Simon Anholt is an independent policy advisor to the head of state, government, city, and regional authorities, assisting in the formulation and implementation of strategies to strengthen the country's economic, political, and cultural exchanges with other countries. These strategies typically include regional economic competitiveness, public diplomacy, cultural policies and relations, national identity and reputation, education policies, regional integration, policies to promote exports, tourism, foreign direct investment, security and defense, immigration and social related fields, language policies, sustainable development, talent attraction, and major international events. From 2000 to 2009, Simon was a member of the Public Diplomacy Board of the British Foreign Office, and has provided advice to more than 40 other heads of state, government and cabinet, including Chile, Croatia, Finland, Latvia, Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, the Faroe Islands, Jamaica, South Korea, Poland, Scotland, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Sweden, Iceland, Botswana, Germany The Baltic region, Bhutan, Mexico, Ecuador, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Slovenia, as well as numerous cities and regions. Simon has also provided advice to organizations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, NATO, the United Nations, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Trade Center, the International Olympic Committee, the International Security Assistance Force, the World Travel and Tourism Council, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the European Union, the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies, and the World Technology Network. Simon proposed the concept of a national brand in 1996 and continues to lead the widely acclaimed National Brand Master series of training to this day. The training is supported globally by the BBC and is conducted in London, Dubai, Singapore, New Delhi, and Accra. He is the founder and publisher of the Annual Anholt National Brand Index, Anholt City Brand Index, and Anholt State Brand Index. Simon is a member of the European Parliament for Culture. In 2009, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics at the Symposium in Leicester, and in 2010, he was awarded the Sustainable Development Excellence Award at the 7th Multicultural Forum held in Paris.