The Leading Speakers Bureau

Teen Prodigy of Pancreatic Cancer, American Inventor & Scientist

Jack Andraka is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and Teen Prodigy of Pancreatic Cancer. Jack’s groundbreaking results have earned him international recognition, most notably a 2014 Jefferson Award, White House Champion of Change in Open Science, Time Magazines 30 under 30 and a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeeper.

“This kid is the Edison of our times.”
Dr. AnirbanMaitra,
John Hopkins University

[expand title=”In detail”] Jack’s journey began at age fifteen when, after losing a close family friend to pancreatic cancer, he invented an inexpensive early detection method for pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancer that costs 3 cents and takes 5 minutes to run. Now studying electrical engineering and anthropology at Stanford, Andraka conducts research on nanorobots, inexpensive biosensors, disease diagnostics, and global health interventions while serving as faculty at the Stanford Anesthesiology Summer Institute. Outside of research, Jack has worked on combining anthropology, engineering, and big data to address pressing global health challenges, particularly in the monitoring of environmental contaminants and disease outbreaks.
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[expand title=”What he offers you”]Jack Andrakas peaks to audiences of youths and adults all across the globe about his personal story, research, and his ideas for STEM education reform and fostering innovation and creativity.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Jack Andraka is an enthusiastic speaker, full of energy and positivity;he inspires and motivates audiences around the globe offering an added-value experience to each event.[/expand]

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Acclaimed Lighting Designer

Patrick Woodroffe is an award-winning lighting designer whose work encompasses the worlds of music, dance, fashion, art and architecture. Over the last forty years in contemporary music performance alone, he has lit artists as diverse as ABBA, AC/DC, Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Take That and the Rolling Stones!

“Provocative, enlightening, indiscreet and entertaining”

[expand title=”In detail”] Patrick’s work has led to performances in some highly unusual places, from the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janiero where The Rolling Stones played to the largest audience ever assembled for a rock concert, to The White House in Washington where Paul McCartney played to President Obama, and Buckingham Palace where the Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee with a concert in the grounds of her house. Patrick works in musical theatre where he has lit large scale performances such as Les Miserables and recently Bat Out of Hell. He has been responsible for lighting all the Vanity Fair Oscar parties in Los Angeles and Cannes for many years.Patrick lit the opening and closing ceremonies for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Patrick not only presentsfrom a technical point of view but also reveals many of the behind-the-scene secrets: how the various professionals interact, their day to day experience in preparing for a big event, anecdotes and unusual stories. What emerges is a technically interesting description, rich in human interest too.[/expand]

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Patrick is a skilled and charismatic communicator.Patrick’s talksare also inspirational with his stories of being faced with disaster at high-pressure events. [/expand]

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Author, Editor, Conference Producer, Meditator, Mindfulness Expert

Aidan Walker has more than 25 years in periodical and book publishing as Editor and Editorial Director of most of the UK professional design and architecture magazines, and Curator, Host and Presenter of conference and seminar programmes in fine art and design for clients such as TheNew York Times.

“Mindfulness is nothing more nor less than paying attention”

[expand title=”In detail”] Aidan’s MA in History from Cambridge University was a highly appropriate education, he claims, for his ‘first career’ in furniture design and cabinetmaking – itself an admirable preparation for 20 years of writing for, editing and directing design magazines. As Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and director of Aidan Walker Associates, he now creates, curates, presents and chairs conference and seminar programmes such as The New York Times’ Art for Tomorrow Conference and the Grand Designs Live seminar programme with Kevin McCloud.Aidan has practised and taught Hatha and Raja Yoga all his adult life, and is now working on developing their principles to apply to mindfulness in the practice of design.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Aidan is a talented and energetic Editor, Writer and Conference/Seminar Producer working mostly in art, design and architecture. He has practised yoga and meditation all his adult life and is currently writing two books – one on Mindfulness in Design and the other on Arts & Crafts in the Digital Age.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Aidan is a compelling and charismatic speaker with a highly unusual CVthat includes six years living a monastic life of meditation and celibacy.
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Research Specialist at the MIT Media Lab

Kate Darling is a leading expert in Robot Ethics. She’s a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, where she investigates social robotics and conducts experimental studies on human-robot interaction.

“A pioneer in the field of robot ethics and the intersection of technology and society”

[expand title=”In detail”] Forever interested in how technology intersects with society, Kate has a background in law & economics and intellectual property. She has researched economic incentives in copyright and patent systems and has taken a role as intellectual property expert at multiple academic and private institutions. She currently serves as intellectual property policy advisor to the director of the MIT Media Lab.Her passion for technology and robotshas led her to interdisciplinary fields. Kate is a fellow at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society and a former fellow at the Yale Information Society Project, and is also an affiliate at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. 2017, the American Bar Association honoured her legal work with the Mark T. Banner award in Intellectual Property. [/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Kate explores the emotional connection between people and life-like machines, seeking to influence technology design and policy direction.She shares with her audience the economic issues in intellectual property systems and looks at the near-term effects of robotic technology, with a particular interest in law, social, and ethical issues.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Kate runs experiments, holds workshops, writes, and speaks about some of the more interesting developments in the world of human-robot interaction, and where we might find ourselves in the future.[/expand]

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MD of Mission Excellence and Former Red Arrow & RAF Jet Fighter Pilot

Justin Hughes founded Mission Excellence on leaving the RAF in 2002. Mission Excellence is an organisational performance consultancy focused on the development of outstanding leadership, teamwork and execution skills in corporate teams.

“Justin cuts through the noise to transform the plan into reality through empowerment and organisational agility”

[expand title=”In detail”] In Mission Excellence a variety of tools and techniques are used, all based on concepts proven in both training and operational roles in the unforgiving world of military fast-jet aviation. Justin served as an Army Officer before gaining a degree in physics. He then joined the RAF and was awarded the Wilkinson Sword for Outstanding Leadership during officer training. For 6 years, Justin flew the Tornado F3 and was subsequently selected for the Red Arrows, serving for 3 years on the Team performing over 250 displays worldwide. He was the Deputy Team Leader and Executive Officer.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Justin is a highly effective and compelling speaker, who gives his audiences the tools, techniques and winning behaviours that can easily be applied by the delegates in their day jobs. Justin’s invaluable insights into briefing, planning, execution and debriefing offer new, effective ways of working.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]In his speeches, Justin inspires delegates by giving them an exciting insight, from his experience as a fighter pilot, into what high performance teamwork actually means in practice. Based on real-life operational experience and training, Justin brings a unique perspective and approach to achieving excellence in areas such as performance under pressure, teamwork and leadership. His interactive, multimedia presentations include high impact in-cockpit video footage and great air to air images.[/expand]

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Leading Expert on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development

Rolf Buschmann is an expert on sustainable development and renewable energy. Since 2007, he has been the Associate Professor at the Hanyang University Seoul, South-Korea, in environment-friendly and sustainable construction. He is the owner of an engineering firm for construction, which emphasises on integrative planning activities and co-ordination which are already in the conception phase of the project.

“Freiburg’s Green City Renewable Energy Expert”

[expand title=”In detail”] Since 1998, Professor Buschmann was the Professor at the Universidad de las Villas in Santa Clara, Cuba, of the following subjects, energy-optimized architecture, integral planning and applied research. Professor Buschmann was the initiator, planner and project developer for the Solar Info Centre, the first office complex in Germany to be heated emission-free.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Professor Buschmann offers audiences the benefit of his considerable expertise and shows organisations ways in which they can balance economic growth and help to maintain a healthy environment.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A charismatic and engaging speaker, Professor Buschmann’s presentations are immaculately prepared and filled with far-reaching insights.[/expand]

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Roboticist

Vijay Kumar is the Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering with appointments in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Computer and Information Science, and Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.

“The Future of Flying Robots”

[expand title=”In detail”] Vijay Kumar has held many administrative positions in the School of Engineering and Applied Science including director of the GRASP Laboratory, chair of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, and the position of the Deputy Dean. He served as the assistant director of robotics and cyber physical systems at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Dr. Kumar received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University in 1985 and 1987 respectively. He has been on the Faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics with a secondary appointment in the Department of Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania since 1987.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Vijay Kumar studies the control and coordination of multi-robot formations and offers audiences around the world, an insight into the popular subject of robotics, blending computer science and mechanical engineering to create the next generation of robotic wonders.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Vijay Kumar’s speeches are energising and informative, bringing a clear and invaluable perspective to this most current of topics.[/expand]

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Director of Environment and Innovation at Volvo Trucks

Lars Mårtensson is the Director of Environment and Innovation, Volvo Trucks. He is Chairman of the Board of the Swedish Life Cycle Center (hosted by Chalmers University of Technology) – the Volvo Car Group is one of its current partners.

“An expert on sustainability and innovation”

[expand title=”In detail”] Lars’ educational background is a University degree in Chemical Engineering and an M.Sc. in Environmental Management and Policy. During his 20 years at Volvo, he has been Environmental Director at Volvo Penta and Volvo Group. In his present position at Volvo Trucks, he is responsible for environment and innovation strategies and objectives. Volvo Trucks has during this time period presented the first CO2-neutral automotive production plant in the world, 7 trucks adapted for seven different renewable fuel alternatives and the first hybrid refuse truck in the world as well as innovations like Volvo Dual Clutch and Volvo Dynamic Steering. Lars was for many years the chairman of the Swedish network Climate neutral transports on road. The common objective is to reduce CO2 emissions from road transports by 50% by 2020.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Lars’ sessions are designed to help organisations and individuals better understand change and his vision of a digitally enabled autonomous future. He educates, inspires and empowers new thinking patterns.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A passionate and engaging speaker, Lars’ presentations are a veritable wealth of new ideas delivered in a unique and highly creative way.[/expand]

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Roboticist

Rodney Brooks builds robots based on biological principles of movement and reasoning. The goal: a robot who can figure things out. He is the Founder and CTO of Rethink Robotics, whose mission is to apply advanced robotic intelligence to manufacturing and physical labour.

“One of the leading pioneers in robotics technology”

[expand title=”In detail”] Rodney received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford in 1981. From 1984 to 2010, he was on the MIT faculty, and completed his service as a Professor of Robotics. He was also the founding Director of the Institute’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and served in that role until 2007. In 1990, he co-founded iRobot where he served variously as CTO, Chairman and board member until 2011. Rodney has been honoured by election to the National Academy of Engineering and has been elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Association of Computing Machinery, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence andthe American Association for the Advancement of Science.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Dr. Rodney Brooks’ keynotes reflect the former Professor’s extensive knowledge in automatons.He shares his insights on the worlds most innovative and promising robotics projects. He is an accomplished speaker who speaks regularly to promote the value of robotics and artificial intelligence invenues throughout the world.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A distinguished expert, Dr. Rodney Brooks provides excellent and useful inside knowledge on the topics ofAdaptive Behaviour, Applied Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Robots. [/expand]

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Creator of The Embodied Present Process

Philip Shepherd is recognized as an international authority on embodiment.He is the creator of The Embodied Present Process (TEPP), a unique method for moving into wholeness that gently discloses and heals divisions we carry within us.

“Bringing clarity to a chaotic world”

[expand title=”In detail”] TEPP integrates the hypervigilance of the cranial brain with the deeper intelligence of the body – especially with the second brain in the belly. Philip’s work is based on the vision articulated in his celebrated book, ‘New Self, New World: Recovering our Senses in the Twenty-first Century’. His personal path to understanding has been shaped by his adventures as a teenager, when he cycled alone through Europe, the Middle East, India and Japan, by his deep commitment to and studies of bodywork, by his experiences as an actor, playing lead roles on stages in London, New York, Chicago and Toronto and also by the burning desire for freedom that has illuminated his entire life.
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[expand title=”What he offers you”]Philip’s conferences help us listen to the world through the body. In his sessions, he provides practical feedback, support and a program of simple exercises designed to the individual needs and growth of the client.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Philip brings to his sessions a compassionate understanding of the challenges of our modern life. The approach he takes heals the frantic, restless pace of the intelligence in the head, which tends to run on overdrive, by uniting it with the deep, present and calm intelligence of the body.
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