The Leading Speakers Bureau

Global Electronic Bank Guru & CEO of CLS UK Intermediate Holdings Ltd.

Joseph de Feo is one of the world’s most senior figures in world financial IT services. He serves as Chief Executive Officer of CLS UK Intermediate Holdings Ltd. and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of CLS Bank International. He serves as Non-Executive Director of the UK’s Department of Social Security, IT Skills Forum, and a Freeman of the City of London’s Worshipful Company of Technologists. He was also a Founding Member of the Group of 20.

“We have raised the standards for settlement that will be spread throughout the market.”

[expand title=”In detail”] Joseph de Feo holds an M.B.A. (Honours) with a concentration in banking, financial markets and business economics and an M.S. (Honours) in international banking. He has completed work towards a doctorate in business administration and has attended professional education programmes at both Harvard Business School and Cambridge University. He was IT and Operations Strategy Manager for the Barclays Group for over 7 years, during which time he explored potential synergies between traditional banking and IT, forging a closer relationship between the Barclays Group and the bank’s business. From 1997 – 1998 he was President and CEO of The Open Group. In 1999 he became Associate Partner of Mitchell Madison Group. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]A respected and highly sought after keynote speaker, Joseph de Feo advocates the need for a global infrastructure for IT commerce and information sharing and warns of major shortfalls in international banking IT systems. He explains the importance of the need to integrate all systems and produce more innovative information-intensive services.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Joseph de Feo is a confident and professional presenter. He has built a formidable reputation as an effective business leader and banking visionary and he is in great demand as a speaker by decision makers from leading financial institutions around the globe.[/expand]

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Former MD, Google UK and Ireland

Dan Cobley served as Google’s Vice President of Brand Solutions and as the company’s MD in the UK & Ireland. After almost a decade at Google, Dan started a new venture, a FinTech fund and incubator, aimed at building new, disruptive companies within financial services. Dan is an advisor to and investor in tech start-ups, is on the board of The Marketing Society, is a trustee of the Charities Technology Trust and on the advisory boards of Telegraph Media Group and eHarmony.

“The fantastic thing about the web is that anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can tap into a global market from day one.”

[expand title=”In detail”] Before joining Google Dan held senior marketing roles at Capital One Europe, where he helped make the company the UK’s leading new card issuer, Ask Jeeves, Pepsi and Walkers. He has also been an early dot.com casualty (great learning!), a strategy consultant, and an oil exploration engineer in Pakistan. Dan began his career in consulting and oil exploration after studying Physics at Oxford. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Dan is a regular keynote speaker at conferences; speaking on technology, innovation, and Google’s unique approach to business. He is also an accomplished moderator, interviewer and panellist.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Dan Cobley is an experienced speaker who provides fun, insightful and uplifting presentations leaving audiences inspired and motivated.[/expand]

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Drummer for Snow Patrol & Cofounder of Polar Publishing

Jonny Quinn is best known as the drummer of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol. His band was nominated for two MTV music awards in 2007 and to date have released six albums that have sold in excess of 13 million copies. Nominated for both Grammy and Brit awards and winning a prestigious Ivor Novello accolade, he has been responsible for several era-defining singles, including Run, Chocolate and Chasing Cars.

“An iconic alternative rock band”

[expand title=”In detail”] He has also branched into publishing with a company he shares with Gary and Nathan from the band – Polar Patrol Publishing. Polar Patrol is a pro-active music publishing service for songwriters, artists and musicians set up by Jonny, Nathan and Gary from Snow Patrol. Their small team offers a hands-on approach to publishing with the aim of nurturing new song writing talent and artist development. Polar Patrol does not restrict its roster to any particular genre, as Jonny explains “there is no agenda – if it’s good enough and we believe in it 110%, we will sign it.” Polar Publishing are going from strength-to-strength presenting, amongst others, songs from Ed Sheeran, One Direction, Example, Rudimental, Snow Patrol, Belle and Sebastian and Kodaline.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]A talented musician and successful business man, Jonny Quinn provides engaging presentations to audiences at events throughout the country. He offers audiences an insight and anecdotes from his career in the music business. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A passionate and creative artist, Jonny is a musician of the highest order who offers audiences performances that are always well received. [/expand]

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Chairman of ASOS & Former CEO of Amazon.co.uk

Brian McBride is Chairman of ASOS, the leading on-line fashion retailer, and Wiggle, the on-line cycling retailer. He is also Senior Non Executive Director at AO.com and is Senior Adviser with Scottish Equity Partners. He is a member of the UK Government’s Digital Advisory Board, which steers the digital delivery of Government services to citizens, and a member of the Court (Governing Body) of the University of Glasgow.

“An expert on retail and data driven companies”

[expand title=”In detail”] He was CEO of Amazon.co.uk from 2006 to 2011 having led it through its high growth period. He began his career with Xerox and subsequently worked in senior roles at IBM, Dell Computers and as Managing Director of T-Mobile (UK). He has been a Non Executive Director of Celtic Football Club PLC, SThree PLC, and Computacenter PLC and has served as a Non Executive Director on the Board of the BBC and the Advisory Board of Huawei UK.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]An experienced speaker at international events, Brian shares his learning and insights on being data driven, the device’s usage and social media implications and how to transform traditional business culture into an environment ready to compete intelligently in the e-commerce world. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Brian is a highly motivating and articulate speaker. His enlightening presentations are always well received. He not only inspires but also presents his clients with actionable solutions that can be implemented immediately.[/expand]

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Expert on HR and The Future of Work

Perry Timms is known for his energy, passion and insight around the world of people and work, particularly what lies in the future. He is the founder and director of PTHR, he is a Chartered Member of the CIPD, a Visiting Fellow at Sheffield Hallam Business School and also lectures on HRM at UK and international universities. Active on all social media platforms, Perry has advised and helped several companies take their steps into the social media world.

“Voted Top 10 in People Management magazine’s HR tweeters and bloggers for 2012 and 2013”

[expand title=”In detail”] His career has journeyed through HR covering technology and business change, learning, talent and OD for over 20 years. Perry started a global learning community of practitioners and is now leading 4 spin-offs into research and innovation, education, digital technology and partnerships. The iPractice is aiming to create alternative models for business and work based on the World Blu freedom at work principles. Perry is a regular writer and blogger for a wide range of organisations and publications such as Glassdor, UKCES and HR Zone and Training Journal. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]With his extensive experience in Business Change and HR, Perry has led business change projects, covered project management, organisation development, business transformation and IT change and has designed and built talent strategies. Also a skilled executive coach specialising in high-potential staff, directors & senior managers, Perry helps national and international organisations on HR, Social Media and the future of work topics.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Enlightening and thought provoking, Perry Timm’s powerful message is well received by audiences at a wide range of events.[/expand]

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Global Thought Leader

Rachel Botsman is regarded as the global thought leader on the power of collaboration and sharing through digital technologies to transform the way we live, work, bank and consume. Rachel is designing the first-ever MBA course on the collaborative economy that she will teach at Oxford University Said School of Business in 2015. She is an associate editor for WIRED UK and has a monthly tech trends column in the Australian Financial Review.

“The global thought leader on the collaborative economy”

[expand title=”In detail”] Rachel’s writings and research have featured in the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, CNN, New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times, and other publications. E magazine subsequently named Collaborative Consumption one of the ’10 Ideas that Will Change the World’. Rachel was previously a founding partner in the Collaborative Fund, an early stage investor in disruptive ventures, and a former director at President Clinton’s Foundation. Rachel received her BFA (Honors) from the University of Oxford, and undertook her postgraduate studies at Harvard University.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Rachel believes that enduring ideas that can be widely used by people across industries should be grounded in clear frameworks that make complex theories simple. She has spoken to and advised a diverse range of companies on the power of the collaborative economy as lens to view challenges and unlock new opportunities in the world.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Rachel is a dynamic, humorous and thought-provoking speaker who is popular at events all over the world.[/expand]

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Technology and Business Visionary

Esther Dyson is an authority on emerging digital technology and considered a founding member of Digerati. She is an active angel investor in a variety of start-ups, focusing on technology, health care, human capital and aerospace. Esther is Chairman of EDventure Holdings and since 2013 HiCCup, a startup that will foster and coordinate citywide health intervention programs. In 2008 and 2009, she lived in Star City, Moscow, training as a backup cosmonaut. Apart from this brief sabbatical, she is an active board member for a variety of start-ups.

“Esther Dyson has devoted her life to discovering the inevitable and promoting the possible.”

[expand title=”In detail”] She has a BA in economics from Harvard and was founding chairman of ICANN from 1998 to 2000. In addition, she wrote the best-selling, widely translated book ‘Release 2.0: A Design for Living in the Digital Age’, published in 1997. Her board seats include 23andMe, Airship Ventures, Boxbe, Voxiva, Eventful, Evernote, IBS Group (Russia, advisory board), Meetup, Midentity (UK), NewspaperDirect, Yandex and WPP Group. Some of her other direct IT investments include Flickr and Del.icio.us.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]As an investor and respected commentator, Esther Dyson focuses on the impact of technology, new business models and new emerging markets. Her analysis and predictions on how these factors will affect and shape business today but also in the future provide fascinating insights for corporations all over the world.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Esther Dyson is a regular keynote speaker at major industry events in Europe, including the World Economic Forum in Davos. She likes to combine a short, punchy keynote followed by a lengthy interactive session.[/expand]

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Social Media, Branding and Digital PR Expert

Mel Carson is the founder of the US based consultancy Delightful Communications which helps businesses and individuals understand and successfully apply strategies that focus on Social Media, Digital PR and Personal Branding. Mel also relishes his work as US Brand Ambassador for Majestic SEO, evangelizing the largest publically available link intelligence database and toolset to marketers and advertising professionals.

“A leading expert on Social Media and Digital Marketing”

[expand title=”In detail”] Mel worked for 7 years as Digital Marketing Evangelist at Microsoft Advertising and was responsible for building relationships within the online advertising community. He was also part of the team that planned and executed the UK roll-out of the Microsoft ad Center in 2006 and helped to set up Microsoft’s Advertising Community Team that same year when it became apparent that Social Media Marketing was going to be huge. Mel began career as an editor at the search engine LookSmart in 2000 and was Account Director at 24/7 Search. He lectured on MBA, MSc and marketing courses at Cranfield School of Management and London University. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]For well over a decade Mel continues to inspire decision makers around the world from a wide range of businesses to understand and to make the most of the explosion in the use of digital media and technology.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Creative, compelling, emotional, engaging and visionary, Mel’s presentations are highly inspirational as well as practical and resonate deeply with audiences around the globe.[/expand]

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UK Prime Minister’s Adviser on the Digital Economy

Baroness Joanna Shields OBE is a leading technology industry executive, entrepreneur and currently serves as UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s Digital Adviser. Baroness Shields has developed and grown some of the world’s best known technology companies including holding the positions of Vice President and Managing Director of Facebook EMEA, President of Peoples Networks at AOL, CEO of Bebo and Managing Director of Google EMEA and Russia. As well as Joanna’s position in government, she is a Non-Executive Director of the London Stock Exchange and Chair of Tech City UK.

“World Leading Expert on Digital Economy”

[expand title=”In detail”] Joanna Shields was ranked number one on the Wired top 100 in 2011 and in February 2013 named to the list of the 100 most powerful women in the UK. In July of the same year Computer weekly named Joanna ‘The Most Influential Woman in UK IT’. She is an Anglo –American who moved over from the Silicon Valley of California to London at the turn of the millennium. Following senior roles within EFI, Real Networks, Google, Bebo, AOL and Facebook, she received the British Interactive Media Association’s Lifetime Achievement award in July 2013.
In 2014 she was appointed OBE for “services to digital industries and voluntary service to young people”.
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[expand title=”What she offers you”]Joanna Shields works across all her roles to promote organisations, skills and causes which improve our lives using technology. This thread unites all of her work across government and business. She firmly believes that technology companies can power economic development and by establishing a new paradigm of international cooperation and collaboration between governments, industry, NGOs and experts and creating an atmosphere of willingness; we can make real change and improve lives.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Joanna Shields sees the world with a different set of eyes and she is very practical in putting new ideas into practice. Her high content tailored presentations are always well received and delivered in her highly professional style. [/expand]

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IT & Internet Entrepreneur, Inventor

Catalin Voss is a German technology entrepreneur, an inventor and a student at Stanford University. He founded the computer vision startup Sension in 2013 during his time at Stanford’s startup accelerator StartX, where he is now an Innovator in Residence. Sension gained traction for developing face tracking software used in education and for developing a Google Glass app that uses expression recognition to help children with autism (and perhaps soon robots) understand social interactions and emotions.

Der Spiegel covered Catalin’s work in 2013 when his work gained international attention

[expand title=”In detail”] Catalin studied Computer Science at Stanford University at the age of 17. At the same time he advised the Axel Springer’s executive team on structuring a technology partnership between a Silicon Valley outpost and Germany. At the age of 12, he taught himself the basics of mobile software development when iPhone apps first became popular, and a year later, he started a German podcast about iOS development. His tutorials quickly gained > 200,000 views and became the #1 podcast on the German iTunes store. In 2009, he began working on iPhone apps for the U.S. Army and launched 5 applications. PayNearMe hired him as a software engineer to work on its Silicon Valley startup’s mobile product working on the company’s iPhone, Android and web platforms and helped launch a mobile cash payments platform.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Catalin is a dynamic entrepreneur who advises decision makers from a wide range of businesses how technology and innovation change the way we do business around the world. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His highly informative and enlightening presentations make Catalin Voss a sought after commentator at conferences around the globe.[/expand]

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