Ben Bland Ben Bland, author of Generation HK: Seeking Identity in China's Shadow, is a foreign correspondent and policy analyst who has been working in Asia for more than a decade.

Michael Breen Michael Breen is author of The New Koreans and was for many years the Guardian and Washington Times correspondent.

Michael Buckley Michael Buckley, author of Meltdown in Tibet is an environmentalist, an adventure-travel writer & documentary filmmaker who specializes in the Himalayan & Southeast Asian regions.

Anna Chittenden Anna Chittenden writes about travel and lifestyle in Asia and is the author and creator of the Lost Guides travel-book series.

Oliver Chittenden Oliver Chittenden is the founder of Head Talks and co-founder of The London Speaker Bureau, a global speaker agency representing many of the world’s leaders in politics, business and management.

Edith Coron & Anne Garrigue Edith Coron and Anne Garrigue are journalists who often focus on Asia. Their first co-authored book is China Blend: The Cultural Hybrids Bridging the World.

He Jiahong He Jiahong, ‘the John Grisham of China’ is a crime-fiction writer and professor of criminal law at Beijing People’s University.

Karoline Kan Karoline Kan author of Under Red Skies, is a journalist who writes about Chinese politics and history, ethnic policy and the environment, and other social issues for China Dialogue.

Vidya Krishnan Vidya Krishnan is a multi-award winning independent journalist who has been reporting on India’s HIV and TB epidemics for the past two decades.

Hyeonseo Lee Hyeonseo Lee’s bestselling memoir, The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story, has been published around the world so far in 22 languages, and counting.

Ming Liu Ming Liu contributes to the FT, China International Business, V and to the Asia Literary Review, et al. Her debut novel, Our Man in China, is currently on submission.

Leza Lowitz Leza Lowitz is an award-winning, multi-genre writer and Japanese-English translator whose YA novel Up from the Sea is published by Penguin Random House.

Victor Mallet Victor Mallet, former Delhi bureau chief & Asia News editor with the FT, is nowFT's Paris bureau chief. His book, River of Life, River of Death: The Ganges and India’s Future immediately reached the bestseller list. Photo: Ayesha Sitara.

Jonathan Miller Jonathan Miller is the author of Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines and is the Channel 4 News Asia correspondent.

Mark Mobius Mark Mobius, author of The Inflation Myth, and numerous other books, is the 'rock star' of emerging-markets and a much-lauded economic guru.

Mohammed Massoud Morsi Mohammed Massoud Morsi is an Egyptian-Danish-Australian photographer, journalist and author, whose work has been published in all three of his traditional languages.

Bijan Omrani Bijan Omrani is a historian and classicist, whose work spans Asian as well as European history. Photo by Sandy Crole

Carlo Pizzati Carlo Pizzati is a journalist and author of two novels, a collection of short stories and three works of non-fiction, including, Mappillai: An Italian Son-in-Law in India. Photo: Mia Murgese Mastroianni

Lindsay Pollock Lindsay Pollock, a lifelong illustrator, is the co-creator of Vanni: A Family's Struggle through the Sri Lankan Conflict – a graphic novel. Photo: Dan P. Neegaard

Dreux Richard Dreux Richard is literary translation editor of the Kyoto Journal and special correspondent for The Japan Times. His debut Every Human Intention: Japan in the New Century will be published by Pantheon.

Alek Sigley Alek Sigley became one of the first Westerners to study at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, North Korea. Photo: Hans Van

Hannah Lucinda Smith Hannah Lucinda Smith is The Times's correspondent in Turkey and the author of Erdogan Rising: The Battle for the Soul of Turkey. Photo: Bradley Secker

Carolyn Taylor Carolyn Taylor, author of Walking the Talk, is one of the world’s foremost experts in organisational culture change and the Executive Chair of Walking the Talk.

Michael Vatikiotis Michael Vatikiotis is the author of Blood & Silk: Power and Conflict in Modern Southeast Asia, drawn partly from his experience as a peace negotiator in the region. Photo: Arif Hafiz

Patrick Winn Patrick Winn is a Robert F Kennedy Award-winning journalist working in Southeast Asia and the author of Hello, Shadowlands.

Tom Zimberoff Photojournalist Tom Zimberoff has covered hundreds of historical and breaking news events and feature stories for periodicals worldwide.