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!

The World Renowned Interviewer

Sir David Frost is probably the world’s most prominent television interviewer.

In addition to hosting and creating television programmes, he is a publisher, lecturer, impresario and chief executive officer to numerous companies.

Landmark interviews have always featured in his remarkable career. Perhaps the most infamous being the Nixon Interviews, broadcast in virtually every television nation around the world.

“One-man conglomerate.”

Continue Reading »

Brand Management Expert

Martin Lindstrom is a world leading expert on branding.

Since defining ten revolutionary branding rules he has provided brand-building advice to a host of international organisations.

His clients include Mars, Pepsi, American Express, Mercedes-Benz, Ericsson and Yellow Pages.

He is also a member of several international boards including Wotch, Hitwise and eKit.com.

A master
on the
power of brands
Continue Reading »

Expert on IT Security and eBusiness

Tim Cole is an experienced publicist, author and TV moderator in the field of eBusiness and IT security. As editor of the business magazine Net Investor he has a proven track record for journalistic objectivity, as well as the ability to critically evaluate the impact of technology on business processes and markets. His book ‘Management Challenge Security’ has become a standard textbook for non-technical managers involved in IT security decision-making.

“Tim Cole is one of the 30 most influential Internet professionals”
FOCUS Online

In detail

He is also founder and editor of Internet Report, the first German language newsletter for the online industry. Tim was responsible for several magazines including Connect, a popular telecommunications magazine. His role as head of the multimedia group also involved developing new concepts for multimedia publishing and online communication. He frequently contributes to Internet related magazines.
Continue Reading »

World Authority on Brand Development and Identity

Wally Olins is a co-founder of Wolff Olins and was Chairman of the company until 1997 and he is Chairman of Saffron Brand Consultants. He has advised many of the world’s leading organisations on identity, branding, communication and related matters. He has also worked with a number of countries on branding issues. He has acted as advisor to major strategic consultancies. He is currently Visiting Fellow at Said Business School in Oxford, and Visiting Professor at Lancaster University and Copenhagen Business School.

“Identity Guru”

In detail

He was responsible for the branding programme of Øresund, the first region between the nations Denmark, Copenhagen and Sweden’s Malmö. One of his main areas of interest is the big ideas behind organisations, mergers and acquisitions, and he has a particular interest in and experience of the branding of regions and nations.
Continue Reading »

Leading World Authority on Communications and Electronic Media and Commerce

Patrick Vittet-Philippe is an expert advisor on e-business; information and communication technologies; B2B and B2C; and m-commerce for the European Commission (EC). He has been responsible in the elaboration and implementation of the main European Union (EU) policy initiatives on e-business and for drafting a number of EC policy papers and reports. He also represents the EC at international negotiations and conferences.

Patrick offers privileged insight into EU policies and regulations on information and communication technologies; and e- and m-commerce. Combined with his vision for navigating the security challenges of the e-economy, he provides the vital knowledge to keep any business on top of the e-revolution.
Continue Reading »

Former Nokia Enterprise Solutions EMEA Channel Marketing Manager

Until recently Erik Jan Koedijk was Country Manager (Netherlands) and EMEA Channel Marketing Manager at Nokia Enterprise Solutions. An expert on Web 2.0 and networking, Erik has developed strategic channel sales and marketing plans to open new channels to deliver sales growth and above all transform strategy into action. He is also an experienced branding expert and a recognised leader in the field of building strategic networks.

“Doing business nowadays is all about building communities.”

In detail

In the last 10 years Erik has built and managed local and European sales, marketing and channel teams for large companies and start-up networking organisations with a specific focus on the internet and mobile communications. One of Erik’s hobbies is social networking and he is often organising brainstorm and workshop sessions with senior managers about community building, web 2.0 and mobility eco system building.
Continue Reading »

Former Adviser to Mikhail Gorbachev

Alexander Likhotal served as adviser to Mikhail Gorbachev for many years and is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Geneva-based Green Cross International. He is a member of the International Council for the Earth Charter and Adviser to the Club of Madrid and has launched internationally acclaimed initiatives such as the Earth Dialogues Forum and has spearheaded Green Cross International’s global campaign for the Right to Water.

“The past has shown that new security threats would emerge in the form of global terrorism and that globalisation and our continued reliance on fossil fuels would raise the environmental stakes even higher”

In detail

Prof. Likhotal was the Deputy Spokesman for the President of the USSR and has held a number of academic positions internationally specialising in European security and NATO. He was visiting professor at the Northeastern University, Boston, USA, Research Associate at the Institute of European Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow and Associate Editor of Security Dialogue Journal, Oslo, Norway.
Continue Reading »

Former Director of Communications and Strategy for Tony Blair

Alastair Campbell is best known as a journalist and former Director of Communications and Strategy for former Prime Minister Tony Blair. He was a key figure behind Mr Blair’s rise to power and was often described as “the real Deputy Prime Minister”. Mr Campbell also played a key role in drafting the Government dossier on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, the Hutton Report, which has been the source of much media interest lately.

“In the extraordinarily difficult and wearing world of the modern media, he operated with tremendous skill and dedication.”
Tony Blair

In detail
Alastair, son of a Pennine vet, read modern languages at Cambridge before entering journalism. His career in the media began to flourish when he became political editor of the Daily Mirror. During this time he was one of then Labour leader Neil Kinnock’s closest advisers. Mr Campbell resigned to become spokesman for Tony Blair, then leader of the opposition. With the Labour election victory in 1997, he became the Prime Minister’s chief press secretary, setting up a formidable Whitehall machine to put over the government’s views and try to control the news agenda.
Continue Reading »

Principal Marketer

Al Ries is a leading PR and marketing authority.

Chairman of Ries & Ries, he counts numerous global organisations among his clients.

PR Week named him as one of the 100 most influential public relations people of the 20th Century.

A learned and current authority, he shares his vision through his impressive collection of authoritative publications.

‘Start narrow then expand.’

Al Ries

In detail

Since co-authoring a notorious series of articles on positioning, with Jack Trout, he has published various industry classics.

Following service in the US Army his marketing career began at General Electric. He progressed to Needham, Louis & Brorby and Martseller before starting his own advertising agency, Ries Cappiello Colwell
Continue Reading »

Award-Winning Global Marketing Guru

The prolific author of many definitive marketing reference works, Professor Philip Kotler is widely regarded as the world’s leading expert on strategic marketing.
He is currently the S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Chicago.

“Today’s smart marketers don’t sell products; they sell benefit packages”

In detail

Professor Kotler has consulted to many major U.S. and foreign companies - including IBM, Michelin, Bank of America, Merck, General Electric, Honeywell, and Motorola - in the areas of marketing strategy and planning, marketing organization, and international marketing.
Continue Reading »