Apr 29 2013
David Rowan Conference Hosting Speaker
Editor at Wired Magazine and Conference Hosting Speaker
David Rowan is editor of the UK edition of WIRED magazine, which won 2009 Launch of the Year at the British Society of Magazine Editors Awards. He writes a monthly technology column for GQ Magazine, and has written tech and trend-watching columns for The Times. David has edited The Guardian’s websites, made TV films for Channel 4 News and produced long features for The Telegraph Magazine, Sunday Times Magazine and The Observer.
“An Inspiring & Engaging Speaker”
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Elif Shafak was born in Strasbourg, France, in 1971. She is an award-winning novelist and the most widely read woman writer in Turkey. Critics have named her as “one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Turkish and world literature”. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages and she was awarded the honorary distinction of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters. Shafak has published eleven books, eight of which are novels. She writes fiction in both Turkish and English. Shafak blends Western and Eastern traditions of storytelling, bringing out the myriad stories of women, minorities, immigrants, subcultures, youth and global souls. Her work draws on diverse cultures and literary traditions, as well as deep interest in history, philosophy, Sufism, oral culture, and cultural politics. Shafak’s writing breaks down categories, clichés, and cultural ghettoes. She also has a keen eye for black humor. Shafak’s first novel, Pinhan (The Mystic) was awarded the “Rumi Prize” in 1998, which is given to the best work in mystical literature in Turkey. Her second novel, Şehrin Aynaları (Mirrors of the City), brings together Jewish and Islamic mysticism against a historical setting in the 17th century Mediterranean.
Tiffany Shlain is an American filmmaker and founder of the Webby Awards. Recognized by Newsweek as “one of the women shaping the 21st century, Tiffany founded The Webby Awards in 1996 and guided it’s growth for nearly a decade. Under her leadership, The Webby Awards have become a global institution and industry bellwether, attracting 12,000 entries annually from more than 40 countries and all 50 states
Asha Miró is a highly respected and influential author. She was born in India where she lived for the first six years of her life, until in 1974 when she was adopted and she has lived in Barcelona since then. Asha currently works in the Communication and Promotion Department of the Universal Forum of Cultures Barcelona, work which she combines with the promotion of her books including ‘The Daughter of the Ganges’ a bestseller which has been translated into English, Dutch, French and Italian.
David Brooks is a political and cultural commentator. He became a New York Times Op-Ed columnist in September 2003. He has been a senior editor at The Weekly Standard, a contributing editor at Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly and he is currently a commentator on The Newshour with Jim Lehrer. His column looks deeply into the social currents that underpin American life.
Alain de Botton is a writer of essayistic books that have been described as a “philosophy of everyday life”. He has written widely on philosophy, work, status, religion, love, architecture, travel, and literature. His books have been best-sellers in 30 countries and some have been turned into TV series. Alain has also opened a school in London called The School of Life, dedicated to a new vision of education. 
Florian Langenscheidt is widely respected for his innovative approach to publishing, the future of new media, and consequently the future of e-business. He is also a successful children’s book author and holds prestigious chairs and board memberships with organisations such as Transatlantic Ventures AG, buecher.de AG, the BDI Committee for Multimedia and Telecommunications. He is TV-host of the Münchner Runde talk show, Bavarian TV and nachtclub (since 1992).
Olly Smith is Britain’s much loved TV presenter who specialises in wine and food, and currently hosts Iron Chef UK for Channel 4. Olly regularly “rocks out” on a variety of television shows including BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen, Richard and Judy, and appears on Cheers from Chile and internationally on Great Food Live and Taste. He is a food and drinks writer for a multitude of publications including Waitrose Food Illustrated, Wine & Spirit Magazine, The Independent, and FHM. On the internet, Olly is a founder member of The Wine Gang. In 2009, Olly won the prestigious International Wine And Spirits Communicator of the Year award.
Oz Clarke first became a household name as a presenter of BBC TV’s Food and Drink since then he has appeared on numerous other television shows. As well as his work as a broadcaster Oz hosts many wine tastings throughout the year and each year he makes personal appearances at the BBC Good Food Show at the NEC and BBC Festive Good Food Show in London.
Jeff Randall is a Business Journalist, formerly the Business Editor of BBC News and Editor-at-Large of the Daily Telegraph. He joined the Daily Telegraph in 2005 after four years with the BBC. He was previously with the Sunday Business, which he edited from its launch in February 1998.
