The Leading Speakers blog

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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.
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International Leading Authority on Corporate Stress

Carole Spiers is a motivational speaker, BBC broadcaster and author. With 20 years as a top industry guru on stress management and wellbeing, Carole’s energy and dynamism extends to providing professional comment to the media, print and countless radio interviews and is a weekly columnist for Gulf News. She has a unique credibility as a leader of personal empowerment.

“She mesmerises her audience through the brilliant use of theatre and anecdotal stories that invariably enthral them.” Alan Bentley, Harrow Business

In detail
Carole is a vice president of the International Stress Management Association (UK) for whom she created and established the UK’s highly successful media campaign – National Stress Awareness Day. She is also PR consultant to the London management team of the Professional Speakers Association. She regularly speaks for leading corporations from Unilever to Walt Disney, and Panasonic to the Bank of England.
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Head of Sotheby’s International Wine Department

Serena Sutcliffe is one of the world’s most admired and respected wine experts. Joining the wine trade in 1971, she passed the Master of Wine examination at first attempt, only the second woman to obtain this qualification. From 1977-1990 she was in the international wine consultant business in conjunction with husband, David Peppercorn. In 1991, she joined Sotheby’s as a senior director, a member of Sotheby’s European Board, and Head of Sotheby’s International Wine Department.

“Chevalier dans L’Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur” France 2006

In detail

Serena Sutcliffe has been a member of the Wine Committee of the International Wine & Food Society, the Education Committee of the Institute of Masters of Wine, the International Committee of the British Gastronomic Academy, and a committee member of the Journal of Wine Research published by the Institute of Masters of Wine.
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One of the World’s Leading Wine-Authors and Oeonologists

Hugh Johnson is considered worldwide as the leading wine author. The two exceptional successes of his amazing career are ‘The World Atlas of Wine’ which is celebrating its quarter century and the annually updated ‘Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine’ now in its second decade.

With his extensive knowledge and his outstanding talent Hugh’s strength is taking the incredibly complex subject of wine and making it accessible to any audience.

International Wine & Spirit Competition 1998 Communicator of the Year.

In detail
Hugh Johnson began acquiring his knowledge of wine as a member of the Wine and Food Society at Cambridge University. In 1963 he succeeded André Simon as editor of ‘Wine and Food’. With the publication of his first book ‘Wine’ he established himself, at the age of 27, as one of the subject’s foremost writers. Hugh regularly publishes articles in the most prestigious magazines worldwide. He was feature writer for Condé Nast Magazines, Editor of the Wine and Food Magazine, Wine Correspondent for the Sunday Times and Wine Editor of the New York Cuisine Magazine. Currently Hugh is President of The Sunday Times Wine Club and The Hugh Johnson Collection Ltd.
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