The Leading Speakers Bureau

Chief Operating Officer at Facebook

Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. Prior to Facebook, she was Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google. She also helped launch Google’s philanthropic arm Google.org. Prior to Google, she served as Chief of Staff for the United States Department of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton where she helped lead the Treasury’s work on forgiving debt in the developing world during Asian financial crisis.

In 2008 Facebook announced that Sheryl Sandberg would be their first COO

[expand title=”In detail”] Sheryl Sandberg graduated from Harvard College with a B.A. in Economics and was awarded the Prize for the top graduating student in economics. She later enrolled at Harvard Business School and earned her MBA with highest distinction. Her first job out of college was at the World Bank where she worked on health projects in India dealing with leprosy, AIDS, and blindness. She was also a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and an economist with The World Bank. In 2009, she was named to the board of the Walt Disney Company and joined the Board of Directors of Starbucks. [/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Described by The Economist as “the unseen driving force behind the creation of Google.org”, Sheryl Sandberg has vast experience navigating the complex and socially sensitive world of international economics. She provides insights from her distinguished career at the Treasury, Google and at Facebook, where she currently oversees the firm’s business operations including sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy and communications.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]A globally respected businesswoman that has received accolades including being named as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune, Sheryl Sandberg’s presentations are rich in content, powerfully delivered and highly sought-after at prestigious events worldwide.[/expand]
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Award-Winning Singer, Actress, Songwriter, Devoted Mother, Humanitarian & Breast Cancer Survivor

Olivia Newton-John’s distinguished career has spanned more than three decades and she is still a vibrant, creative individual that is adored by fans across the world. With three Grammys, numerous American Music and People’s Choice Awards, five #1 hits, and 15 top ten singles to her credit, she also starred in one of the most successful movie musicals of all time, Grease. Her music has been successful in multiple formats including pop, country and adult contemporary and has sold over 100 million albums worldwide.

“Olivia Newton-John’s public appeal has proved to be timeless”

[expand title=”In detail”] Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England, to a Welsh father and a Jewish-German mother, the eldest child of the Nobel prize-winning atomic physicist Max Born. She was bestowed an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1978 for services to the performing Arts. In 1991 she co-founded the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC). In the 90’s, she successfully overcame her own battle with breast cancer. Most recently, she was named Woman of the Year by the American Red Cross. She was invited by the Vatican on behalf of Pope John Paul II to perform at the Jubilee Celebration for the Sick and Healthcare Workers and, she was thrilled to perform at the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics to an estimated global viewing audience of four billion people.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Olivia Newton-John’s charitable work and commitment to making others’ lives and the life of the planet better is so inspiring. A role model, using her experiences to gain greater self-awareness and became a positive inspiration to millions of people battling cancer, she continues to give back to the community generously and has been acknowledged many times by charitable organizations for her contributions. [/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Having enjoyed one success after another during her illustrious career, Olivia Newton-John is a remarkably down-to-earth, charismatic personality who talks openly about cancer and promotes awareness of the importance of early detection – something she continues to do today.[/expand]
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Academy & Oscar Award-winning Actor, Activist, Humanitarian & Prominent Producer

Michael Douglas is one of the most successful and respected actors of our time. The son of actor Kirk Douglas, he has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975’s Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. He received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2009. He recently returned to the limelight having battled successfully against throat cancer.

“A Hollywood Legend”

[expand title=”In detail”] A powerhouse talent and household name, Michael Douglas started his film career in the late ’60s. He has been a familiar leading man of both small and big screen and his top films as a leading man include The China Syndrome, Romancing the Stone, Fatal Attraction, Wall Street and Basic Instinct. He has consistently chosen socially relevant films that reflect the most pressing issues of the day. Honoured at the Palm Springs International Film Festival with the Icon Award for his work in nearly 40 films, he joined the project Soldiers of Peace, a movie against all wars and for global peace. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Michael Douglas’ work has always been complex, thrilling, and contemporary. He is most passionate about his role as humanitarian and activist, serving as a vocal advocate for social and environmental causes. Honored with the title of UN Peace Messenger, he focuses worldwide attention on nuclear abolition and the vital role the UN plays in preventing small arms proliferation.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A vocal and inspiring proponent of universal human rights, Michael has used his high profile and profound talent to draw attention to the plight of the less fortunate. In his candid presentations, a passionate weave of experiences and insights, Douglas speaks frankly and with great compassion in a distinctive voice that is known to millions worldwide.[/expand]
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American Actor, Film Director & Political Activist

Danny Glover is the dean of African American character actors. He remains one of the top character actors working in cinema, constantly in demand, after almost thirty years since making his movie debut in the 1979 Clint Eastwood Escape from Alcatraz. He is very active in and strongly supports various humanitarian and political causes.

Arguably, Danny is best known for his role as LA police detective in Lethal Weapon

[expand title=”In detail”] Danny Glover has established a reputation as an outspoken political progressive, appearing in such productions as the stage production of Howard Zinn’s Voices from A People’s History of the United States and lending his voice to the aspirations of black folk in Africa and the Americas. Glover suffered from epilepsy in his second decade and as a young adult. Using his technique, which he describes as “a type of self-hypnosis”, he says he has not suffered a seizure since age 35. He has appeared in productions including Places in the Heart, Silverado, Witness, The Color Purple, Predator 2, Mandela, Bat-21, To Sleep With Anger, Grand Canyon, The Saint of Fort Washington, among others.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Widely respected both inside and outside the United States, both as an actor and as a humanitarian, Danny Glover has been an ambassador for the United Nations Development Program since 1998, has won a host of awards, including the NAACP Image Award five times and he is a four times Emmy nominee. An actor, producer, keynote speaker, and director, a versatile superstar, he has impacted stage, screen, and television during his distinguished career.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A distinguished actor of the stage and screen and one of Hollywood’s most renowned and respected leading men, 6’3″ Danny Glover is a towering and quietly forceful personality.[/expand]
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Award Winning English Actor & Film Producer

Hugh Grant has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César for his work in his movies that have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. By the turn of the century, he had established himself as a leading man skilled with a satirical comic talent, having appeared in box office hits including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones’s Diary, About A Boy, American Dreamz, Love Actually, Mickey Blue Eyes and Notting Hill.

Hugh Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in the worldwide hit Four Weddings and a Funeral

[expand title=”In detail”] Hugh Grant won a scholarship to Oxford, going up to New College in 1979. He studied English literature and graduated with 2:1 honours. After making his debut in the Oxford-financed Privileged, he dabbled in a variety of jobs, writing book reviews and working as assistant groundsman at Fulham Football Club. He had his own experience as a survivor of an unfortunate episode in his private life, which he managed to overcome thanks to having a pretty damn good outlook on life.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]With a distinguished media career spanning 20 years, Hugh Grant is one of Britain’s best known faces who has been equally entertaining on-screen as well as in real life, and had enough sense of humour to survive a media frenzy. His timing, his way of testing and savouring dialogue, and his obvious good looks, have made him in demand at prestigious international events.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Arguably the most persuasive romantic comedy lead in several decades, Hugh Grant has a mastery of timing and effortless style.[/expand]
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Campaign Manager, Obama for America

After winning the election in 2008, President Obama called his campaign manager, David Plouffe, “the unsung hero” who built the best political campaign in the history of the United States. He has an extensive campaign leadership background, having served on a variety of high profile presidential, U.S. Senate and congressional campaigns.

“David Plouffe shares his innovative insights on achieving strategic results in the 21st century”

[expand title=”In detail”] Averse to publicity himself, David Plouffe has spent much of his career working for Democratic leader Dick Gephardt, especially orchestrating Gephardt’s effort to reclaim Congress in 2000. In 1999-2000, he led a national campaign that raised a record US $ 95 million for House races across the US. He began his political career working for Senator Tom Harkin’s 1990 re-election campaign. In 1992 he successfully managed Congressman John Olver’s first re-election bid in Western Massachusetts. He also worked as campaign director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 1995. In 1996 Plouffe managed Bob Torricelli’s successful campaign for the New Jersey seat in the US Senate.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]David Plouffe provides insights into his expertise with social networking, volunteer mobilization and the sophisticated use of research to drive productivity. He shares his extensive experiences in successfully leading large teams, inspiring creativity and motivating innovative solutions that produce effective results that set new records for fund-raising and grassroots mobilization due to a bold use of technology and faith in the power of volunteers.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]With humour, passion and intelligence David Plouffe shares the inside story about how Obama was elected president, how success hinged on a fundamental belief in the candidate and the strategy. His fascinating presentations look ahead to the administration’s next steps and the movement the campaign created.[/expand]
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Physicist, Philosopher, Environmental Activist, Eco Feminist & Author

Vandana Shiva is a world-renowned environmental leader and thinker. She is a councillor of the World Future Council. Intellectual property rights, biodiversity, biotechnology, bioethics, genetic engineering are among the fields where Shiva has contributed intellectually and through activist campaigns. She has served as an adviser to governments in India and abroad as well as non governmental organisations, including the International Forum on Globalization, the Women’s Environment & Development Organization and the Third World Network.

“Vandana Shiva is author of over 300 papers in leading scientific and technical journals”

[expand title=”In detail”] Vandana Shiva received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. She has assisted grassroots organizations of the Green movement in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Ireland, Switzerland and Austria with campaigns against genetic engineering. Before becoming an activist, Shiva was one of India’s leading physicists. The founder of Navdanya “nine seeds”, a movement promoting diversity and use of native seeds, she also set up the Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology in her mother’s cowshed in 1997. Its studies have validated the ecological value of traditional farming and been instrumental in fighting destructive development projects in India.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]One of the world’s most prominent radical scientists and a leader in the International Forum on Globalization, Vandana Shiva has been recognised by Time magazine as an environmental hero, and Asia Week called her one of the five most powerful communicators in Asia. Director of the Research Foundation on Science, Technology, and Ecology and a prolific author, she illustrates to audiences the undeniable connection between industrial agriculture and climate change, acting as your bridge to understanding how we can feed the planet in a socially just, environmentally sound way.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]In her trademark style, Vandana Shiva is inspiring, gripping, compassionate and unflinching with a fierce intellect and her disarmingly friendly, accessible manner. She is a truly compelling and powerful speaker who has devoted her life to fighting for the rights of the ordinary people of India and who draws solutions to our world’s most pressing problems.[/expand]
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Multi Award Winning TV and Film Actress

Sigourney Weaver received worldwide recognition for her role as Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott’s Alien, Aliens, and two other sequels in the Alien series. She is also known for her roles in the Ghostbusters films, Gorillas in the Mist, The Ice Storm, Heartbreakers, Holes and in Avatar. In 2009, she starred in her first made-for-TV movie, Prayers for Bobby, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award.

Called ‘The Sci-Fi Queen’ on account of her many science fiction and fantasy films

[expand title=”In detail”] Born in New York, she was named Susan Alexander Weaver and later chose her name Sigourney Weaver; she graduated from Stanford University with an English degree. She spent some time living in Israel on a kibbutz before enrolling at the Yale School of Drama. One of the very few actresses so honoured for a role in a science fiction movie, she is a three-time Academy Award nominee for her performances in Aliens, Gorillas in the Mist, and Working Girl winning Golden Globe Awards in the latter two films. She has done voice work in television and film and also hosted two episodes of the long-running NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Three times Oscar-nominated Sigourney Weaver is a great keynote speaker and host for tech. companies, women’s events or anything environmental or SciFi related. Sigourney speaks on many platforms, but is uniquely able to speak about technology and its impacts from a celebrity point of view. She is also available for personal appearances and endorsements.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Sigourney Weaver has a unique presence and charisma, adding prestige and glamour to any event. She gives a human face and personal perspective to the changing landscape of the film industry.[/expand]
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Thought Provocateur, Author, Former Editor of Marketing Week & Founder of Ctrl-Shift

Alan Mitchell is the UK’s leading marketing commentator. He has spent the last 20 years researching, writing about and commenting on consumer, market and marketing trends: as editor of Marketing magazine, as marketing correspondent for The Times, as a contributor to the Financial Times and columnist for Marketing Week and Brand Strategy. He serves on the steering committee of Harvard Law School Berkman Center for Internet and Society Project VRM and on the editorial boards of The Journal of Brand Management and The Journal of Direct, Digital and Database Marketing.

“My interest is wealth creation. Real wealth creation that is, things & activities that enrich human lives” Alan Mitchell

[expand title=”In detail”] Alan Mitchell founded the Buyer Centric Commerce Forum with Liz Brandt in 2005. He also works with Mydex, a Community Interest Company whose goal is to ‘help individuals realise the value of their personal data’. He is a founder of the Mydex Community Interest Company and serves as Chairman of the Buyer Centric Commerce Forum.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Alan Mitchell looks at the changing face of the relationship between consumer and corporation, the change in the balance of power with the impact of social networking. He helps organisations in both the public and private sectors research, design and develop innovative ways of engaging with consumers, customers and citizens to seize these opportunities. He advises organisations about consumer empowerment.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]In his invaluable presentations, Alan Mitchell challenges preconceptions on global branding, customer relationship and permission marketing, and the importance of corporate reputation, expertly looking at all the trends. He is without doubt one of the most insightful commentators on marketing and an excellent speaker.[/expand]
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Internist, Social Scientist & Expert on Social Networks

Dr. Nicholas Christakis is a Professor at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School who has done groundbreaking research on social networks and social media. His startling findings present intriguing new evidence that our real-life social networks shape virtually every aspect of our lives. How we feel, whom we marry, whether we fall ill, how much money we make, and whether we vote — everything hinges on what others around us are doing, thinking, and feeling

“In 2009, he was named to the Time 100, Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world”

[expand title=”In detail”] Dr. Christakis is an internist and social scientist who conducts research on social factors that affect health, health care, and longevity. For the past decade, Dr. Christakis has focused on how social networks form (“connection”) and how they influence behaviour (“contagion”). He has received various accreditations including TIMES’ one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers, and named “most original thinker” of the year in 2008 by The McLaughlin Group. His research on social networks featured in TIME’s Year in Medicine in 2007 and 2008 and in Harvard Business Review’s Breakthrough Ideas of the Year (2009).[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Dr Christakis outlines the principles of network theory and demonstrates his vision and ideas in the real world. He makes a persuasive case how the power of social networks affect everything and everyone. Explaining why emotions are contagious, and how health behaviours spread, he overturns the notion of the individual and provides a revolutionary paradigm that social and online networks influence, change and affect every aspect of our lives relating to our ideas, emotions, health, relationships, behaviour, politics, and much more. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Dr Christakis though provoking and intriguing presentations are highly insightful, content rich and eloquently delivered.[/expand]
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