The Leading Speakers Bureau

Multi-Award Winning Violinist

Nigel Kennedy is a multi-award winning and world-wide renowned skilful violinist. For over twenty-five years, he has been acknowledged as one of the world’s leading violin virtuosos and is, without doubt, one of the most important violinists Britain has ever produced. He made his reputation with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. More recently he has concentrated on composing and more pop influenced work.

“He is the best selling classical violinist of all time”

[expand title=”In detail”] During his career Nigel Kennedy has undertaken countless international tours, performing with the world’s major orchestras and conductors, from Europe to the United States to Australia. Major debuts have included London’s Royal Festival Hall, the Berlin Philharmonic, his New York orchestral debut in 1987 and his 2004 French debut. His passion is jazz. He has a jazz quintet in Krakow, Poland, where he lives forpart of the year. He has attracted an enormous amount of worldwide media attention throughout his extraordinary career. His television appearances have been wide and varied and he has given numerous public and private performances for members of the British royal family.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Nigel’s virtuoso technique, unique talent and mass appeal have brought fresh perspectives to both the classical and contemporary repertoire. His strength is his remarkable sensitivity in caressing a melody to life.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Nigel is almost as well known for shunning classical-music traditions, his expletive-strewn “mockney” language and his shambolic attire, as he is for his fabulous, if sometimes controversial, interpretations of classical music.[/expand]
Continue Reading »

Leading UAE Media Personality, Former Member of the UAE Federal National Council

Najla Al Awadhi is a former Member of Parliament of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and a distinguished media leader in the Middle East. Her Excellency is also the first woman from a Gulf Cooperation Country to hold a chief executive post in a state run media organization. For over a decade Her Excellency served as CEO of Channels at Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), previously serving as General Manager of Dubai One and Deputy CEO of Dubai Media Inc.

“Few can deny the force that is Najla Al Awadhi”

[expand title=”In detail”] Her Excellency is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders and also the Global Agenda Councils of the WEF. She is a Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Middle East Leadership Initiative and acting Chairperson of the regional board of Young Arab Leaders. Her Excellency graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire where she was President of both the Muslim Student Association and the Human Rights Committee. Her Excellency is currently completing her graduate studies at Harvard University.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]One of the first women in the history of the UAE to become a member of the UAE’s Parliament, its youngest parliamentarian and the youngest female member of any Arab legislation body in Khaleeji history, Najla Al Awadhi covers a range of socio-political topics, broadly speaking about anything that falls under media, government, or the role and rights of women, in the context of the Arab and Muslim world. She is brimming with dreams to initiate positive change in society through the development of women’s rights in the region.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Energetic and dynamic, Najla represents the up-and-coming generation of passionately fired-up Arab women who take their role as enterprising and productive members of society very seriously. [/expand]
Continue Reading »

Inspirational Model, Global Fashion Icon, UNICEF UK Ambassador & Businesswoman

Claudia Schiffer is recognised throughout the world as a model, icon and businesswoman. She has established herself as one of the biggest names in fashion and beauty in the world. She continues to be photographed today by the worlds leading photographers, has appeared in numerous campaigns and is currently developing her ‘brand business’

“The first model ever to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, the New York Times & People”

[expand title=”In detail”] Claudia Schiffer has cemented her position as one of the worlds leading supermodels. Discovered in a disco in Hamburg at 17, she shot to success almost immediately as the face of the highly published and iconic Guess? Jeans campaigns of the early 90’s. The Guess name became known around the world because of Claudia. Shortly after, she was selected by Karl Lagerfeld to become the new face of Chanel and remained as his muse for many years. She has appeared in a number of films and music videos including West life’s cover of Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl as the iconic uptown girl.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]One of the most beautiful women in the world who has graced the cover of over a 1,000 magazines setting a world record, Claudia Schiffer’s ability to appeal to a global audience has ensured an internationally successful career spanning over two decades. The demand for her endorsement is as strong today as it has ever been.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Claudia Schiffer has a natural style and presence that adds prestige and glamour to any event.[/expand]
Continue Reading »

Award-winning Actress, Humanitarian, Film Producer & Former Fashion Model

Sharon Stone is an American Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actress, producer and former fashion model. She came to international attention for her performance in the 1992 Hollywood blockbuster film Basic Instinct, and in 1996 she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Martin Scorsese’s Casino, and received an Oscar-nomination and won a Golden Globe for that same role.

“Sharon Stone is a much-in-demand star”

[expand title=”In detail”] When a pageant judge suggested she quit school and move to New York to become a fashion model, she quickly packed her bags and moved to New Jersey. Within four days, she was signed by Ford Modeling Agency in New York. After signing with Ford, she spent a few years modeling and appeared in TV commercials for such companies as Clairol and Maybelline. In 1990, her appearance in Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger gave her career a jolt. She has appeared in films that also include Sliver, Casino, Sphere and The Muse. She also owns her own production company, Chaos.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]An internationally recognised celebrity, Sharon Stone is a highly motivational and passionate speaker who has gained an enviable reputation for off-screen glamour and opinionated wit. She engages audiences from around the globe with her highly entertaining presentations and anecdotes.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Sharon Stone always displays a dynamic presence. She is a master at captivating an audience and has a powerful message, delivered with panache.[/expand]
Continue Reading »

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]
Continue Reading »

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]
Continue Reading »

Award-winning English Film, Television & Stage Actor

Colin Firth is a world renowned star of stage and screen who first gained wide public attention for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 TV adaption of Pride and Prejudice. He subsequently achieved film stardom with the international box-office success of Bridget Jones’s Diary. It was his leading role in fashion designer Tom Ford’s directorial debut, A Single Man, that garnered him awards attention like he had never received previously. His next work is in the 2012 adaptation of the John le Carré novel ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’.

“Colin has performed songs in many of his films, including the worldwide hit, Mamma Mia!”

[expand title=”In detail”] Colin Firth’s first acting experience came in infant’s school when he played “Jack Frost” in a Christmas pantomime. He spent two years at the Drama Centre in Chalk Farm where he was “discovered” while playing “Hamlet” during his final term. His first professional role was as “Bennet” in the West End production of Another Country. From this performance, he was chosen to play the character of “Judd” in the movie of the play. He went on to play a variety of character parts in both film and television. He’s had massive successes in Shakespeare in Love, A Christmas Carol, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Love Actually, Blackadder: Back & Forth, Fever Pitch and Conspiracy to name but a few.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Perhaps one of the most recognised English actors today, Colin Firth is a convincing speaker whose strengths lie in his precise thinking, careful craftsmanship and mastery of technical skills. He is a highly talented actor who has carried his adolescent sense of rebellion around with him to great effect.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Well grounded and pragmatic, Colin Firth is an exacting perfectionist with a clear, logical, analytical mind and an aptitude for hard work and an ability to talk candidly about his professional experiences as a globally recognised actor.[/expand]
Continue Reading »

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]
Continue Reading »

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]
Continue Reading »

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]
Continue Reading »