The Leading Speakers Bureau

Groundbreaking Athlete, Fashion Icon, Design Innovator and Model

A record-breaker at the Paralympic Games in 1996, Aimee Mullins has built a career as a model, actor and advocate for women, sports and the next generation of prosthetics. Aimee was born without fibulae and doctors amputated both her legs. Defying all predictions she became the first woman with a disability to compete in the NCAA and went to set world records in the 100 meter, the 200 meter and the long jump.

“Adversity isn’t an obstacle that we need to get around in order to resume living our life. It’s part of our life”

[expand title=”In detail”] Aimee studied History and Diplomacy at Georgetown University. As a model she graced some of the most respected magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and Rolling Stones. She travelled the world and spoke at renowned conferences where she created a deep interest in body image, fashion advertising and the opportunity of adversity. People Magazine named her “One of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World”. Aimee actively assists numerous non- profit organisations and is a founding member of the leadership board to SPIRE Institute, the world’s largest athletic development center. [/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]In her presentations Aimee reveals what is possible. She shows how we can adapt our mindsets, so that adversity and change are not to be dreaded but welcome as exciting parts of our lives. She also shares her experience of creating the rules to success by explaining some of the critical decisions she faced in her life. [/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Her highly personalised interactive presentations and free ranging question and answer sessions are truly unique and engage audiences around the world. [/expand]

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India’s First Formula One Driver

Narain Karthikeyan will go down in the history of Motorsport as the first Indian to compete in the Formula One. He made his F1 debut in 2005 with the Jordan team and was a Williams F1 test driver in 2006 and 2007. He placed India on the world map of motorsport, and continues to bring laurels to the country. Driven by the urge to serve society, Narain also fulfils his role as a social citizen by contributing to several social causes.

“A true representative of India’s young spirit and an example for India’s motorsport” Dr. Singh, Prime Minister of India

[expand title=”In detail”] Narain’s journey from F3 to F1 was the outcome of his sheer determination to live a lifelong dream. With the Jordan F1 team he made a dream debut in Melbourne in 2005. He became the first Indian to score World Championship points in a F1 race, when he finished 4th in the United States Grand Prix. Multiple world-title winning Williams F1 team, spotting his undeniable talent and ability to develop the performance of a race car, offered him a position as their official test driver for 2006. He conducted over twenty thousand kilometres of testing for the team and provided them with invaluable data towards improvement of their race car.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Drawing from his successful career, Narain shows that a driving talent and motivation are some of the keys to success and he underlines the importance of teamwork, focus and delivery to become a winner.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Highly motivating and inspiring, Narain Karthikeyan’s is a great choice to speak at prestigious conferences. He is also available for appearances. [/expand]

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Former England Rugby Union Player

Matt Dawson MBE is best known as a member of the World Cup winning 2003 England Rugby Union squad. With 77 caps under his belt, he is England’s most capped scrum half, captaining the side 9 times. Matt is a regular guest presenter on Five Live and has hosted a series of shows discussing a wide range of sports such as rugby and tennis. In 2011 he toured the UK with A Question of Sport Live as Team Captain which was a great success and Matt continues to appear on BBC1 on the much loved TV show A Question of Sport.

“Matt Dawson is an institution in the world of rugby.”

[expand title=”In detail”] Regarded as one of the more outspoken players, Matt is a favourite with the BBC’s rugby coverage and has had substantial experience in written journalism. In 2006 he took part in the BBC’s Celebrity Masterchef and won. Since then, Matt has further pursued his love for food by filming three new food based shows in 2011; Monster Munchies and Matt and Allegra’s Big Farm both for UK TV’s The Good Food channel and also Tesco’s The Real Food Family Cook Off for Channel 5. He has also used his creativity and knowledge by partnering the food brand Tulip to develop a range of fuller flavoured sausages, with more delicious additions in the pipeline for 2012. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Matt enjoys presenting the lessons he has learned from rugby and his other own life experiences, especially his competitive interests, and relates them to individual approaches, physical and mental training as well as development of career and personal life. Matt develops relevant presentations in his own style, equally effective at large team building exercises at a sales conference to strategic retreats and change management sessions. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A truly inspiring speaker, Matt tailors his presentations for different team and corporate scenarios, working with clients to achieve the goals and objectives of strategy meetings, seminars and conferences. [/expand]

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German Olympic Figure Skater

Katarina Witt is a German Olympic figure skater and model. Always looking for new challenges, she is continually taking on new directions in her work, adding to her experience thus far as an Olympic figure skater, producer, moderator, actress and author. Katarina is also the founder of production agency WITH WITT Sports & Entertainment GmbH in 1995. This enterprise set new standards in the market of figure skating production.

“One of the most successful skaters of all time”

[expand title=”In detail”] Katarina’s biography and her career as a figure skater are incomparable and unique. Besides two Olympic victories, she became the World Champion four times, the European Champion six times, and the National Champion eight times. Following the 1988 World Championships, her successful amateur career came to a close. She then toured for three years as the headliner in her own show Witt and Boitano Skating which was so successful, that Madison Square Garden in New York was sold out for the first time in its history. She has toured America and Canada for 10 years as a guest star in the American figure-skating shows “Stars on Ice and Champions on Ice, while also participating in countless professional international competitions. She has worked as a figure skating expert during world championships and Olympic Games for American and German TV channels.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Katarina uses her expertise and insight to motivate, stimulate and inspire her audiences.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Katarina is an intelligent and direct presenter, with a calm and friendly style. She is a dynamic and well liked communicator.[/expand]

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Former World Nº1 Tennis Player

Ivan Lendl is a former world nº1 professional tennis player who spent 17 years on the ATP Tour during which he was ranked as the world’s top player and competed in a total of 19 Grand Slam singles finals. His trophy cabinet includes eight Grand Slam titles (two Australian, three French and three US Opens). More recently, he has begun coaching professional Andy Murray and has launched the Ivan Lendl International Junior Tennis Academy providing full-time tennis training and academics for players looking to reach their ultimate potential or the professional ranks.

“He was one of the game’s dominant players in the 1980s and early 1990s”

[expand title=”In detail”] Since retiring from tennis in 1994, Ivan turned his competitive interests to golf where, after a developmental period on the Moonlightgolf.com Tour, he captured four wins on the Celebrity Players Tour. He has played several exhibitions throughout the world including the 2011 BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden against his long time rival John McEnroe and has also played in the inaugural Montreal Rendezvous against Pat Cash in March 2012.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Ivan addresses Q&A sessions and thrills and motivates his audience with his great success story. He explains how he managed to reach the top of the professional tennis circuit and how we can achieve our own personal and professional goals.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Throughout his remarkable tennis career, Ivan has headlined motivational speeches, clinics, media functions, meet and greets and autograph sessions for companies worldwide.[/expand]
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Executive Director / Director of Football Operations Chelsea Football Club

Mike Forde is one of the UK’s leading Sports Executives, having worked in the English Premier League for the past 13 years. He is widely recognised as a leading figure in the EPL and European Soccer for driving innovation and cutting edge methods to create a sustained business model for Elite Player Performance. He is Director of Football Operations and Executive Club Director for Chelsea Football Club, dealing with all areas of performance and team operations relating to the 1st team, including player recruitment, medical, sport science, psychology and performance analysis.

“Mike has an amazing sense of what motivation is about”

[expand title=”In detail”] From 1999 to 2007 Mike was Performance Director for Bolton Wanderers Football Club. He has a BSc Sport Science from Liverpool John Moores University and an MSc Psychology & Sport from San Diego State University / Leeds Met University. He also serves as a Non Executive Director with Lawn Tennis Association / Wimbledon and has advised on High Performance Cultures and Talent Management across a variety of Global Sports including NFL, NBA, MLB, International Rugby Union; International Cricket and F1.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Mike is sought for his elite experience to impart and develop wide ranging learning, integration and best practice in high performance and its practical applications for the world of business.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Mike is an inspiring and natural speaker who delivers a vibrant message on how to channel a team towards peak performance. [/expand]
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Cricket Legend, Coach of Kolkata Knight Riders

Wasim Akram is an internationally acclaimed personality who has been a professional Cricketer, television commentator and activist of awareness campaigns for diabetes. He is the finest fast bowler ever; pioneer of reverse swing bowling and has headed the cricket team of Pakistan in Test as well as One Day Internationals. He holds world records for taking the most wickets in ODIs.

“An international Cricket legend”

[expand title=”In detail”] His career started from his college days in 1980s. In 1998 he played for Lancashire Country Cricket Club in England and won the ECB Trophy as their captain. He played a significant role in winning the 1992 World Cup for Pakistan by taking the most wickets – a total of 55 in 38 matches. He is one of three bowlers who have taken four hat-tricks in International Cricket. He is known as ‘Sultan of Swing’ and holds a Pakistani record of taking 414 wickets in 104 matches in test cricket. He has remained the first bowler in International Cricket who has taken 400 wickets in both forms of cricket.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Being a hero and coach to several teams worldwide, he provides an insight to key issues for leadership, motivation and team work. Very original in thinking and addresses behavioural management topics too.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Wasim has a charismatic personality, full of energy and enthusiasm, very lively and friendly in his presentations.[/expand]
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Race Coach with SKY Pro-Cycling Team, Great Britain’s National Endurance Coach for the Track

Dan Hunt is an outstanding athletics coach. Throughout his 5 year coaching career he has coached athletes (both male and female), in individual and team events to Gold medals at Commonwealth Games, European Championships, Track World Cups, World Championships and most recently London 2012. Dan is ‘Senior National Endurance Coach’ directly coaching the Great Britain Men’s track endurance team and overseeing the coaching delivery and performance of the Women’s team also. In 2013 Dan was appointed by Team Sky as Sports Director.

“One of the key players behind the scenes at the now prominent sport of indoor track cycling”

[expand title=”In detail”] Having completed an MSc in Exercise Science, Dan started work at the University of Bath as an assistant sports scientist. Within two years he was appointed senior physiologist at a National Institute of Sport. In 2005 he was contacted by the Great Britain Cycling Team to transform the then failing Women’s Endurance Team. He led the transformation of a failing programme into one that produced 4 Olympic Medals in just two and a half years. Since Beijing 2008, Dan has sustained the success of the women’s programme which culminated in 2009 where the team medalled in every World Championship event including events which Great Britain hasn’t been competitive in for over 20 years and successfully defended the World Team Pursuit Title.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]His presentations draw parallels between the mindset, values and philosophies, determination and leadership necessary to win in elite sport or business. Relishing his role as a ‘Race Coach‘ with the newly formed SKY Pro-Cycling Team he believes he will succeed in the two distinct aims using enthusiasm, leadership, vision, and shared British Cycling values and philosophies, to win the Tour de France with a British rider in the next 5 years and to become the best sports team in the world.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Full of inspiration and examples of a relentless quest for quality and refusal to accept second-best, Dan Hunt is no stranger to telling it how it is. A relaxed and highly effective communicator, he expertly illustrates his winning message in a clear and concise style.[/expand]
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The World’s Greatest Female Footballer

Birgit Prinz has been elected FIFA Women’s World Football Player of the Year three times (in 2003, 2004, and 2006) and was voted Germany’s “Women’s Footballer of the Year” each year consecutively from 2001 to 2008. She scored seven goals for Germany in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2003 as a centre forward and played for the German women’s football team at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics winning a bronze medal at each.

“A female sporting icon and German football superstar”

[expand title=”In detail”] Birgit Prinz was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and after leaving school she trained to become a physiotherapist. She has since played professional football with 1. FFC Frankfurt (1st Frankfurt Women’s Football Club) since July 1994. Her impressive international career includes being a member of the UEFA Cup winning team as well as winning the World and European championships.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Using the lessons learned on the football pitch, Birgit Prinz shows audiences around the world the characteristics and skills she has learned to become one of the most successful female footballers of all time. She shows how anybody can apply these skills to achieve their own personal goals in their private and business lives.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]A charismatic and inspirational individual, Birgit’s presentations are filled with anecdotes and motivational messages from her professional football career perfectly crafted to suit each individual event.[/expand]
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Captain of the Victorious 1995 Country-unifying Rugby World Cup Team – The Springboks

Francois Pienaar is a remarkable athlete, trained lawyer and an ambassador for multi-racial sports and civil rights. He reached the highest peak in rugby union: he captained his country South Africa, to World Cup victory in 1995. He was depicted in Clint Eastwood’s blockbuster Invictus. In 2005, Francois was seconded by First National Bank as CEO for the 2011 Rugby World cup bid.

Having been named Newsmaker of the Year, he is his country’s most celebrated icon after Nelson Mandela”

[expand title=”In detail”] Francois is involved in numerous charities and was the founder of the Make a Difference (MAD) charitable organisation when he returned to SA. Francois was approached by the First Rand Group where he became head of sponsorships and strategic business development. He left First Rand Bank to follow his passion for sport, media and entertainment and started Advent Sport Entertainment and Media Pty Ltd in 2009. Francois became Provincial Chairman of First National Bank in the Western Cape until 2009.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Francois regularly shares his amazing journey of leadership, perseverance and remarkable human spirit. He has proved himself an inspirational leader and is one of the few men on earth who can genuinely claim to have united South Africa behind a common cause. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His charisma, leadership and strength of character place him much in demand to speak about the game he loves with a passion all over the world.[/expand]
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