The Leading Speakers Bureau

Author, Esoteric speaker

Kia Scherr is a compelling and passionate speaker. She stunned the world when she forgave the terrorists who killed her husband, Alan, and 13-year old daughter, Naomi in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, known as 26/11. Kia is a co-founder of One Life Alliance, along with Synchronicity Foundation Director, Master Charles Cannon, who survived the Mumbai attacks.

“Love is the only more powerful force than fear. Love is the only more powerful force than hate.Kia stood in the midst of the most horrific circumstances. I have great admiration for her.” Marianne Williamson

[expand title=”In detail”] Kia has been a meditation teacher for over thirty years. Originally starting with Transcendental Meditation, she rose to the position of national executive council member for the organization, directing hundreds of people through intensive retreat protocols. For over a decade, she has taught the Synchronicity High Tech meditation program taking on the leading role as the retreat coordinator and presenter at the Synchronicity Foundation. She has been a meditation facilitator, coaching a worldwide audience in High Tech Meditation, as well as a key participant in the mentoring program.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Kia recently wrote and self-published an e-book, Honoring the Sacredness of Life – 30 Ways for 30 Days.
The book is the basis for an online course and will be introduced in schools throughout the U.S. Translations are planned for a dozen countries in the coming year. Kia’s second book is a memoir and will be released in 2012.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Kia beautifully takes the personal search for forgiveness and peace and makes it, through her own heart and experience, accessible to every soul. If she can do it – despite the terrible loss of her own husband and child – then so can we. When Kia shares with us, we know this is true and that love prevails in this world. Kia has been speaking to interfaith and non-sectarian groups, as well as peace organizations throughout the past two years, since 26/11[/expand]
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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]
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World Renowned Expert on the Subject of Choice, Prominent Social Psychologist & Author of ‘The Art of Choosing’

Sheena Iyengar is a business professor at Columbia University and a leading expert on decision making who studies how people choose (and what makes us think we’re good at it). Being blind has not stopped her from expertly exploring topics such as why choice is powerful and where its power comes from, the ways in which people make choices, the relationship between how we choose and who we are, why we are so often disappointed by our choices, how much control we really have over our everyday choices, how we choose when our options are practically unlimited, whether we should ever let others choose for us, and if so, whom and why.

“Sheena Iyengar explores the cultural, social & biological forces on the complex process of decision-making in deeply personal way

[expand title=”In detail”] When she was three years old, Sheena Iyengar, the daughter of Sikh immigrants from India, was diagnosed with a rare form of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease of retinal degeneration. By 6th grade, she had lost the ability to read, and by 11th grade, she had lost her sight entirely and could only perceive light. She graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in economics and a B.A. in psychology. She then earned her Ph.D. in social psychology from Stanford. Her research has been informing business and consumer-goods marketing since the 1990s.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Sheena Iyengar shares her research in an accessible and charming way that draws examples from her own life. She has taught courses at Columbia Business School to MBAs, Executive MBAs, and Executives, including at the World Economics Forum in Geneva, Switzerland and TEDxEast. Having written for CNN.com, Slate and strategy + business, and been a guest on CNN, CNBC, CBS Sunday Morning News and The Today Show, her high-voltage curiosity and penetrating insights are extremely valuable to anyone wishing to understand choices. She is particularly astute in her globally significant analysis of the striking differences between how Americans and Asians make decisions. Her insights are invaluable not only to businesses looking to improve strategy, leadership and customer relations, but to every individual trying to make positive and lasting changes to his or her life.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Sheena Iyengar is an incredibly relaxed and captivating speaker, humorous and deeply insightful, speaking to audiences from a wide range of organizations.[/expand]
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ITV’s Managing Director of Commercial & Online, Former Chief Executive of Gcap & Virgin Radio

Fru Hazlitt’s is recognised as one of the most high profile business leaders working in Britain today. Her role at ITV brings together its online and TV sales businesses. The former Chief Executive of Fruxx Ltd., Virgin Radio and chief executive of the radio group Gcap, the largest commercial radio company in the UK embracing Capital and Choice FM, she is a firm believer that creativity and programming should lead, with sales and marketing supporting a radio station’s output. She has over two decades of sales and marketing experience within the media sector across Magazines, Newspapers and Radio most notably at the Guardian Media Group and Capital Radio. She is a member of the Government’s Digital Inclusion Panel and was named by the CBI as UK’s First Woman of Media.

“Fru made us howl with laughter, wince in empathy & think very hard about the future” East Midlands Chamber of Commerce

[expand title=”In detail”] Prior to joining Virgin Radio she was Managing Director of Yahoo! UK & Ireland since 2003. She joined Yahoo! in 2000 and by the time she became Managing Director of Yahoo UK and Ireland she had built a clear vision of the future of interactive technology, the opportunity it presents, the creativity it can inspire and the need to listen to a generation who have grown up with the Web. She spent two years as CEO of Virgin Radio, where she was credited with delivering the strategy for multi platform distribution for all Virgin stations.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Fru has a clear vision of the future of interactive technology, the opportunity it presents, the creativity it can inspire and the need to listen to a generation who have grown up with the web. She draws on her comprehensive background in media sales and marketing to offer audiences insights into leadership in challenging conditions, speaking on the media industry and future directions for technology. Fru is a non executive board director of Betfair and with her background in general management, her proven commercial skills and her online experience with Yahoo, this makes her the ideal speaker at business forums and seminars.[/expand]

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[expand title=”How she presents”]Inspiring and enthusiastic Fru has a reputation for delivering excellent presentations and getting the messages cross in an original and memorable way. She laughs in the face of adversity. She is renowned for her tremendous energy, her understanding of both media and technology and her ability to deliver real change and results on the ground.[/expand]
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Founder of competia.com, One of the World’s Experts on Competitive & Strategic Intelligence

Estelle Métayer is an expert in Competitive and Strategic Intelligence. Her best work is done when companies need to drastically change the way they do business and/or grow aggressively. An adjunct professor for McGill University, she teaches with Henry Mintzberg in the International and national Advanced Leadership Programs and the International Master for Health Leadership. She also introduced Competitive Intelligence into the McGill-Rottman School of Business’s certification program for Canadian board directors, and into the new HEC-McGill Executive MBA.

“Estelle brings vast experience & fresh perspective to the ever-changing world of Competitive and Strategic Intelligence”

[expand title=”In detail”] Estelle Métayer obtained her MBA and Doctors from the University of Nijenrode. She started her career at the ING Bank in the Netherlands and in Poland, studying the financial risks of expanding into emerging countries, and in the French Conglomerate Bouygues in France and the UK. A former consultant at the international Strategic Consulting firm McKinsey & Company, she gained first-hand practical experience while managing the competitive intelligence, business development and strategic planning function at CAE Inc. She is an entrepreneur and sat on the board of the Grands Ballets Canadiens and of World Canada Youth. Estelle is also a mother, a commercial pilot and flight instructor.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Estelle Métayer’s research focuses on how managers, CEOs, and board members build and improve their strategic planning and/or competitive intelligence function to avoid strategic blindspots. She is a reputed public speaker in international conferences and facilitates strategic workshops around the world. Estelle is also a guest lecturer at IMD (Lausanne), and in the International Masters Program in Practicing Management led by Lancaster University, McGill, the IMB (India) and INSEAD. A noted expert, her intuitive, precise research provides managers, CEOs, and board members with the right tools to effectively build and hone their competitive intelligence and strategic planning – to avoid blind spots, capitalize on strengths and excel.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]A lover of art, travel, world culture and experiencing life to its fullest, she loves to challenge common wisdom and surprise you.[/expand]
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Triple Guiness World Record Holder, Solo Ocean-rower, Motivational Speaker, Adventurer & Writer and Celebrity speaker

Sarah Outen is the first and only woman and the youngest person to row solo across the Indian Ocean, dedicating her row to her father’s memory having rowed for 124 days, 14 hours and 9 minutes in 2009. Her subsequent expedition is ‘London to London: Via the World’ – a Sarah-powered loop of the planet involving the first ever attempt by a woman to row across the North Pacific Ocean. She will row, cycle and kayak her way from London back to London, sharing stories about the adventure and experience. The 20,000 mile journey is expected to take two and a half years to complete, around Autumn 2013.

“She could hold any audience enthralled effortlessly & was a joy to have on our programme” Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2 presenter

[expand title=”In detail”] Sarah Outen attained a degree in Biology from the University of Oxford, where she started rowing in 2004. She was the first woman to attempt the crossing single-handedly, and only the fourth person to ever complete a solo crossing. She was elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society shortly afterwards and awarded three Guinness World Records for her crossing. Having masterminded the whole project herself, her journey captured the imagination of people right around the globe, and regular satellite link ups to Australian and British channels and radio shows provided a beautiful insight into her salty world.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Sarah Outen is hooked on life and wild places, and inspiring others to follow their own dreams. Having battled 100ft waves, searing heat and mid-ocean capsizes, she talks of her ocean adventures, sharing photography and footage from the row, and about her next expedition, a solo human-powered loop of the planet. The story of setting up the expedition, raising the capital, driving the media campaign, building the boat, training mind and body and just making the Australian start line is as valid as the ocean tale itself.[/expand]

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[expand title=”How she presents”]With adventure running through her veins, Sarah Outen is a fresh young talent who captivates her audiences with her energetic, witty, engaging and truly inspiring story. A natural speaker, her lust for life is highly contagious and her dogged determination and refusal to be beaten, thread her extraordinary story, which she tells with natural ease and bubbly humour, captivating her audience – whoever they may be. The energy is uplifting and the pathos she evokes, endearing.[/expand]
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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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Roboticist, Creator of Marilyn Monrobot Labs, One of the World’s First Robot Theatre Companies

Heather Knight runs Marilyn Monrobot in New York, where she and her cohort create “charismatic machine performances and she helped build the amazing Rube Goldberg machine for OK Go’s “This Too Shall Pass”. She was recently named Assistant Director of Robotics at Humanity+. She wants you to like robots. Really like them.

“Heather Knight has a thing for robots”

[expand title=”In detail”] Heather Knight is conducting her doctoral research at the intersection of robotics and entertainment at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute. She is an alumnus from the Personal Robots Group at the MIT, where she earned her bachelor and masters degrees. Her installations have been featured at the Smithsonian-Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, LACMA, SIGGRAPH, PopTech and the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, Italy. Her past work also includes robotics and instrumentation at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, interactive installations with Syyn Labs (including the award- winning Rube Goldberg machine music video with OK Go), and sensor design at Aldebaran Robotics.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Heather Knight shows robots can teach us a lot about being human. She is particularly interested how autonomous robots gauge and respond to human behaviour through live theatrical performance, explaining that intersecting two fields is a great way to inspire new thoughts and innovation. In her first-of-its-kind demo at TED 2010, she introduced Data, a robotic stand-up comedian that does much more than rattle off one-liners — it gathered audience feedback.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]A true pioneer who has worked on several amazing projects already, including developing the touch sensing panel in the head and the infrared detection in the eyes of the robot NAO, Heather Knight warmly and informatively presents her creation of socially intelligent robot performances and sensor-based electronic art.[/expand]
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Roboticist, Prominent Young Innovator & Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT

Cynthia Breazeal has developed some of the world’s most famous robotic creatures, ranging from small hexapod robots to highly expressive humanoids, including the social robot Kismet and the expressive robot Leonardo. She founded and directs the Personal Robots Group at MIT’s Media Lab. Her eminently charming and huggable creatures appear to have stepped out of Santa’s North Pole workshop.

“I would much rather build something and interact with it than philosophize about it”
Cynthia Breazeal

[expand title=”In detail”] Cynthia Breazeal received her S.B. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She did her graduate work at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab, and received her SM and ScD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At MIT, Cynthia and her team are building robots with social intelligence that communicate and learn the same way people do.

Her robots have also been widely covered in the media including TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, documentaries and films.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Recognized as a prominent young innovator who has developed some of the world’s most famous robotic creatures, Cynthia Breazeal’s recent work investigates the impact of social robots on helping people of all ages to achieve personal goals that contribute to quality of life, in domains such as physical performance, learning and education, health, and family communication. She wants to shift the concept of robots from machines that explore distant places like Mars, to devices that can function in society at large. She has spoken at prestigious events worldwide, including TEDWomen in 2010.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Bringing us closer to the question of “when might a machine be a person”, Cynthia Breazeal, a pioneer of Social Robotics and Human Robot Interaction (HRI), expertly reviews various technological aspects ranging from the biological model to the vision for the future.[/expand]
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Leading Expert on Leadership and Start-ups and First Chair of the London 2012 Olympic Bid

Barbara Cassani CBE is a leading expert on leadership and start-ups. She founded the low cost airline Go and spearheaded the successful London 2012 Olympic bid. She is currently a partner in 3x + Y Ventures which was established to identify start-up and growth opportunities in the UK travel and retail sectors. She was named President of Vueling in 2007 and appointed Executive Chairperson of Jurys Inn hotels in 2008.

In 2002, Barbara Cassini was named as the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year

[expand title=”In detail”] Upon graduation in 1984 Barbara worked as a management consultant for Coopers & Lybrand before moving to work in the U.S. operation of British Airways. There she worked in sales, marketing, and on the team that integrated Dan-Air into BA’s business. She was awarded an honorary degree from Cranfield University in 2004. She started her career in management consulting then worked in wide variety of roles at British Airways. In 1997, Barbara started-up Go, the low-cost airline, with a £25m investment from British Airways and guided the airline to profits in less than 3 years as its CEO. She then headed a £110m management buyout and a year later Go was sold to easyJet for £374m.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Through her experiences within the airline industry and the successful London 2012 Olympic bid Barbara is well positioned to explain to decision makers how to create a highly motivated team, increase competitiveness and develop winning business strategies. She gives fascinating insights into how to create a successful company with limited resources in a short space of time.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]An engaging and dynamic speaker, Barbara’s presentations are filled with innovative ideas and are guaranteed to show audiences how to leapfrog the competition, delight customers and increase both sales and profits.[/expand]
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