The Leading Speakers blog

Welcome to the Speakers blog! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed to get notified everytime we post new information on another inspirational speaker. Thanks for visiting!

Author, Journalist and Former Presenter of BBC’s HARDtalk

Tim Sebastian is best known as the former presenter of the BBC’s internationally acclaimed flagship interview programme, HARDtalk. He has spent the last seven years travelling the world for HARDtalk, interviewing the world’s newsmakers and personalities - from presidents, prime ministers and kings to authors, actors and musicians. More recently he was Chairman of the widely publiscised Doha Debates in Qatar.

“The man with all the questions”
BBC

In detail

Tim holds a BA Honours degree in modern languages from Oxford University. Based in Warsaw from 1979, he became the BBC’s Europe Correspondent in 1982. Two years later, as the BBC’s correspondent he went to Moscow, where he stayed until 1985 before moving to Washington, where he was based until 1989. In 1982, he was awarded the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Richard Dimbleby Award. In 2000 and 2001 he won Britain’s prestigious Royal Television Society Interviewer of the Year award.
Continue Reading »

Celebrated Author of ‘Wild Swans’

Jung Chang is the author of the best-selling book ‘Wild Swans - Three Daughters of China’, which has sold over 12 million copies and been translated into 30 languages. ‘Wild Swans’ has won many awards, including the NCR Book Award UK (1992), UK Writers’ Guild Best Non-Fiction (1992) and Book of The Year UK (1993). Her biography of Mao Tse-tung, ‘Mao: The Unknown Story’, was published in 2005 and has sold over 800,000 copies in 14 languages and is being translated into a further eleven.

A compelling writer and raconteur

In detail

Born in Yibin, Sichuan Province, China in 1952, Jung Chang worked as a peasant, a ‘barefoot’ doctor, a steelworker and an electrician before becoming an English Language student and, later, an assistant lecturer at Sichuan University. She left China for Britain in 1978 and was awarded a scholarship by York University, where she obtained a PhD in Linguistics in 1982 - the first person from the People’s Republic of China to receive a doctorate from a British University. She has also been awarded honorary doctorates from the Universities of Buckingham, York, Warwick and the Open University.
Continue Reading »

Bestselling Author on China

James Kynge, a recipient of several journalism awards, was the China Bureau Chief for the Financial Times for seven years until 2005. He has worked in China for 14 of the last 25 years and currently heads up the business operations of a publishing multinational in Beijing. In October 2006 James Kynge won the Financial Times & Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award for his best-seller ‘China Shakes the World’.

“The future may be involved less with how the world is changing China than how China is changing the world”

In detail

James Kynge spent 19 years as a journalist in Asia, a decade for Reuters and a decade for the Financial Times. He covered many of the events that have helped shape the region during this time - including the Japanese economic bubble and its deflation, the Tiananmen Square massacre, the independence of Mongolia in 1990/91, the rise to nationhood of the five former Soviet central Asian republics in the early 1990s, the China-Taiwan missile crisis of 1996 followed by Taiwan’s first presidential election, the Asian financial crisis of 1997 and China’s emergence as a great economic power since 1998.
Continue Reading »

Former Chief Investment Officer of Baring Asset Management

Michael Hughes is one of the City of London’s best-known economists and as the Chief Investment Officer of Baring Asset Management, he was responsible for the management of US $47 billion in funds. Michael uses his considerable knowledge of the global and European economic landscape to provide essential information and insights to enable decision makers to plan strategically and gain the all important competitive advantage.

“A highly respected Global Finance Expert”

In detail

Michael Hughes joined Baring Asset Management in 1998, from Barclays Capital, where he was the Group Economic Advisor and the Chairman of Barclays Capital Pensions Ltd. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director and Global Head of Economics and Investment Strategy at BZW Securities Limited.
Continue Reading »

World’s Leading Futurist

John Naisbitt is widely acknowledged as the World’s Leading Futurist.

He served as a presidential appointee in the John F. Kennedy administration and as a special assistant to President Lyndon Johnson.

A pioneer in the content analysis field, he founded the Urban Research Corporation, which provided social and cultural forecasts for leading US organisations.

A proven and powerful forecaster on the global economy

In detail
He has become the global philosopher among futurists, as much in the limelight with worldwide corporations as he is a calming influence among leading politicians.

A visiting professor at Harvard and Moscow State Universities, he is also a Faculty Member at the Nanjing University in China.

Continue Reading »

Founder of Interdisciplinary Unit for Sustainable Economy and Professor of Anthropology and Economics

Prof. Dipak R. Pant advises governmental, non-governmental and business organizations on policy and planning issues for environmentally sustainable and socially sound development. A tireless world explorer, he is regarded as the pioneer of ‘Extreme Lands Program’ which conducts ethnographic field surveys, economic studies and collaborative economic and social development planning in the most marginal and difficult terrains of the world. He is credited with shaping the global development debate by linking social and environmental sustainability with market competitiveness through the strategic concept of ‘place-brand’.

“Italy’s leading speaker on sustainable economic development”

In detail
In addition to his role as the leader of Interdisciplinary Unit for Sustainable Economy and Extreme Lands Program, he lectures on sustainability issues, development planning and global human security issues in some West European, Chinese and US scientific institutions. His field experience, insight and informed perspective are regularly sought by the business community, scientific organizations, governments and NGOs.
Continue Reading »

Former Prime Minister of Australia & Partner of Keating Associates

Keating Associates provides confidential advice, assistance and ideas to a limited number of Australian and International companies, enabling them to understand and deal successfully with the regional and global environment in which they are operating. Its particular area of emphasis is the Asia Pacific region.

In order to provide this service, Keating Associates draws on Paul Keating’s unparalleled experience in government, international political and economic affairs and public policy.
Continue Reading »

Founder & CEO of Cobra Beer

Karan started his career at Ernst & Young in 1982, where he spent four years working in audit, tax, training and accounting. In 1989 he founded Cobra Beer, realising his ambition to develop a premium lager to complement Indian cuisine. He then extended into other markets with the launch of General Bilimoria Wines in 1999, and by founding Tandoori Magazine of which he remains Publishing Director. He has also founded curryzone.com and is the Founder and Chairman of Cobrabyte Technologies.

An entrepreneur with the Midas touch

In detail
Additionally, Karan is a member of the Government’s National Employment Panel, and is Chairman of The Panel’s Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Board. He is also Vice Chairman of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Asian Business Association.
Continue Reading »

Founder and President, Foundation on Economic Trends

Jeremy Rifkin influences public policy on environmental, scientific and technological issues.

A master of speech, he addresses the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, workforce, society and the environment.

He is credited with shaping the global debate on technology displacement, corporate downsizing and the future of work.

A renowned intelligence on global economic trends

In detail

In addition to his role at the Foundation on Economic Trends, he is a fellow at Wharton School of Finance and Commerce where he lectures on future trends in science, technology and the global economy.

His informed perspective is regularly called upon by leading organisations, governments and the media.
Continue Reading »

Founder & Member of the Fujitsu Executive Institute and Senior Associate at the Judge Business School, Cambridge University

Roger Camrass is an accomplished author and international business strategist with over 25 years of experience in tackling Innovation in rapidly changing corporate environments. From 1999-2001 Roger headed Ernst & Young’s European electronic commerce practice and in September 2003 he was appointed Executive Director of Fujitsu Plc.

Innovative Strategist in a Connected World

In detail
A graduate of Cambridge University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he became a research fellow at MIT, participating in the early design of the Internet. After numerous senior roles in the UK, Netherlands and the USA, he headed Consulting Operations of Butler Cox plc, followed by appointments as Partner at Arthur D. Little (92-94), and then European President of SRI (the Stanford Research Institute).
Continue Reading »