The Leading Speakers Bureau

Filmmaker & Founder of the Webby Awards

Tiffany Shlain is an American filmmaker and founder of the Webby Awards. Recognized by Newsweek as “one of the women shaping the 21st century, Tiffany founded The Webby Awards in 1996 and guided it’s growth for nearly a decade. Under her leadership, The Webby Awards have become a global institution and industry bellwether, attracting 12,000 entries annually from more than 40 countries and all 50 states

“An inspirational and creative thinker”

[expand title=”In detail”] As a director for both theatre and film, she has worked with Harrison Ford, Peter Coyote, and Alan Cumming and was selected as an Artist-in-Residence at the Headland Center for the Arts, as well as for a film residency at the San Francisco Film Society. Tiffany’s films and discussion programs have been used in many diverse settings to spark dialogues about social issues. She has been singled out by The New York Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Sundance Institute for her cutting-edge work using documentaries and internet distribution in unique ways to engage audiences.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Tiffany has been presenting ideas and films to audiences around the world for the past 20 years. The subjects she speaks about include: the Internet and its effect on business and society, interdependence in the 21st century, the creative process, and subjects that her films cover.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Tiffany is known for her ability to illuminate complex ideas in culture, science, technology, and life through her dynamic presentations.[/expand]
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Leading HR Thinker

Dr. Mee-Yan Cheung-Judge is the creator and driving force behind Quality & Equality. She founded the company in 1987 after a distinguished career in academia and in the marketplace. Her areas of expertise are organisation development, big system change, equality and diversity. In June 2008 she was voted one of the 25 most influential thinkers in HR by the HR Magazine.

“One of the most influential HR experts”

[expand title=”In detail”] Mee-Yan is the author of several OD articles, she frequently teaches on the National School of Government and other major corporate Top Management Programmes and is a Visiting Fellow of Roffey Park Institute. Mee-Yan worked with more than 300 clients from all sectors, including multinational blue chip companies, higher education, government agencies, public sector organisations and charities. She has committed to facilitate and support major change programmes and to ensure that change is synonymous with development.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]With an extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of organisation development, Mee-Yan explains how organisations work. She gives an understanding of the role senior managers play and also her own strong commitment to organisation development approaches and values. She has direct experience in delivering culture change within organisations and has improved organisational effectiveness and performance. [/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Her powerful presentations and successful working experience make Mee-Yan a highly sought-after speaker at prestigious conferences worldwide.[/expand]
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Author

Asha Miró is a highly respected and influential author. She was born in India where she lived for the first six years of her life, until in 1974 when she was adopted and she has lived in Barcelona since then. Asha currently works in the Communication and Promotion Department of the Universal Forum of Cultures Barcelona, work which she combines with the promotion of her books including ‘The Daughter of the Ganges’ a bestseller which has been translated into English, Dutch, French and Italian.

“Asha Miró transmits energy and happiness”

[expand title=”In detail”] Asha graduated in Educational Sciences and has studied music and piano. Her interest in co-operation has led to volunteer work camps in India, Rwanda and Mexico. She has also collaborated in the organisation of acts of solidarity, peace concerts and days of work and reflection with young people from all backgrounds. Since 2000 she has hosted several public events and has worked in radio and television.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Drawing from her vast experience Asha demonstrates the importance of willpower and focus in overcoming obstacles and achieving goals. Asha talks candidly about her childhood and gives audiences an in-depth look at the life changing experiences which have influenced her prolific writing career.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Asha is an exceptionally talented communicator who wows audiences with her natural abundance of passion and eternal optimism which shine forth in her moving presentations.[/expand]
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Co-Founder, China India Institute

Haiyan Wang is Managing Partner of China India Institute, a research and consulting organization with a focus on creating winning global strategies that leverage the transformational rise of China and India. A native of China, she has spent the last twenty years consulting for and managing multinational business operations in China and the US in several different industry sectors.

“It’s India and China, not India or China” Haiyan Wang

[expand title=”In detail”] Haiyan Wang received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade and a master’s degree in International Business from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. She also holds an M.B.A. from The University of Maryland at College Park. Her opinion pieces have appeared in top international media such as The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, CEO Magazine, The Economic Times, China Daily, The Times of India, as well as other outlets. In the late 1980s, she worked for Minmetals, one of the 20 largest enterprises in China and a global Fortune 500 company. In the US, she began her career working as a management consultant with Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. and served as Director of Business Development at E-Steel Corporation. She also served as a senior marketing and operations executive at PTI Inc.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Haiyan Wang presents an insider’s perspective on how people from various social layers of China see the shifting landscape and their role in it. She will bring alive the hot button issues facing people from different walks of China that matter to government and business decision makers both within China as well as outside. Drawing on her broad international experience, she consults with clients and speaks at conferences on building and exploiting global presence, especially in China.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Shedding light on the brutal competition for today’s markets and resources in China and India, Haiyan Wang’s fascinating and informative presentations give deep understanding and insight in a clear and easily digestible style.[/expand]
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Founder of Jo Malone Cosmetics and Jo Loves

Jo Malone is the creator of one of the world’s most recognised luxury fragrance brands. She opened her first store in London in 1994 and spearheaded the worldwide positioning of the Jo Malone brand during the following years. Jo’s passion for fragrance never ceases and in 2011 she found she could do it again and launched her new global brand Jo Loves.

“One of the most creative and successful British business women”

[expand title=”In detail”] In 1999 Estee Lauder announced the acquisition of Jo Malone but Jo remained Creative Director until her departure in 2006. She developed products which helped to establish the brand as an innovator within the international beauty industry. In 2010 she presented ‘High Street Dreams’ on BBC One helping small businesses realise their dreams of trading on the British high streets. The show successfully helped to create six new British brands. [/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]In her presentations Jo gives useful insights into the world of retail using her successful business experience and unique entrepreneurial spirit. She is also in great demand at after dinner events.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Jo is an inspirational and charismatic speaker and highly sought after at national and international events and conferences.[/expand]
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Iconic Singer, Writer, Symbol of Enduring Excellence, Dedicated Activist & Campaigner

Annie Lennox OBE is one of the world’s most renowned singer songwriters, formerly with the Eurythmics. She is celebrated as an innovator, an icon, and a symbol of enduring excellence. Annie’s music career is peerless with over 80 million record sales to date. In 2011, Annie received an OBE in the New Years Honours list. Throughout her career she has been honoured with prestigious awards in recognition for both her brilliant music and the great campaigning work she does for humanitarian causes around the world.

“After personally witnessing Nelson Mandela describing the African HIV AIDS pandemic as a genocide, with women and children being the frontline victims, I set out to try and do something” Annie Lennox

[expand title=”In detail”] Eurythmics released their first album, in 1981, but it was not until the worldwide success of their second album, (Sweet Dreams Are Made of This) in 1983, that Eurythmics became the musical phenomenon we know today. In 2007 Annie released her much-anticipated album, Songs of Mass Destruction to critical acclaim. The album featured SING a new song featuring 23 or the world’s most acclaimed female superstars, invited by Annie to appear on the record to help draw attention to the HIV AIDS pandemic. Now, the SING campaign continues to raise funds and awareness in order to contribute to support and change. In addition to that, Annie is an Ambassador for UNAIDS, Oxfam, Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Campaign, Amnesty International, The British Red Cross, as well as supporting numerous other organisations.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Annie Lennox uses her unique voice to fight stigma and bring about change. A tireless campaigner against HIV/AIDS in South Africa and its impact on women’s and children’s lives, she openly shares her experiences in South Africa and her fight against the HIV / AIDS epidemic at prestigious worldwide events including TEDGlobal 2010, having already raised 2 million dollars so far through her SING campaign.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]The most successful female British pop musician in history, Annie Lennox is a highly motivational and passionate speaker who powerfully and emotively explains the action everyone can take in fighting the pandemic. Drawing on her talents, she combines music and film to put a human face on the crisis and emotionally connect people to the cause.[/expand]
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Human Resource Development Specialist, Mountaineer

Lene Gammelgaard is a psychotherapist and a lawyer. She was the first Scandinavian woman to climb Everest, a success overshadowed by eight team members’ deaths, yet her story of survival and accomplishment is riveting. Cofounder of several drug treatment centres; she also founded a consulting business, focusing on human resource development.

‘We must adjust to life as life will not adjust to us.’
Lene Gammelgaard

[expand title=”In detail”] A writer and therapist, she uses the outdoors as a learning environment for her human resource development studies. Based in Denmark, she also pursues her HR studies as a PhD researcher for the University of Edinburgh.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]A truth seeking person, she reveals how to improve your success rate by looking at the interrelationship between success and failure. Although driven by discovery in a much explored world she shows you the benefits of any discovery being new to you.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]With a balance of passion and realism she animates her adventures and subsequent studies.[/expand]
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Former Managing Director of the World Bank

Dr. Mamphela Ramphele is currently Chair of Circle Capital Ventures as well as being a former Managing Director of the World Bank, and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Town. In addition to her business interests, she currently chairs the Global Commission on International Migration, is a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Ithaka Foundation and Ifa Lethu Foundation; she also serves as a director on a number of corporate boards including: Standard Bank, Medi-Clinic, Anglo American, and MTN.

“The first African to be a Managing Director at the World Bank”

[expand title=”In detail”] A South African-born physician and anthropologist, Dr. Ramphele was the first woman and the first black South African to hold the position of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town. In addition to a medical degree and Ph.D. in social anthropology, she holds a BCom degree in Administration, and diplomas in Tropical Health & Hygiene and Public Health.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Dr Ramphele is no stranger to defying gender stereotypes and expectations, whether it is in the realm of education, medicine, human rights or business. She inspires audiences to make a difference and offers great insights into the business opportunities available in South Africa.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]A formidable speaker with a natural gift for rhetoric, Dr Ramphele engages and challenges audiences with her inspirational presentations.[/expand]
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Strategic Thinker and China Clean Technology Expert

Peggy Liu is an internationally recognized expert on China’s energy landscape. She is the Chairperson and co-founder of JUCCCE, the Joint-US China Collaboration on Energy, a non-profit organization dedicated to changing the way China creates and uses energy. She is an advisor to the Katerva Challenge for innovative climate change solutions and an executive advisor to Marks & Spencer on sustainable retailing.

“My life is about bringing everyone to the table – and making sure the table provides the conditions that help get things done.”

[expand title=”In detail”] Peggy was honoured as a Time Magazine Hero of the Environment in 2008, an energy adviser to the Clinton Global Initiative in 2008, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2009, the Hillary Laureate of 2010 for climate change leadership, a Forbes “Women to Watch in Asia” in 2010, a Huffington Post “Greatest Person of the Day” in 2011, and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on New Energy Architecture 2011. She is the winner of The Economist debate “Why China is doing more than the US in climate change leadership. She has extensive non-profit management experience in a wide range of sectors and has a passion for making the world a better place. [/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Peggy offers fascinating insights on how China is transforming itself from the factory of the world into the Cleantech laboratory of the world. She is a dynamic speaker and can address a wide range of topics relating to the environment and climate change. She has extensive knowledge of developments in China, both on the ground and at the policy level, and links this to the broader global agenda.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Peggy is a lively, engaging and charismatic speaker, who is passionate about changing the world to create a more sustainable future.[/expand]
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Award-Winning Humanitarian & Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is courageous freedom fighter, one of the most influential and outspoken political figures of our time. A political crisis surrounding the potential stripping of her Dutch citizenship led to her resignation from the parliament, and led indirectly to the fall of the second Balkenende cabinet. She was named one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” of 2005, one of the Glamour Heroes of 2005 and Reader’s Digest’s European of the Year for 2005. In 2004 Ayaan gained international attention following the murder of Theo van Gogh who had directed her short film Submission.

In government she found her voice as an advocate for an “enlightened Islam”

[expand title=”In detail”] The daughter of a political opponent of the Somali dictatorship, Ayaan grew up in exile, moving from Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia then Kenya. After earning her M.A. in political science, she worked as a researcher for the Wiardi Beckman Foundation in Amsterdam. She served as an elected member of the Dutch parliament from 2003 to 2006. While in parliament, she focused on furthering the integration of non-Western immigrants into Dutch society, and on defending the rights of Muslim women. She campaigned to raise awareness of violence against women, including honour killings and female genital mutilation, practices that had followed the immigrants into Holland.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]A fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, Ayaan Hirsi Ali has previously spoken to quite diverse audiences: in addition to many college venues where she has spoken, she has also been very well received at hedge funds, leadership conferences, Jewish community events, state department events, law enforcement / judiciary conferences. With her deft and thoughtful handling of a wide range of questions she provides moments of electric dialogue and debate.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a great speaker and a gracious person. Her talks are well-crafted and thoughtfully executed. Determined to voice the truth, she speaks about the importance of freedom of speech and the defense of the principles of the Enlightenment, the need to reform Islam, the rights of Muslim women.[/expand]
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