The Leading Speakers Bureau

Leading expert on Blue Ocean Strategy, Value Innovation and Defying Conventional Wisdom

Gabor George Burt is an internationally recognized expert on Blue Ocean Strategy and Value Innovation; the highly acclaimed, new approach to high-growth strategy formation and implementation. He is also regarded as a thought leader on the cognitive perspective of Defying Conventional Wisdom. Taken together, his two spheres of expertise are especially relevant in helping organizations to create successful strategies during times of economic uncertainty.

“The entire global economy requires Blue Ocean Strategy.”

Bruce Nussbaum,
Business Week

[expand title=”In detail”] Gabor George Burt is also the chief architect and original host of the Blue Ocean Executive Experience series, an exclusive immersion forum on Blue Ocean Strategy and Defying Conventional Wisdom.
He is actively involved in shaping strategy with a diverse group of international clients spanning from Fortune 500 firms to successful start-ups, as well as in his own wide-ranging application of the Blue Ocean and DCW concepts.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]An engaging and provocative presenter, Gabor George Burt aims to uncover the core concepts of Blue Ocean Strategy and the mindset of Defying Conventional Wisdom in a way that is immediately accessible for his audiences.
He is a frequent lecturer and advisor to companies on the topic of innovation and strategies that lead to uncontested market space. [/expand]
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Founder of the Third World Centre for Water Management

Prof. Asit Biswas is the founder of the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico. Under his dynamic leadership, the centre has established a unique international identity in pursuing cutting-edge research. In 2006 he received the Stockholm Water Prize for his outstanding contributions to global water resource issues. Prof. Biswas has been Editor-in-Chief the International Journal of Water Resources Development for the past 21 years.

He has added new dimensions to the wise use of the global water resources.

[expand title=”In detail”] Prof. Biswas acted as a Senior Advisor to Mr. Yehia Abdel Mageed, Secretary General of the UN Water Conference. During 1980-81, he was a Senior Research Fellow at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). He spent 1981-1997 in Oxford, U.K. pursuing his research interests and advising governments and international organisations, he travels around the globe 10 months out of the year. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]With world-class research and focusing on out-of-the-box thinking, Prof Biswas offers audiences new and innovative ideas in the world of water management. He has been an advisor to six heads of the United Nations Agencies, most major bilateral and multilateral aid organisations and 17 national governments.[/expand]
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Founder of Wikipedia.org

Jimmy “Jimbo” Wales is the founder of Wikipedia.org, the free encyclopedia project, and Wikia.com, which extends the social concepts of Wikipedia into new areas. Jimmy was formerly a futures and options trader in Chicago, and currently travels the world evangelizing the success of Wikipedia and the importance of free culture

“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That’s what we’re doing.”

[expand title=”In detail”] In mid-2003, James set up the Wikimedia Foundation, a St. Petersburg, Florida-based non-profit organization, to support Wikipedia and its younger sibling projects. Wales has become increasingly involved with promoting and speaking about its projects, and to this end, he travels to conferences and Wikimedia functions, such as “Wikimeets” and Wikimania.
Inspired by the success of Wikipedia, Wales has founded the for-profit company Wikia, Inc. (separate from Wikimedia), which hosts various wikis and manages the Wikia project[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]In his presentations Jimmy discusses the philosophical underpinnings of Wikipedia, his support for the Free Culture movement, and the difficulties the Wikimedia Foundation may confront as it grows in size.[/expand]
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Marketing and Commercial Director of England 2018

David Magliano is Director of Commercial and Marketing at England 2018, the organisation bidding for England to host the 2018 Football World Cup. He is responsible for building UK public support and presenting England’s plans to FIFA. David’s previous roles include Director of Marketing for London 2012, Sales and Marketing Director of easyJet, and Sales and Marketing Director of Go

Marketer of the Year (1999 and 2005)

[expand title=”In detail”] Before Go, David spent 10 years in advertising. He has been a director of two major advertising agencies. David is a non-executive Director of Glasses Direct, and a former non-executive director of Dyson. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. David was UK Marketer of the Year in 1999 and 2005, and Global Chief Marketing Officer of the Year in 2006. He was awarded an MBE in 2006. He has experienced firsthand the work of many high-profile individuals, such as Sebastian Coe, Stelios Haji-Hannou, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Beckham and members of the Royal family.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]David is knowledgeable about a broad range of marketing disciplines – advertising, e-commerce, direct marketing, PR, events, pricing and customer service. In particular he knows how to apply these techniques to win high-stakes pitches.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]In his beautifully prepared presentations David draws on his own experiences with London 2012 and offers audiences insights into his highly successful marketing strategies.[/expand]
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Authority on the Future of Management/IT, Professor of Forecasting

James Woudhuysen is one of Europe’s best-known independent speakers and writers on the future. James helps clients master new trends in society and innovation, so as to implement major shifts in corporate strategy and innovation. He frequently broadcasts about the future of the workplace on Radio 4’s You and Yours, and writes for spiked (London) and Novo (Frankfurt). He is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Consumer Behaviour.

In 1996 staff at Phillips nominated James as ‘Motivator of the Year’

[expand title=”In detail”] A physics graduate and author of several books, James is Professor of Forecasting and Innovation at De Montfort University, Leicester. In the 1980s he co-directed Britain’s first major study into the future of e-commerce (‘teleshopping’ in those days). He then moved to the Henley Centre, Britain’s best-known think-tank on EU markets, where he built up the firm’s forecasting on the broader future of IT and proposed, in 1992, that the Internet be delivered over TV. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]He offers a highly visual, very witty, but deadly serious alternative to myths about the future of work, consumers and IT. An inspirational opponent of politically correct trends in management and beyond, he spells out what to do and how to do it in controversial but deeply insightful style.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]James is a master at explaining ‘The Big Picture’ in a way that convincingly suggests ‘What To Do Next’. Reinforced by brilliant visuals, he first makes complex issues simple and then makes them sizzle.[/expand]
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Expert in Virtual Reality and Computer Engineering

Michael Zyda is Director of the USC GamePipe Laboratory, and a Professor of Engineering Practice in the USC Department of Computer Science. At USC, he created the ‘Batchelor of Science’ (BA) in Computer Science (Games) and ‘Master of Science’ (MS) in Computer Science (Game Development) cross-disciplinary degree programs and doubled the incoming undergraduate enrolment of the Computer Science Department. He was the Founding Director of The MOVES Institute, located at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California and a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at NPS as well.

“Michael Zyda opens up the world of virtual reality and 3 dimensional networks”

[expand title=”In detail”] From 1986 until the formation of the MOVES Institute, he was the Director of the NPSNET Research Group. His research interests include computer graphics, large-scale, networked 3D virtual environments, modelling human and organisational behaviour, interactive computer-generated story, video production, and entertainment games. He holds a lifetime appointment as a National Associate of the National Academies, an appointment made by the Council of the National Academy of Sciences in November 2003. He is a member of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Professor Zyda is a pioneer in the fields of computer graphics, networked virtual environments, modelling and simulation, and defence entertainment collaboration. Drawing upon his considerable expertise, Michael offers great insights into the future of computer applications and decision makers from all fields are able to benefit from his highly informative presentations.[/expand]
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Entrepreneur, Model and Media Personality

Caprice became a household name around the world through her modeling and media appearances. Arriving in England from Southern California she became one of the most photographed women in the world appearing on over 300 magazine covers. Following her success as a model she added a variety of television appearances to her media portfolio. Voted GQ Magazine’s Woman of the Year and Maxim’s International Woman of the Year 3 years running she appeared in a documentary for Channel 4 “ Being Caprice “ and featured in many other prime time shows.

Caprice is an Ambassador for the Princes Trust

[expand title=”In detail”] Following her success as a Model and Media Personality Caprice moved into roles on the West End stage and received rave reviews, later she produced her own version of a popular musical in which she also starred. Recently she has become a business entrepreneur developing and financing her own range of lingerie and swimwear which achieved instant success in Debenhams stores, Next and Littlewoods plus many countries around the world. Her future objective is to achieve continuing global success with the By Caprice brand and as she develops further product ranges her determination is to be “ hands on“ in every respect of the business. [/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Caprice has developed a successful business through a close examination of the market for ladies lingerie and swimwear and the success of the business has much to do with her close attention to detail in all departments including design, distribution and finance. Her entrepreneurial attributes have convinced her to avoid licensing arrangements and continue to expand the business and the brand by continuing an innovative and creative approach to product and the efficiency of merchandising and distribution[/expand]
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Former President of Virgin Galactic

Will Whitehorn was once described as Sir Richard Branson’s “right hand man” and has recently stepped down as President from Virgin Galactic prior to the commercial launch of that unique space project to pursue a portfolio career that includes a number of Directorships most notably with Loewy the UK design and media group. He sits on the Science and Technology Facilities Council, the UK Government funding body for scientific research in the UK and is a non-executive chairman of Next Fifteen Communications Plc.

“Leading expert on Branding and Leadership”

[expand title=”In detail”] Will was talent spotted by Sir Richard Branson in 1987 and joined the Virgin Group where he rose to become Group Corporate Affairs and Brand Development Director. In this role he was the official spokesman for the company and a trusted advisor to Sir Richard. Whilst at Virgin he was responsible for Virgin’s revolutionary approach to PR and building an admired brand. This included major stories such as the battle with BA over flight prices and the Cumbrian rail crash where Virgin was praised for the heroism of the driver. More recently he ran Virgin Galactic the commercial space flight project that has made headlines. His first hand experience of running industrial design projects includes the development of Virgin’s Pendolino and the Virgin Atlantic Flyer.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Sharing his insights into the Virgin story, Will Whitehorn offers a detailed analysis of how the online industry and innovation across all business functions within Virgin has impacted on consumers and brands. In his presentations, he also explains the importance of online industry, PR and innovation and how they can be used to create a competitive edge in business and how future space technology will influence our lives including digital communications. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Will is a natural communicator with a great passion for business and technology who has the ability to inspire his audiences to innovate. [/expand]
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Founder of easyJet

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is a Monaco based entrepreneur of Greek-Cypriot origin. He stepped back from the board of EasyJet in 2010, now concentrating fully on the role of shareholder. True to his beliefs in serial entrepreneurship, Stelios consolidated the ownership of the easy brand into his private company, easyGroup, comprising several easy-branded businesses – all dedicated to offering consumers more value for less.

“A Serial Entrepreneur”

[expand title=”In detail”] Prior to founding the low-cost airline that revolutionized European air travel, Stelios created Stelmar, a shipping company which was floated on the New York Stock Exchange in 2001 and subsequently sold to a rival in 2005. Stelios received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for services to entrepreneurship. More recently, through the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, he has expanded his dedication to making a difference to society by launching a number of philanthropic initiatives supporting entrepreneurship, higher education and environmental sustainability. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Few are better qualified to talk about the power of the internet and how to make a successful on line enterprise than Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou. Talking candidly about the easyJet phenomenon, his presentations are filled with wonderful insights and inspirational ideas for budding entrepreneurs.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Stelios is a compelling and dynamic speaker – both in front of large audiences as well as smaller, targeted groups. [/expand]
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‘Britain’s most consistently original, outrageous, controversial designer’

Vivienne Westwood has had an insatiable appetite for anarchic outrageousness. She has never lost her power to shock, and her continued innovations make her one of the most talked about fashion designers in the world.

Vivienne Westwood was born Vivienne Isabel Swire in Derbyshire. She moved to London when she was 17. She began designing in 1971, using the shop at 430 Kings Road, London as a showcase for her ideas. With her changing ideas of fashion came the change of not only the name of shop, but the entire decor as well. In 1971, 430 Kings Road was known as “Let it Rock”… 1950’s Rock n Roll clothing sold at a time when “hippies” were still in fashion. In 1972, the name was changed to “Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die”. The shop had clothing for “Rockers” with zips and chains, and Zoot suits. By the mid 70’s, “Sex” was the shop’s new name. With 1976 came punk, followed by “World’s End” and the Pirate Collection.

[expand title=”In detail”] The Pirate Collection was shown in March 1981, her first catwalk show at Olympia in London. The following year, in March 1983, Westwood began to show in Paris, the first British Designer to do so since Mary Quant. In Autumn 1984, Westwood was invited to show her collection in Tokyo with Hanae Mori, Calvin Klein, Claude Montana and Gianfranco Ferre at the “Best of Five”.

In 1989 Mr John Fairchild, President of Fairchild Publications and Editor of the fashion bible “Women’s Wear Daily”, rated Westwood one of the best six designers in the world, and the only woman amongst them, in his book “Chic Savages”.

In July 1990, she showed her first complete menswear collection in conjunction with Pitti Uomo in Florence. In January 1991, Vivienne Westwood was chosen to show in Tokyo once again, this time with Christian Lacroix, Isaac Mizrahi and Franco Moschino at The Fashion Summit.

Vivienne Westwood has an OBE for her services to the British Fashion Industry and has just been awarded the Queen’s Award for Export[/expand]
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