The Leading Speakers Bureau

Co-Founder of Zopa and CEO of Green Thing

James Alexander is a highly practical business creator and innovative strategist. He is a co-founder and Board Director of Zopa, the marketplace where people meet to lend and borrow money, which launched in 2005, and until 2007 he was UK CEO. He is also currently a Trustee and CEO of Green Thing, a public service that inspires people to lead a greener life.

“Believe in yourself, trust offers of help from others and realise that even failure is not as bad as you might think it is!”

[expand title=”In detail”] James holds an MBA from INSEAD and a 1st class honours degree from University College, London. Prior to Zopa, James was Strategy Director at Egg, a world leader in digital banking. He joined Egg to create new things – launching Egg’s digital TV and mobile services and the UK’s first and most successful account aggregation service. Before Egg, James worked at LEK Consulting, where he developed the business case for Smile, Co-operative Bank’s Internet bank. On leaving Egg, James was a founder member of the team that identified the major consumer trend of the next 20 years – Freeforming. James is also an adviser to various .com companies.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]James Alexander offers fascinating insights from his vast business experience, having developed not just a profitable internet-based business, but also a new way of borrowing and lending money. He shows what can be done when you take customer insight really seriously, are very focused on a vision / strategy and approach everything with a “can do” attitude. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]James Alexander’s passionate, inspiring and exciting sessions are invaluable sources of actionable information – full of interesting case studies. He is thought provoking and highly creative.[/expand]
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Leading Edge Strategist & Bestselling Author

Jeff Thull is a leading-edge strategist and valued advisor for executive teams of major companies worldwide. As President and CEO of Prime Resource Group, he has designed and implemented business transformation and professional development programs for companies like Shell, Siemens, HP, Honeywell, 3M, Microsoft, Siemens, Citicorp, IBM, Raymond James, and Georgia-Pacific, as well as many fast-track, start-up companies.

“Jeff motivates people to take action and lets them have fun doing it.”

[expand title=”In detail”] Jeff has gained the reputation for being a thought-leader in the arena of sales and marketing strategies for companies involved in complex sales. He is the author of the best-selling books ‘Mastering the Complex Sale: How to Compete and Win When the Stakes are High’, ‘The Prime Solution: Close the Value Gap, Increase Margins’, and ‘Win the Complex Sale’, and his latest release… ‘Exceptional Selling: How the Best Connect and Win in High Stakes Sales’. Jeff is also a columnist with Inc.com and his articles are published in hundreds of business and trade publications.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Jeff motivates people to take action and lets them have fun doing it. He combines the best of street-smart selling and strategy execution, with the best of university-level learning.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Jeff is a compelling, entertaining and thought-provoking keynote speaker who has delivers speeches and seminars to corporations and professional associations worldwide.[/expand]
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Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship

Atul Nerkar is a Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, and Associate Dean of the Executive MBA Evening and Weekend Programs. His current research examines the drivers of R&D success in the pharmaceutical, chemical and optical disc industries. In particular, he focuses on firms’ patent portfolios and the evolutionary process underlying their development.

“A truly dynamic strategist”

[expand title=”In detail”] Dr. Nerkar previously served on the faculty of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and as a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He worked with the Unilever Group of Companies in India before he studied at Wharton. He received his PhD in strategic management from Wharton, where he also received an MA in managerial science and applied economics. He has a bachelor of production engineering from the University of Bombay and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Atul Nerkar offers audiences insights into how technology, innovation and entrepreneurship affect business and corporate strategy and speaks about productivity in organisations and the evolution of technological capabilities in the context of the pharmaceutical, chemical and optical disc industries.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His clear and thought provoking presentations make Dr Nerkar a highly sought after speaker at national and international conferences.[/expand]
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Renowned Strategy Thought Leader, Business Professor, Author

Rumelt has been described as the “strategist’s strategist.” He has authored or co-authored numerous business publications. Best known for his work on corporate strategy, his research has covered corporate diversification strategy and sustainable competitive advantage, and more recently industry transitions and the evolution of complex industries. Richard Rumelt is currently the Harry and Elsa Kunin Chair in Business and Society at the University of California-Los Angeles.

[expand title=”In detail”] Professor Rumelt received his doctorate from the Harvard Business School in 1972, having previously earned a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley. He worked as a systems engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories and served on the faculty of the Harvard Business School. He joined the UCLA faculty in 1976. During 1993-96 he was on long-term leave from UCLA, serving on the faculty at INSEAD, France. At INSEAD, Professor Rumelt headed the Corporate Renewal Initiative, a research-intervention center devoted to the study and practice of corporate transformation.

Between 1972 and 1976 Professor Rumelt was on the faculty of the Harvard Business School, with two of those years spent on assignment to found the Harvard-sponsored Iran Center for Management Studies (ICMS). Richard Rumelt was a founding member of the Strategic Management Society and served as its president in 1995-98. In 1997, he was appointed Telecom Italia Strategy Fellow, a position he held until April 2000. He has won teaching awards at UCLA.

In addition to his academic work, Richard has been a consultant to numerous firms, non-profit organizations, the Department of Defense, and several governments on competitive advantage, how to strengthen it, how to exploit inertia and riding waves of change.[/expand]
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Explorer, International Speaker, Author

Rona Cant is an adventurer, author and inspirational communicator and her very diverse adventures enable her to work with organisations across the world empowering their staff to have the right attitude to achieve their goals. She has worked with very diverse organisations from SME’s, CEO Groups to FTSE 100 Companies and she has inspired audiences at many Conferences to get out of their comfort zone to achieve their goals in the UK, Middle East and Australasia.

“The basis of success is belief that you can do it “ Rona Cant

[expand title=”In detail”] Rona’s journey has taken her from being a stay-at-home ‘Mum’ to business owner to single Mum to round-the-world yachtswoman, author, explorer and now inspirational Keynote Speaker – a journey beset by obstacles and challenges. She has conquered some of the most challenging expeditions in the world. Having taken part in the BT Global Challenge Round the World Yacht Race, the toughest yacht race in the world, two days later she embarked on the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, encountering bears and cougars. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Rona shares clear business strategies that can be utilised immediately. Her audiences are fully engaged, they understand that action is what counts not intent and they leave believing that they too can get out of their comfort zone and achieve.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Rona uses first-hand experience to pass on the lessons she has learnt on her very diverse expeditions, so her talks and master-classes are thought-provoking and the impact is longer lasting. Rona’s talks are dramatically illustrated with images and video clips from her expeditions.[/expand]
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Professor for Innovation Management

Jörg Reckhenrich is a Berlin based artist and Professor for Innovation Management at Antwerp Management School and member of the faculty at the Lorange Institute Switzerland. He is also visiting lecturer at IMD Lausanne, London Business School and Sotheby’s London. He was named as one of the ‘Top 25 Management Thinkers of the year’ by the management journal ‘Business Strategy Review’ in 2009 and was mentioned as “Management Guru” by the FT London.

“The creative leader has an understanding that does not centre on him or her – it is all about shaping the relationship with his followers.”

[expand title=”In detail”] With his background from the arts and being a systemic consultant, he developed an approach for consulting and executive education that brings in the creative principles of fine arts into the corporate field. For example, through his research in art and the corporate world, he has developed a tool for evaluating creativity of top-level management in large corporations that has been adopted by a leading executive search firm. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]In his keynotes Jörg bridges stories from the art world with questions about creativity, innovation and leadership in contemporary organizations.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His presentation style is a balance of inspirational talk and reflection of business concepts.[/expand]
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President and CEO of Quantum Corporation, Former COO of Microsoft

Rick Belluzzo was the President and COO of the world’s largest software manufacturer, Microsoft Corp, before stepping down in September of 2002. Rick has been a leader and a pioneer in this rapidly changing industry for almost 40 years. In his position as CEO, Rick was directly responsible for guiding the company’s business strategy as well as managing sales, marketing, directing business operations and the development of many of Microsoft’s emerging projects.

[expand title=”In detail”] Throughout a distinguished career with Hewlett Packard, which stretched over a 23 year period, Rick learned the essentials of this highly competitive industry and how to keep abreast of the competition. On leaving of Hewlett Packard for Silicon Graphics, he held the position of General Manager of the Laser Jet Division, at that time the worlds highest selling printer.

At Silicon Graphics, Rick had the opportunity to experience first hand the fast track world of high quality computer software, the competition, the transitions made and the constant changes that were necessary to maintain a global market position. Silicon Graphics created programs for the professional computer user, and also designed programs for military purposes, medical purposes, and even special effects for Hollywood Blockbusters. The knowledge that Rick acquired would serve in his next job as CEO of the worlds largest and most creative new media conglomerate.

In 1999 Richard Belluzzo joined the Microsoft Corporation as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, responsible for developing the company’s core direction. In February 2001 Rick was named CEO and President of Microsoft answerable directly to Mr Bill Gates. Apart from leading the worlds largest software and new media company, he also had to defend the company in the famous monopoly charges brought against Microsoft by the American Government[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Rick is an extremely professional speaker on almost every facet of the new media, and future directions of software and new media. Any audience will appreciate and learn from the addresses of one of the worlds most qualified executives.[/expand]
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Principal Security Technologist

Bruce Schneier is a world leader in computer and network security. Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Counterpane Internet Security Inc., he has established the company as a chief provider of managed security services. His status as a security guru is confirmed by having testified before the United States Congress on security.

The debunker of security technology

[expand title=”In detail”] An accomplished author and contributor to numerous specialist publications, he also created the Blowfish and Twofish encryption algorithms. He is a rare master at illustrating the hidden world of encryption and demystifies everything associated with the science of codes. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]His tremendous comprehension of all the criteria influencing security technology affords you the most all-inclusive analysis of what actually affects security decisions. By incorporating the economic, political and legal concerns he reveals the real factors at play in security technology. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Renowned for being energising, he brings a clear and invaluable perspective to this most current of topics.[/expand]
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Founder of the Orange Brand, Creator of Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Magic Moments’ and Former 118 118 Chief Executive

Chris Moss is a Business innovator and Intrapreneur. A highly experienced board level brand and marketing leader he has already created 3 multi-billion dollar brands with a track record of delivering award winning launch campaigns, broadscale business transformation and sustained bottom line growth through product, service and communications innovation. He is knowledgeable across the technology, telecommunications, travel and finance sectors with a particular interest in emerging service markets.

Intrapreneur: “A person within a large corporation who takes direct responsibility for turning an idea into a profitable finished product through assertive risk-taking and innovation”
American Heritage Dictionary

[expand title=”In detail”] During his 8 years as Marketing director of Virgin Atlantic, Chris took the company from a single aircraft to loved international brand – and created Premium Economy, seat-back TV and on-board ice creams along the way. Chris is the founder of the Orange brand and directed what is considered to be one of the most successful business launches in the last 20 years. Chris also led the brand switch from ‘On Digital’ to ‘ITV Digital’, oversaw the brand merger of Lloyds Bank and TSB and as CEO of 118 118 delivered a masterclass in how to move from market entrant to market leader.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Chris has a wealth of experience as an intrapreneur, working within organisations to turn ideas into profit through assertive risk-taking and innovation. A brand imagineer, Chris Moss inspires audiences to ‘see things differently’ through entertaining anecdotes and invaluable advice. His reputation as a brand innovator and business maverick makes him a perfect speaker at prestigious events worldwide.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A passionate and innovative speaker, Chris is a highly sought-after individual with a strong desire to show people how to “Make it impact!”[/expand]
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Digital vendor, strategy expert

Palle Riismoeller is a serial digital entrepreneur with in depth knowledge of digital platforms, vendor selection processes, department change management and digital strategy implementation. He has first-hand knowledge from large scale multinational e-commerce platform projects with high Online Return On Investment (OROI) which is also the name of his company through 10 years.

“High end digital knowhow with first-hand experience”

[expand title=”In detail”] Palle Riismoeller has worked with digital media since 1999, nominated for several digital awards and been a jury member for the last 3 years in several different committees including Danish E-commerce Association (FDIH). Palle have produced a wide range of e-commerce websites and been first-hand involved in more than 50 vendor processes in the European market. In 2011-2012 alone – Palle found suppliers for 42 companies and delivered a digital strategy including departmental changes for even more.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]In depth actual knowledge of a very wide range of digital productions presented in a way that is involving and straight forward. He makes sure that the subjects are relevant and up to date and if possible he uses insight and data based on actual knowledge of the audience. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Palle has presented in English in more than a decade and is used to be on stage. His always adapt to the audience and make sure that he has relevant cases in hand.[/expand]
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