Media & PR speakers

Adam Kay is well known for his television writing credits including Mongrels and Crims.

Alastair is a media communicator and strategist best known for his role as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy. He played a key role helping to create New Labour and return them to power. Alastair did this job for Labour's first term but after helping Tony Blair win a second landslide election victory, he became Director of Communications and Strategy until 2003. He is also an advocate for mental health issues due to facing his own battles with depression and alcoholism.

Currently CEO of Digital Brand Services and works with over a dozen clients in the public and private sectors. Senior Consultant Digital Strategy for TEAM AG, UEFA’s exclusive commercial partner for the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup, the world’s most popular annual sporting event. Alex is also a member of the Digital Advisory Board the the UK Government Digital Service and on the Commission of English Heritage.

Alexander Bard s the author of the globally successful The Futurica Trilogy - co-written with media theorist Jan Söderqvist, and so far translated to over 20 languages - consisting of The Netocrats (originally published in 2002), The Global Empire (2004) and The Body Machines (2009). October 2014 sees the release of Bard’s fourth book with Söderqvist: Syntheism - Creating God in The Internet Age, in which the authors set out to construct a complete new metaphysical system for the digital age, covering everything from the inner existential truths of the new physics to the radical utopian potential of participatory culture.

Andrew Neil is a publisher, editor, writer, broadcaster, public speaker and business consultant on media matters working out of London, New York, Edinburgh and France. During his career he has been UK Editor of The Economist, Editor of The Sunday Times, Executive Chairman of Sky Television, Executive Editor of Fox Television News of America and a leading anchorman of political programmes on British television.

Anna Richardson is a well-known presenter known for hosting Secret Eaters (2012), The Sex Education Show (2008) and My Big Fat Diet Show (2010).

Archie Norman is a British businessman and politician. He is at present the only person to have been a FTSE 100 chairman and a Member of the House of Commons (MP) at the same time. On 18 November 2009, Norman was announced as the new chairman of ITV plc. He took up his post in January 2010.

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.

Armando Iannucci is an Oscar and Emmy-nominated British satirist, writer, television director and radio producer of Italian descent.

Baroness Floella Benjamin was born in Trinidad in 1949 and came to England as a 10 year old child in 1960. She left school at 16 with the aim of becoming Britain's first ever black woman bank manager, but changed direction and became an actress, presenter, writer, independent producer, working peer and an active advocate for the welfare, care and education of children throughout the world. She has also headed a successful film and television production company for the last 28 years.

Ben Hammersley is an Applied Futurist, who broadcasts, writes and lectures internationally to explain the effects of the post-digital post-internet age to people, corporations, governments, and international organisations, and is the author of many books and articles on modern technology.

Blaire Palmer is a three times published Author, Keynote Speaker, Coach and Agent Provocateur.

Brian O'Driscoll was the captain of the Ireland Rugby team from 2004 -2012 and captained Leinster Rugby from 2005 until the end of 2008 season. He captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand. Registered at University College Dublin RFC, he played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster.

She spent over a decade in Fleet Street, latterly with the Financial Times. Since joining Channel 4 News in 2006 she has broadcast a string of investigations and scoops. She was also the only broadcast journalist to travel with Angelina Jolie and the foreign secretary William Hague to the Congo as part of a campaign against sexual violence.

Charlene is the face of ITV News London's flagship broadcast at 6pm, providing the daily news as well as weekend national news programmes for ITV News. Charlene has hosted a multifarious conglomerate of stars, including Prime Minister David Cameron, music star Beyonce, and film hero Will Smith.

Charlotte Smith is a Radio Presenter with experience as a reporter, producer and presenter.

Chris Blackhurst is a British journalist who is a former editor of The Independent. He became Group Content Director of the four titles overseen by Evgeny Lebedev in June 2013.

Chris Evans is an English presenter, businessman and producer for radio and television. Best known for his career on Radio 2, hosting the Breakfast Show since 2010.

Christian Wolmar is a British journalist, author, politician and railway historian of Swedish and Russian descent.

Colin Shaw is without question a world leader in Customer Experience. Since 2002, Colin has helped shape the whole industry with his four-bestselling books and thought leading work.

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

Danny Boyle is well known for his films such as 28 Days Later, Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours.

David Aaronovitch is one of the best-known journalists and current affairs broadcasters in the UK, winning awards for political journalism and being named 'Columnist of the Year' by What The Papers Say. David’s fascination with some of the more arcane aspects of public life and debate led to the Voodoo Histories book on the impact of conspiracy theories.

David Coulthard MBE was one of the best of his generation. Now a pundit for Forumla One coverage, David is still very much involved in the sport. An excellent keynote speaker on the topics of motivation, teamwork and leadership, David can apply his peak performance skills from the racing world to a business audience.

David Gower enjoyed one of the most prolific first-class cricket careers in English history, in both domestic and international competitions.

David McCandless is a British data-journalist, and information designer based in London. He is the founder of the visual blog Information Is Beautiful.

David Rowan was the founding editor of WIRED UK until 2017 and has spent time with the founders of WhatsApp, LinkedIn, BuzzFeed and Spotify to name just a few. He has since invested in more than 60 early-stage tech companies, including two that become billion-dollar ‘unicorns’, and is an adviser to Lakestar, one of Europe’s largest venture-capital funds.

ITN Science Editor, Deborah is the former investigations editor of the BMJ. As investigations editor of the BMJ, much of her work has focused on drug and medical device regulation, access to clinical data, cost of medicines, research integrity and conflicts of interest. She has collaborated on documentaries with the BBC Panorama and Newsnight, Channel 4 News and Dispatches, The Telegraph, as well has having worked with the Cochrane Collaboration.

Dumi Oburota is the Nigerian-British entrepreneur credited for engineering Patrick Okogwu AKA Tinie Tempah's rise to stardom. He is also attributed to being behind strong acts like WizKid and asides music, he boasts a clothing label under his "Disturbing London" company. Now he is on a mission to make Disturbing London "a stamp of coolness for millennial, urban culture".

Ellis has headed a national newspaper business, turned around the Greyhound Bus operation in the US and ran Simon Cowell’s Syco Corporation before he took charge of Scottish media group DC Thompson, steering them into the digital age with interests from local newspapers to cloud computing. Highly engaging speeches, full of original thinking and humour, Ellis shows how to deal with disruptive forces, create a positive culture and inspire enthusiasm throughout the organisation.

After joining the BBC in 1989 as a Northern Ireland Correspondent, within less than a year Fergal Keane was appointed to become the BBC correspondent in South Africa where he covered stories including townships unrest, the first multi-racial elections at the end of the apartheid and genocide in Rwanda.

Fiona "Fi" Glover is a British BBC journalist and presenter and, until March 2011, the host of BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live.

Gavin Esler is also an event host, a moderator for business conferences and a lecturer on subjects as diverse as British and American politics, communications and the future of the media. He delivered the prestigious 2017 Magnusson Lecture on how institutions and individuals can build trust — and how to recover if they lose it. He has spoken on similar themes with groups as diverse as senior British military officers, financial consultants, lawyers, senior public officials, politicians and leaders of international corporations. He has hosted conferences with business and political leaders in venues in the United States, Indonesia, Singapore, China, Turkey, the UAE, and all across the UK and Europe.

Georgie Barrat writes about tech for a range of publications including The
Mirror, Marie Claire, Huffington Post & Tech City News and has spoken on the subject for the likes of ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC.

Guto Harri is the Director of Communications at 10 Downing Street and a key adviser to Boris Johnson having also worked for him at London’s City Hall. Prior to that he spent 18 years at the BBC.

Hardeep Singh Kohli was born in Glasgow in 1969. A BAFTA-winning broadcaster, he was the writer of the Channel 4 hit Meet the Magoons, a presenter of Radio 4's Saturday Live, Midweek and The Food Programme, as well as contributor to numerous radio programmes such as Radio 4's Front Row and Radio 3's Nightwaves, and a movie reviewer on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Heather Rabbatts is a Jamaican lawyer, businesswoman, and broadcaster, who rose to prominence as Chief Executive of the London Borough of Lambeth, the youngest council chief in the UK.

Iain Dale has been a contributing editor for GQ and writes for various national newspapers and magazines, including the Guardian, the Independent, the New Statesman, the Spectator and Attitude.

Ian Robertson is a Scottish broadcaster, writer and former international rugby player. He is best known as a rugby union commentator for BBC Radio.

With over 25 years experience in future analysis, James is a remarkable record as a writer, analyst, and presenter. James is also a leading futurologist and author of considerable reputation. James has a zealous interest in key trends and statistics facing current and future businesses. James' work challenges organisations to better anticipate change and adapt faster.

As the founding editor of Loaded, James Brown redefined magazine publishing and set the cultural agenda for a generation of young men.

Jamie Bartlett is the Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at the think tank Demos. He specialises in online culture and the dark net.

Jane Hill currently presents the BBC News at One, Six and Ten, and has a regular slot on the BBC News Channel; she also hosts the channel’s weekly Film Review with Mark Kermode. She chairs Dateline London on BBC World News, and on radio presents Saturday PM on Radio 4. Jane has previously presented The World Tonight on Radio 4, and the Jeremy Vine programme on Radio 2.

Jane Martinson is the head of media and was the Chair of Women in Journalism.

In his 35 years at the German Television Network ARD, he produced over 500 television segments. He served twice as combat correspondent in Iraq. His investigative reports on security policy, espionage activities and weapons technology appear in leading publications in Europe, including Cicero, Focus, Le Point, Stern, Welt and ZEITmagazin. He is author of “High-Tech Espionage”, published in fourteen countries. For his current book, “Evolution Without Us” (Plassen Publishing), he interviewed drone pilots and intelligence sources, futurists and Silicon Valley specialists in a 2 ½ year exclusive research.

Jeff Banks CBE has been at the forefront of British fashion throughout the past five decades. He has won numerous awards and citations around the world. His career can truly claim he has changed the course of fashion, as we know it today.

Jeff Randall is one of the UK's leading business commentators. He is Editor-at-Large of The Daily Telegraph, and a regular presenter on Sky News and Five Live. Known for speaking his mind, Jeff's speeches mix crystal ball gazing with an insider's take on the runners and riders. As one of the UK's best known and most influential business commentators, Jeff proves to be an ideal moderator and host at various conferences throughout the country. Being relaxed and highly professional he draws on his extensive media experience to provide audiences with a truly memorable event.

Jo Fairley is co-founder of the pioneering organic chocolate company Green & Black’s, which has gone from a niche organic and Fairtrade brand to a global chocolate name - voted ‘Coolest Food Brand in the UK’ for the sixth year running, by Coolbrands. Engaging and passionate, Jo never fails to inspire – and is always happy to network with attendees, offering more direct input to individuals.

Joff Sharpe is one of Britain’s more colourful businessmen. Unusual entries on his CV include: a year living amongst the Iban headhunters of Borneo, running an internet company for Rupert Murdoch and being Piers Morgan’s HR director.

Every Sunday, millions tune in to John Craven OBE as he highlights rural and environmental issues in Britain on the BBC broadcast CountryFile. John has been a part of the CountryFile team for nearly 25 years. However, what made John a household name was his role in presenting and editing John Craven's Newsround - the first TV news show for children.

John Humphreys is a Welsh author, journalist and presenter of radio and television, who has won many national broadcasting awards.

John is best known for his role as the BBC's chief political correspondent, a position that he held from 1992-2000. John was voted the "Best Individual Television Contributor of the Year" at the Voice of the Listener and Viewer Awards for 1999. John's long dormant career in comedy was revived in 1998 when he appeared in an edition of "Have I Got News For You" on BBC 2. Ian Hislop said he had been one of the funniest guests in the history of the program. John is a highly acclaimed corporate speaker, brilliant awards host, challenging conference chair and excellent anecdotal after-dinner speaker.

John has worked for BBC all of his life, and since becoming the BBC News World Affairs Correspondent, he has reported from more than 120 countries, including thirty war zones, and has interviewed many world leaders. His impressive reporting career has seen him avoiding bullets in Tiananmen Square Massacre, being one of the first reporters in Afghanistan in 2001 disguised by wearing a burka, and being hunted by Robert Mugabe's forces in Zimbabwe. With over 40 years experience in international journalism he has the ability to cover topics from highly factual and intense World Affairs to more light-hearted and amusing tales from his extensive travels.

Jonathan "Jon" Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, producer, director, television host, actor, media critic, and stand-up comedian.

Jonathan’s distinguished playing career began in 1978 when he made his debut for Leicestershire following impressive performances in club cricket. He was to stay with the county throughout his playing career before retiring aged 30. Jonathan played in 218 matches and took 666 wickets in his first-class career. During the 1987 season he took 101 wickets and his career-best bowling figures were 9-70. He took six ten-wicket hauls and was selected as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1988.

Josh Littlejohn MBE is the co-founder of Scottish social enterprise Social Bite, a national chain of sandwich and coffee shops, which shot to global fame when Holywood A-lister George Clooney visited an outlet in 2015. Another Oscar winner Leonardo Di Caprio then visited the social enterprise in 2016.

June Saprong has had a flourishing 12 year career which began at MTV UK and has already seen her become a media phenomenon and is the only presenter of her generation that is equally comfortable interviewing politicians, celebrities and members of the public alike.

Lady Karren Brady CBE is one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the world and has travelled the globe inspiring and motivating audiences. She has, for the past decade been considered as one of the best speakers in the world on a range of topics that leave audiences inspired and motivated.

Kate Humble is an English television presenter, specialising in wildlife and science programmes. She was also the President of the RSPB until 2013.

Kay Alexander MBE was a BBC Midlands news presenter, working as Anchor on the Midlands Today flagship programmes. She is very proud to have been the face of Midlands Today News for 40 years. In 2013, Kay was awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting and charity, and given an Honorary Doctorate by Birmingham University, recognising services to broadcasting. Kay won the Royal Television Society Award in 2003 which marked 30 years in the business. In 2016 she presented a feature film "The Path of Inspiration" premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

Kelvin MacKenzie is an English media executive and former newspaper editor. He is best remembered for being editor of The Sun newspaper between 1981 and 1993, an era in which the paper was firmly established as Britain's best selling tabloid. No stranger to controversy, MacKenzie was responsible for some of the Sun’s most famous stories and headlines including: ‘Gotcha’ in reference to the sinking of the Argentinean battleship General Belgrano, the controversial coverage of the Hillsborough disaster, and probably the most famous headline in the Sun’s history ‘Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster'.

One of the brightest new talents to ascend through such programmes as Newsround and Newsnight, Krishnan brings great flair to his reports and presentation- flair borne of intelligence, knowledge and sound programming instinct. The range of his work- as producer and journalist for BBC Television News and as a presenter on World Service Television News and until recently location reporter on National Lottery Live- underlines Krishnan's unique talent and versatility. He is now a lead presenter alongside Jon Snow.

Prior to the South Today team, Laura has worked on BBC Newsround in London, and on various Radio 2 programmes including the Jeremy Vine Show and Michael Parkinson’s programme.

Lawrence Dallaglio is a retired English Rugby Union player and former captain of the English national team.

Linda Davidson launched E4 and Channel 4’s digital offerings and then became European IT Director for Discovery Networks. She now lectures and helps companies to deliver ROI from their online platforms.

Liz Jackson is an inspirational figure with an extraordinary story, as many would have discovered when she was featured in Channel 4’s ‘Secret Millionaire’. Honoured by Her Majesty the Queen, Liz was awarded an MBE in the 2007 for services to business, and in 2012 she was bestowed with an honorary doctorate by Staffordshire University for her business achievements and for inspiring others.Liz is also an accomplished author, having published her book StartUp! which provides invaluable help and advice to entrepreneurs everywhere.

Sci-fi-reading, piano-playing, geek-foodie LJ Rich writes & presents on BBC TV, radio & online. She explains trends & concepts in technology and social media

When thinking of Lord Alan Sugar it is difficult not to imagine the dreaded words ‘you’re fired’. However, it’s good to learn that although he doesn’t mince his words and definitely doesn’t suffer fools gladly, Lord Sugar is actually a considerate man and a philanthropist. He says what he means and can come across as abrupt at times, but his sense of humour is evident, as is his genuine desire to improve both the business and life experience of others.

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.

Louise Minchin is a British journalist and news presenter who currently works freelance within the BBC.

Through his career Luke Goss’s versatility has earned him a solid reputation in the entertainment industry with this roles in music, music theatre and the world of film.

As a leading figure in private equity and the man behind several instantly-recognisable high street brands, Luke Johnson is one of the few entrepreneurs whose speeches resonate with on-man-band businesses and Sunday Times readers alike.

Mac Attram is the CEO of Mac Attram Group and is a multi-award winning Investor, Mentor, Incubator, Educator and Author. He has been featured as an expert advisor across a string of media platforms, including Sky TV, The Guardian, Forbes, The Huffington Post, VOX Africa & Real Business Magazine.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock is an English space scientist. She is a research fellow in UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies. Since 2014, she has co-presented the long running astronomy TV programme The Sky at Night.

Mark Barton was one of the founding journalists of the channel’s European operations in London in 1995 and played an integral role in establishing Bloomberg TV as the influential global business news network it is today.

Mark Cuban is an American businessman, investor, and owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres, and Magnolia Pictures, and the chairman of the HDTV cable network AXS TV.

Retail expert Mary Portas is probably the UK’s foremost authority on retail and brand communication. As founder of one of London’s most respected retail & brand communication agencies, Yellowdoor, Mary is recognised throughout the trade as the Queen of Shops.

Matt Frei is part of the wider presenting team across Channel 4's news and current affairs portfolio, including the award-winning ‘Dispatches’ programme. From September 2016, Matt also started presenting the 10 o’clock show every Saturday on LBC Radio, discussing issues with callers and using his wealth of experience and in-depth knowledge of politics on both sides of the Atlantic to share his own opinions on worldwide matters of interest.

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.

Since leaving politics, Michael has devoted himself to writing and broadcasting. Charming and charismatic, he is a regular on both BBC 1's "This Week" programme and Radio 4's "The Moral Maze". He has made radio and television documentaries on a wide range of subjects, including three series of "Great British Railway Journeys" for BBC 2.

Michelle Mone is the creator of 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. 2009 was a giant milestone for Michelle professionally; not only was Ultimo the first UK lingerie brand to debut on the catwalk at New York Fashion Week, but she opened 20 'shop in shops' within Debenhams in key cities throughout the UK and landed a mammoth deal with Tesco clothing to develop, design and manufacture 'Diamond Boutique' lingerie.

Nick Hewer is the host of Countdown and was Lord Sugar’s right-hand man on The Apprentice for almost ten years. On the business reality contest Nick’s wry looks and deadpan comments became a favourite part of the show and revealed exactly what he thought of the contestants.

Nick Mullins is a British journalist and sports commentator, primarily working on BT Sport's Premiership Rugby coverage.

Nina is Arts Editor for ITV News. She was previously a News Correspondent. Nina covers stories in the world of arts and entertainment and interviews the industry's big names. Nina's interviewees have included Daniel Craig, Karl Lagerfeld and Dame Helen Mirren.

After working with high-profile bands and musicians around the world for twenty years, singer / songwriter Patti Russo is launching her solo career with a tour of the UK and an EP of her own music. Patti is best known as a duet partner for Meat Loaf, with whom she has toured the world for two decades. She has also worked with Cher, Queen, Bryan Ferry, Betty Harris and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, to name a few. Patti Russo is also no stranger to the theatre stage, having appeared as Esmeralda in the London production of Notre-Dame de Paris and as Killer Queen in the Las Vegas production of Queen and Ben Elton’s smash hit musical We Will Rock You.

Paul Mason was Culture and Digital Editor of Channel 4 News, becoming the programme's Economics Editor 2014, a post he formerly held on BBC2’s Newsnight programme. He is the author of several books, and a visiting professor at the University of Wolverhampton.

Phill Jupitus’s vast range of talents has allowed him to have a variety of careers from music to television to stand up comedy making him an excellent entertainer.

Piers Morgan was Editor of the Daily Mirror until his dismissal following a decision to publish photos of British soldiers apparently abusing Iraqi prisoners of war. He is now better known as a judge on Britain's Got Talent, after proving a big hit on the US version. On 17 January 2011, he began hosting Piers Morgan Tonight for CNN in the timeslot previously occupied by Larry King Live before the retirement of host Larry King. His book, The Insider, private diaries of a scandalous decade, became an instant number one bestseller and sequel Don’t You Know Who I Am? Insider diaries of fame, power and naked ambition topped the bestselling list as well as God Bless America.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents the One, Six and Ten O'Clock News on BBC1 and also reports at home and abroad. She was previously Education and Social Affairs correspondent, and spent many years reporting politics from Westminster.

Having worked with over 10,500 CEOs and 150,000 managers in 36 countries, and having built up multiple start-up companies in the UK, Dubai, and Bahrain, Reg has developed into an influential and profound businessman, and a specialist in human capital management and human potential development. Reg is also a best-selling author, having huge success with multiple books on the topics of corporate social responsibility and maximizing human potential.

Reggie Yates is a British actor, television presenter and radio DJ, best known from his roles as Rastamouse, Leo Jones in Doctor Who, and for his work at the BBC in radio and television.

Rita McGrath is regarded as one of the world’s top experts on strategy and innovation with particular emphasis on developing sound strategy in uncertain and volatile environments. Her ideas are widely used by leading organisations throughout the world, who describe her thinking as sometimes provocative, but unfailing stimulating. She fosters a fresh approach to strategy amongst those with whom she works.

Robert Phillips is the author of the ground-breaking and controversial Trust Me, PR is Dead; a Visiting Professor at Cass Business School; and co-founder of Jericho Chambers. Robert advises major companies and organisations committed to a better society and the common good – helping them navigate towards meaningful change through what they do, not what they say.

An accomplished businessman and public speaker whose experience is unique having worked at a Director/CEO level in five global companies across multiple industries at times of rapid change. He has run businesses with turnovers between £400m and £2bn, with millions of customers and thousands of staff. Whilst at BBC, Roger delivered 3 successful businesses creating and adding over £750m of value to the BBC. He was also instrumental in the overall BBC wide change programme.

Rupert Gavin is the former CEO of the Odeon Cinema Group, the largest cinema group in Europe. Prior to that he was head of BBC Worldwide, responsible for all their commercial activity whilst overseeing a huge and controversial programme of diversification.


Sandi Toksvig OBE is the former host of Radio 4’s News Quiz. She is also author of Girls Are Best, which shows how women have always pulled off the greatest feats and made the most important inventions. Witty, quick to challenge and charismatic for awards and after dinner she gives her take on current affairs, of one kind or another.

Shami Chakrabarti CBE was, from September 2003 to March 2016, the director of Liberty, the British civil liberties advocacy organisation. In September 2014, she took up the role as Chancellor of the University of Essex.

Shaun Keaveny presents the breakfast show on digital radio station BBC Radio 6 Music.

Shed is a hysterical entertainer, business speaker, perpetual entrepreneur, and motivational performer. Shed Simove’s expertise in creativity, innovation and idea generation inspires significant, profitable changes that equip audiences with the tools to generate new ideas for increased sales and opportunity.

Born and educated in Trinidad in the West Indies, Sir Trevor McDonald began a career in media as a radio reporter, news presenter and sports journalist. In 1969 Trevor worked as a Producer in the BBC Overseas Regional Service. He then went on to produce Current Affairs programmes for the BBC WORLD Service and in 1973 he joined the ITN as a General Reporter. After travelling all around the globe covering sports and politics, Trevor became the Diplomatic Correspondent and Presenter of Channel Four News in 1982 for which he has received many awards

Sophie has enjoyed a long globetrotting career as a travel journalist but moved closer to home when she trained as a London tour guide and wrote a book on the English summer season. She now combines writing and guiding with travelling at home and abroad and spends as much time as she can in her home town of London.

A consultant to FTSE 100 and multi-national companies in the UK, USA and beyond at CEO level, Stephen is well placed to provide commentary on business, economic and business trends and offer insightful perspectives on the changing nature of the world economy and corporate world. Stephen talks both in the capacity of an advisor to businesses and from the perspective of a business owner and someone who has set up and sold businesses in the past – he provides an impartial, diverse and highly experienced voice.

Stephen Mulhern is best known for his smash hit television shows ITV1’s Saturday morning show Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown, Tricky, Fingertips, Globo Loco, the BAFTA award winning Quick Trick Show and Ministry of Mayhem. After stepping away from Saturday morning children’s TV he went onto host Dancing on Ice-Defrosted and Britain’s Got More Talent, the ITV2 spin offs from the massive ITV1 hit shows.

Steve Richards has written columns for the Guardian, Independent, New Statesman and Spectator. He regularly presents Radio 4's Week in Westminster and hosts a one-man show, Rock N Roll Politics.

Susannah Streeter is the anchor for World Business Report on BBC World Service and BBC World TV, delivering breaking stories and gaining insight into unfolding economic events from entrepreneurs, economists and analysts.

Timo Kiuru is a true global citizen having worked in cities as diverse as Seoul, Istanbul, San Diego, New York, Miami, Barcelona, Paris, Seattle, Tokyo, Helsinki, Abu Dhabi, London, Kazan, Stockholm, Porto, Toronto, Las Vegas, Tallinn, Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Trevor Eve is a British film and television actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series Shoestring and is also known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC television drama Waking the Dead.

Will Francis is an expert on digital and social media, consumer and emerging tech, marketing and advertising as well as business, particularly small new businesses, such as tech and media start-ups.

Will Gompertz is an Arts Editor and previous director of Tate Media. In 2009 he sold out a one man comedy show called Double Art History at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In 2002, William was appointed as the editor of Waitrose's magazine that was then named 'Food Illustrated', where his work led to a string of awards for his editorials, writing, photography, and stories. William still writes for Waitrose and a host of other magazines, even making his was onto our TV screens as a food critic and journalist.