The Leading Speakers Bureau

Business Writer & Commentator, Former Financial Times Editor

Andrew Gowers has a lifetime’s experience in newspapers and on the front-line of corporate crises in Britain, Europe and the US. A financial journalist for 25 years, most of them at the Financial Times, as Editor, and Foreign, and Middle East Editor, he went onto work in corporate communications, first at the global investment bank Lehman Brothers and then at BP – closely involved in the two most high-profile corporate crises of recent decades. He was Head of Corporate Communications and Brand at Lehman Brothers when the bank spectacularly collapsed in 2008, triggering the global financial crisis. After a stint at London Business School, he joined the oil giant BP as Head of Group Media, and was part of the company’s communications response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

“A brilliant financial journalist”

[expand title=”In detail”] A graduate of Cambridge Uni., Andrew worked first with Reuters, then with the FT. He reported from Brussels, Zurich and the Middle East and covered subjects ranging from commodities markets to international politics. He travelled widely and became personally acquainted with many of the world’s most senior political and corporate leaders. He was appointed founding Editor of FT Deutschland until becoming Editor of the English-language FT in 2001. In 2006 he led an independent review for HM Government of the UK’s intellectual property regime and in 2008-9 he served on the advisory board for the Government’s Digital Britain review.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Andrew offers the inside track on an unusual range of subjects. As a senior communicator for leading companies, he has a truly unique perspective on the world of business and its relationship with society, the media and public opinion. He offers a broad and expert perspective on a gamut of subjects from the UK’s rapidly changing political scene, the future of the euro, European politics, the prospects for the world economy, the Middle East, to the global financial crisis and how companies manage their reputations. With many years’ experience of commenting on international affairs, he regularly reported from the Middle East during his journalistic career, and met many of the region’s leaders. He can talk with authority and insight about the current political upheavals in the Arab world and their geostrategic and economic implications.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Andrew has an informal speaking style and he leavens his talks with entertaining personal anecdotes and humour, while always leaving audiences with intelligent food for thought. He is equally at home speaking at conferences and dinners, small corporate seminars and large public events.[/expand]
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Founder of the Grameen Bank and Winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize

In 1976, Muhammad Yunus founded the Grameen Bank to make loans to poor Bangladeshis. Since then the Grameen Bank has issued more than US$ 5.1 billion to 5.3 million borrowers. The success of the Grameen model has inspired similar efforts throughout the developing world and even in industrialized nations including the USA. His methods have also been applied to Burma and in Kosovo with great success and he is now embarking upon an effort to eliminate global poverty.

Professor Muhammad Yunus has been ranked among the top 50 most influential business thinkers. In 2009 Thinkers 50, the global ranking of management gurus, placed him among the list of most influential thinkers

“By giving poor people the power to help themselves, Dr. Yunus has offered them something far more valuable than a plate of food – security in its most fundamental form.” Former US President Jimmy Carter

[expand title=”In detail”] Besides Grameen Bank he has created a number of companies in Bangladesh to address diverse issues of poverty and development. Among the companies are Grameen Phone (a mobile telephone company), Grameen Cybernet (Internet Service Provider), Grameen Communications (Rural Internet Service Provider), Grameen Software company, Grameen Information Technology Park, Grameen Fund (Social Venture Capital Company), Grameen Capital Management company and many more.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Muhammad Yunus is a highly charismatic figure with a wealth of innovative ideas and the power to help thousands of people to decide their own destiny. He carefully explains to audiences his ideas and lays the foundations for the successful implementation of his model which is eradicating poverty around the globe.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]An empowering and emotive speaker, Muhammad Yunus talks passionately about his goals and dreams and leaves audiences inspired with his simple yet effective ideas.[/expand]
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Author and Leading Authority on Creative Problem Solving and Lateral Leadership

Paul Sloane is well known as a thought provoking, entertaining and motivational speaker. He is the author of 17 books on lateral puzzles, creative problem-solving and lateral leadership. He was described in the Independent as the ‘King of Lateral Thinking Puzzles.’ He is the founder of Destination-Innovation, a consultancy that helps organisations gain competitive advantage through innovation.

“Really useful material presented enthusiastically and
with immediate relevance.” Syntegra

[expand title=”In detail”] Paul took a first in Engineering at Cambridge. His stellar career started in IBM where he came top of Sales School. He was part of the team that launched the IBM PC in the UK. Paul then went on to be Managing Director of the database leaders, Ashton-Tate. He became VP International for MathSoft Inc. and CEO of Monactive Ltd[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Paul gives after-dinner talks, keynote addresses, link presentations and workshops. His talks offer a unique blend of puzzling challenges and hard-hitting business messages. They are motivational, stimulating and fun but with strong takeaway themes on leadership, creativity and innovation[/expand]
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Leading Trendspotter, Futurist and Strategist

Marian Salzman is considered as one of the world’s top five trendspotters. She is the CEO of Havas PR North America, an entrepreneurial agency ranked ninth in the world. Marian was responsible for some of the most famous consumer campaigns and has executed thought leadership, reputation management and social media programs around the globe. Before heading Havas PR, she was CMO at Porter Novelli, CMO at JWT Worldwide and CSO at Euro RSCG Worldwide. She received many prestigious awards, including the the PRWeek’s 2009 PR Innovation of the Year award.

“One of the Top Five Trendspotters in the World”

[expand title=”In detail”] Marian is an advisor to the Berlin School of Creative Leadership’s MBA program, author of 14 books published in more than 20 languages and an honours graduate of Brown University for which she has served as a mentor to Brown Women in Business since 2006. Her four-part series on the brain for the Huffington Post won a 2011 Bronze SABRE award and an honorable mention from the PR News Platinum PR Awards. In addition, Marian has blogged regularly at Forbes.com, the Holmes Report, Adweek/Aol’s Fuel the Future, CNBC.com and numerous agency blogs run by @havasprus.

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[expand title=”What she offers you”]Marian has identified and taken public such concepts as Metro-sexuality. Singletons and Globesity She brings to her presentations more than a decade’s worth of experience as a consumer researcher and trend analyst as well as a reputation as one of the world’s leading futurists. Marian not only delivers practical insights, but she also offers audiences an accurate glimpse of the near future.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Her powerful presentations are well prepared and entertaining.[/expand]
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Guru of Personal Reinvention

Watt Nicoll MP is a coach and motivator extraordinaire.

He insists on MP after his name as a public declaration of being a Motivated Person.

Motivator for the Everton Football team, he has helped take them from relegation candidates to a top 6 team in his first season.

He has developed a process of self-education and awareness, which has distinguished him as a world-class resource for the development of human potential

Innovator of developing human potential

[expand title=”In detail”] In his pursuit of excellence, he is a regular contributor to BBC Radio and subject of a BBC2 Television documentary. Also, he is a board member of Young Enterprise Scotland.

His programmes are built on the basis that successful organisations share an ability to engage high performance people within their organisations.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Shake off mediocrity and live up to your potential by taking advantage of his non-traditional training techniques.

Discover how to release untapped energy and creativity of existing personnel to uphold success and profitability.[/expand]
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Thought Leader in Innovation, Business Design

John Kao is known as an authority on the intersecting subjects of corporate innovation and transformation, digital media, design strategy, and the future of business. He has made a career out of helping organizations go from “getting” the importance of innovation to “getting innovation done.” In addition to his other accomplishments, John is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, private investor, Tony-nominated producer, and business pioneer

“The world’s leading expert on business creativity” Klause Schwab, Founder, World Economic Forum

[expand title=”In detail”] For 14 years, he taught at Harvard Business School where he developed courses, lectures and executive seminars. He was also a visiting professor at the MIT Media Lab. From 1997-2001, he was founder and CEO of The Idea Factory, known for its innovation advisory work. He is on the boards of Lion Digital Pictures, NeoSpine, Inc., and is an honorary Vice President of Arts & Business, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Art. John has collaborated with a variety of world renowned designers and his unique approach to innovation is strongly influenced by the disciplines of design.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Dubbed a “serial innovator” and “Mr. Creativity” by The Economist, John’s experience in the design field is multifaceted and he takes up the challenge of reinventing the relationship between design and business. He expertly frames the challenge faced by organisations and offers immensely practical advice on how they can regain our place as innovation leaders.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]John’s tailored speeches are famous for entertaining audiences and for their practical and original frameworks for action. John has also been known to illustrate the fundamentals of innovation (of “jamming,” in his words) by playing jazz piano in a way that provides musical examples of the innovation process at work.[/expand]
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Thought Leader of Open Innovation

As former Vice President of Innovation for Procter & Gamble, Larry Huston was responsible for the company’s global Connect and Develop program where he successfully met his objective of insourcing 50% of the company’s innovation from outside of P&G.

Larry Huston is a leading practitioner of connected innovation and is now managing partner of strategy consultancy 4INNO.

“Asking new questions is the key to truly successful innovation”

[expand title=”In detail”] Larry is recognised globally for his radical business innovation model, ‘Connect and Develop’ which turbocharged more than 250 Procter and Gamble products into the marketplace, generated billions of sales and increased the P&G’s figure of insourced innovation from 15% in 2000 to a remarkable 50% today[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Larry informs his audiences about his highly effective Connect and Develop business innovation model and he shares his invaluable insights on how to successfully revamp product innovation strategies and concept development. His extensive experience and sound advice are hugely beneficial to businesses and organisations worldwide.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Larry has a wonderfully down to earth and approachable presenting style with genuine and evident enthusiasm for his field. These characteristics mixed with his outstanding knowledge contribute to his truly unforgettable presentations.[/expand]
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Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator and Best-Selling Author

Robert Kiyosaki is an investor, entrepreneur, educator and author.

He is best known for his series of best selling motivational books Rich Dad, Poor Dad. He also writes a bi-weekly column – Why the Rich Are Getting Richer – for Yahoo! Finance and a monthly column titled Rich Returns for Entrepreneur magazine.

“With every dollar in your hand, you have the power to choose to be rich, poor or middle class.”

[expand title=”In detail”] In 1985 Robert founded an international education company that taught business and investing to tens of thousands of students throughout the world. He sold his business in 1984 and, through his investments, was able to retire at the age of 47. It was then, during his short-lived retirement, he wrote Rich Dad Poor Dad[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Robert’s perspectives on money and investing fly in the face of conventional wisdom. He has challenged and changed the way tens of millions, around the world, think about money. [/expand]

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Leading Authority in the field of Creative, Conceptual Thinking

Edward de Bono is widely regarded as the leading authority in the field of creative thinking, innovation and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill. He is the originator of the term Lateral Thinking which has an official entry in the Oxford English Dictionary and he is equally renowned for his development of the Six Thinking Hats technique and the Direct Attention Thinking Tools (D.A.T.T) framework.

“Implementing creativity should double the profits of any company within 5 years ”
Dr Edward de Bono has been ranked among the top 50 most influential business thinkers. In 2009 Thinkers 50, the global ranking of management gurus, placed him among the list of most influential thinkers.

[expand title=”In detail”] He was the Chairman of the Council of Young Enterprise Europe which had a membership of 1,500,000 youngsters across Europe, Israel and Russia who set up mini-businesses whilst at school. He also established the World Centre for New Thinking which acts as a platform and channel to make visible New Thinking from any source.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]The main appeal of Edward’s work is its simplicity and practicality. His instructions in thinking have been sought by governments and corporations worldwide while his programmes for the teaching of thinking in schools are mandatory in some countries. He teaches his audiences that you can solve problems not by removing the cause, but by designing the way forward, even if the cause remains in place.[/expand]
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Leading expert on Blue Ocean Strategy, Value Innovation and Defying Conventional Wisdom

Gabor George Burt is an internationally recognized expert on Blue Ocean Strategy and Value Innovation; the highly acclaimed, new approach to high-growth strategy formation and implementation. He is also regarded as a thought leader on the cognitive perspective of Defying Conventional Wisdom. Taken together, his two spheres of expertise are especially relevant in helping organizations to create successful strategies during times of economic uncertainty.

“The entire global economy requires Blue Ocean Strategy.”

Bruce Nussbaum,
Business Week

[expand title=”In detail”] Gabor George Burt is also the chief architect and original host of the Blue Ocean Executive Experience series, an exclusive immersion forum on Blue Ocean Strategy and Defying Conventional Wisdom.
He is actively involved in shaping strategy with a diverse group of international clients spanning from Fortune 500 firms to successful start-ups, as well as in his own wide-ranging application of the Blue Ocean and DCW concepts.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]An engaging and provocative presenter, Gabor George Burt aims to uncover the core concepts of Blue Ocean Strategy and the mindset of Defying Conventional Wisdom in a way that is immediately accessible for his audiences.
He is a frequent lecturer and advisor to companies on the topic of innovation and strategies that lead to uncontested market space. [/expand]
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