The Leading Speakers Bureau

Doctor & Scientific Explorer

Alexander Kumar is a British born part Indian medical doctor who has lived, worked and travelled through over 80 countries on all 7 continents and is an experienced expedition medic to remote areas of the world. Fascinated by life in the Polar Regions from a young age, he followed his heart to the Canadian Arctic, where he completed his dissertation conducting the first piece of research on HIV among Inuit. Later, Alex travelled to Antarctica and spent around one year living at Concordia, a joint French-Italian inland Antarctic research station as the Human Spaceflight Research MD to conduct research for the European Space Agency in an attempt to understand how far human physiology and psychology can be pushed towards a future manned mission to Mars.

“Realising knowledge and a sense humour weigh nothing; Alex travels light, armed only with a stethoscope and curiosity for life”

[expand title=”In detail”] He graduated with a Medical Degree from Guy’s, King’s & St. Thomas’ in London, following numerous medical placements including in India, Israel, Shetland, the Amazon and Arctic. He also holds a first class honours degree in International Health. Drawing attention to Global Health inequality, Alex helps raise awareness about issues, including indigenous population health. Aside to his extensive polar experience, after training in anaesthetics in Oxford, he is specialising in severe and fatal tropical infectious diseases. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]He delivers serious and humorous educational, inspirational, scientific and medical presentations sharing his unique first hand personal experience and anecdotes from his extensive travels in extreme environments, observing and treating human psychology and physiology at their very limits.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]You won’t find another doctor like him, with captivating, high-energy style and power-packed presentations Alexander has built his reputation as a speaker who really delivers.[/expand]

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World-Renowned Automotive Designer

Murat Günak is a world-renowned and respected automotive designer. He was Head of Design at leading automotive companies, such as Peugeot, DaimlerChrysler and Volkswagen, including Skoda and Bentley. He is currently the CEO of Mindset, an innovative idea company in Switzerland. Since 2007, he has been devoting himself primarily to the development of vehicles with electric drive. After having completed the Swiss hybrid car Mindset, Günak designed the mia – the heart of mia electric GmbH, a company of which he is also a managing director.

“The joy of design is to imagine, to create and to bring to reality what started as an idea in the head”

[expand title=”In detail”] After some work experience with the opera stage design he got a sponsorship from Ford Motor for a Master of Automotive Design at the Royal College of Art in London. He had his first breakthrough with the design of the first Mercedes C-Class car and then with Peugeot 206, 307 and 607. At DaimlerChrysler he was responsible for the design of Mercedes Passenger Cars, Maybach and SLR. He designed the round lights which appear on every Mercedes.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Murat Günak draws on his extensive experience in design to give fascinating insights into the innovative concepts and designs he creates. His approach to innovation and creativity is strongly influenced by the disciplines of design. He takes up the challenge of reinventing the relationship between design and business.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Murat’s presentations unlock people’s passions, demonstrating tactics for inspired ways of thinking and creating an atmosphere where people enjoy working and living.[/expand]

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Design Director and Chief Creative Officer of Land Rover

Gerry McGovern is recognised as one of the world’s leading automotive designers. As Design Director and Chief Creative Officer for Land Rover, Gerry creates some of the world’s most distinctive and desirable vehicles. Gerry is also a member of the Jaguar Land Rover Executive Committee. His wider remit is to guide all aspects of visual communications ensuring a consistent look and feel between vehicles and identity of the brand. He and his team are in the process of creating an entire new generation of Land Rovers, redefining the brand and building on established heritage to make the product range relevant to the 21st Century including the phenomenally successful Range Rover Evoque. Gerry is currently leading the team to develop opportunities to grow the business into new areas.

“One of the most accomplished automotive designers”

[expand title=”In detail”] With a background in industrial and automotive design, Gerry began his career at Chrysler in Detroit, before returning to the UK as a Senior Designer for Peugeot and later joining the Rover Group. Through this period he was the lead designer of the critically acclaimed MGF sports car, the Land Rover Freelander and the third generation Range Rover. Gerry then moved to the Ford Motor Company to head up and rejuvenate the Lincoln-Mercury brands, before returning to the UK to run a design consultancy in London. Gerry is an authority on modern architecture and furniture as well as a collector of contemporary art.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Gerry will share his insights on how to bring vision and strategy to your business through the art of great design and the process of improvement. He also shares his passion for design, the importance of creating a unique design language and its effect on our environment. Gerry shares his vision of the luxury goods market and why it can be replicated in any city around the world.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His enlightening presentations are delivered with clarity and humour, and he will engage with audiences on every level at prestigious events around the globe.[/expand]

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General Manager Marketing Services at Porsche

Andreas Henke is the General Manager Marketing Services at Porsche Germany GmbH. In early 2005 he was appointed Head of Marketing Services and was responsible for worldwide trade shows, dealer launch events, the driving experience programs such as the Porsche Sport Driving School, Road Show and World Travel Club. During the launch, in 2000, of the Porsche Cayenne, the new 911 and the new Boxster, he acted as a ghost writer for the board of directors and the distribution organisations.

“Porsche is responsible for many of the most traditional Sports car manufacturer in the world”

[expand title=”In detail”] Andreas studied economics and politics with a focus on marketing. Since 1999, he worked in the marketing department at Porsche and was responsible for the marketing concepts and strategic projects. In 2002 he was appointed Head of Marketing Communications Strategy. In this role he was responsible for the development of global communications strategies, budget planning, marketing and key account partnerships. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Andreas explains how the product portfolio of Porsche has developed and changed during the course of the company history. Henke illustrates to audiences the insights into the marketing at Porsche and details the philosophy of the sports car industry.
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[expand title=”How he presents”]Henke is renowned for his clear and fluent speaking style and continues to be in great demand by clients worldwide. [/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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Swiss Pilot, Inventor & Aviation Enthusiast, nicknamed Jet Man & Fusion Man

Yves Rossy realized Icarus’ dream by designing a special jet powered wing to enable him to fly like a bird. The Swiss inventor, whose lifetime passion is flying, has created and developed wings which allow him to actually fly, successfully flying across the English Channel in 2008 in under 10 mins., reaching a speed of 125 mph during the crossing. In May 2011 he made a successful flight over the Grand Canyon in a custom-made, winged jet pack.

“The first jet-powered flying man in the history of aviation”

[expand title=”In detail”] After seven years of designing, building and testing his wings, Yves Rossy achieved sustained solo flight in 2004. With his latest design he can fly at over 200km/hr at great height. During the flight, Yves’s body becomes like a bird and unlike an aeroplane Yves does not ride his wings, but truly flies them, using various light body movements that he has learned to handle with perfection. He has served as a fighter pilot in the Swiss Air Force, flying Dassault Mirage IIIs, Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs and Hawker Hunters. He also flew Boeing 747s for Swissair and now pilots an Airbus A320 for Swiss International Air Lines. Later in 2008 he made a flight over the Alps reaching a top speed of 189mph[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]With boundless energy Yves Rossy inspires audiences towards achieving their individual and business goals by applying the lessons he learned on his way to becoming “Jet Man”, the first person to achieve sustained human flight using a jet-powered fixed wing strapped to his back. In his presentations he talks about his unique journey and how with a “can-do” attitude anything can be achieved.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Backing up his presentations with dramatic footage from his aerial exploits, Yves leaves audiences spell bound and awe-inspired as he tells the story of his dream to one day fly like a bird.[/expand]

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Author of Freakonomics

Steve Levitt is a much-heralded young scholar, who studies the riddles of everyday life – from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing. His conclusions regularly turn conventional wisdom on its head. He is the author of the best-seller, ‘Freakonomics’, and appears regularly on television and in the media talking about his economic theories and revolutionary ideas.

“The most influential economist in America under the age of 40”

[expand title=”In detail”] Steve is a 37-year old self-effacing Midwestern father of four who has an enormous curiosity and is set on course by personal experiences and the incongruities he sees in everyday life. He is an intuitionist. He sifts through a pile of data to find a story that no one else has found and devises ways to measure an effect that veteran economists have declared immeasurable. He has shown other economists just how well their tools can make sense of the real world. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]In his presentations he sets out to explore the hidden side of…well, everything – the inner-workings of a crack gang, the truth about real-estate agents, the myths of campaign finance, the tell-tale marks of a cheating schoolteacher, the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan and much more.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Engaging, witty and unconventional, Steve is a truly inspirational speaker and always leaves audiences charged and invigorated.[/expand]

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Leadership Expert and Author

Simon Sinek is described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect”. The author is best known for discovering and popularising his theory of the “Golden Circle,” a naturally occurring pattern grounded in the biology of human decision making and motivation. He leads the movement to inspire people to do the things that inspire them. He writes, consults and speaks all over the world about the power of Why – the purpose that drives every one of us.

“I try to find, celebrate and teach leaders how to build platforms that will inspire others”

[expand title=”In detail”] A trained ethnographer, Simon has a curiosity for why people and organisations do the things they do. Fascinated by the leaders and companies that make the greatest impact in the world, he has discovered some remarkable patterns of how they think, act and communicate. Simon is a member of the RAND Corporation; one of the most highly regarded Think Tanks in the world and teaches Strategic Communication at Columbia University. He frequently writes for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek amongst others. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]In his presentations Simon shares his unconventional and innovative views on business and leadership. He shares the remarkable patterns of some unique leaders with his audiences in order to inspire positive and effective actions in organisations. His thoughts have attracted international attention and have earned him invitations to meet with business leaders and organisations around the globe. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His real-live stories and out of the box thinking make Simon Sinek a highly sought after speaker at conferences worldwide. [/expand]

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Leading Authority on Behavioural Finance

Prof. Shlomo Benartzi is a leading authority on behavioural finance with a special interest in personal finance and participant behavior in defined contribution plans. He is currently co-chair of the Behavioral Decision-Making Group at UCLA Anderson and is also co-founder of the Behavioral Finance Forum, which is a collective of 40 prominent academics and 40 major financial institutions from around the globe.

Jointly recognized by Money as one of 2004’s “Class Acts” for SMarT’s success

[expand title=”In detail”] Shlomo Benartzi received his Ph.D. from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. Perhaps his most significant research contribution is the development of Save More Tomorrow™ (SMarT), a behavioural prescription designed to help employees increase their savings rates gradually over time. He has supplemented his academic research with practical experience, serving on the advisory boards of the Alaska State Pension, Fuller and Thaler Asset Management, Guggenheim Partners, Morningstar and the U.S. Department of Labor.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Voted the 4th most influential person in the industry by the 401kWire, Shlomo Benartzi’s high content presentations are ideal for plan sponsors, financial planners, broker dealers, high-net-worth clients, among others curious to learn more about the practical applications of behavioural finance. He applies research findings to actual consumer situations to show how better designed products can lead to satisfied customers and higher profits.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Shlomo Benartzi’s presentations are dynamic, entertaining and most importantly, provide real takeaways that will change the way you think. He has the unique talent of taking complicated research findings and turning them into a lively, thought-provoking discussion of investor behaviour.[/expand]

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Best-selling Author, Entrepreneur and Agent of Change

Seth Godin is a best-selling author, entrepreneur and agent of change. He is the author of eight books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change and work. He has been featured extensively in Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, Wired, and Advertising Age and appears regularly on television across the globe.

“The Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age” Business Week

[expand title=”In detail”] Seth was founder and CEO of Yoyodyne, the industry’s leading interactive direct marketing company, which Yahoo! acquired in late 1998. Seth was recently chosen as one of 21 Speakers for the Next Century by Successful Meetings and is consistently rated among the very best speakers by the audiences he addresses.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]In his enlightening presentations Seth focuses on the creative thinking necessary for a business to create “a purple cow” – an offering that stands out from the crowd and causes customers to take notice. He was ranked in the Thinkers 50 2007, the global ranking business thinkers.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Using extremely successful real-world examples from companies such as the United States Postal Service and Otis Elevator Company, he skilfully reveals the benefits of using creative, remarkable thinking to transform business ideas and practices.
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