The Leading Speakers Bureau

Record Breaking Round the World Balloonist, President & Initiator of the Solar Impulse Project

Bertrand Piccard is the record breaking round the world balloonist, President and initiator of the Solar Impulse Project which was launched to take on a new challenge: flying round the world in an airplane propelled uniquely by solar energy, without fuel or pollution, in order to promote the immense potential of renewable energies and their new technologies. In July 2010 he achieved the first major step: the solar airplane flew through the night for the first time ever, touching down after 26 hours non stop.

“Bertrand aspires to combine his family scientific heritage with his commitment to exploring the great adventure of life”

[expand title=”In detail”] Bertrand is a psychiatrist, aeronaut and internationally renowned lecturer, president of the humanitarian foundation “Winds of Hope” and roving ambassador for the United Nations. He is also the Pioneer of free flight and ULM (Unified Life Model) in Europe, winner of the first transatlantic balloon race (Chrysler Challenge 1992), Bertrand Piccard was also the initiator of the Breitling Orbiter project.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Bertrand is a highly sought-after speaker both with the general public and the business world. He deals with his personal experience from the point of view of motivation and adventurous spirit, the psychology of communication and team-working, management of stress and the unknown. His fascinating insights into achieving the longest and highest flight ever recorded by a solar-powered plane are powerful and memorable.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Bertrand is a flamboyant speaker and his spell binding presentations captivate audiences with their dramatic images and examples from his amazing adventures[/expand]
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Founder & CEO of FutureWorld

Wolfgang Grulke is Founder and Chairman of FutureWorld, a global business and technology think tank, instrumental in helping major corporations and venture capital firms position themselves for the new world economy. Wolfgang is a Fellow of the Centre for Management Development at the London Business School and teaches regularly on the School’s flagship Senior Executive Programme. He also works with Duke CE and Oxford University’s Said Business School. He was formerly founder and CEO, Business Futures Group, a South African management consultancy firm renowned for applying holistic and systemic thinking in a chaotic business environment and creating sustainable business change.

“One of the world’s most important commentators on the future” The Forbes Group

[expand title=”In detail”] As a former IBM executive he worked internationally with IBM for more than 20 years and was awarded the prestigious IBM Outstanding Innovation Award from then CEO John Akers in London in 1983. His article, In Search of Simplicity, won the NACCA award for the best business article of the year and From Value Chain to Marketspace was awarded the AFSM International Writing Award for Professional Writers and Consultants in Boston. He also works with Duke CE and Oxford University’s Said Business School. He is a successful writer and photographer and has been widely published, on the subjects of business, technology, management and marine life.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]With a background in business, technology, nuclear physics, entertainment and marine biology, Wolfgang is an exhilarating and thought-provoking speaker on topics from business transformation to the technological revolutions, paradigm shifts to chaos, fractals and the dilemmas of modern management, With a superb combination of practicality and vision, real out-of- the-box thinking, exploring essential strategies for difficult times, Wolfgang shows decision makers from all fields how to create powerful communication vehicles to encourage and promote radical business and personal change. Wolfgang has addressed audiences in more than 20 countries, in person, on radio and on television.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Wolfgang is a true visionary and in the style of a Victorian raconteur Wolfgang brings fresh ideas and a breadth of thinking that is rare in today’s focused and specialised world.[/expand]
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Best-selling Author & President of the Table Group, Inc.

Patrick Lencioni is a best-selling author and president of The Table Group, a consulting firm that specialises in executive team development and organisational health. Recognised as one of the world’s leading experts on executive team development, his original leadership theories are based on consulting work with CEO’s and their teams at numerous national and international organisations around the world.

“What a huge home run! Pat Lencioni’s presentation at our MIT Birthing of Giants program was simply outstanding – he received one of the highest ratings ever” Brien Biondi CEO

[expand title=”In detail”] Prior to founding The Table Group, Patrick Lencioni worked at Bain & Company, the Oracle Corporation and Sybase, where he was vice president of organisational development. He also served on the National Board of Directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America from 2000-2003.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Patrick Lencioni shares his models for leadership and organisational health and he shows decision makers how to overcome the problems that divide work units and paralyse performance. He offers solutions to key leadership issues designed to enhance workplace effectiveness and increase productivity.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A respected thought leader and insightful speaker, Patrick Lencioni tailors his presentations to precisely meet client needs by incorporating unique and invaluable information based on his comprehensive research. Wall Street Journal cited him as one of America’s 5 Top Speakers (May 2008).[/expand]
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Author of ‘China and the Credit Crisis: The Emergence of a New World Order’

Giles Chance is a leading expert on Chinese business, and on China’s new role in the world. He is professor at the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University. His experience in China over the last 20 years has given him a detailed insider’s view of doing business there and a unique perspective on the aspirations of the Chinese people. He has written articles for leading journals and spoken about China on television, radio and at conferences.

“Leading expert on China”

[expand title=”In detail”] Giles Chance was educated at Eton College, at St Andrews’ University in Scotland and at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, USA, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. After military service, he spent 2 years working in the Horn of Africa prior to the famous and tragic famine of 1984 in Ethiopia, before working at the World Bank in Washington DC. He has completed numerous sales of Western technology to Chinese companies, in fields as diverse as submarine communications, transfer lines for machining auto parts, submersible pumps and black box recording systems for civil aircraft. In 2003 he originated and found backing for a successful China-focused investment bank based in London, Shanghai and Hong Kong, Evolution Securities China.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Giles Chance provides a unique view of the global economy based on many years of experience of China and of the financial services industry. He describes how China’s emergence in the 1990’s played a key role in establishing the economic conditions which led to the global credit crisis of 2007-08 and analyses China’s new global role after the crisis in relation to a number of key topics which include the future role of the US dollar, and the future of relations between China, America, the emerging world, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Directly involved on a full-time business basis with China since 1990, Giles Chance is an eloquent and highly informative expert on Chinese business, giving insights into what Chinese people think of Westerners, and vice-versa.[/expand]
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Executive Chairman of Templeton Asset Management, LLC, Global Investor & Emerging Markets Fund Manager

Mark Mobius directs the Templeton research team based in 15 global emerging markets offices and manages emerging markets portfolios. He joined Templeton in 1987 as president and portfolio manager of the Templeton Emerging Markets Fund, Inc. After more than 30 years in global emerging markets, he has received numerous industry awards and accolades. The World Bank and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development appointed Dr. Mobius joint chairman of the Global Corporate Governance Forum Investor Responsibility Taskforce.

Regarded by many in the financial industry as one of the most successful emerging markets investors over the last 20 years

[expand title=”In detail”] Mark Mobius earned Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Boston University, and a Ph.D. in economics and political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2006, Asiamoney magazine listed him as one of the “Top 100 Most Powerful and Influential People”. His awards include “Emerging Markets Equity Manager of the Year 2001” by International Money Marketing, “Ten Top Money Managers of the 20th Century” in a 1999 Carson Group survey, “Number One Global Emerging Market Fund” in a 1998 Reuters Survey, “1994 First in Business Money Manager of the Year” by CNBC and “Investment Trust Manager of the Year 1992” by the Sunday Telegraph.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Despite tough times during the financial crisis at the turn of the Century, Mark Mobius still commands a strong following in the investment world and is influencing the direction of billions of investment dollars. Considered to be one of the leaders in the industry having been involved in these markets for over 40 years, he appears frequently on financial industry television shows and networks, including Bloomberg, CNBC, MSNBC, and CNN, and has given / written thousands of interviews and opinion pieces over the years.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A renowned expert on emerging markets, Mark Mobius with style and high content presentations shows that he is one of the most admired investors of our time.[/expand]
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Academic Director, Associate Professor of Management at The Wharton School, & Strategy Implementation and Execution Expert

Prof. Lawrence Hrebiniak is a professor in the Department of Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Strategy Group. He has been on the Wharton faculty since 1976 and teaches courses in competitive strategy and strategy implementation in the Wharton M.B.A. and Executive Education programs.

“Lawrence Hrebiniak held managerial positions in industry prior to entering academia, and has had considerable consulting experience”

[expand title=”In detail”] Lawrence Hrebiniak attained a Ph.D. and an MBA from State University of New York at Buffalo and an AB from Cornell University. He is a past president of the Organization and Management Theory Division of the Academy of Management. Furthermore Hhe has been a reviewer and member of the Editorial Review Board for a number of academic and professional management journals. For two years, he was one of four Wharton faculty providing commentaries on the “Wharton Management Report,” a program that appeared daily on national television on the Financial News Network.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Lawrence Hrebiniak offers a comprehensive, disciplined process model for making strategy work in the real world. He shows his audiences why execution is even more important than many senior executives realize and sheds powerful new light on why businesses fail to deliver on even their most promising strategies. Anyone in a position that requires strategic planning will also have the opportunity to consider the whole process of developing and implementing strategy.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Lawrencerry Hrebiniak is a highly experienced and skilled communicator and his presentations are informative, clear and actionable.[/expand]
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Co-founder, Co-Chairman & Chief Creative Officer of Applied Minds, Inc. & Former President, Walt Disney Imagineering

Bran Ferren is one of the world’s preeminent artist / designers & scientist / engineers. He is a nationally recognized, award-winning speaker who has worked in theater, film special effects, product design, architecture and the sciences. Bran’s current clients include GM, Lockheed Martin, NASA, the National Security Agency and government agencies that value his unique combination of strengths: equal measures of genius in science and technology, art and design, creative ideas and successful innovation leadership.

“Bran speaks from unique experience on the art & science of the imagination, & how to organize for innovation”

[expand title=”In detail”] Bran Ferren is the former president of research and development of Walt Disney Imagineering, as well as the co-founder of Associates and Ferren, a visual effects company who supplied visual effects for Star Trek V. A popular guest lecturer, Bran has addressed over 100 professional groups in the entertainment, business and scientific communities. He serves on several federally funded science, technology and management advisory boards.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Having won many awards, including three Academy Awards for technical achievement, Bran Ferren is a highly inspiring speaker with unparalleled knowledge and insight into the ways invention, creativity and technology interact for business success. He is an incredible resource whose impact on daily operations can be measured by the passage of time. He fills his presentations with ideas gleaned from his vision of design and technology’s future, and he offers concrete ways to redesign innovation processes that come from his experience as one of our finest innovation practitioners.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Bran Ferren is an energetic speaker, at once inspiring and articulate, knowledgeable and insightful. He really makes you think longer and broader.[/expand]
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Former CEO & Chairman of the Management Board of Gucci Group, Fortune Magazine’s European Businessman of the Year 2007

Robert Polet joined Gucci Group in 2004 after a 26-year career at Unilever, bringing considerable global management experience and a deep knowledge of the development of consumer brands in a multicultural environment. His dynamism has helped turn around luxury goods company Gucci Group and was named as European Businessman of the Year 2007 by Fortune magazine. He encourages the people working with him to break rules and to go outside the box.

“The man who has put the extra into extravagance”

[expand title=”In detail”] Robert Polet studied business administration at Nijenrode in the Netherlands and earned an MBA from the University of Oregon, USA. He joined Unilever in 1978, and has worked there in a broad variety of marketing and senior executive positions throughout the world. In his latest position, he was president of Unilever’s Worldwide Ice Cream and Frozen Foods division. Where Robert Polet exerts control at Gucci is in selecting the right leaders, and he then enjoys letting them “Go for it”.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Robert Polet shares his ideas for managing fashion brands, where art and commerce collide, with international audiences at events worldwide. His motto is “always put yourself through the hardship of keeping things simple” and his self-confidence and single-mindedness have brought success throughout his career. His people oriented leadership produces extraordinary results. He is open-minded, very direct, very transparent, and a fine speaker.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Never having been one to adhere to rules and protocols, this highly charismatic Dutchman, Robert Polet is truly insightful and memorable.[/expand]
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Motivational Speaker and Facilitator

Marc Hogan’s growing reputation as an expert in the fields of communication and sales has led him to become one of the most sought after speakers in the UK. An ex-sales and marketing professional with over 10 years experience, Marc’s S.A.L.E.S. and Inspirational Communication programmes have inspired audiences across the UK to improve their communication and influencing skills. They love his unique approach to personal and business achievement underpinned by his 7 Keys for Success.

“Persuade, empower & perform”

[expand title=”In detail”] Challenged by Jim Lawless of Taming Tigers fame to perform a one man comedy show at the Edinburgh Festival, Marc set out to conquer his fears and prove his 7 Keys. The result is his inspiring presentation Funny Business: “What comedy taught me about business and what business taught me about comedy”. Marc’s hilarious and thought-provoking journey with its set of practical tools will, quite simply, change the way your company does business.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Marc utilises cutting edge psychological techniques complemented by good old fashioned common sense, to leave audiences excited and energised about improving their communication skills back in the work place.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His unique and dynamic style will leave your people motivated and energised with a set of skills they can instantly apply.[/expand]
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Global Futurist and authority on how technology is transforming business and society

Rohit Talwar is a global futurist and award winning professional speaker noted for his inspirational approach, provocative content and humour. Rohit leads Fast Future Research and has conducted in depth future studies on a range of topics. He was profiled by the Independent Newspaper as one of the top ten global future thinkers and is considered an authority on how technology is transforming business and society. Rohit also has a particular geographic interest in the emerging economies of Asia and Africa and a strategic focus on the challenges of embedding foresight in leading organisations

“A leading futurist with exceptional foresight”

[expand title=”In detail”]
Rohit launched a personal campaign to raise one million pounds for various good causes such as the Pakistan Earthquake Red Cross Appeal where he hosted a fund raising seminar and dinner, covered across Asia by the media. Rohit authored Designing Your Future – Key Trends, Challenges and Choices, edited Achieving Transformation and Renewal in Financial Services, and contributes regularly to books and journals on futures and strategic change.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Rohit draws upon his experience and highlights how critical changes and the development of new technologies really are to global businesses. Rohit is recognized worldwide as an innovative thinker.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Rohit’s presentations are a fascinating insight into the shape of the future. He has an ability to create an engaging debate, capturing his audience with incisive thought provoking ideas[/expand]
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