The Leading Speakers Bureau

Chief Investment Officer, Yale University

David F. Swensen is the Chief Investment Officer at Yale University and globally considered one of the most successful money-managers. He oversees $22 billion in Endowment assets and several hundreds of millions of dollars of other investment funds. Under his stewardship during the past 28 years the Yale Endowment generated returns of 13.8 percent per annum, a record unequalled among institutional investors.

“One of the most important investment gurus”

[expand title=”In detail”] Prior to joining Yale in 1985, Mr. Swensen spent six years on Wall Street – three years at Lehman Brothers and three years at Salomon Brothers –where his work focused on developing new financial technologies. Mr. Swensen advised the President of the United States as a member of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board and served as trustee or advisor to the Brookings Institution, Cambridge University, the Carnegie Corporation, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, the Hopkins School and the New York Stock Exchange amongst others. For his outstanding achievements he won numerous prestigious awards. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]One of the most high-profile experts on the investment industry, David F. Swensen has a wealth of experience overseeing large budgets and turning around an institution like Yale University. His thoughtful analysis is of great interest for managers from all businesses. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His revolutionary ideas and expertise in the fields of investment and finance make David F. Swensen a highly sought-after speaker at conferences around the globe.[/expand]

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Expert on Finance and Fiscal Policy

Prof. Dr. Clemens Fuest is one of Germany’s leading experts on finance. He is the President and Director of Science and Research of the Zentrum für Europräische Wirtschafts-forschung GmbH, Germany’s leading economic research institute. He is also Professor of Economics at the University of Mannheim and was Professor for Business Taxation at Oxford University.

“A leading advisor on international fiscal policy”

[expand title=”In detail”] Prof. Dr. Clemens Fuest studied economics at the Universities of Bochum and Mannheim. He has been a member of the Academic Advisory Board of the German Federal Ministry of Finance since 2003 and was head of the board from 2007 to 2010. In 2012 he became a member of the Advisory Board for Sustainable Development of the State Government of Baden-Württemberg. As a member of the Tax Code Commission’s steering committee, he contributed significantly to a simpler tax law for Germany. He was a member of the foundation’s scientific council “Kronberger Kreis” from 2004 to 2008 and is a member of this prestigious advisory body as of March 2013.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Prof. Fuest’s knowledge and experience offer an eye-opening assessment of the issues of fiscal policy, public finance and European tax integration. His sharp analyses are of great interest for decision makers from public and private institutions. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]With his extensive experience as a leading fiscal and finance policy maker, Prof. Fuest is a highly sought-after speaker at conferences around the globe.[/expand]

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Expert on Economic Developments in China and the Far East

Professor Barbara Krug is a leading expert on economic developments in China and the Far East. She has carried out many years of scientific and economic research which has contributed to the greater understanding of these regions and helped to improve East/West relations. Barbara has also been lecturing since 1981 at the University of Saarbrücken and is a visiting Professor at a number of seats of learning around the globe.

“Europe’s leading expert on the economic evolution of China”

[expand title=”In detail”] Following her Business Studies degree she studied Chinese at the National Taiwan University and carried out research at the university’s Institute for International Relations. Since 1996 she has been carrying out research on Township and Village Enterprises in conjunction with the Chinese-European International Business School (CEIBS).[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Barbara Krug is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading experts in her field with over twenty years experience in the research and assessment of the development of emerging Asian nations and specifically the Chinese economic evolution. She is in the privileged position to be able to offer, corporations wishing to do business in the Far East, access to a wealth of data and information.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]An experienced lecturer and excellent communicator, her presentations are filled with invaluable solutions and ideas to inspire decision makers from all fields.[/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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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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Macroeconomist and Finance Authority, Director of Re-Define

Sony Kapoor, Director of international Think Tank Re-Define, is an influential economist, financial sector expert and development practitioner. His career spans investment banking, civil society, academia and policy making across several countries. Sony advises central banks, large investors, European governments, developing economies and multilateral institutions on Economic Strategy and Financial Policy. He also has a multidisciplinary role at the London School of Economics where he is the Strategy Adviser to the Systemic Risk Centre and a Senior Visiting Fellow in Development, Government and Public Policy. Until 2013 Sony was the first chair of the Banking Stakeholder Group at the EBA.

““A prominent expert on international finance and development””

[expand title=”In detail”] Sony has been a Visiting Fellow at the European Commission, an Expert Adviser to the European Parliament and a Visiting Scholar at the International Monetary Fund, focusing mostly on crisis management, economic governance & financial sector reform. Sony has also worked for Lehman Brothers in London, ICICI in India and traded derivatives for Aquila Energy in the US. He was also a strategy adviser to the Norwegian government. Sony has been elected a Fellow by the Royal Academy of Arts, a Young European Leader by Europanova, and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He studied at the LSE, and the Indian Institute of Technology.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]As a frequent commentator on the Euro Crisis, development finance, the environment and international governance, Sony shares creative yet pragmatic solutions to the public policy challenges of our times. He employs vivid metaphors to argue that finance needs to be reigned in to bring us back to prosperity. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Sony Kapoor’s speaking style coupled with an incisive understanding and enlightened capacity to explain and discuss economic and global issues has contributed to his high popularity and reputation.[/expand]
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Author and Anti-Fraud Consultant

Frank Abagnale is one of the world’s foremost authorities on fraud prevention, forgery, embezzlement and secure documents. For over twenty five years he has lectured to and consulted with hundreds of financial institutions, corporations and government agencies around the globe. In addition he lectures extensively at the FBI Academy.

“He kept the audience laughing, crying, amazed and terrified for a total of 60 minutes”

[expand title=”In detail”] At age of 16 Frank co-authored the book ’Catch Me If You Can’, which formed the basis for the recently released Hollywood blockbuster of the same name based loosely on his own life story. He has designed programmes used by law enforcement agencies and financial companies world-wide and is an advisor to the Board of Directors of one of America’s leading anti-fraud organisations NuTech Solutions Inc.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Based on his first-hand personal knowledge and experience in exploring methods for altering documents and overcoming security measures Frank helps audiences to evaluate their business procedures, such as secure document featuring, techniques, practices and safeguards useful in combating potential fraud. With numerous case studies he makes his presentations a unique experience drawn from real life.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]An accomplished and knowledgeable speaker, Frank’s presentations are captivating, stunning and above all else highly enlightening.[/expand]

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Prominent Economist and Free Trade Supporter

Jagdish Bhagwati is a world wide noted macro economist and supporter of the free trade. Repeatedly a candidate for the Nobel Prize of Economics he now lectures at the Columbia University in New York. Previously he has served as an external advisor to the Director General of the World Trade Organization and as a policy advisor on globalization to the United Nations. Like no other he defends globalization as a process to wealth creation and social progress and change.

“Economics as a discipline is a very powerful instrument for bringing about social change”
Jagdish Bhagwati

[expand title=”In detail”] He has published more than three hundred articles and writes frequently for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times. Several of his scientific writings and two of his public policy essays have been published by MIT press. The recipient of six festschrifts in his honor, he has also received a number of prizes and honorary degrees. He currently serves on the Academic Advisory Board of Human Rights Watch (Asia) and on the board of scholars of the Centre for Civil Society.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]An unbowed apologist for free trade Professor Bhagwati provides audiences with his critical view on global economic trends and specifically the impact, dangers and advantages of the new global economy. He offers invaluable insights to decision makers and shows how organisations can successfully take advantage of globalization and in the process trigger social change, create wealth and become global powerhouses.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Regarded world-wide as a pre-eminent economic analyst Prof. Bhadwati’s brilliant and detailed presentations are an essential guide for organisations across the world.[/expand]

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Economics, Finance & Innovation Expert

Mariana Mazzucato is an economist with an interest in the relationship between innovation and growth, and economic policies that can ensure that economic growth is not only ‘smart’ but also inclusive and sustainable. Her work on finance and innovation argues that financial markets must be reformed to support productive investments and innovation: creative destruction not destructive creation. Mariana is currently R.M. Phillips Professor in Science and Technology Policy at the University of Sussex and Visiting Professor in the Economics of Innovation at the Open University.

“What Europe needs today is not austerity but strategic investments”

[expand title=”In detail”] Mariana received her BA from Tufts University in History and International Relations, and a PhD in Economics at the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research in Y. Shewas Scientific Coordinator of a 3 year European Commission funded FP7 project on Finance, Innovation and Growth (FINNOV, 2009-2012), and is working on two new research projects, one funded by the Ford Foundation, and the other by the Institute for New Economic Thinking.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Mariana focuses on theorising the role of the State in the dynamics of economic growth-and uses these insights to influence industrial strategy and growth policy in the UK and abroad. Mariana’s aim is to force people with very different backgrounds and views to bang heads together and come up with solutions.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Mariana’s speaking style coupled with an incisive understanding and enlightened capacity to explain and discuss global issues has contributed to herhigh popularity and reputation.[/expand]
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Experimental Economist and “Market Designer”

Prof. Dr. Axel Ockenfels is a highly respected name in economics. He analyses the human behaviour when making economic decisions and the question of which strategic and rational factors influence those decisions. Using the game theory, he has developed a behavioural model to explain and to predict what seems to be a contradictory economic decision making pattern. He also focuses on internet and auction markets.

“One of the most renowned German economists”

[expand title=”In detail”] He is currently professor of political economics at the University of Cologne. Ockenfels received his Diploma in economics from the University of Bonn and earned his doctoral degree in economics from the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. Renowned for his research on game theory and experimental economics, he is considered one of most influential German economists and has published in prestigious journals worldwide. His “Theory of Equity, Reciprocity, and Competition” (co-authored with Gary E. Bolton) is one of the most cited papers in economics.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Prof. Ockenfels clarifies the most complex issues affecting today’s global economy. His remarks enlighten audiences about the challenges currently faced and are of great interest for decision makers from all fields of businesses. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His innovative presentations make Prof. Ockenfels a highly sought after speaker at prestigious conferences worldwide. [/expand]
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