Xinzhong Yao is Professor of Ethics, and formerly the Dean of the School of Philosophy at Renmin University of China. He was also formerly Professor and Director of the King's China Institute at King's College London. Prior to this appointment, Professor Yao was Professor of Religion and Ethics at the University of Wales, Lampeter, and a senior research fellow at the Ian Ramsey Centre, University of Oxford. In 1998, in recognition of his work promoting Confucianism in the UK, he was made Honorary President of the Confucian Academy in Hong Kong.

Yao has published books and articles on the subject of Confucianism, including comparative studies with Christianity. He is the author and editor of the 2 volume Encyclopedia of Confucianism and co-edited with Weiming Tu the 4 volume Confucian Studies—Critical Concepts in Asian Philosophy.

Annie Liang-Zhou is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Liang Capital Partners, a private multi-family office focused on wealth succession, carbon trading, and impact for next-gen families, responsible for education, arts & culture, and philanthropy. Previously, she was Director of External Affairs of the U.S.-China Green Fund and still manages its corporate foundation focused on environmental education and action. Annie is also Founder and Managing Partner of Universal Pacific Advisors LLC, a cross-border consulting company focused on financial advisory, strategy, and government relations for sustainable businesses. Annie is a frequent speaker on climate change, impact investing, and mindfulness, and has leadership roles in a number of non-profit organizations including Teach for China’s Young Advisory Committee, the China Institute Next Gen x Serica, and World Monuments Fund (WMF)’s International Council.

Binbin Wang is a climate activist and social scientist in China and was selected as Yale World Fellow in 2023. As a stubborn optimist, she has tracked the UNFCCC process since 2009. She brings extensive experience and cross-cut expertise on global climate governance and climate policy, strategic communication and multi-stakeholders cooperation working across media, NGO, UN, academia and private sectors. She is now accelerating bottom-up action and joint efforts from China to the world for the global net-zero transition.

Mary Evelyn Tucker received her PhD at Columbia University mentored by the noted Confucian scholar, Wm Theodore de Bary. Her special area of study is East Asian religious traditions. She co-directs the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, which examines cultural and religious values for broadened environmental ethics.

She has published several books on Confucianism including The Philosophy of Qi. She co-edited the Harvard volumes on Confucianism and Ecology and Buddhism and Ecology and two volumes with Weiming Tu on Confucian Spirituality. She is the co-author of Journey of the Universe with Brian Thomas Swimme and the executive producer of the Emmy Award winning film with John Grim.