The Leading Speakers blog

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Former Formula 1 World Champion

Damon Hill OBE is a British former racing driver from England. He was the 1996 Formula One World Champion and is the son of the late double Formula One world champion Graham Hill, and is the only son of a world champion to win the title. He retired from the sport at the end of the 1999 season, after 122 race starts. In 2006, Damon Hill became president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, succeeding Jackie Stewart.

“A living F1 legend”

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Global Marketing Expert

René Jäggi is the former CEO of Adidas International and Chairman of H.T.M. (Head– Tyrolia-Mares-Penn) the international sports group. He is also the former Chairman of the Board of Head N.V and he was CEO of the LOC Venue office during the football world cup in 2006 in Germany. He is currently on the board of several international companies and Chairman of Flora Eco Power AG in Munich, a public bio energy company. In May 2007 he was appointed as a new member of the Board of Directors of Hong Kong Based Artificial Life, Inc. a provider of award-winning mobile 3G technology and applications.

René Jäggi is a recognised corporate marketing expert

In Detail

In addition to his corporate work Mr Jäggi is also the former President of the Executive Board of the Kaiserslautern Football Club and former President of Football Club Basel.
He was also Chairman of the advisory board of Romika GmbH, the sports shoe manufacturer as well as holding prior management positions in marketing and sales at battery giant Duracel and Reynolds the tobacco giant.
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Technical Manager of the French Football Association and Former Manager of Liverpool Football Club

Gérard Houllier was National Technical Director of the French World Cup Winning Team of 1998. He was the Manager of Liverpool Football Club from 1998-2004 and in 2005 he became the Manager of French Champions Lyon. Gérard was Manager of Paris St. Germain from 1985-1986, winning the French Championship in 1986. He was also the Manager of Lens from 1982-1985, earning UEFA Cup qualification. He worked as number two to the National French Team Head Coach, Michel Platini, for the European Championship of 1988 and 1992, later progressing to Head Coach of France.

Head Coach of France.
“Part of a manager’s role is to make players improve”
Gérard Houllier

In detail

In 2001 under his leadership, Liverpool became the first club to win three knock-out competitions in one season. One of the most respected management figures in world football.
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Musician and Co-organiser of Band Aid and Live Aid and Live 8

November 25, 1984 was an historic day for Midge Ure and all of pop music, as 36 artists by the collective name Band Aid gathered at SARM Studios in West London under Midge’s production. They recorded Do They Know It’s Christmas?, a song he had just written with Bob Geldof as the industry’s heartfelt and eloquent contribution to Ethiopian famine relief. The unstoppable emotion engendered by the project led to Live Aid, the summer 1985 global concert that, all exaggeration aside, spoke for a generation.

“An artist who has received Ivor Novello, Grammy, BASCAP awards along with a flotilla of gold and platinum records, needs very little introduction”

In detail

Midge organised the Live 8 concerts with Bob Geldof, with the aim of pressuring G8 leaders into following his recipe for ending world poverty. In 2005 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music and charity.
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Four Times Formula One World Champion

Four times Formula One World Champion, Alain Prost is without doubt one of the most successful Grand Prix drivers of the modern era. Until Michael Schumacher re-wrote the history books in 2001, Alain held the record for most Grand Prix victories, with 51, he also claimed 42 fastest laps, 106 podiums and 798.5 points during his illustrious time in Formula One.

Born in France in 1955, Alain Prost began competitive car racing in 1976 competing in Formula Renault. He quickly ascended through the ranks and made his Formula One debut in 1980 with McLaren. A move to the Renault team the following year would see Alain grace the top step of the podium for the first time at his home Grand Prix in Dijon.

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European Business Speaker - 2008

Bosnia Bob - Former UN Commander

Bob’s extensive experience of managing in the most challenging circumstances and his experience in policy-making at highest level during his two years as Chief of Policy at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe make him ideally positioned to inspire today’s business leaders about strategic planning, effective leadership and teamwork.

“Bosnia Bob” became a familiar face to television viewers around the world as he handled the intricacies of Balkan politics- crossing borders when he wasn’t supposed to, negotiating and manoeuvring his way to keep the peace, delivering much needed aid to the most lawless country that Europe had seen in many years.Commissioned into the British Army in 1969 after officer training he was sent to University where he took a First Class degree in International Politics and Strategy. Service as an intelligence officer in Northern Ireland led to his return for a further tour as an infantry company commander. He was the officer tasked with control and response to the Ballykelly bombing in 1982, gaining the personal commendation of the GOC Northern Ireland for his actions.
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Author and Leading Thinker on Organisational Learning and Sustainability

Peter Senge was the Director of the Center for Organizational Learning at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and is presently on the faculty at MIT. He is the founding chair of SoL, the Society for Organizational Learning, a global community of corporations, researchers and consultants dedicated to the interdependent development of people and their institutions. He has lectured throughout the world, translating the abstract ideas of systems theory into tools for better understanding of economic and organisational change.

“Strategist of the Century”

In detail

Peter Senge received a B.S. in engineering from Stanford University, an M.S. in social systems modelling and a Ph.D. in management from MIT. He has written many articles published in both academic journals and the business press on systems thinking in management. ‘The Journal of Business Strategy’ named Dr. Senge as one of the 24 people who had the greatest influence on business strategy over the last 100 years.
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Financial Editor CNN, Journalist and Moderator

Todd Benjamin is the financial editor for CNN’s international networks, based in London since 1993. Todd has interviewed some of the most powerful men in governments around the globe including the former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
He has also hosted many interviews with major business players and CEOs from a wide number of industries incorporating in-depth business and financial market analysis.

“Todd is known for his no-nonsense style and punchy interviews”

In detail
Todd Benjamin holds a bachelor’s degree in English from The University of Puget Ound. He has travelled throughout Europe covering economic and corporate stories including, G8, EU and the Frankfurt Auto show.

Todd joined CNN in 1982 working in Washington and later in New York. Before joining CNN he worked as an investigative and business reporter in local television news in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Authority on Leadership

Dr. Stephen R. Covey, is an internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, organisational consultant, founder of the former Covey Leadership Centre, and co-founder/co-chairman of Franklin Covey Company - the largest management and leadership development organization in the world.

Dr. Stephen R. Covey is founder and chairman of the Covey Leadership Centre, a world-wide consulting company that implements leadership training for organisations and individuals. He is also the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, a six-million best-seller in 32 languages; Principle Centred Leadership; and First Things First. An internationally recognised author, lecturer and leadership mentor, Dr. Covey’s expertise encompasses the fields of personal relations, organisational development, management and leadership. He has appeared as a guest on hundreds of TV and radio programs. Dr. Covey is a Harvard M.B.A. graduate and holds a doctorate degree from Brigham Young University, where he is currently an adjunct Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Business Management.
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Foremost Thinker on Human Resource Strategy

Dr. Lynda Gratton is Professor of Management Practice at London Business School where she directs the school’s executive programme, “Human Resource Strategy in Transforming Organisations”. Over the last decade Lynda has led The Leading Edge Research Consortium, a major research initiative involving companies such as Hewlett Packard and Citibank. A global authority on the people implications of strategy Dr. Lynda Gratton writes, teaches and consults across the world on human resource strategy.

“People are our most important asset”

In detail
In 2005 Lynda was named by the Times as one of the top 50 thinkers of the world (one of only 4 women). She is acknowledged as one of the world’s most influential thinkers in HR Strategy, and was recently ranked in the Top Ten of HR Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential poll. In 2004 Lynda was appointed a Research Fellow of the Advanced Institute of Management in the UK and is Director of the Lehman Centre for Women in Business.
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