The Leading Speakers Bureau

Thought Leader in Innovation, Business Design

John Kao is known as an authority on the intersecting subjects of corporate innovation and transformation, digital media, design strategy, and the future of business. He has made a career out of helping organizations go from “getting” the importance of innovation to “getting innovation done.” In addition to his other accomplishments, John is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, private investor, Tony-nominated producer, and business pioneer

“The world’s leading expert on business creativity” Klause Schwab, Founder, World Economic Forum

[expand title=”In detail”] For 14 years, he taught at Harvard Business School where he developed courses, lectures and executive seminars. He was also a visiting professor at the MIT Media Lab. From 1997-2001, he was founder and CEO of The Idea Factory, known for its innovation advisory work. He is on the boards of Lion Digital Pictures, NeoSpine, Inc., and is an honorary Vice President of Arts & Business, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Art. John has collaborated with a variety of world renowned designers and his unique approach to innovation is strongly influenced by the disciplines of design.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Dubbed a “serial innovator” and “Mr. Creativity” by The Economist, John’s experience in the design field is multifaceted and he takes up the challenge of reinventing the relationship between design and business. He expertly frames the challenge faced by organisations and offers immensely practical advice on how they can regain our place as innovation leaders.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]John’s tailored speeches are famous for entertaining audiences and for their practical and original frameworks for action. John has also been known to illustrate the fundamentals of innovation (of “jamming,” in his words) by playing jazz piano in a way that provides musical examples of the innovation process at work.[/expand]
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Director, screenwriter, composer and actor,

Pedro Almodovar is the most celebrated Spanish diretor since Luis Bunuel and Carlos Saura. He was born in La Mancha, Spain in 1951.

At the age of 16, he moved to Madrid, alone without either his family or any money in his pocket. He had decided to study and make films. It was impossible to enter the Official film School as Franco had recently closed it. He worked in multiple and sporadic jobs but he couldn’t afford to buy his first Super-8 camera until he took a “serious” job with the National Telephone Company where he worked for 12 years as an administrative assistant. These years were in a sense, his real education. He was in touch with a social class which he would probably not have mixed with in other circumstances; the middle class Spanish family at the beginning of the age consumerism. He joined the independent theatre group “Loss Gollardos” and made Super 8 movies. He wrote for several underground magazines and also short stories, some of which were published. His luck was that the opening of his first feature film coinicided with the birth of Spanish democracy in Spain.

[expand title=”In detail”] In 1980 he launched his first feature “Pepi, Lunci, Bom … “. Since then, the world of film has become second nature to him. He writes, directs and invents stories which are alive – his films are shown all over the world.

His films include “Labyrinth of Passion”, “Dark Habits”, “What Have I Done to Deserve This?”, “Matador”, “Law of Desire” , “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” (which was nominated for an Academy Award as best Foreign Language Film), “Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!”

Pedro Almodovar is the recipient of numerous awards including the Glauber Rocha Award for Best Director, Rio Film Festival and LA Film Critics Association “New Generation” Award. However, this year he has taken the industry by storm with the Goya winning movie “All About My Mother”. The film also took two awards at the European Film Awards in 1999 – best European Film of the Year and best European Director in addition to best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival.[/expand]
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The World Renowned Interviewer

Sir David Frost is probably the world’s most prominent television interviewer.

In addition to hosting and creating television programmes, he is a publisher, lecturer, impresario and chief executive officer to numerous companies.

Landmark interviews have always featured in his remarkable career. Perhaps the most infamous being the Nixon Interviews, broadcast in virtually every television nation around the world.

“One-man conglomerate.”

[expand title=”In detail”] His honours include two Emmy Awards in the United States, the Richard Dimbleby Award in the UK and the Golden Rose of Montreux.

Host and co-creator of That Was The Week That Was, Breakfast with Frost, Frost on Sunday and Through the Keyhole, Sir David has also produced countless television series, written more than ten books, produced seven films, and is joint founder of both London Weekend Television and TV-am. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]The unparalleled pairing of his experience of worldwide affairs with his incisive but relaxed manner brings an undisputed edge to any occasion. [/expand]
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Leading Global Futurist, Trend Forecaster and expert on Future Business and Consumer Trends

Anne Lise Kjaer is a leading global futurist who has pioneered the concept of Multidimensional Thinking – developing future concepts by analysing scientific research in conjunction with social, cultural, emotional and spiritual shifts in society. Anne Lise has an exceptional eye for ‘the next big thing’ and an original and inspiring way of translating fledgling concepts into viable commercial propositions, working with some of the world’s leading brands.

“The future is not some place we go, but one we create”

[expand title=”In detail”] Her experience across markets from food, fashion and furniture to electronics, automotive and retail gives her unique insights and a ‘bigger picture’ approach. Anne contributes to a range of European trends and lifestyles publications and has been featured in the Financial Times, The Sunday Times, The Observer, Times Magazine and on BBC R4 and Question Time and several international television programmes. She is a Copenhagen Goodwill Ambassador and an MD of the Danish / UK Chamber of Commerce.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Anne Lise Kjaer brings clarity to a complex world dominated by ever increasing trends that are generated by a constantly changing world and driven by consumer demands. As she embraces new thinking across a range of disciplines, this approach is combined with more creative and intuitive approaches to the future in the 21st century.[/expand]
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Marketing and Commercial Director of England 2018

David Magliano is Director of Commercial and Marketing at England 2018, the organisation bidding for England to host the 2018 Football World Cup. He is responsible for building UK public support and presenting England’s plans to FIFA. David’s previous roles include Director of Marketing for London 2012, Sales and Marketing Director of easyJet, and Sales and Marketing Director of Go

Marketer of the Year (1999 and 2005)

[expand title=”In detail”] Before Go, David spent 10 years in advertising. He has been a director of two major advertising agencies. David is a non-executive Director of Glasses Direct, and a former non-executive director of Dyson. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. David was UK Marketer of the Year in 1999 and 2005, and Global Chief Marketing Officer of the Year in 2006. He was awarded an MBE in 2006. He has experienced firsthand the work of many high-profile individuals, such as Sebastian Coe, Stelios Haji-Hannou, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Beckham and members of the Royal family.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]David is knowledgeable about a broad range of marketing disciplines – advertising, e-commerce, direct marketing, PR, events, pricing and customer service. In particular he knows how to apply these techniques to win high-stakes pitches.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]In his beautifully prepared presentations David draws on his own experiences with London 2012 and offers audiences insights into his highly successful marketing strategies.[/expand]
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Author of ‘The Name of the Rose’ and Professor of Semiotics

Italian born Umberto Eco is a prolific author and essayist and has published numerous books and articles covering a wide range of subjects from Art and Beauty in the Middle Ages to Semiotics – the Science of Signs and Symbols. He reached ultimate fame when his book ‘The Name of the Rose’ was made into a blockbuster film.

A laureate graduate from Turin University in 1954 Umberto Eco was cultural programme editor for RAI – Italian Radio and Television – from 1954 to 1959. He joined the publishing house of Bompiano in Milan as senior non-fiction editor in 1959 and was with them until 1975. Since 1962 Umberto Eco has been a regular columnist for some of Italy’s leading newspapers such as Il Giorno, La Stampa, Corriere della Sera.

[expand title=”In detail”] Umberto Eco holds honorary doctorates from Universities in both Europe and the Americas and has lectured and given seminars in Universities and cultural institutions in Italy and throughout the world. He has collaborated with cultural organisations world wide. He has received many literary awards and decorations for his work including Cavaliere di Gran Croce al Merito of Italy (1996), Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur of France 1993 and Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France (1985)[/expand]
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Former Director of Communications & Strategy for Tony Blair

Alastair Campbell is a writer, communicator and strategist best known for his role as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy. Still active in Labour politics, he now splits his time between writing, speaking, charitable fundraising, politics and campaigns.

“Controversial, thought-provoking and highly entertaining.”

[expand title=”In detail”] After writing for Forum magazine Alastair joined the Mirror Group, where he became the Mirror’s chief political economist. He then worked as news editor for the Today newspaper. When Tony Blair became leader of the Labour Party he asked alastair to became his press secretary. For three years, he played a key role helping to create New Labour and return the Party to power. After the 1997 election he became the Prime Minister’s Chief Press Secretary and Official Spokesman during Labour’s first term. After helping New Labour win a second landslide election victory, he became Director of Communications and Strategy until 2003.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Drawing on his experience of ten years alongside Tony Blair, and his considerable understanding of the modern media, he specialises in strategy, making change, dealing with the media and crisis management – often at the same time.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]He is an engaging and innovative speaker able to apply his insights and experience to the work of others with wit and passion.[/expand]
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Musician and Co-organiser of Band Aid and Live Aid and Live

November 25, 1984 was an historic day for Midge Ure and all of pop music, as 36 artists by the collective name Band Aid gathered at SARM Studios in West London under Midge’s production. They recorded Do They Know It’s Christmas?, a song he had just written with Bob Geldof as the industry’s heartfelt and eloquent contribution to Ethiopian famine relief. The unstoppable emotion engendered by the project led to Live Aid, the summer 1985 global concert that, all exaggeration aside, spoke for a generation.

“An artist who has received Ivor Novello, Grammy, BASCAP awards along with a flotilla of gold and platinum records, needs very little introduction”

[expand title=”In detail”] Midge organised the Live 8 concerts with Bob Geldof, with the aim of pressuring G8 leaders into following his recipe for ending world poverty. In 2005 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music and charity.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Midge Ure talks candidly about his career and what Live Aid and the Live 8 concerts mean to him. He explains how the musicians aimed to convince the eight world leaders to focus on fighting poverty in the third world.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A charismatic and affable personality, Midge speaks emotionally and openly in his moving presentations. He is also a fantastic storyteller, leaving audiences well and truly inspired and entertained.[/expand]
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French Film Director, Writer and Producer

Luc Besson is recognized worldwide as a film director, writer and producer. In recent years, he has written and produced numerous action movies, including the Taxi series, The Transporter series, and the Jet Li films Kiss of the Dragon and Unleashed/Danny the Dog. Besson was also in charge of the promotional movie which was presented to the IOC members for the bid of Paris for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 1981 he formed his own production company called Les Films de Dauphins and in 2000 he founded Europacorp for producing and distributing international movies.

“He is an uplifting reminder that anything is possible when you set your sights high”

[expand title=”In detail”] After his military service, Besson travelled to Hollywood, where he worked as a studio hand. By the time he returned to France, the following year, he was determined to become a film maker. He worked as an assistant on a number of films, working with such directors as Patrick Grandperret, Claude Faraldo, Maurice Pialat and Régis Wargnier.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Luc has spent his career breaking the mould and pushing boundaries. He is an uplifting reminder that anything is possible when you set your sights high. He talks openly about his inspirations and what drove him to become a film director.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His motivational and inspirational presentations leave the audience feeling energised.[/expand]
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Financial and Economic Expert, Moderator and Interviewer, Former CNN Presenter

Todd Benjamin is well known to television audiences across the globe. For 26 years he worked as an anchor, correspondent, and financial editor for CNN. During that time he was based in Washington DC, New York, Tokyo, and London. An award winning journalist, Todd has interviewed everyone including most recently former US President Bill Clinton, Nobel Economic Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, Mikhail Gorbachev, Alan Greenspan and several of the world’ leading CEOs including Jack Welch, Lou Gerstner, and Carlos Ghosn.

“Todd is known for his no-nonsense style and punchy interviews”

[expand title=”In detail”] Todd Benjamin holds a bachelor’s degree in English from The University of Puget Ound. He has travelled throughout Europe covering economic and corporate stories including, G8, EU and the Frankfurt Auto show.

Todd joined CNN in 1982 working in Washington and later in New York. Before joining CNN he worked as an investigative and business reporter in local television news in Phoenix, Arizona.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Having interviewed many of the world’s leading CEOs for the Benjamin’s Boardroom series, Todd has developed a unique and fascinating focus on leadership. As well as sharing his clear insights of the economic market, Todd also demonstrates how strategies can be developed to benefit from globalisation and offers insights into how the world may develop.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Todd Benjamin delivers a clear and informative message that conveys the global economic context with ease. A skilled facilitator and an excellent communicator, he is direct and straight to the point making him highly sought-after as a conference moderator and speaker.[/expand]
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