"The changes under way in the Soviet Union are invariably identified with their leading apostle, Mikhail S. Gorbachev. But the real architect of perestroika, as the restructuring is called in Russian, is Abel G. Aganbegyan, an Armenian economist Mr. Gorbachev summoned from Siberia to impart new dynamism to a sagging economy." Thus announced the New York Times in February of 1988. Born in 1932, Academician Aganbegyan studied economics at Moscow State Economical Institute (wherein, despite explicit prohibition, he taught himself Statistics to better grasp challenges facing the Soviet economy). He became a full member of the Academy in 1973, and led a newly formed group of mathematical economists at a research center in Novosibirsk. In 1980 he met then Minister of Agriculture, Mikhail Gorbachev. The two discussed ways of motivating employees, and were in agreement on the philosophy of individual merit based rewards. They remained in close contact, and in 1985 Dr Aganbegyan returned to Moscow to become the rector of the Academy of National Economy until 2002. He's widely acknowledged to have been the intellectual engine behind the perestroika.

Sergei Aleksashenko graduated from the economic faculty at Moscow State University. He was Deputy Finance Minister of Russian Federation in 1993-1995. In 1995 he moved to the Central Bank as First Deputy Chairman. During his tenure Russia underwent a financial turmoil. After Sergei Dubinin resigned his post as the Chairman of the Central Bank of Russia at the start of September 1998, Mr Aleksashenko briefly took over as the acting head. He too later resigned and founded an economic research think tank, Development Center. In 2000 he became deputy general director of the Interros holding company, and in 2004 – president of Antanta Capital. Starting 2006 he led Merrill Lynch's Russia office until 2008.

Fatih Özatay graduated from the Middle East Technical University, Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1978. He earned a Ph.D. degree in Economics at Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences in 1986. He joined the Central Bank of Turkey in June 1987. He acted as Specialist, Economist and Assistant General Director at the Research Department. In February 1995, Prof. Özatay left the Central Bank to become Assistant Professor at Ankara University, Faculty of Political Sciences, Department of Economics. He would later return and serve as Vice Governor of Central Bank between 2001-2006. Besides the Faculty of Political Sciences, he lectured also in departments of economics at Bilkent and METU universities. Between 1995 and 1999, he worked as advisor at the Undersecretariat of Treasury, General Directorate of Economic Research.

Volodymyr Lytvyn, former Deputy Minister of Finance of Ukraine.

Arindam Banerjee, Professor of Finance, S.P.Jain School of Management, Dubai and Singapore.