Prof. Christopher K Rayner is a Professor at the Adelaide Medical School, the University of Adelaide, and a Consultant Gastroenterologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, South Australia. His major research interest concerns nutrient–gut interactions, including the regulation of gastrointestinal motility, with an emphasis on the role of upper gut function in diabetes. His key contributions have been to develop an understanding of the mechanisms of glucose sensing and incretin hormone release in the gut and how these can be manipulated for therapeutic gain. He has developed the concept of protein preloads, taken in advance of meals, to initiate gut feedback mechanisms that will lower subsequent postprandial glycaemia in type 2 diabetes. He is a Chief Investigator at the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Translating Nutritional Science to Good Health, based at the University of Adelaide.
Prof. Nam Quoc Nguyen is a university lecturer and systems thinking expert. He has recently been appointed as an Academician of the International Academy for Systems and Cybernetic Sciences (IASCYS). Nam has experience and knowledge from more than 20 years in teaching, researching and consulting with various companies and organisations in Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe. He has received numerous awards and fellowships. The most significant award is the prestigious 2011 Davos Australian Leadership Award. Nam has held several management and leadership roles, currently being the Director of Research and Development with the International Centre for Complex Project Management (ICCPM, headquartered in Canberra), the former Director for Australia and Southeast Asia with the Malik Management Institute (Malik, headquartered in St. Gallen), Switzerland, and the current Vice President of the International Federation for System Research (IFSR, Vienna). Nam has developed a wide range of skills. He designs and delivers executive and customised training programs (in systems thinking, effective management, leadership, complex project delivery, etc.) with various companies and organisations worldwide; his consulting projects vary from organisational growth and transformation and sustainable development to systems design and complexity management (in many industries). Nam lives in Adelaide and is passionate about travelling, hiking, tennis and golf.
