Gov. Hidehiko Yuzaki

Political Leader

Japan

Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki is the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan and a long-time champion of eliminating nuclear weapons. Prior to becoming governor, Yuzaki was an executive partner of Office Y and co-founder, executive vice president and representative director of ACCA Networks Company, Ltd, a communication service company he co-founded. In 1990, Yuzaki served in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Yuzaki formed the Hiroshima for Global Peace Plan, a project advocating for global peace building and the abolition of nuclear weapons. He also has been involved in nuclear disarmament education through the Critical Issues Forum.

Hon. Uta Zapf

Political Leader

Germany

Former co-president of the Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, the Honorable Uta Zapf has shown interest in arms control and nonproliferation in many ways. She was a member of the German Bundestag until 2013 serving as chairwoman of the Sub-Committee on Disarmament, Arms Control, and Nonproliferation. She specializes in disarmament, security policy, arms control, crisis prevention and Southeastern Europe. After studying literature, she became a teacher in adult education and is also a freelance editor.

Pres. Ernesto Zedillo

Political Leader

Mexico

President Ernesto Zedillo is a former president of Mexico. He currently serves as professor of economics and director of the Center for the Study of Globalization at Yale University. Zedillo started his career at the Bank of Mexico and was soon named undersecretary and then secretary of programming and budget. In 1992, he was appointed secretary of education before being elected president in 1994. After leaving office, Zedillo was an economic consultant for many international companies and organizations. He is currently a member of the board of directors at Procter & Gamble, Alcoa, the Global Development Network (GDN) and Electronic Data Systems and a member of the advisory board of Stonebridge International and Coca-Cola Company International. Since 2005, he is also a member of the influential Washington-based Group of Thirty.

Dr. Phillip D. Zelikow

National Security Expert

United States

Dr. Philip D. Zelikow was the executive director of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission. Earlier, he served at the National Security Council as director for European security affairs (1989-1991). He was appointed to the President’s foreign intelligence advisory board in 2001, later acting as counselor to the U.S. Department of State and as senior policy advisor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice from 2005 to 2007. Zelikow is currently the director of The Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

Mr. Zhang Liangui

National Security Expert

China

Mr. Zhang Liangui is a professor of international strategic research at the Communist Party’s Central Party School. He is considered one of China’s top experts on North Korean affairs and has been a key advisor to the Communist Party Central Committee. Zhang graduated in 1968 from the Kim II Sung University in North Korea.

Amb. Zhou Gang

Diplomat

China

The former Chinese ambassador to India and Pakistan, Zhou Gang now serves as councilor at the China Reform Forum and senior research fellow at the China Foundation of International Studies. He has also served an ambassadorial posting in Malaysia and served as a special consultant to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Zhu Chenghu

Military Commander

China

Major General Zhu Chenghu is a professor of strategic studies at the National Defense University of China. He has published several books, focusing on Sino-U.S. relations and Asia-Pacific security.

Zhu is a member of the Nuclear Crisis Group and the Global Zero Commission on Nuclear Risk Reduction.

Dr. Dmitry Zimin

Civic Leader

Russia

Dr. Dmitry Zimin was a member of the International Academy of Telecommunications, a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Engineering Sciences and professor of the State University – High School of Economics. He was a former designer of one of the biggest ground-based radar systems, part of Russia’s National Missile Defense structure. In 1993, he and his team were awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation for work in this field. In 1992, Zimin launched the mobile phone provider VimpelCom, the first Russian company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange where he still holds the position of honorary president.

During his career, Zimin published more than a hundred scientific works and patents. In 2001, he founded the ‘Dynasty’ Foundation, which works to support science in Russia. In 2013, he was honored with the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Zimin passed away in December 2021.