O Comitê de direção do Bilderberg: Leadership Behind the World’s Most Exclusive Forum
Discover the governing body that shapes the Bilderberg agenda, selects participants, and has guided the organization for over seven decades. Meet the Chairman, understand the committee’s role, and explore its structure.
~30
Committee Members
5
Chairmen Since 1954
71
Conferences Organized
What Is the Bilderberg Steering Committee? The Governing Body Explained
O Comitê de direção do Bilderberg is the executive body that governs the Clube Bilderberg and oversees all aspects of the annual conference. Comprising approximately 30 influential figures from Europe and North America, this committee determines the topics for discussion, seleciona participantes, escolhe locais de reunião, and manages the organization’s affairs throughout the year.
Unlike other international forums with large secretariats, the Comitê de direção operates with minimal bureaucracy. There is no permanent headquarters, no public-facing staff, and no formal organizational structure beyond the committee itself. This lean approach has remained consistent since the organization’s founding in 1954 and contributes to the confidential nature that defines Bilderberg.
Committee members serve in their personal capacity, not as representatives of their governments, companies, or institutions. They are typically distinguished former officials, business leaders, academics, and other influential figures who have demonstrated expertise in international affairs, economics, technology, or security matters.
O Comitê de direção do Bilderberg meets periodically throughout the year to plan the annual conference. Several months before each meeting, members propose topics based on current global events and identify potential participants whose expertise is relevant to the agenda. The committee also coordinates with host country authorities on security and logistics.
Saiba mais sobre o funcionamento do Bilderberg →Key Facts About the Steering Committee
👥 Size
Approximately 30 members from Europe and North America
🎯 Primary Role
Select topics, choose participants, organize annual meetings
👤 Current Chairman
Henri de Castries (former AXA CEO) since 2012
🌍 Geographic Balance
Split between European and North American members
📋 Structure
Minimal bureaucracy, no permanent headquarters or staff
Current Comitê de direção Leadership
O Comitê de direção do Bilderberg is led by a Chairman who guides the organization’s direction and serves as its primary representative. The current leadership has overseen significant changes including increased transparency and adaptation to new global challenges.
Henri de Castries
Chairman since 2012 | Former Chairman & CEO of AXA
Henri de Castries is a French businessman who led global insurance giant AXA from 2000 to 2016, transforming it into one of the world’s largest insurers. A graduate of ENA and HEC Paris, he began his career in the French civil service before joining AXA in 1989. He took over leadership of the Comitê de direção do Bilderberg from Étienne Davignon in 2012 and has overseen the organization’s increased transparency, including the publication of participant lists and tópicos da agenda após cada reunião.
Key Achievements: Transparency reforms, navigating COVID-19 cancellations, expanding AI and technology focus, overseeing 70th anniversary (2024)
Chairman’s Responsibilities
The Chairman presides over Steering Committee meetings, serves as the organization’s public face, guides strategic direction, approves the final participant list, and ensures the conference runs smoothly. The role requires diplomatic skills to manage discussions among powerful participants.
Honorary Secretary General
The Honorary Secretary General handles day-to-day coordination of Comitê de direção activities, manages communications with potential participants, coordinates logistics with host countries, and maintains institutional continuity between annual reuniões.
Treasurer
The Treasurer manages the organization’s finances, including donations from supporters, conference expenses, and coordination with host countries on security costs. The Clube Bilderberg operates on private funding with no government subsidies.
What Does the Comitê de direção Do?
O Comitê de direção do Bilderberg performs four critical functions that shape each annual conference. These responsibilities have remained largely unchanged since the organization’s founding in 1954.
1. Setting the Agenda
O Comitê de direção identifies 8-15 tópicos for each annual meeting based on pressing global issues. Members propose subjects months in advance, debating which issues warrant discussion. Recent agendas have emphasized AI governance, European security, great power competition, and economic transformation. Topics are deliberately broad to allow flexible conversation rather than scripted presentations.
2. Selecting Participants
Perhaps the Committee’s most important task is curating the ~130 participantes for each conference. Members nominate candidates whose expertise aligns with the agenda, seeking geographic and professional diversity. About two-thirds of attendees change annually while core members provide continuity. There is no application process—only direct invitation from the Committee.
3. Choosing Locations
The Committee selects locais de reunião that offer privacy, adequate security, and appropriate conference facilities. Venues rotate between European countries and North America, with the US hosting approximately once every four years. Committee members from potential host countries coordinate with their governments on security arrangements.
4. Maintaining Confidentiality
O Comitê de direção upholds the Chatham House Rule that has defined Bilderberg since its founding. All participants agree that discussions remain off-the-record and that no statements are attributed to individuals. This confidentiality enables frank dialogue impossible in public forums, which the Committee considers essential to Bilderberg’s value.
Presidentes Ao longo de História do Bilderberg
Since 1954, only five individuals have led the Comitê de direção do Bilderberg as Chairman. Each has shaped the organization during their tenure, navigating through different eras of global politics and expanding or adapting the forum’s focus.
1954-1976
22 years
Príncipe Bernhard dos Países Baixos
Founding Chairman
Prince Bernhard co-founded Bilderberg with Józef Retinger and David Rockefeller, hosting the first meeting at Hotel de Bilderberg in 1954. His royal status lent credibility and helped attract high-level participants. He resigned following the Lockheed bribery scandal, which forced the only pre-pandemic cancellation in História do Bilderberg.
1977-1980
3 years
Lord Home (Alec Douglas-Home)
Former UK Prime Minister (1963-1964)
Lord Home took the helm during a difficult transitional period following the Lockheed scandal. The former British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary provided the gravitas needed to stabilize the organization and restore its reputation among political leaders.
1981-1998
17 years
Walter Scheel / Lord Carrington
Former German President / Former UK Foreign Secretary
This period saw leadership transition through the end of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the emergence of globalization. The Comitê de direção adapted the agenda to address European integration, the rise of Asia, and new economic paradigms during this transformative era.
1999-2011
12 years
Étienne Davignon
Former EU Commissioner, Belgian Minister
Viscount Davignon led the Comitê de direção do Bilderberg through 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and growing public scrutiny. He began the transparency reforms that his successor would expand, including limited acknowledgment of the organization’s existence. His tenure saw increased security at reuniões due to activist and media attention.
2012 até o presente
13+ years
Henri de Castries
Current Chairman | Former AXA CEO
Henri de Castries has overseen the most significant transparency reforms in História do Bilderberg, including the official website and publication of listas de participantes e tópicos da agenda. He navigated COVID-19 cancellations (2020-2021) and has emphasized AI and technology as dominant themes. The Reunião de Madri em 2024 celebrated the 70th anniversary under his leadership.
Who Serves on the Bilderberg Steering Committee?
O Comitê de direção do Bilderberg comprises approximately 30 distinguished figures from diverse backgrounds who guide the organization’s direction. Members serve in their personal capacity and are selected based on their expertise, experience, and commitment to fostering transatlantic dialogue.
The Committee maintains a geographic balance between European and North American members, reflecting Bilderberg’s founding mission to strengthen ties between these regions. Members typically have backgrounds in government, business, finance, academia, or media, with many having served at the highest levels of their respective fields.
Unlike the broader lista de participantes which changes significantly each year, Comitê de direção members serve longer terms, providing institutional continuity. However, the Committee does evolve over time as members retire and new voices are added. The full composition of the Committee is not publicly disclosed, though some members are known through their appearances at reuniões and public acknowledgments.
Committee members bear responsibility for upholding the Chatham House Rule, maintaining the organization’s independence, and ensuring that Bilderberg continues to serve its original purpose: fostering frank, off-the-record dialogue on pressing global issues.
Steering Committee Composition
🇪🇺 European Members
~15 members from UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, and other EU countries
🇺🇸 North American Members
~15 members from the United States and Canada, including former officials and business leaders
💼 Professional Backgrounds
Former government officials, business executives, academics, journalists, and diplomats
⏱️ Term Length
No fixed terms; members serve based on ongoing contribution and engagement
Perguntas frequentes sobre o Comitê de direção
Common questions about the governing body that leads the Clube Bilderberg.
O que é o Comitê Diretor de Bilderberg?
O Comitê de direção do Bilderberg is the governing body of the Clube Bilderberg. Comprising approximately 30 members from Europe and North America, it determines tópicos de discussão, seleciona participantes, escolhe locais de reunião, and oversees the organization’s operations throughout the year.
Quem é o atual presidente do Bilderberg?
Henri de Castries has served as Chairman since 2012. He is the former Chairman and CEO of AXA, the global insurance company. Under his leadership, Bilderberg has implemented significant transparency reforms, including publishing participant lists and agenda topics after each meeting.
How does someone join the Steering Committee?
There is no public application process. New Comitê de direção members are invited by existing members based on their expertise, experience, and commitment to the organization’s mission. Members typically have distinguished careers in government, business, academia, or journalism and have often attended Bilderberg reuniões as participants before joining the Committee.
Is the Steering Committee membership public?
The full composition of the Comitê de direção do Bilderberg is not publicly disclosed. However, certain members are known through their appearances at conferences, public acknowledgments, and historical records. The Chairman and some key officers are publicly identified.
How does the Committee select agenda topics?
Committee members propose tópicos several months before each meeting based on pressing global issues. Topics are debated within the Committee until consensus is reached on 8-15 subjects for discussion. Topics are deliberately broad to allow flexible conversation. Recent agendas have emphasized AI, European security, and great power competition.
Quantos presidentes o Bilderberg já teve?
Since its founding in 1954, Bilderberg has had five Chairmen: Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands (1954-1976), Lord Home (1977-1980), Walter Scheel/Lord Carrington (1981-1998), Étienne Davignon (1999-2011), and Henri de Castries (2012-present).
Does the Committee make policy decisions?
Não. Comitê de direção do Bilderberg organizes discussions but does not make policy decisions, issue statements, or take votes. Bilderberg meetings are forums for informal dialogue, not decision-making bodies. Participants attend in their personal capacity and are not bound by any outcomes.
Como o Bilderberg é financiado?
O Clube Bilderberg é financiado de forma privada por meio de doações de apoiadores e fundações. Participantes cobrem suas próprias despesas de viagem e acomodação. Em geral, os países anfitriões oferecem segurança. Os Comitê de direção Treasurer manages finances, ensuring the organization remains independent of government funding.
Saiba mais sobre o Clube Bilderberg
Agora que você entende o Comitê de direção do Bilderberg, explore who they invite to attend. Discover the participantes notáveis, browse the complete arquivo de reuniões, ou saiba mais sobre o tópicos discutidos nessas reuniões exclusivas.