Europe speakers

Amol Rajan is the BBC's first ever Media Editor, covering the global impact of the rapidly changing media landscape across politics, business and culture for the BBC's biggest outputs: ‘Today’ on Radio 4, and ‘Six O'Clock News’ and ‘Ten O'Clock’ News.

Anita Anand is best known for presenting shows such as Any Answers? and the Drive Programme on Radio 5 Live.

Annie Machon is a former intelligence officer for MI5, the UK Security Service, who resigned in the late 1990s to help blow the whistle on the spies’ incompetence and crimes with her ex-partner, David Shayler.

Ardi is Executive Fellow and Director, GDPR Programme, Henley Business School and the founder of GO DPO®, which is the strategic partner for many multi-national clients in data protection, privacy and security. He’s the first privacy practitioner to have guided the global company Hitachi Consulting Corp (NYSE: HIT) in achieving BS10012:2017 Personal Information Management System (PIMS) in the UK.

The humanitarian activist and former Health Minister Bernard Kouchner is widely admired in France, not least for his passionate, often outspoken declarations on human rights and the need to intervene to protect them.

Caroline Hyde regularly interviews chief executives, finance officers, politicians and research analysts across the region. Hyde has also provided in-depth reports on the UK property sector, charitable institutions and developments in digital, music and visual technology.

Colletta Smith has worked for the BBC for the past 10 years, living and working in Belfast, Glasgow and Manchester. Colletta has reported for radio and TV at a national and UK level in the fields of business, economics and consumer affairs, covering everything from the euro-zone crisis, to illegal teeth whitening.

Sir Craig Oliver is David Cameron's former Director of Communications and former Controller of English at BBC Global News.

Ian Morley is one of the leading international figures in the field of Alternative Investments. His experience covers most areas of financial markets and one of his specialist presentation is: 'Capitalism. My part in its downfall, The history of frauds and failures.' He takes you through all the key events, the characters, anecdotes, and war stories in a most amusing and educative manner. He has advised the Bank of England, the Central Bank of Ireland, the OECD, the EU and other international institutions about the managed derivatives and the Hedge Fund Industry.

Jennifer Basannavar loves travelling, and has travelled extensively in the USA, Europe and India. As an expert private guide, Jennifer’s goal is to give her clients a memorable, informative, and enchanting experience as they walk along the streets of the dynamic city of London. She has extensive broad ranging speeches that can be very technical to highly entertaining.

Joseph is the co-founder and co-president of Columbia University’s Initiative for Policy Dialogue; as well as a University Professor and co-chair of the Committee on Global Thought for New York University. He is regarded worldwide as a leading economic educator, and his textbooks are available in over a dozen languages. He is also the founder of The Journal of Economic Perspectives, one of the leading journals of economics.

Juilet Mann was a business correspondent for CNN. Previously as Reuters Television’s Paris Correspondent, Juliet contributed to the daily Equities Briefing and Opening Bell, hosting two-way links with London and Tokyo.

Katya Adler is the BBC's leading voice on Brexit and the EU, populism across Europe, the future of the EU, Europe's relations with Trump and Putin and much more. Recently Katya has broadcast her own documentary on BBC examining the mounting challenges facing the European Union over the next few years in the light of Brexit, entitled "After Brexit: The Battle for Europe". Katya provides analysis and context on TV, radio, online via her ‘Europe Editor’ blog on the BBC news website and, in social media via Twitter.

As a CEO, chairman, founder and investor Kevin has enjoyed success in sectors including automotive, data, technology, manufacturing, brand marketing and professional services. He has repeatedly led teams to achieve extraordinary performance in companies ranging from 7 to 7,000 employees. One recognised as the best private equity investment of the year, another nominated as the World’s 7th most innovative company. Passionate about the development of leadership skills he is frequently sought to reinvigorate teams and companies.

Lord Digby has been at the forefront of Britain and International trade and investment for decades. He is a business ambassador of UK Trade & Investment, Former Director General of the CBI and Former Minister of State for Trade and Investment. He is an engaging speaker and valuable mentor.

George Robertson is a British Labour Party politician who was the tenth Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, between October 1999 and early January 2004. As Secretary General of NATO, Lord Robertson was described as 'the most powerful Scotsman in the world.' George believes that greater cooperation is needed between EU states, particularly on security and defence issues, as well as argueing for collaboration to counter several other threats, from global pandemics to organised crime and climate change.

Mark Mardell now presents the ‘world at one’ and ‘world this weekend’ on BBC Radio Four, and in 2019 broadcast a documentary series on the 45-year relationship of the UK in the EU, called “Brexit – a love story?” uncovering the factious yet intriguing story of Britain's relationship with the EU.

Michael Finkel is the author of the New York Times bestseller “The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit,” about a highly intelligent man who lived alone in the forest of Maine for 27 years, as well as the book “True Story,” about Finkel’s bizarre and unhealthy friendship with a murderer, which was adapted into a 2015 major motion picture produced by Brad Pitt and starring James Franco and Jonah Hill.

For almost 20 years Otmar Issing has been one of the most influential European central bankers. Otmar holds honorary doctorates from several universities, and is the author and publisher of important economic literature (Monetary Policy in the Euro Area, Cambridge University Press, 2001). The architect of the 'Two Column Strategy': Economic indicators as well as monetary criteria (i.e. growth of money supply) have to be considered for any decisions on interest rates.

Lord Peter Mandelson is a British politician, who was a leading adviser to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a member of the British House of Commons (1992–2004), and business secretary (2008–10) under Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Pippa Malmgren is an American policy analyst. She served as Special Assistant to the President of the United States for Economic Policy on the National Economic Council and former member of the U.S. President's Working Group on Financial Markets.

Sarah Harper is a British gerontologist. She achieved particular acclaim when she established Oxford's Institute of Ageing, and became the University of Oxford’s first professor of Gerontology.

Sir Christopher Meyer, KCMG is a former British Ambassador to the United States, former Ambassador to Germany and the former chairman of the Press Complaints Commission.

Stephanie Fairhurst is a psychological skills mentor working with business professionals and companies.

Steve Davies had had a lifetime of experiences operating in complex and challenging environments. He has held senior positions in the private and third sectors, and in the military, and has an incredible record of achievement in each.