The Leading Speakers Bureau

French Film Director, Writer and Producer

Luc Besson is recognized worldwide as a film director, writer and producer. In recent years, he has written and produced numerous action movies, including the Taxi series, The Transporter series, and the Jet Li films Kiss of the Dragon and Unleashed/Danny the Dog. Besson was also in charge of the promotional movie which was presented to the IOC members for the bid of Paris for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 1981 he formed his own production company called Les Films de Dauphins and in 2000 he founded Europacorp for producing and distributing international movies.

“He is an uplifting reminder that anything is possible when you set your sights high”

[expand title=”In detail”] After his military service, Besson travelled to Hollywood, where he worked as a studio hand. By the time he returned to France, the following year, he was determined to become a film maker. He worked as an assistant on a number of films, working with such directors as Patrick Grandperret, Claude Faraldo, Maurice Pialat and Régis Wargnier.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Luc has spent his career breaking the mould and pushing boundaries. He is an uplifting reminder that anything is possible when you set your sights high. He talks openly about his inspirations and what drove him to become a film director.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His motivational and inspirational presentations leave the audience feeling energised.[/expand]
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Author and Leading Thinker on Organisational Learning and Sustainability

Peter Senge was the Director of the Center for Organizational Learning at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and is presently on the faculty at MIT. He is the founding chair of SoL, the Society for Organizational Learning, a global community of corporations, researchers and consultants dedicated to the interdependent development of people and their institutions. He has lectured throughout the world, translating the abstract ideas of systems theory into tools for better understanding of economic and organisational change.

“Strategist of the Century”
Dr. Peter Senge has been ranked among the top 50 most influential business thinkers. In 2009 Thinkers 50, the global ranking of management gurus, placed him among the list of most influential thinkers

[expand title=”In detail”] Peter Senge received a B.S. in engineering from Stanford University, an M.S. in social systems modelling and a Ph.D. in management from MIT. He has written many articles published in both academic journals and the business press on systems thinking in management. ‘The Journal of Business Strategy’ named Dr. Senge as one of the 24 people who had the greatest influence on business strategy over the last 100 years.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Peter’s work articulates a cornerstone position of human values in the workplace; namely, that vision, purpose, reflection and systems thinking are essential if organisations are to realise their potentials. He has worked extensively with leaders in business, education, health care and government.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Peter Senge is an excellent communicator whose rich presentations on the theories behind organisational change make him one of the most sought-after speakers and one of the world’s top management gurus.[/expand]
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Financial and Economic Expert, Moderator and Interviewer, Former CNN Presenter

Todd Benjamin is well known to television audiences across the globe. For 26 years he worked as an anchor, correspondent, and financial editor for CNN. During that time he was based in Washington DC, New York, Tokyo, and London. An award winning journalist, Todd has interviewed everyone including most recently former US President Bill Clinton, Nobel Economic Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, Mikhail Gorbachev, Alan Greenspan and several of the world’ leading CEOs including Jack Welch, Lou Gerstner, and Carlos Ghosn.

“Todd is known for his no-nonsense style and punchy interviews”

[expand title=”In detail”] Todd Benjamin holds a bachelor’s degree in English from The University of Puget Ound. He has travelled throughout Europe covering economic and corporate stories including, G8, EU and the Frankfurt Auto show.

Todd joined CNN in 1982 working in Washington and later in New York. Before joining CNN he worked as an investigative and business reporter in local television news in Phoenix, Arizona.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Having interviewed many of the world’s leading CEOs for the Benjamin’s Boardroom series, Todd has developed a unique and fascinating focus on leadership. As well as sharing his clear insights of the economic market, Todd also demonstrates how strategies can be developed to benefit from globalisation and offers insights into how the world may develop.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Todd Benjamin delivers a clear and informative message that conveys the global economic context with ease. A skilled facilitator and an excellent communicator, he is direct and straight to the point making him highly sought-after as a conference moderator and speaker.[/expand]
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One of the Greatest Music Producers of All Time

Tony Visconti has worked with some of the most dynamic and influential names in pop history producing as well as occasionally performing on many of the world’s most respected albums.
With decades of working to the highest levels in this truly innovative field, Tony Visconti is an expert on successful talent management and channeling creativity to produce outstanding results.

“My policy is to interfere as little as possible, but to draw out the best in the artists”

[expand title=”In detail”] Since the late 1960s, Tony has worked with such names as Paul McCartney, Brian Eno, Thin Lizzy, U2, The Boomtown Rats, Manic Street Preachers, Mercury Rev and Morrissey.
He is most celebrated, however, for his remarkable and longstanding working relationships with David Bowie and T.Rex. He has worked with David Bowie on eleven albums to-date.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Tony Visconti shares his invaluable experiences of working with top creative minds in often pressurized conditions to achieve astoundingly innovative results. He offers first hand insights into the creative process and how to get the best from talented individuals and how to stay at the top.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Armed with an abundance of incredible stories and anecdotes and an enthralling presenting style, Tony captures the imaginations of audiences with his highly entertaining and fascinating talks.[/expand]
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Founder & CEO of Cobra Beer and keynote speaker

Karan (Karan Bilimoria Speaker)started his career at Ernst & Young in 1982, where he spent four years working in audit, tax, training and accounting. In 1989 he founded Cobra Beer, realising his ambition to develop a premium lager to complement Indian cuisine. He then extended into other markets with the launch of General Bilimoria Wines in 1999, and by founding Tandoori Magazine of which he remains Publishing Director. He has also founded curryzone.com and is the Founder and Chairman of Cobrabyte Technologies.

An entrepreneur with the Midas touch

[expand title=”In detail”] Additionally, Karan is a member of the Government’s National Employment Panel, and is Chairman of The Panel’s Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Board. He is also Vice Chairman of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Asian Business Association.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Karan Bilimoria shows audiences the secret behind his success and reveals how to be straightforward in business. He believes that the product always comes first and by striving to be different and better it is possible to change the marketplace and become a brand leader.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]An entertaining lecturer and brilliant speaker, Karan is able to draw upon his own experiences to offer decision makers invaluable lessons in designing effective business strategies to increase product sales. He is also part of our Top Indian keynote speakers.[/expand]
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Foremost Thinker on Human Resource Strategy

Dr. Lynda Gratton is Professor of Management Practice at London Business School where she directs the school’s executive programme, “Human Resource Strategy in Transforming Organisations”. Over the last decade Lynda has led The Leading Edge Research Consortium, a major research initiative involving companies such as Hewlett Packard and Citibank. A global authority on the people implications of strategy Dr. Lynda Gratton writes, teaches and consults across the world on human resource strategy.

“People are our most important asset”

Dr Lynda Gratton has been ranked among the top 50 most influential business thinkers. In 2009 Thinkers 50, the global ranking of management gurus, placed her among the list of most influential thinkers

[expand title=”In detail”] In 2005 Lynda was named by the Times as one of the top 50 thinkers of the world (one of only 4 women). She is acknowledged as one of the world’s most influential thinkers in HR Strategy, and was recently ranked in the Top Ten of HR Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential poll. In 2004 Lynda was appointed a Research Fellow of the Advanced Institute of Management in the UK and is Director of the Lehman Centre for Women in Business.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Lynda is a leading expert in the field of human resource strategy, sought after by a wide range of clients for her ability to translate complex ideas and strategies into easily digestible presentations, which show that people matter more than their roles in today’s businesses, and how to make more of their talent and energy.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]A leading voice, with a charisma and an infectious confidence that motivates and energizes her clients to put into action the messages she communicates[/expand]
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Co-founder of Lastminute.com & Governmental Champion for Digital Inclusion

Martha Lane Fox is a highly successful self-made business entrepreneur.  She is best known as the co-founder of lastminute.com.

Martha is currently a Non-Executive Director of Channel 4 Television, a Trustee of the charity Reprieve and Patron of CAMFED. She has also helped launch a chain of upmarket karaoke clubs called Lucky Voice.

“Martha Lane Fox has hit the two zeitgeist buttons: youth and internet.” The Guardian

[expand title=”In detail”] Martha started her career as an associate at Spectrum Strategy Consultants, where she met Brent Hoberman.  She then worked for a year as business development manager of Carlton Communication’s initiatives in pay TV and digital channels. Brent Hoberman eventually persuaded Martha to join him as chief operating officer of lastminute.com. She remained on the board until the company was purchased by Sabre Holdings in 2005 for £577million.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]In her presentations Martha explains what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur and the ways in which she focuses on delivering service and value to customers. She offers practical advice and incredibly useful information based on her experiences with Lastminute.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]With a charismatic and engaging personality combined with her inimitable style of management, Martha’s presentations are highly enjoyable and always informative.[/expand]
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Founder and President, Foundation on Economic Trends

Jeremy Rifkin is a Professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he lectures to CEOs and senior-management from around the world in the famed Advanced Management Program. Currently, Mr. Rifkin is advising the European Union and other governments as well as Fortune 500 companies, on actions that should be taken immediately to address the triple threat of the global financial crisis, energy crisis, and climate change. He also is an advisor to heads of state including Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Zapatero of Spain, Prime Minister George Papandreou of Greece, and Prince Albert II of Monaco.

One of the leading big-picture thinkers of our day

[expand title=”In detail”] Mr. Rifkin is the Chairman of the Third Industrial Revolution Global CEO Business Roundtable, made up of 100 of the world’s leading corporations and trade associations that are creating the infrastructure for a new low-carbon energy era and accompanying economic paradigm. As the founder and president of The Foundation on Economic Trends he examines the economic, environmental, social and cultural impacts of new technologies introduced into the global economy.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Mr. Rifkin remains one of the most highly sought-after and highest rated speakers on the topic of globalization, sustainability and shifting to a new energy era and low-carbon economy. Mr. Rifkin believes that it is imperative to begin pursuing a bold long-term Third Industrial Revolution economic game plan that can establish a new framework and architecture for remaking the globalization process along more sustainable lines. A master of speech, he addresses the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, workforce, society and the environment. Unprecedented consequences are emerging out of the shift from industrial to cultural production, and his informed insight on this is unparalleled. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Highly engaging and fluid, his style is nonetheless very well punctuated allowing time to absorb his powerful messages.[/expand]
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Wireless, Internet and e-Business Specialist, European Director of the TED Conferences

Bruno Giussani is a technological innovation specialist and an award-winning blogger who speaks frequently at innovation and technology events. He is currently the European Director of the TED conferences, the producer of TEDGLOBAL (Oxford) and the host of several other gatherings and brainstormings focusing on innovation. Bruno is also a member of the Board of Tinext in Switzerland, a software company he co-founded. Through his consultancy, Giussani Group LLC, he advises private and public organisations.

A futurologist with his feet firmly on the ground.

[expand title=”In detail”] Bruno is a regular commentator on Swiss Public Radio. Previously he was an executive at the World Economic Forum, an Internet columnist for the New York Times and the Director of Innovation at 3G Mobile, a Swiss wireless company. He co-founded two other firms and authored several books on the social impacts of new technologies. He was made a 2004 Knight Fellow at the Department of Communication at Stanford University and is now a member of the Board of the same Fellowship. The intersections of politics, economy, and technological innovation have kept Bruno busy for almost twenty years.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Concentrating on the social impacts of technological innovation and on the emerging socio-political trends, he uses his vast wealth of experience to show you the tangible potential of wireless technology. He also demonstrates how tapping into company information resources and databases remotely, allows organisations to receive information earlier and act on it accordingly.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]You will be engaged by his refreshing approach to wireless and Internet issues, e-business and m-business strategy. He favours a pragmatic, no-hype approach.[/expand]
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Former World No 1 Tennis champion and speaker

Boris Becker is one of the best recognized tennis personalities and most sought sports keynote speakers. He entranced tennis fans when in 1985, aged just seventeen, he became the youngest ever player to lift the famous shield at the All England Club. The German became a tennis legend, taking the Wimbledon title twice more. His career haul of 49 titles included two Australian Open crowns and one US Open success. 

Boris Becker now plays on the Senior ATP Tour and Billie Jean King’s World Team Tennis tour. He remains a hugely popular figure at Wimbledon and commentates there for the BBC each year.

“A sporting legend”

[expand title=”In detail”] Boris exploded onto the tennis scene in 1985, when he became the youngest male ever to win the Wimbledon singles championship. His victory was considered a fluke by some because none of the top seeds reached the final that year; he won a four-set over unheralded Kevin Curren to take the title. However, Boris proved it was no fluke by winning the championship again in 1986, this time beating Ivan Lendl. He reached the finals four years in a row, from 1988 through 1991, winning the final for a third time in 1989. He also won the U. S. Open in 1989 and the Australian Open in 1991 and 1996. He finished his career with 49 singles titles and 15 doubles titles.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]With a career in tennis spanning two decades, Boris entertains and inspires audiences as he draws up on his experiences as a top international tennis player and the lessons learned in dealing with an insatiable media.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]An affable and likable personality, Boris Becker is in great demand as a keynote speaker around the globe by audiences eager to hear his inspirational message. He is also booked for demonstration matches, managing to prove his class every time he goes on the tennis court. He is also part of our Most Popular keynote speakers list[/expand]
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