The Leading Speakers Bureau

Serial Entrepreneur, Founder & Owner of AirAsia.com, Owner of Lotus F1 team, 2009 Airline CEO of the Year

Tony Fernandes is the founder of Tune Air Sdn. Bhd., who introduced the first budget no-frills airline, AirAsia, Malaysia’s second largest airline of which he is the Director. He was also instrumental in lobbying the then-Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad in mid-2003, to propose the idea of open skies agreements with neighbouring Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. As a result, these nations have granted landing rights to AirAsia and other discount carriers.

“Believe the Unbelievable, Dream the Impossible and Don’t Take No for An Answer” Tony Fernandes

[expand title=”In detail”] Educated at Epsom College 1977-83 and then graduating from the London School of Economics in 1987, Tony Fernandes started his career at Virgin Atlantic as an auditor, subsequently becoming the financial controller for Richard Branson’s Virgin Records in London from 1987 to 1989. Upon his return to Malaysia, he became the youngest-ever managing director of Warner Music where he was responsible for revolutionising ethnic music. However, when Time Warner Inc announced its merger with America Online Inc., Fernandes left to pursue his dream of starting a budget no-frills airline. In 2009 he launched the first ever long-haul Low cost airline (with Sir Richard Branson) flying from London to Kuala Lumpur.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Having joined the ranks of the world’s elite leaders in the ‘Young Global Leaders’, Tony Fernandes is a true visionary and exceptional leader whose presentations are high in actionable content and full of inspiration.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A familiar face in the aviation industry as well as on an international level having been featured on the front cover of many high profile magazines, Tony Fernandes means business. He has an amicable, warm and yet highly informative style.[/expand]
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Chairman of Tesco PLC

David Reid became Chairman of Tesco PLC in 2004. His vision and belief that anything is possible enabled him to turn Tesco around and bring them from no.5 to no.1 in the UK. Prior to this he was Deputy Chairman with responsibility for Business Development, Strategic Planning and International Operations in Central Europe, Asia and the Republic of Ireland. He has played a pivotal role in advancing Tesco’s status globally. He is Senior Independent Non Executive Director of Reed Elsevier Group plc and the Chairman of the Kwik-Fit Group, Chairman of SIBAC (Seoul International Business Advisory Council) and a member of IBLAC.

“Talk to customers, understand what they want, be there first, never take your eye off the ball, you’re only as good as yesterday’s sales”

[expand title=”In detail”] David qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Aberdeen and began his professional career with Peat Marwick Mitchell in 1970, based in Paris. He held numerous roles including Chief Accountant for Philips Video and Group Financial Controller and Finance Director of International Stores Limited. In 1985 he joined Tesco as Finance Director and subsequently assumed responsibility for IT, Distribution and Business Development. He is also Patron of the charity Caravan and Chairman of the Tesco Charity Trust and also Chairman of Whizz-Kidz.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]David’s background and qualifications make him exceptionally well placed to speak on the ongoing effects that globalisation has on industry today – vital knowledge for every professional playing an active role in the future of their organisation. With Tesco now No.2 globally, he offers his country by country vision for globalisation, outlining the key building blocks needed to build a brand. He provides retailing and leadership insights that include looking at the manufacturing trends and global supply chains in order to find the new drivers for the future and addressing the core values of business.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A straight talking and knowledgeable speaker, David’s presentations are meticulously prepared and filled with an immeasurable wealth of useful information, illustrated with case studies. Additionally, with a solid business acumen and vast experience, David gives audiences the opportunity to ask specific questions in a lively Q&A session after his presentations.[/expand]
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Expert in Branding, Marketing & Business Innovation & Former Director of LEGO

Christian Majgaard was LEGO’s strategic brand and innovation wizard and global top executive in the 80’s and 90’s where he stood behind the creation of the LEGOLAND theme parks, Mindstorms robots, the Harry Potter and StarWars licenses and many other marketing successes. Since leaving LEGO he has set up his own highly successful consultancy and has worked with a number of corporations including Heineken, Rabo Bank, Swiss Re, Motorola, Disneyland and many others.

Fons Trompenaars in his book ‘21 Leaders for the 21st Century’ names Christian “as the man who recaptured the true mission of LEGO”

[expand title=”In detail”] Christian Majgaard was creative genius and senior director at LEGO until 2000, responsible for their global brand, product and campaign development of their core business (toys) as well as their Theme Park and Media divisions. He left LEGO in 2000 in order to consult and inspire other international companies on their strategy, marketing, innovation and branding, while keeping close ties to LEGO’s owner. Before joining LEGO, Christian was senior management consultant with PA Consulting®.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Christian challenges the business world’s conventional thinking within strategy, branding, marketing and business innovation through his well researched keynote presentations and his consulting.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Christian’s presentations are the perfect blend of useful actionable information and real life case studies, delivered in an innovative and creative way. He is acknowledged for turning deep thought into clear messages, compelling examples and great humour.[/expand]
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Professor of Marketing, Director of Centre for Marketing, London Business School

Prof. Nirmalya Kumar is one of the world’s leading thinkers on strategy and marketing. His acclaimed case study on easyJet demonstrates his ability to interpret market forces. Typically ahead of the game, his latest work concentrates on how organisations must become market-driving, as the era of push marketing is gone. Nirmalya is a celebrated academic, joining London Business School in 2004. He is Professor of Marketing, Director of Centre for Marketing, and Co-Director for Aditya V. Birla India Centre at London Business School.

“Push marketing is dead” Nirmalya Kumar

[expand title=”In detail”] Now based in Europe, he previously spent ten years in US academia. Nimalya has worked with 50 Fortune 500 companies (e.g., Akzo-Nobel, IBM, Sara Lee) in 45 different countries as coach, consultant, seminar leader and speaker on strategy, marketing, branding, retailing and distribution. He has also served on the board of directors of Bata India, BP Ergo, and Zensar Technologies and has made more than 100 press appearances including BBC, Business Week, CNBC, CNN, Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, and Wall Street Journal. He has written four business books, dozens of articles and is widely quoted in periodicals.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Do you want to position marketing more strategically within your organisation? He will show you how to raise the status of marketing by concentrating on cross functionality and bottom line impact. His most recent work positions him as the Western business leader’s insider’s guide to the art of doing business with Indian leaders and companies. He believes that the marketing function is currently in crisis and explains why. His teaching skills were recognised with Business Week’s highest four-star rating in their guide to MBA programmes.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]His blend of research and business experience translates into powerful and pragmatic advice. Kumar learned marketing at the knee of Philip Kotler and practices what he preaches with energetic gusto. He is passionate about marketing and willing to espouse controversial positions.[/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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Award-winning American Film & TV Producer, Screenwriter, Director, Actor & Composer

J. J. Abrams is a real communication genius and an internationally renowned multitasking creator, scriptwriter, director and producer of cinema and television. He is a real one-man band. Now a major player in Hollywood, he wrote and produced many unforgettable feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity. He also created Alias and co-created Lost, Fringe and Undercovers. He directed the films Mission: Impossible III and Star Trek and produced the film Cloverfield. He is the founder of Bad Robot Productions.

“J. J. Abrams’ name looms large on the big & small screen”

[expand title=”In detail”] J.J. Abrams studied at Palisades Charter High School, Los Angeles, CA and then he attended the Sarah Lawrence College. The son of television producers, he spent his days in television studios, starting very early on his brilliant career as a scriptwriter. His first job in the movie business started when he was 16 when he wrote music for the film Nightbeast. While he began his career in the early 1990s scripting snoozy cinematic fare such as Regarding Henry, he hit his stride in TV with the collegiate dramedy, Felicity, and the spy serial, Alias. He has written all the musical scores of his television series, he sometimes even delves his hands in the grease of digital special effects and he’s also a talented keyboard player.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]J.J. Abrams enjoys the status of a major pop-culture player and one serious multi-tasker. He has become what we could consider one of transmedia’s pioneers and probably even one of its leaders, since he is today, one of the creators whose creation on multiple media is visible to the greatest number. He beguiles audiences with a masterful use of suspense, plot reversals, and special effects in his creations and his presentations to live audiences are just as memorable. He has spoken at the prestigious events worldwide, including the TED conference in 2007. He is still the best example of someone who puts his ideas down on multiple media as a practitioner and not a theoretician.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]J.J. Abrams’ enthusiasm – for the construction of Kleenex boxes, for the quiet moments between shark attacks in Jaws, for today’s filmmaking technologies and above all for the potent mystery of an unopened package – is incredibly infectious. He beguiles audiences with a masterful use of suspense, plot reversals, and special effects in his creations and his humorous presentations to live audiences are just as memorable.[/expand]
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Renowned Belgian Car Designer, Head of Design at Bentley Motors

Dirk van Braeckel is best-known as the Design Director of Bentley Motors. Under his direction the talented design team both honoured Bentley design tradition and provided a confident new design language for the 21st century. In 2007, he was awarded the laureate of Antwerp’s Christophe Plantin Prize, which honours Belgian citizens whose cultural, artistic or scientific activities contribute to the country’s prestige abroad. In 2008 he was awarded the European Automotive Design Award by Designers (Europe), which he sees as an endorsement of his vision for Bentley to create the ultimate in desirability – a classic of the future.

“Dirk van Braeckel creates the ultimate in desirability”

[expand title=”In detail”] Dirk van Braeckel studied at one of the first specialist car design schools, the Royal College of Art. His career started as an apprentice at Ford, then in 1984 moved to the Volkswagen Group (VAG), were he worked for Audi. Then in 1993 the then boss of VAG, Ferdinand Piëch, made him the chief designer for Skoda. He then went about completely redesigning the entire range for Skoda. In 1998 he became the chief designer for another VAG brand, Bentley. His brief was to create a second-car line that could sell in higher volumes than the $240,000 Bentley Arnage limo. He created the Bentley Continental GT, which in 2004 sold 5,983 units, exceeding forecasts by 62%.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Dirk van Braeckel is a widely respected designer who has re-established Bentley at the pinnacle of hand-crafted grand tourers. Under his direction at Skoda, he produced several key models, including the Octavia and Fabia. He cites cubist architecture, Gucci, Ralph Lauren and classic cars of the ’60s and ’70s among his inspirations and provides fascinating insights into his visions for the cars of the future, with his truly eye-catching designs.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Dirk van Braeckel honours the marque traditions whilst looking to the future and his invaluable and expertly delivered presentations give insights from his unique perspective. This designer is sure to surprise.[/expand]
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Award-winning Historian & Biographer, Author of ‘India After Gandhi: A History of the World’s Largest Democracy’

Ramachandra Guha (Ramachandra Guha Speaker)is acknowledged as a world authority in three distinct fields of scholarship, pioneering in the field of environmental history in South Asia, having authored several landmark essays on environmentalism and being seen as a pioneer in the field of sports history. He is a columnist for The Telegraph, Khaleej Times and The Hindustan Times newspapers. He is a fellow of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. A historian and journalist, he is author of ‘India after Gandhi: The History of the World’s Largest Democracy’, edits ‘The Picador Book of Cricket’ and is a regular columnist with The Telegraph of Calcutta.

“Indian democracy’s pre-eminent chronicler” Time Magazine

[expand title=”In detail”] Ramachandra Guha graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi with a BA in Economics and then attained an MA from the Delhi School of Economics (University of Delhi). He then went to Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, where he did a Fellowship (equivalent to a Ph.D.) on the social history of forestry in Uttaranchal, that focused on the Chipko movement, which was later published as ‘The Unquiet Woods’. His books and essays have been translated into more than twenty languages. His essay ‘Radical American Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation’ has been reprinted in more than thirty anthologies.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]With books covering a wide range of themes, including a global history of environmentalism, a biography of an anthropologist-activist, a social history of Indian cricket, and a social history of Himalayan peasants, Ramachandra Guha is a ground-breaking pioneer, who is regarded as one of the hundred most influential public intellectuals in the world by Prospect and Foreign Policy magazines. He has emerged as the most prominent chronicler of India’s past and of its present and he is very much in demand at prestigious events worldwide.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]The author-historian-sociologist-cricket expert-environmentalist, Ramachandra Guha has own direct no-nonsense, and sometimes controversial, style. One thing you can’t accuse Ramachandra Guha of is mincing his words. He is also part of our Top Indian keynote speakers. [/expand]
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American Documentary Filmmaker, Academy Award®-nominated Director, Humourist, TV Producer, Screenwriter & Journalist

Morgan Spurlock is the Creator and host of the reality program 30 Days on the FX Network. He became his own guinea pig in the Academy Award nominated 2004 hit documentary, Super Size Me. As writer, director, and producer of the film, he shed light on the epidemic of obesity in America, making one of the highest-grossing documentaries in history. His latest film, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

“The film and the book continue to make an impact on the way the world sees fast food”

[expand title=”In detail”] Morgan Spurlock graduated with a BFA in film from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1993. He has an amazing career spanning film, non-fiction literature, television and, theatre. His second feature documentary, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. His popular documentary celebration of The Simpsons, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D on Ice! was nominated for a 2011 Writer’s Guild award. He was also one of the celebrated directors behind the film adaptation of the best-selling book, Freakonomics. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Morgan Spurlock makes documentary film and TV that is personal, political and, above all, deeply empathetic. With humour and persistence, he provides fascinating insights into how he dived into the hidden but influential world of brand marketing, on his quest to make a completely sponsored film about sponsorship. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]With fun and sobering humour, Morgan gives global audiences a look at the legal, financial, and physical costs of America’s hunger for fast food, having left an impact on US culture. Scathingly funny, subversive, and deceptively smart, Morgan’s newest lecture shines the definitive light on our branded future.[/expand]
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