The Leading Speakers Bureau

Technology Entrepreneur & Founder of Scramblr

Jane Young is a technology entrepreneur and founder of Scramblr, a platform that enables creative teams to set up their own online studios. Prior to this she founded London-based boutique digital agency Kanbee, delivering online and film projects. Jane is also a blogger at resonanceblog.com. Jane is a social business consultant, taking organisations on a journey from fragmented or non-existent social media presence and fear of losing control, to long-term commitment to a clear social strategy that looks beyond social media, to becoming a social business.

“One of the World’s First ‘Social Business Engineers’.”

[expand title=”In detail”] Jane has worked with brands like Dixons, Currys, PC World, Vodafone, Wildfire Word of Mouth, Grey and P&G – redefining what it means to do business in the 21st century, embarking on a journey of infrastructure, culture and process change, to cope with the always-on, real-time demands of today’s social customer.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Jane has a fresh and powerful vision of the future of communications. She helps her audience see past the jargon, hype and worms’ eye view of social media tools, to a bigger picture of how to drive growth in the 21st century; looking at how we can solve age-old business problems using new knowledge and capabilities.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Jane embraces challenge and presents in an optimistic and energetic style that engages her audiences.[/expand]

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Technology, Urbanization and Education Advisor

Ayesha Khanna is an education, technology and urbanization expert with over 15 years of experience in product and service innovation and human capital development. She is Chairman of Technology Quotient, a company that operates technology platforms to train skills and facilitate job creation. She is also the Founding CEO of The Academy, an innovative enrichment hub. Previously, she co-founded the Hybrid Reality Institute, a research and advisory group that analysed emerging technologies and their social, economic and political implications.

“A leading expert on our intelligent future”

[expand title=”In detail”] Ayesha advises companies and governments on smart city related strategies and investments, most recently focusing on education and innovation hubs. Her clients among others have been: JP Morgan, AIG, DTCC and Bank of America. She has a BA in Economics from Harvard University, an MS in Operations Research from Columbia University and is completing her PhD at the London School of Economics. She directed the Future Cities Group at the London School of Economics and has been a Faculty Advisor at Singularity University. [/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Ayesha’s vast expertise on the intersection of technology, business and education helps audiences understand what is to come in the future. She shares with audiences how technologies disrupt and transform society, business and government.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Ayesha sees the world with a different set of eyes and she is very practical in putting new ideas into practice. Her unique background and experience allow her to engage her audience. [/expand]

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Highly Successful Businesswoman and Entrepreneur

Michelle Mone OBE is the founder of successful brand, Ultimo, the UK’s leading designer lingerie brand. Listed as one of the top 3 female entrepreneurs in the UK, Michelle has built a hugely successful career on an incredibly simple concept: giving today’s women what they want. Ultimo currently supplies Debenhams, Selfridges, Next and Figleaves along with a number of independent lingerie stores. Michelle also appeared as a contestant on Comic Relief Does the Apprentice with Sir Alan Sugar.

Michelle received an OBE for services to business in the 2010 New Years Honours List

[expand title=”In detail”] Since launching, Ultimo has established a huge profile and loyal customer base within the UK and contracts with a string of stunning, high-profile models and celebrities. Over the years Michelle’s business has gone from strength-to-strength, developing beyond the original umbrella of Ultimo to encompass eight patented inventions and brands including Ultimo Black Label, Ultimo Shapewear, Ultimo Swimwear, Miss Ultimo and partner lines including Diamond Boutique for Tesco, Adore Moi for Debenhams and Michelle for George for Asda, named after her. Michelle has also expanded into womenswear with Ultimo Couture – a line of luxury evening dresses.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Michelle carefully explains to audiences the secrets of her success and her presentations are an invaluable source of useful information and tremendous inspiration. An accomplished speaker, Michelle is in great demand by organisations keen to hear her story and to mimic her incredible success.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Michelle’s presentations are, like her bras, an “uplifting” experience. She is straight talking and gives a genuine down to earth personal account of how she built up her company. She speaks passionately about her struggle to succeed against all odds, shares funny anecdotes and provides practical advice to budding entrepreneurs.[/expand]

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Entrepreneur and Award- Winning Business Woman

Hilary Devey is the Inspirational Founder, Chief Executive and Chairman of The Pall-Ex Group. Today, as Chief Executive of the UK’s No. 1 palletised freight distribution network, Hilary is an inspirational role model for both male and female entrepreneurs. Having started from nothing, she now leads a network which boasts a combined turnover approaching £100m and serves numerous blue chip customers. In 2011, she joined the panel on BBC Two’s business programme Dragons Den.

“Failure was never an option…..”

[expand title=”In detail”] Hilary gained her wealth of experience in the distribution sector, having worked at Littlewood’s. She then spent seven years in the retail distribution sector at TNT before leaving to set up her own business. She has been recognised for her contribution to business with an honorary degree from the University of Leicester. She is also a regular on the public speaking circuit. She has featured in television programmes including Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire, she later appeared on The Business Inspector on Channel 5. [/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]A hugely inspiring and motivating speaker, Hilary’s speeches demonstrate that skills learned as a daughter, wife and mother can indeed be seamlessly transferred to the Boardroom. She is an ardent supporter of women climbing the corporate ladder and passionate about enterprise. [/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]She shares her experiences and encouraging tips on running a business and combines it with straight talking advice and lots of humour.
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Editor-in-Chief of The Economist

Zanny Minton Beddoes is the Editor-in-Chief of The Economist and the first female to hold the position in the prestigious publications 170+ year history. Prior to her current role she was The Economist’s Economic editor. She travelled extensively in Latin America and Eastern Europe, writing editorials and country analyses. She has written extensively about international financial issues, the future of the IMF, economic reforms in emerging economies, the world economy, Latin American and global finance and Central Asia. Ms Minton Beddoes is a regular TV and radio commentator on PBS, NPR, CNN and CNBC.

“A renowned authority on the world economy and global financial issues”

[expand title=”In detail”] Ms Minton Beddoes holds an undergraduate degree from Oxford University and a master’s degree from Harvard University.
She joined The Economist in 1994 after spending two years as an economist at the IMF where she worked on macroeconomic adjustment programmes in Africa and the transition economies of Eastern Europe. Before joining the IMF, she worked as an adviser to the Minister of Finance in Poland as part of a small group of experts. She is a trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a member of the Research Advisory Board of the Committee for Economic Development.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]As a prestigious expert on economic and financial topics and being a pioneer in economic journalism, Zanny Minton Beddoes analyses how financial and economic trends will impact businesses and industries. She is in great demand to advise global decision makers from all fields. [/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Ms Minton Beddoes offers extensive experience and unique perspectives that engage and inspire audiences around the globe.[/expand]

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Educational Consultant & Author of The Wonder Approach

Catherine L’Ecuyer, a Canadian lawyer with an MBA,currently works as researcher, writer and speaker on The Wonder Approach, a new learning theory that she recently published in the prestigious academic journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Her book, The Wonder Approach, has been published in Italy, Corea and Spain (2012), where it is considered as a bestseller (10th edition)

“In education, more is not necessarily better”

[expand title=”In detail”] For the last 20 years, our children have lived in an environment that is more and more frenetic, competitive and demanding. During these years parents have met with a new challenge in education. They have come to believe that “more and earlier is better”. As a result, children are encouraged to play with educational toys, are pressured to excel in one activity after another and are exposed to hours of fast paced screen viewing. Do children need so much input? It is time to unveil a series of educational myths. Updates in neuroscience tell us that more and earlier is not the better. On the contrary, constant noise and stimulus consume our children’s attention, and interrupt their natural learning process, making it increasingly difficult for them to observe, to question and to wonder[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]According to Aristotle, all men by nature desire to learn, or “wonder”. The wonder approach consists in creating a favorable environment, so that the natural desire to learn can flourish in our children and later teenagers. The wonder approach is about respecting our children’s own pace, their need for silence, nature and mystery, giving them opportunities for beauty and giving them back the love of learning they were born with.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Catherine has a unique talent of understanding, energising and motivating her audience through a blend of storytelling, humour and knowledge. Her warmth and empathy connects her to audiences and her understanding and experience of children’s education is unique. [/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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Entrepreneur & CEO of Love Home Swap

Debbie Wosskow is an entrepreneur, investor and sharing economy expert. CEO of leading peer-to-peer travel club, Love Home Swap, Debbie is also the founder of the influential Collaborative Consumption Europe networkand led the UK government’s recent review of the Sharing Economy.

“A serial entrepreneur”

[expand title=”In detail”] A former management consultant, Debbie launched her first business, marketing and communications consultancy Mantra, at the age of just 25. Building Mantra over a decade, Debbie sold to the Loewy Group. In addition to her role as CEO of Love Home Swap, Debbie is an active angel investor and sits on a number of advisory boards, as well as being a trustee of Hampstead Theatre. Debbie is a regular commentator on travel, collaborative consumption and entrepreneurship on TV and in print. She graduated with an MA in Philosophy and Theology from New College, Oxford University.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Debbie shares with her audiences her research on the social and economic potential of the sharing economy (including property sharing, time and skill sharing, shared transport and personal items) and offers recommendations on how this potential can be reached. She also looks into the risks to consumers, or established businesses outside the sharing economy.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Debbie Wosskow is a charming, professional speaker whose presentations are interactive, entertaining and highly informative.[/expand]

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Expert on Leadership Development

Herminia Ibarra is the Cora Chaired Professor of leadership and learning, and Professor of organizational behaviour at INSEAD. Prior to joining INSEAD she served on the Harvard Business School faculty for thirteen years. She is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Women’s Empowerment and chairs the visiting committee of the Harvard Business School. Thinkers 50 ranked Herminia #9 among the most influential business gurus in the world.

“One of the world’s foremost experts on leadership transitions”

[expand title=”In detail”] A native of Cuba, Herminia’s numerous articles are published in leading journals including the Harvard Business Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal and Organization Science. Her research has been profiled in a wide range of media including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and The Economist. She directs the leadership transition; an executive program designed for managers moving into broader leadership roles, teaches in a variety of INSEAD programs, and consults internationally on talent management and leadership development.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Herminia provides invaluable insights on what is needed to succeed in the global business environment. She shares with audiences her leadership development guidance, which encourages deep self-reflection into strengths and weakness and documents how people can re-invent themselves.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Eloquent and informed, Herminia brings an impressive range of research to the table to support her powerful calls to action. She motivates and inspires audiences worldwide. [/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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