The Leading Speakers Bureau

FinTech Expert &Monitise Founder

Alastair Lukies CBE founded Monitise in 2003 and three years later it was recognised as a ‘Technology Pioneer’ by the World Economic Forum. He has a proven track record of turning visions and concepts into real businesses.In 2014, Alastair was appointed as a Business Ambassador for the financial services industry by the UK Government.

“A Technology Pioneer”

[expand title=”In detail”] Alastair today acts as the sole Business Ambassador for FinTech. He was named Non-Executive Chairman of FinTech industry body, Innovate Finance, at its launch in August 2014. Alastair was awarded a CBE for services to mobile banking and charity in June 2014, and was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2011 Growing Business Awards. Prior to conceiving, financing and successfully building Monitise, Alastair was a Co-Founder of ePolitix.com, the portal for Westminster, Whitehall and the devolved institutions. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Alastair’s extensive knowledge of global retail banking, payments and the broader FinTech ecosystem, combined with a unique set of UK government, industry and entrepreneur relations make him well placed to help build and develop The Collective’s presence and momentum around the world.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Alastair uses his considerable expertise to advise decision makers from the finance industry on future trends in an entertaining and informative way. His thought provoking speeches are presented with insight and humour. He has keynoted world-wide and is known for an ability to deliver key concepts clearlyfor financial professionals and non-professionals alike.[/expand]

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Co-Founder and Chief Executive, Asos

Nick Robertson is the founder of Britain’s largest fashion e-tailer, ASOS. ASOS has been credited for pioneering on line fashion in the UK and now increasingly on the International stage. The online juggernaut ships to over 160 countries and has seven country specific websites. ASOS also achieved the status as the most visited global apparel website on the planet for daily visitors. ASOS is quoted on the London Stock Exchange. Nick was awarded and OBE in 2011 for his achievements in the world of fashion retailing.

“We see our customers and ourselves as being part of the same worldwide fashion community”

[expand title=”In detail”] Nick’s career began in 1987 at the advertising agency Young and Rubicam. In 1991 he moved to Carat, the UK’s largest media planning and buying agency. In 1995 he co-founded Entertainment Marketing, a marketing service business. He co-founded Asos.com in 2000 under the name of asseenonscreen.com. As the name suggests, the original business model focused on sourcing like or similar products worn by celebrities on television. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Hailed as one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the Twentieth century, Nick shares with his audiences the benefit of an online market, particularly in the current economic climate. With a background in advertising, Nick also shows how to position business around the customer.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Nick Robertson is a highly motivating and articulate speaker. His enlightening presentations are always well received. He not only inspires but also presents his clients with actionable solutions that can be implemented immediately.[/expand]

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CEO and Co-Founder of Delivery Hero

NiklasÖstberg, a Swedish entrepreneur who is the Co-founder and CEO of Delivery Hero. He was responsible for building up the clear market leaders in online food ordering companiesin Poland, Finland and Austria.Today Delivery Hero is a worldwide network of online food ordering sites with more than 200,000 restaurants connected to its service.10 million orders are processed via their platforms globally each month. Delivery Hero has 2,500 employees in 34 countries, including 700 in its Berlin headquarters. Its mission is to provide better takeaway food to the people globallyCurrent valuation of the company is $3.1bn.

“From Zero to Hero”

[expand title=”In detail”] Niklas holds a Master of Industrial Engineering & Management from Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm & ETH Zurich.He has been involved in the start-up scene since the late 90’s after spending several years in banking and consultancy.Following five years as a management consultant at Oliver Wyman, he co-founded Pizza.nu (later OnlinePizza.se) where he served as the full-time chairman.
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[expand title=”What he offers you”]Based on his vast experience in start-ups, Niklas offers his entrepreneurial vision of what it takes pioneers to build sustainable and valuable internet companies. In his presentations he shows what it really takes to become a global market leader. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A charismatic, experienced and engaging speaker, Niklas is renowned for his clear and fluent speaking style and is in great demand by corporate clients the world over.[/expand]

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Professional Negotiator, Adviser in Collective Agility & Crisis Management

Laurent Combalbert holds a qualification from the National Academy of the FBI and was for several years a Hostage Negotiator with RAID, a specialist unit of the French Police. RAID is recognised as one of the world’s best units specialising in counter-terrorism and the management of complex situations that are hostage taking, kidnappings, riots, aircraft hijackings. Laurent has trained many police officers in this particular profession and managed dozens of hostage taking, extortion and kidnapping situations. He formed and led teams of experts in charge of solving complex situations and unconventional attacks everywhere. Laurent founded ADN Agence des Négociateursin 2013, and was the founder of Ulysceo in 2009, after 5 years in an international company in charge of crisis management.

“The most pre-eminent crisismanager in the world”

[expand title=”In detail”] After studying law, political science and criminology, Laurent joined the National School of Police Officers from which he emerged vice-major in 1995. Author of several books on crisis management, negotiation, anticipation of risks and the management of teams, Laurent teaches in the HEC, EcoleSupérieure de Commerce de Paris, and he is a contributor to radio and television programmes in France and abroad (CNN, BFMTV, France 5, Europe 1, RMC, China Radio International) as a commentator on crisis situations.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Laurent specialises in managing complex and unconventional situations; “dream teams” helping companies to define and build effective strategies that will suit their organisations.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Laurent delivers more than 150 lectures a year within the framework of seminars, conventions, executive steering committee meetings and corporate universities. He is a charismatic, humorous and insightful Speaker.[/expand]

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Artificial Intelligence Expert

Jerry Kaplan is a global thought leader, speaker, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and best-selling author. A renowned Silicon Valley veteran, Jerry founded several storied technology companies over his 35-year career, two of which became public companies. Inventor on more than a dozen patents, he has published over 20 referred papers in academic journals and conference proceedings including the Communications of the ACM, IEEE Computer Society, Association of Computational Linguistics, and Computer Music Journal.

“Artificial Intelligence Expert”

[expand title=”In detail”] Jerry may be best known for his key role in defining the tablet computer industry as the founding CEO of GO Corporation in 1987. Two decades before the iPad, Kaplan envisioned a new kind of computer that would be used like a ‘tablet of paper’, with a touch-sensitive screen. Jerry is currently a Fellow at The Center for Legal Informatics at Stanford University Law School. He also teaches Social and Economic Impact of Artificial Intelligence as a Visiting Lecturer in Stanford’s top-ranked Computer Science Department. Jerry was awarded the 1998 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Northern California and received an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration from California International Business University(2004).[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Silicon Valley entrepreneur and technology expert Jerry Kaplan is uniquely qualified to explain the impact of Artificial Intelligence to corporate and conference audiences. Energize your event with a timely and relevant presentation from one of the leading thinkers of our time.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His dynamic, visionary keynotes engage and inspire participants across the globe. Kaplan has an extraordinary gift for unpacking complex legal, social, and economic issues into clear, memorable insights that spark discussion and creativity.[/expand]

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The World’s Greatest Living Explorer

Ranulph Fiennes has led over twenty expeditions to remote parts of the world. In 2009 he reached the summit of Mount Everest, succeeding after two previous attempts ended in failure. He is the first man to cross both the polar ice-caps and climb 8,850 metres (29,035ft) to the world’s highest peak. In 2003, he undertook the ultimate endurance test completing 7 marathons in 7 days, in 7 different countries. What’s more he did this just 4 months after suffering a heart attack. In 2007 he successfully climbed the North Face of the Eiger.

‘The world’s greatest living explorer’ Guinness Book of Records

[expand title=”In detail”] His expeditions have raised vast sums for charity, so not surprisingly he has been awarded an OBE for human endeavour and charitable services and in 2007 he was awarded The Greatest Britons 2007 Sport Award. In 1993, he and Dr. Mike Stroud completed the first entirely unassisted polar journey across the Antarctic Continent, the longest polar journey in history. He has and continues to truly live up to his family motto ‘Look for a brave spirit’.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]An innate planner, he illustrates what it takes to achieve outstanding goals. Not the solitary achiever that you might think he is, his experiences reinforce the power of determination. The world’s most celebrated contemporary adventurer and explorer, he is a man of astonishing force who has been voted one of the world’s top ten speakers.
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[expand title=”How he presents”]His breathtaking story is brought to you in the most modest and subtly humorous way. He is a rare talent on all fronts. [/expand]

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Emmy Award Winning Actress

Cynthia Nixon is an American actress, best known for her role as the tenacious lawyer Miranda Hobbes in HBO’scelebrated series, Sex and the City, a role that garnered her Emmy nominations and the 2004Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.Since then,Nixon has guest starred on Law & Order: SVU, House, and ER and acted opposite JohnLeguizamo in The Babysitters, which premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival. She also famouslyreprised her role as Miranda in both Sex and the City movies.

“One of Hollywood’s most inspirational women”

[expand title=”In detail”] Whether on television or on stage, Cynthia is known for her superb characterizations indiverse roles. She has been commended for her title role in The Prime of Miss JeanBrodie andfor her performance as Mary Haines in The Roundabout’s revival of The Women, which wasbroadcast on PBS’s Stage to Screen series. Cynthia also appeared in Eve Ensler’sThe Vagina Monologues at both the Westside Arts Theatre and in the historic Valentine’s Dayperformance at Madison Square Garden. As one of the founding members of the theatre company The Drama Dept., Cynthia has appeared in productions of The Country Club, JuneMoon,Kingdom of Earth and As Bees in Honey Drown, as well as others plays.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Cynthia Nixon isrecognized within the acting industry as a woman who has the courage and ability to conquerany role. A true inspiration for audiences around the globe, she has proven that if you work hard,no goal is unattainable.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]A consummate professional, Cynthia Nixon connects well with audiences over the worldand is sought-after to commentate on a variety of women’s issues along with hosting and presenting national and international events.[/expand]

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Former Director of Industrial Design for Apple Computer (1989- 1996) and Founder at Ammunition Design Group

Robert Brunner is a designer and Creative Director best known for his work at Apple Computers. As well as providing design and packaging for Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and many more, Ammunition have effectively reinvented the personal audio market with the acclaimed Beats by Dr Dre headphones and earphones ranges.Robert believes design is not just something creatives do, but something that permeates a business and a brand from top to bottom, via product manufacture and through to the users.

“Iconic industrial designer”

[expand title=”In detail”] After founding Lunar Design, Robert was employed by Apple’s design team. He was appointed Apple’s Director of Industrial Design by the end of the decade.At Apple, Robert led the design team on all of the company’s computer products, most notably the PowerBook, laying the foundations for moving computers from the utilitarian to the desirable. This ethos would define Apple and would arguably be responsible for making them into the most powerful brand and technology company in the world.After Apple Robert became a partner at Pentagram, the acclaimed brand and design company working with clients including Citibank, United Airlines, Nike, and Dell. He then founded the creative company Ammunition which focuses on the cross-over between product design, branding and user experience.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Robert Brunner’s speeches are direct and insightful when it comes to design and issues of corporate branding. During his time at the incredibly successful personal computing company, he led the design of the original PowerBook and went on to later lead his own design firm called Ammunition LLC. Though much of his work focuses on the aesthetic appeal of products, Robert Brunner’s speeches often emphasize the importance of a brand’s connectivity to their audience, and how important it is to create a deeper connection to consumers.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A talented speaker with a knack for communicating his ideas very clearly, Robert Brunner is a well-respected and leading thinker in his industry, and for good reason.[/expand]

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Celebrated Philosopher, Intellectual and Bestselling Writer

Bernard-Henri Lévy is a master philosopher, journalist, activist and best-selling author of over 30 books, including works of philosophy, fiction, and biography. An advocate of ethics and justice, he broke ground as the leader of the New Philosophers in the 1960s. Maintaining his outspoken streak of activism, he served as a war reporter extensively covering the Middle East and Afghanistan. His eyewitness accounts include philosophical insights about genocide, terrorism and the nature of history have made him a celebrity on the French and international scene.

“One of Europe’s most celebrated thinkers”

[expand title=”In detail”] Lévy gained renown for his documentary film about the Bosnian conflict, Bosna! after starting his career as a war reporter for Combat. He has undertaken several diplomatic missions for the French government and has travelled to the world’s most troubled areas. In 2008, Lévy received an honorary doctorate from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and in December 2009, Foreign Policy magazine ranked him 31st among the “100 Top Global Thinkers.”[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Bernard-Henri Lévy’s distinctive intellectual mind, combined with his trademark sense of elegance, inspires a new generation of minds to explore, question, and challenge modern thought the world over. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Bernard-Henri is a very charismatic, controversial and phlegmatic character who epitomises a passion for life. His lust for searching out the truth has made him truly a unique orator in regular demand on the global stage.[/expand]

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Security Lead, Uber Advanced Technologies Center & Renowned ‘White Hat’ Hacker

Chris Valasek is a Security Lead at Uber’s Advanced Technology Center (ATC) in Pittsburgh. He made worldwide headlines for his remote hack of the 2014 Jeep Cherokeewhere he obtainedphysical control of the vehicle.

“I’m a professional breaker – someone who breaks things for a living”

[expand title=”In detail”] Chris’ research and expertise is not only limited to the automotive industry, even though Chris was one of the first researchers to publicly discuss automotive security issues in detail. His release of a library to physically control vehicles through the CAN (Controller Area Network) bus garnered worldwide media attention. He specialises in offensive research methodologies with a focus on reverse engineering and exploitation. Chris has a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh and is the chairman of SummerCon, America’s longest running hacker conference. He was previously at IOActive, the security firm where he had served as director of vehicle security research. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]A popular speaker on security flaws in various technologies and devices, and solutions for preventing and alleviating such critical issues, he has presented at such preeminent cyber security conferences around the world, including BlackHat USA, DEFCON and Infiltrate, as well as TEDx. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Highly regarded for his work in the automotive security arena, Chris captivates audiences as he reveals how various technologies can easily be hacked and strategies for improving the security of our devices.[/expand]

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