thesis, in Germany generally referred to as Habilitationsschrift , entitled: Der Wohlfahrtsstaat Schweden; 1985 Theodor-Eschenburg-price; visiting professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and guest lecturer at the universities of Zurich, Hamburg (University of the Bundeswehr ), Trier, Erlangen-Nürnberg and the Free University of Berlin (FU); 1991 Research Awardee of the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Foundation and the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Fund and fellow at the Swedish Collegium for the Advanced Study of the Social Sciences (SCASSS), Uppsala; 1992-2002 professor of Scandinavian studies and (founding) director of the Department of Northern European Studies , Head of the Baltic Sea School, Berlin ,2002: professor of political science, culture and politics in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea Region at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, Greifswald : 2002-03: director of the Alfried-Krupp-Wissenschaftskolleg, Greifswald ; 2004: visiting professor at the Centre for German Studies , Södertörn University College (Stockholm), and the International Science Centre (ISC) at Örebro University, Sweden; since 2005 honorary professor at the Department of Political Science , University of Copenhagen , and professor of Scandinavian and Cultural Studies at the Department for Northern European Studies, Humboldt University, Berlin .

Kökkenchef paa Restaurant Slotskökkenet, Dragsholm Slot, Danmark
Tidligere souschef paa restaurant NOMA Köbenhavn
Chef of the year food and Fun Reykjavik 2009.
www.dragsholm-slot.dk

Ted Hesselbom, Director of the Röhsska Museum, Sweden's only museum of Fashion, Design and Decorative Arts. The Röhsska Museum is located in Gothenburg. Ted Hesselbom is graphic designer educated at Konstfack, Stockholm. Member of the Slöjdföreningen/Board of Arts and Crafts Association, Paracas Foundation, Formmuseets Vänner/Design Museum's Friends, and the jury chairman of Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize.

Akademigastronom
Projektleder for Nordisk madkultur og Ny Nordisk Mad
Nordens Hus, Reykjavík Island
www.nordice.is

Katrín Jakobsdóttir is Iceland's Minister of Education, Science and Culture and the chair of the Ministers for Nordic Co-operation and the Nordic Council of Minsiters/Culture.

2004
Master’s Degree in Icelandic Literature from the University of Iceland.
1999
Bachelor’s Degree in Icelandic with French as minor subject from the University of Iceland. 1996
Professional experience
2009 -
Minister of Education, Science and Culture. 2009 -
Minister of Nordic Cooperation.
2007 -
Member of Althingi for the Reykjavík North Constituency representing the Left Green Movement.
2006 - 2007
Part-time lecturer at the University of Iceland, the University of Reykjavik and Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík.
2005 - 2006
Editorial work at the Publishing House Edda and JPV Publishing.
2004 - 2007
Teaching for the Institute of Continuing Education at the University of Iceland, various centers of continuing education and Mímir- Continuing Education.
2004 - 2006
Program planning for broadcasting and literary work for various media in Iceland.
1999 - 2003
Part-time linguistic adviser for the news departments at The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service as well as numerous summer jobs.

Luba Kuzovnikova, curator, is originally from North-West Russia.
Linguist from the Pomor University in Arkhangelsk, art history education at Utica College of Syracuse University, USA, at Tromsø University and at Copenhagen University. She has also got MA in Cultural Management from the Manchester University. In 2001 she established the Center for Contemporary Art, ArtHangar (2001-2004). MA in Cultural Management at Moscow School of Social and Economic Studies. Carried out art and cultural projects in Moscow and other cities in Russia, a.o. 2004- 2008 an annual international conference in Norilsk in Siberia for the Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation.
From autumn 2006 art director in Pikene på Broen (The Girls on the Bridge) – a company of art curators and producers, based in Kirkenes, north-east of Norway. Since 1996, Pikene på Broen have carried out art and culture projects with a border-crossing focus as their signature.

Head of International Affairs at the Swedish Arts Council since April 2008 , www.artscouncil.se.
Artistic and administrative director for the Swedish cultural center in Paris, France, Centre culturel suédois www.ccs.si.se and Counselor for Cultural Affairs at the Swedish Embassy in Paris 2002-2007.
Stockholm - Cultural Capital of Europe 1998, director for the Performing arts programme (1994-1999).
Ministry for Foreign Affairs - Artistic and administrative manager for the international cultural programme related to the Swedish EU Presidency in 2001.
Programming and communication at Kulturhuset/the Cultural Center in Stockholm, Dansens Hus in Stockholm, for several international festivals and collaborations in Sweden and producer for some huge scale international cultural events. Several residences in Japan including grants to study the performing arts sector.

Colin Mercer is an international expert in cultural mapping and cultural planning at local, regional and national levels. Having introduced the concepts and practice into Australia in 1990 he was responsible for the Brisbane Cultural Development Strategy in 1991, the Joondalup Cultural Plan in 1992, Cultural Development in South East Queensland and similar initiatives in Asia, Australia, and Europe including Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Sweden. Since 1998 he has advocated and developed these principles and practice in local, regional and national contexts and they underpin his book,Towards Cultural Citizenship: tools for cultural policy and development published in 2002. His work in the wider field of cultural policy and planning has now been published in seven languages. He is now an Expert Evaluator for the EU Directorate General for Education and Culture (DGEAC) and a Thematic Expert for the URBACT II Programme.

Colin was Deputy Director and Director of the Institute for Cultural Policy Studies at Griffith University (1987-1995), from 1999 UK’s first full Professor of Cultural Policy and Director of the Cultural Policy and Planning Research Unit at The Nottingham Trent University (1999-2003). Since then has been a freelance researcher specialising in building the operational knowledge base for cultural policy and the creative economy for government agencies, the private sector and NGOs.

Tone Tjemsland is since September 2008 the director of the dance company Carte Blanche. Earlier she worked in Bergen as adviser for music, performing arts and electronic art. She has a.o. been responsible for
the preparation of Bergen's new action plan for the field of professional arts for the project Cultural City 2008-2017. Tjemsland has earlier held positions as manager for the dance company Kreutzerkompani, producer in Jo Strømgren Dance Company. She was the program coordinator for performing art and music when Bergen in 2000 was a European Cultural Capital.

Restaurationschef og sommelier Dill restaurant.
Tidligere Restaurationschef og sommelier, restaurant VOX, Reykjavík.
Foremand for Islandsk sommelierforening.
www.dillrestaurant.is/

Souschef paa Dill restaurant Reykjavík, Island.
Uddannet paa Restaurant Saison, Köbenhavn.
Tidligere kökkenchef paa Restaurant VOX, Reykjavík.
Siden Maj 2009 medlem af det Islandske kokkelandshold
http://dillrestaurant.is/

Designer
EDUCATION
1982 – 1986 Parsons School of Design, New York BFA, Fashion Design, with honours.
1981 – 1982 Reykjavík School of Art, Iceland.
TEACHING
2008 Fashion Institute of Technology New York, Master Class in Knitting
2007 Fashion Institute of Technology New York, Fashion Design Art Advisory Board
2000 – 2006 Icelandic Academy of Art Lecturer, teacher and critique.


AWARDS – HONOURS
2008 Winner of the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize
2008 Myndstef Award, Nomination
2008 FKA – The Icelandic Association of Women Entrepreneurs Award
2007 Winner of “Ginen 2007”, Nordic fashion awards.
2007 Awarded by the President of Iceland the “Knight´s Cross” of “The Order of the Falcon”
2006 Icelandic Visual Art Award, Nomination
2006 Saga Fur Workshop, Copenhagen
2003 Designer of the year award in Iceland, “Menningarverðlaun”
2000 Finalist in Enkamania Design Talent
1992 A member of Who´s Who, published in England
1986 Adri Gold Thimble Award
1986 Norman Norell Scholarship
1985 Norman Norell Scholarship
1985 Carmelo Pomodoro Silver Thimble Award
1985 Designer of the Future, Knitted Textiles Association
Various Museum Exhibitions
WORK EXPERIENCE
2000 – Present, Founder and Creative Director of STEiNUNN.
2000 – 2002. Design Director La Perla Ready to Wear.
1995 - 2000. Director, Senior Designer, Gucci Group
1989 - 1995. Director, Senior Designer Calvin Klein Inc.1988 - 1989. Freelance Designer
1987 - 1988. Designer Polo/Ralph Lauren Collection

Chris Torch is artistic director at Intercult, a production and resource unit focused on intercultural performing arts. Founded in 1996, it is a publically-financed institution, based in Stockholm. Intercult is a Europe Direct office (Stockholm), which is coordinated within the institution’s European Resource Center for Culture since 2009. Intercult has focused on international exchange and co-production. Projects like LANDSCAPE X (1998), HOTEL EUROPA (2000) and TRANS//FUSION (2002) have challenged Intercult to develop strategies for cultural border-crossing. Intercult has always had a special eye towards the European Neighborhood. This is reflected in the platform SEAS, which focused in the first version on artists from 11 countries around the Baltic and Adriatic Seas.
Apart from large-scale production and project design, Torch plays a role in the development of intercultural policy, in Sweden and in Europe. He lectures regularly and leads workshops in strategy and analysis. He currently serves as Vice-President for Culture Action Europe (The European Forum for Arts & Heritage). He is also on the Board of Directors for culturebase.net, a european consortium maintaining an online database for World Artists and is an active member of the Steering Committee for the Platform for Intercultural Europe. www.intercult.se

Henning Warloe was born in Bergen (Norway) in 1961. He is educated from the Norwegian School for Economics and Business administration (NHH) in 1987, and has held various positions in trade and marketing companies. Elected member of the Bergen city council in 1995 for the Conservative party. Appointed commissioner for finance, culture affairs and business developement 2003-2007. Commissioner for cultural affairs, business developement and sports 2007-2009. Elected MP (Conservative) from 2009.