Brunei

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah

» Age: 65

» Family: Married, 12 children

» Background: Known as one of the world’s longest-reigning and wealthiest royals, he took the throne of this oil-rich country in 1967. Brunei helped initiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2005, along with Chile, New Zealand and Singapore.

New Zealand

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English

» Age: 50

» Family: Married, six children

» Background: He became deputy prime minister in 2008 and also serves as minister of finance and minister of infrastructure. He is faced with resolving the country’s credit woes.

Peru

President Ollanta Humala

» Age: 49

» Family: Married, three children

» Background: In office for about three months, he is the founder of the Peruvian Nationalist Party. He served as a lieutenant colonel in the Peruvian army and fought against the Shining Path rebels in the 1990s.

Taiwan

Former Vice President Lien Chan

» Age: 75

» Family: Married, four children

» Background: He served as vice president from 1996 to 2000. He was named honorary chairman of the ruling party in 2005 and will meet with business representatives of Wal-Mart Asia and General Electric during APEC.

United States

President Barack Obama

» Age: 50

» Family: Married, two children

» Background: As the Iraq and Afghanistan wars wind down, he’s turning his eyes to the Asia-Pacific region hoping that expanding relationships with APEC member countries will create more jobs for Americans, improve security and expand trade.

Malaysia

Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak

» Age: 58

» Family: Married, five children

» Background: He was appointed the country’s sixth prime minister in 2009. In 2010 he started the 1Malaysia program to promote ethnic tolerance and national unity. He also spearheaded a program to expand public services and improve the efficiency and transparency of the government.

Indonesia

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

» Age: 62

» Family: Married, two children

» Background: He played an instrumental role in the establishment of the country’s Demo*cratic Party in 2001 and has served as president since 2004. Police thwarted an assassination plot against him in 2009, one month after two hotels in the capital were attacked by suicide bombers.

Chile

President Sebastian Pinera

» Age: 61

» Family: Married, four children

» Background: The billionaire’s election in January 2010 put an end to 20 years of center-left rule. His country was put in the international spotlight when 33 Chilean miners were rescued last year after being trapped for 70 days.

Vietnam

President Truong Tan Sang

» Age: 62

» Family: n/a

» Background: Elected president in July, he derives power from being a top party official, and his position is ceremonial. When he became president, he told the assembly he would defend Vietnam’s independence and peacefully resolve the Spratly Islands conflict with China.

Singapore

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

» Age: 59

» Family: Married, four children

» Background: He became prime minister in 2004 and had served as deputy prime minister since 1990. His administration has worked to improve foreign relations with China, improve the nation’s education system and promote economic growth.

Thailand

Deputy Prime Minister Kittirat Na-Ranong

» Age: n/a

» Family: n/a

» Background: He is attending the summit on behalf of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who stayed behind to oversee flood relief. He also is Thailand’s commerce minister and will use the summit to publicize post-flood reconstruction plans.

Papua New Guinea

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill

» Age: 46

» Family: Married, five children

» Background: He has been in office for just more than three months and is faced with several immediate challenges, including creating two new provinces and deciding whether to reserve provincial seats for women.

Hong Kong

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen

» Age: 67

» Family: Married, no children

» Background: Known as "Bow-Tie Tsang," he has been chief executive since 2005. As the leader of a semiautonomous territory under Chinese rule, he has said he favors a demo*cratic system but hasn’t presented a way to achieve it.