The Leading Speakers blog

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Futurologist and Lecturer

Magnus Lindkvist is a futurologist and lecturer within business intelligence and trends. He has a MSc. in Business and Economics from The Stockholm School of Economics and studied at The School of Film, Television and Theatre at UCLA. Before founding Pattern Recognition, Magnus Lindkvist worked as a brand strategist at Differ and as a planner/account director and management group member at brand strategy agency, Grow.

“Where the day takes you, that’s where you’re going”
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Leading Expert on Energy and Global Economics

Daniel Yergin is a highly respected authority on international politics, economics and energy. He is Chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates and Vice Chairman of the Global Decisions Group.

He is both a Pulitzer Prize winner and recipient of the 1997 United States Energy Award for “lifelong achievements in energy and the promotion of international understanding.”

“No one could ask for a better account of the world’s political and economic destiny since World War II.”

The Wall Street Journal
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Expert on Energy and the Environment

Claudia Kemfert is Head of the department Energy, Transportation, Environment at the German Institute of Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and Professor of Energy Economics at Humboldt University, Berlin. She advises EU president José Manuel Barroso as a member of the High Level Group on Energy and she is an external advisor for the World Bank, the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

“Germany’s leading exponent of green economic policies”
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Timken Chaired Professor of Global Technology & Innovation at INSEAD

Yves Doz is a Professor of Business Strategy and the Timken Chaired Professor of Global Technology and Innovation at INSEAD.

His business experience includes work on multinational aircraft programmes, along with consulting for many major multinational corporations and teaching in their internal development programmes.

“The metanational hypothesis is becoming reality.”

In detail

He was Associate Dean for Research and Development from 1990-1995. From 1990-1994 he held the John H. Loudon Chair in International Management.
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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.
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Authority on the Future of Management/IT, Professor of Forecasting and Innovation

James Woudhuysen is one of Europe’s best-known independent speakers and writers on the future. In the 1980s he co-directed Britain’s first major study into the future of e-commerce (’teleshopping’ in those days). He then moved to the Henley Centre, Britain’s best-known think-tank on EU markets, where he built up the firm’s forecasting on the broader future of IT and proposed, in 1992, that the Internet be delivered over TV.

In 1996 staff at Phillips nominated James as ‘Motivator of the Year’

In detail

A physicist, broadcaster and author of several books, James is a columnist for IT Week and is visiting Professor of Innovation at De Montfort University, Leicester. He is often on BBC Radio 4. James managed worldwide market intelligence for Philips consumer electronics in the Netherlands.
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Professor of Strategic and International Management at LBS

Costas Markides is Professor of Strategic and International Management at London Business School. A native of Cyprus, he received his BA (Distinction) and MA in Economics from Boston University and his MBA and DBA from the Harvard Business School. Prior to joining London Business School he has worked as an Associate with the Cyprus Development Bank and as a Research Associate at the Harvard Business School.

“Costas Markides is an expert on creating breakthrough strategies with proven results”

In detail

His work has been has published in a wide range of journals such as the Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, Directors & Boards, Long Range Planning, British Journal of Management, Journal of International Business Studies, Strategic Management Journal and the Academy of Management Journal.
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President and Chief Executive Officer of Forbes

Steve Forbes is President and Chief Executive Officer of Forbes and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine. Forbes Magazine is recognised as one of the world’s leading business magazines and combined with Forbes Asia and the company’s eight local language editions reaches a worldwide audience of over five million readers. Mr. Forbes writes editorials for each issue of Forbes under the heading of “Fact and Comment.”

“A widely respected economic prognosticator”

In detail

In both 1996 and 2000, Mr. Forbes campaigned vigorously for the Republican nomination for the Presidency. Key to his platform were a flat tax, medical savings accounts, a new Social Security system for working Americans, parental choice of schools for their children, term limits and a strong national defense. Mr. Forbes continues to energetically promote this agenda.
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President of Virgin Galactic

Will Whitehorn is the president of Virgin Galactic, appointed in 2004. Prior to this he was responsible for the corporate image of Virgin, public affairs, global brand development, selected company stewardship and a number of new business development activities. Virgin plans to launch its inaugural mission late in 2008.

“Leading expert on Branding and Leadership”

In detail

Will’s early career included time as a Market Intelligence Officer for the TSB Group flotation. Additionally, he was an Account Director at Lombard Communications, where he worked on numerous flotations and bids for companies including Chrysalis Group, Ward White and Grampian Holdings. He joined Virgin Group in 1987 as Head of Corporate Public Relations. In 2002, he became Virgin Group’s Brand Development and Corporate Affairs Director, in this role acting as Sir Richard Branson’s spokesman. In 2004 he became a Non-Executive Chairman for Next Fifteen Communications plc, a worldwide technology public relations group
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Former CEO of Starbucks

Orin C. Smith was President and Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks Corporation from 2000 to 2005. He joined Starbucks as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 1990, became President and Chief Operating Officer in 1994, and became a director of Starbucks in 1996. Mr. Smith has been a Director of The Walt Disney Company since 2006 and he has been a Director of Nike Inc. since September 20, 2004 and serves as a Member of its Audit Committee.

“Embracing diversity is not only the right thing to do socially or ethically, it’s good for business.”

In detail

Prior to joining Starbucks, Mr. Smith spent a total of 14 years with Deloitte & Touche. He serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Washington School of Business, the University of Washington Medicine Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of Conservation International. He was also a Director of Oakley Sunglasses, Watches, Shoes, and Apparel from August 1995 until July 10, 2003.
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