Cultural Issues Speakers

The Rt Hon Jack Straw MP is Member of Parliament for Blackburn, having previously served in successive senior Cabinet positions in Labour governments from 1997 through to 2010

Jack Straw is one of the most experienced British and European politicians. During his long career including continuous Cabinet-level roles, he has taken a leading part in many momentous political decisions in both national and international politics.

He has a reputation for clear thinking and professional, pragmatic good sense.

After a prominent radical role in national student politics in the 1960s, he qualified and worked as a barrister, did three years as an advisor to two Cabinet Ministers (Barbara Castle, and Peter Shore), and was then on Granada TV’s flagship “WORLD IN ACTION” programme. He was a London borough councillor, and Deputy Leaders of the Inner London Education Authority.

He first entered Parliament as a Labour MP representing Blackburn in 1979. He had a number of Shadow Cabinet roles before becoming Home Secretary after the Labour Party’s 1997 election victory, and then Foreign Secretary in 2001 and Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal in 2006. He served as Lord High Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice from 2007 until 2010.

Now again in Opposition, Jack Straw continues to play a leading role in national politics, on home and foreign policy, and not least in issues involving the UK’s Muslim population (his constituency Blackburn has a sizeable Muslim community). His deft personal style combines with his immense domestic and foreign policy insight (he was closely involved in key decisions before and after the intervention in Iraq) to make him a formidable and fascinating expert speaker.

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After three decades in Parliament and successive Cabinet positions, Jack Straw is one of the most experienced and insightful British and international political figures.

Jack Straw read law at Leeds University and in the 1960s became a national student leader known for radical positions, to the point of being described by the Foreign Office as a “troublemaker acting with malice aforethought” for his political activity involving Chile. After qualifying as a barrister he had various media roles and entered Parliament in 1979 as the MP for Blackburn. He was Shadow spokesman on Education, then Environment and Shadow Home Secretary before being appointed Home Secretary after the Labour Party won the 1997 general election.

His time as Home Secretary had its fair share of controversies (including new measures to increase police powers to deal with suspected terrorists) but also saw the European Convention in Human Rights incorporated into British law.

Appointed Foreign Secretary in 2001, he soon played a leading role in the dramatic and difficult foreign policy problems arising from the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and then the interventions in Afghanistan and then Iraq. He publicly defended these decisions, although later in January 2010 he told the Iraq Inquiry in London that the 2003 decision to go to war “had haunted him”. In 2006 he was appointed Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal with responsibility for parliamentary reform. He returned to the Opposition benches after Labour lost the 2010 general elections

Jack Straw has attracted publicity for some of his policy positions concerning Muslim issues, not least his call in 2006 for Muslim women not to wear the full veil: “I felt uncomfortable about talking to someone ‘face-to-face’ whom I could not see”. His close relations with his very diverse Blackburn constituency (including his position as honorary vice president of Blackburn Rovers football club) mean that he has given a lot of thought to sensitive community relations issues in a modern democracy. In 2009 on the BBC’s Question Time TV programme he was a member of the panel which included British National Party leader Nick Griffin.

Although often criticized for his firm approach to a number of civil liberties questions concerning suspected terrorists and then his high-profile role in supporting the Iraq intervention, Jack Straw remains a popular figure in the UK and Europe, not least for his wry sense of humour: as Home Secretary he joked that his large department was “full of civil servants working diligently on projects that might ruin my career”.

His disarmingly understated, professional style as well as his formidable intellect and practical experience in so many policy areas give him a unique profile, not only in the UK and European Union but also at the international level. Few active politicians today match his insight and breadth of senior policy knowledge. He has many striking personal anecdotes and thoughtful examples of what works in politics – and what does not.

FORMER ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER METROPOLITAN POLICE FORCE

Tarique Ghaffur spent over three decades in UK policing diligently and passionately working towards making communities safe within Greater Manchester, Leicestershire and London. He found it a personal honour to lead thousands of dedicated and skilled police officers and detectives dealing with community reassurance, investigations, law enforcement, counter terrorism and global security issues.

Tarique made history by becoming the highest ranking Asian and Muslim Police Officer in United Kingdom for which he received several high achievement awards.

Tarique Ghaffur has a BA (Hons) in Public Administration, MA in Criminology, Honary doctorates in Law and Criminal Justice Degrees from Manchester Metropolitan, Leicester and East London Universities. He was awarded the Queens Police Medal (QPM) in and in Commander of British Empire (CBE).

Tarique is a graduate of FBI Academy, veteran of several overseas assignments, and countless international advisory presentations.

A unique combination of recognised role model, an operational leader and all round `hands on’ and `individual` practitioner makes Tarique a unique speaker on professional issues related to leadership, crises response, policing, community dynamics and race relations. He intelligently uses a mixture of real life experiences, stories, case studies and humour to put across his material and often tests conventional thinking by being forthright and controversial on emotive and serious subjects thereby promoting learning. Tarique regularly writes articles on security related matters which are published within authoritative publications. His recent article on Airport Security was published within the Huffington Post.

Career

Tarique Ghaffur joined Greater Manchester Police in 1974 and worked in CID, undercover and uniform roles up to the rank of Chief Inspector in inner city areas including Salford and Moss Side. He led a goodwill mission to India and was commended for his work to tackle street robberies, public disorder and crime investigations.

In 1989 he transferred to Leicestershire Constabulary, where as a Superintendent and then Chief Superintendent, Tarique Ghaffur gained experience in both operational commands in Loughborough and Leicester City, as well as heading a major force re-organisation to implement community based policing. He graduated from FBI Academy, Quantico and was part of team that inspected Jamaica Constabulary Force.

In 1996, Tarique transferred to Lancashire Constabulary as Assistant Chief Constable where he was appointed head of operational policing for the force and for a short period was also responsible for Human Resources. Whilst in Lancashire, Tarique Ghaffur headed a major anti-terrorist operation in relation to the Blackpool Labour Party Conference. He also led a major corruption enquiry into a public organisation.

In 1998 Tarique was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable and worked at the Home Office Police Technology Organisation as operational adviser to develop technology for Policing.

In 1999, Tarique Ghaffur was selected to be a Deputy Assistant Commissioner and transferred to the Metropolitan Police Service. He initially assumed command of territorial policing in South London and in 2000 was appointed as the Commander of Westminster Borough (3,500 staff) with massive responsibility for the government security zone, demonstrations and public events including Nottinghill Carnival and New Year’s Eve celebrations. His innovative leadership made major impact on reducing overall crime in the City of Westminster.

Tarique Ghaffur was promoted to Assistant Commissioner in 2001 and took command of the Policy, Review and Standards Directorate. Amongst a broad portfolio, Tarique Ghaffur worked closely with senior criminal justice partner Heads in London and nationally to formulate an effective and collaborative partnership. He put in place innovative solutions to improve partnership between the Police and Private Sector.

In November 2002, Tarique Ghaffur set up the Specialist Crime Directorate (3200 detectives), to provide a distinct response to tackling all aspects of serious and organised crime in London, including homicide, drugs and gun crime. He was responsible for the institution successful innovative programmes to tackle organised crime around such issues as drugs, human trafficking, Heathrow Airport and serious fraud. He also developed Operational Quadrant to build confidence in South Asian communities in London through effective law enforcement and community engagement.

Tarique Ghaffur has overseen a number of high profile investigations, including the Damilola Taylor and Victoria Climbié cases. In 2004, Tarique Ghaffur carried out a comprehensive crosscutting review of race and diversity within the MPS and played a major part in supporting casualty recovery, investigations and building Community relations after 7 July bombings in London.

Until September 2008, Tarique Ghaffur was responsible for Central Operations (7,000 staff) delivering ‘Capital City Policing’ and `security’ around policing of Airports, Diplomatic missions, security of State buildings. He was also responsible for firearms, public order, traffic, communications and contingency planning. His officers planned for and dealt with over 5000 public events (football, cricket, rugby, concerts, carnivals, New Years Eve celebrations, royal visits, state occasions, demonstrations). Tarique led in co-ordinating the aftermath of foiled terrorist attacks in central London in 2006.

Also, he was the Operational Co-ordinator Lead for the 2012 Olympics for which he has produced a comprehensive and holistic security and safety strategy to protect London and UK during 2012 Olympics. In 2008 he visited the Olympic Games in Beijing and produced an authoritative lessons learnt report. In 2007, He visited India with Mayor of London as one of London’s Ambassadors.

Through over 30 years of policing allied to his personal life, Tarique Ghaffur has created a real sense of proportion around vulnerable communities. He has become recognised as a positive role model, resulting in his receipt of a number of community awards from all sections of the community and high profile public profile on Race Issues within the Police Service. He is well known in South Asia, Middle East and Africa and has become an expert on protecting and securing major cities from terrorist attacks and major emergencies.

Tarique Ghaffur has a BA (Hons) in Public Administration, an MA in Criminology and three honorary doctorates from Universities of Leicester, Manchester Metropolitan and East London. He has attended the International FBI course in the USA and been awarded a Certificate in Criminal Justice Education (University of Virginia). In 2001 Tarique Ghaffur received the Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) and in June 2004 was awarded the CBE (Commander of British Empire) by Her Majesty the Queen.

Tarique Ghaffur has written a number of influential articles on policing and communities, as well as delivering a considerable number of international, national and local presentations on a range of policing issues including changing nature of serious and organised crime, global security and terrorism. Tarique Ghaffur has a strong interest in Asian music and sports – particularly squash – where he has won numerous awards and represented the police service at the national level.

Tarique Ghaffur retired from the Police Service in November 2008 and has since set up a Foundation to promote shared responsibility for security and safety amongst vulnerable communities in UK. He is also a Chairman of Community Safety Development Global Limited which provides innovative security knowledge, solutions and training.

Christine Ockrent is both producer and anchor of the weekly current affairs program France Europe Express on France 3 Television.

She is also president of the advisory board of METRO International France, and a columnist for various French and Swiss newspapers.

Born into a family of diplomats, Christine Ockrent is a graduate of The Institute of political Studies in Paris. She began her career as a journalist for American television when she made her career televisual “scoop” in 1979. While going to interview in prison a former Prime Minister for the Shah of Iran a few days before her execution.

Previously she was editor in chief of the weekly news magazine, L’Express, the only journalist granted an interview with Saddam Hussein in the middle of the Gulf War. As well as becoming the first woman to anchor and edit the prime time news. She has had an outstanding career in television, both as producer of documentaries and anchor of the evening news, where she shaped a style as the first woman presenter and editor.

Ms. Ockrent was also deputy director general of TF1 Television and an editor with RTL Radio. She began her career in broadcast journalism at NBC News and worked for eight years at CBS’ 60 Minutes. She has been awarded several French and international distinctions for her work in TV journalism.

She is a graduate of the Institut d’études politiques in Paris and studied at Cambridge University.

She has written eight books, one of which translated in German (“Wie Julius Caesar den Euro erfand” Rowohlt).

Christine Ockrent is also the author of eight books, Chevalier of the Legion of Honour and member of the board of directors of Reporters without borders, she is married to Bernard Kouchner, a senior French Minister and founder, organizer and president of “Médecins sans Frontières” (1971-1979); and of “Médecins du Monde” (non-profit-making organization whose members, all voluntary and doctors and nurses, help in times of emergency and situations of inadequate medical care in the third world) (1980-1988).

William Crawley is a broadcaster, journalist and writer of Will & Testament, one of the country’s most popular blogs. The diversity of subjects he deals with on television, radio, in print and online inevitably lead others to describe him as “versatile”, though he wonders himself if it isn’t a sign of a short attention span. Or the fact that he’s Irish.

His TV series “Blueprint”, which explored 600 million years of Ireland’s natural history in three hours of television, was described by the BBC in Northern Ireland as the “most ambitious multi-platform broadcasting project” in their history.

In his BBC interview series “William Crawley Meets …”, he travels around the world to talk to some of the controversial thinkers and activists who help shape the modern conversation — from the biologist Richard Dawkins to the philosopher Peter Singer, from the gay bishop Gene Robinson to the architect Richard Rogers.

After hundreds of interviews on radio and television, he realizes that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Which may explain why Ian Paisley first revealed in an interview with William Crawley that he had prayed in private with his former enemy Martin McGuinness; why the Nobel prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney first talked about his pot-smoking days in Berkeley, California; and why Richard Dawkins had second thoughts about the use of the word “delusion” in the title of his global bestseller The God Delusion. Alas, it may also explain why the Holywood screen legend Tony Curtis used so many expletives in one live interview during a lunchtime news programme that he made headlines around the world for “turning the BBC airwaves blue” (as the New York Daily News put it).

A former philosophy teacher, with a PhD in the subject, William is an expert on ethics and religion and has made many programmes investigating contemporary moral debates, including “What’s Wrong With …?”, a round-table discussion show, and “Frozen North”, which took him to the Canadian sub-arctic to investigate the impact of climate change.

With a passion for the arts, William presents The Book Programme for BBC Radio Ulster, has hosted the BBC’s TV coverage of the Belfast Festival since 2005, and has presented features on the arts for Radio 3 and Radio Ulster. One of his biggest challenges was a documentary for Radio 4 in which William was tasked with explaining the annual Loyalist bonfires to an English audience without the use of subtitles.

William has also turned the camera on himself in a semi-autobiographical TV series which examined some of the big issues of our modern age, and some of the obsessions of Irish culture: death, booze and religion. In Dying For A Drink, William joined a very short but nevertheless illustrious list of BBC presenters who have become inebriated on screen. That is, inebriated deliberately.

He also regularly presents news and political phone-in shows for the BBC in Northern Ireland, frequently hosts the drive-time news and current affairs programmes for Radio Ulster, gets up early every Sunday morning to present a specialist religion and ethics programme, Sunday Sequence (which was recently named UK Religion Programme of the Year) and can also be heard presenting Radio 4′s Sunday programme from time to time. He presented an edition of Sunday Sequence live from the Ground Zero site shortly after 9/11, and marked the 50th anniversary of South Africa’s Freedom Charter with a programme broadcast from the cell that held Nelson Mandela.

If this looks like a media career, it’s well to remember that it all happened by accident. Ten years ago, William was asked to present a Thought for the Day, which, at less than 3 minutes, is an ideal format for a short attention span. He’s been broadcasting ever since.

After many years in high-level diplomacy Charles Crawford has a unique profile as an imaginative, dynamic and even provocative speaker who has addressed audiences large and small in English, Polish and Serbian

After an Honours degree in Jurisprudence from Oxford University he qualified as a Barrister before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

From 1985-87 Charles served as Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe’s official Speechwriter, contributing ideas/language for speeches by the Foreign Secretary (major set-piece speeches, Parliamentary debates and less formal after-dinner remarks)

His first job on joining the FCO in 1979 was to head the Indonesia Section, followed by his first posting, to communist post-Tito Yugoslavia. He returned to London in 1984 and after a year on the Aviation Desk was appointed FCO Speech-writer. He was posted to South Africa in 1987 as part of the Embassy team led by Ambassador Robin Renwick working to end apartheid.

Returning to London in 1991 he worked in the FCO Department dealing with the Soviet Union as communist rule collapsed. He then spent three years in Moscow as Political Counsellor and then served three times as HM Ambassador: in Sarajevo (1996-1998); in Belgrade (2001-2003) and most recently in Poland (2003-2007).

In 1987 he wrote the FCO’s first Guide to Speech-Writing, a dynamic text full of real-life examples on how to write speeches – and how to weed out lugubrious mistakes. Two decades later it remains a core part of the FCO’s speech-drafting training

He subsequently contributed to speeches by members of the Royal Family and successive Prime Ministers, as well as different Ministers and other senior personalities in public and commercial life

He left the FCO at the end of 2007 to start a new career as writer, consultant, mediator and trainer. In 2009 he joined the UK Conservative Party candidates list

In recent months Charles Crawford led training courses for senior EU and other officials and private clients aimed at improving their communication skills. He has written for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Independent, DIPLOMAT and Total Politics.

In 2009 his audiences included the Headmasters Conference and Conservative Friends of Poland, as well as private groups and academic gatherings

In 2010 he and other former British Ambassadors in partnership with ADR Group launched a new senior strategic dispute resolution panel, ADRg Ambassadors

Charles Crawford’s trenchant observations on public policy issues are now available to a growing readership on his blog




Such honesty has no place in modern government…it’s bloody dangerous!
Andrew Dodge (Samizdata)

The most telling critique of this delusional foreign policy comes in regular instalments in the form of a blog by the former British ambassador to Poland, Charles Crawford. It’s called www.charlescrawford.biz, and if you want to know just how much in despair many of our diplomats are, this is the place to look
Dominic Lawson (The Times, 2010)

In 2005 a humorous FCO email he wrote as Ambassador to Warsaw (a satirical speech by Prime Minister Tony Blair damning other countries’ selfishness on EU Budget issues) caused a stir when it was leaked to the Sunday Times

His FCO written work was praised at the highest levels in London, NATO and the EU for its uncompromising dynamic style:

“fabulously readable and interesting analysis, with practical application … just about the best scenesetter [No10 staff] have ever seen”

“acrobatic and eye-catching in his use of language”

As a speaker Charles Crawford draws on dramatic episodes from his diplomatic career to explain wider policy themes, paradoxes and trends. His presentations are interesting and thought-provoking, but above all memorable

He is strong on foreign and public policy issues such as:

o Communism (and Vampires)
o Dealing with extremists and war criminals
o Climate change and PPP (perverse precautionary principles)
o Amazon Space: how the Internet is changing the strategic policy context
o International negotiation (as explained by Shrek, the Joker and Clint Eastwood)
o UK/European Union relations: Too Big (not) to Fail

Dr Eamonn Butler is Director and co-founder of Britain’s leading free-market policy think tank, the Adam Smith Institute, and a leading author and broadcaster on economics and social issues. Westminster insiders look forward each week to his wry online commentary on politics and politicians.

Eamonn is the winner, with his colleague Dr Madsen Pirie, of the 2010 National Free Enterprise Award, for the greatest contribution to furthering the market economy. He is Vice-President of the Mont Pelerin Society, an international association of distinguished economists and entrepreneurs, founded in 1947 by the Nobel Prize winner F A Hayek.

After leaving St Andrews University in the 1970s with degrees in Economics, Psychology and Ethics, he joined the brain drain out of bankrupt Britain, becoming a policy analyst at the US House of Representatives in Washington. “There, I saw how laws are made,” he says.

He returned to edit an insurance magazine in the City, and to co-found the Adam Smith Institute, which for ten years became the chief intellectual force behind privatisation, internal markets, contracting out, and other foundations of the Thatcher Revolution.

Eamonn is author of books on a wide range of subjects, from economics through psychology to politics. These include easy-read introductions to the economists Milton Friedman, F A Hayek and Adam Smith, and a short explanation of how markets work, called (modestly) The Best Book on the Market, which he wrote to be “so simple that even politicians can understand it.”

He is also co-author of Forty Centuries of Wage and Price Controls (which traces economic incompetence back to Hammurabi of Babylon) and a series of IQ testers including The Sherlock Holmes IQ Book.

Recently, he has published a popular paperback explaining what has gone wrong with the UK, The Rotten State of Britain (2009), and what he calls a DIY manual for fixing it, The Alternative Manifesto.

His ability to explain complex economic and political issues in a simple, amusing and controversial style has led to Eamonn appearing on speaking platforms in every continent, he says, “except Antarctica – though if the global warming nuts are right, I could break my duck there soon.”

He is an experienced broadcaster, appearing regularly on current-affairs programmes, including The Today Programme, Newsnight, The Week, Any Questions, The PM Programme, Question Time Extra, Five Live Breakfast, Five Live Drive Time, News at Ten, Jeff Randall Live, and Sky News. His articles have appeared in national newspapers including The Times and Sunday Times, The Daily (and Sunday) Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, The Mail and Mail on Sunday, the London Evening Standard, The Scotsman, The Herald and (his personal favourite because “I’ve followed Oor Wullie since I was six and The Broons since I was seven”) The Sunday Post.

His writing for specialist journals such as Financial World and Private Banking has courted controversy recently by maintaining that the financial crisis was caused entirely by “incompetent politicians and regulators” rather than by “greedy bankers”. His insights into the world of political economy and centre-right policy thinking make him much in demand as a speaker and commentator for corporate clients.

In February 2010, Total Politics magazine ranked Dr Butler at 30th on a list of key unelected figures whose work and views exert measurable political influence today.

As one of the worlds leading style and retail experts, Kinvara Balfour advises today’s culture-conscious brands on what is happening in the world of fashion, beauty and style, both physically, on the catwalk and most famously, on the web.

Kinvara has worked in almost every area of the fashion industry. Having won the Lloyd’s Bank Fashion Challenge out of 29,000 entries at 16, she began her career assisting the competition’s judge, Vivienne Westwood, in her design studio. Several years at Tomasz Starzewski followed, alongside a spell as a fashion model.

After university, Kinvara worked as Fashion Assistant and then Features Writer at Tatler. Her appointment as Style Editor at the Saturday Telegraph Magazine followed, where Kinvara gained a reputation as one of London’s most instinctive style writers.

Three years later Kinvara was awarded the role of London Editor for daily email phenomenon DailyCandy.com. A cult hit in USA, this was to be DailyCandy’s first international edition, and Kinvara launched it to mass acclaim. In this role she has become a leading web expert and an authority on everything from fashion and beauty to food and retail culture.

In addition, she has contributed to The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Vogue, Sunday Times Style, The Observer, ES and Quintessentially magazines. She has sat on the British Fashion Council’s prestigious London Fashion Week selection committee and, for several seasons, compiled much of their official literature.

Kinvara’s topics extend well beyond the field of fashion, she speaks on subjects ranging from youth markets to recognising trend changes and leading brand strengths.

Today she hosts trend presentations and consultations around the world. Clients include Pantene, Max Factor, Wella, Clairol, Gillette, Coutts, UBS, Value Retail, Citigroup, Beyman and Canon; she has spoken to audiences in countries as diverse as Romania, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, USA, Israel and Russia. Her groundbreaking seasonal ‘Catwalk Trend Report’ is a favourite with corporations who need to know what’s emerging on the runway.

In addition, Kinvara trained as an actress at Central and has written two plays. Her first, ‘Dazed & Abused’ was staged in Edinburgh, London and New York. Her second, ‘After Invisible’ will premier in London in 2010.

KINVARA BALFOUR CONSULTING

“Kinvara offers an edge as sharp as any Samurai sword, her insights translate into profits for my clients- its that simple”
Jonathan Gabay, Founder, Director Brand Forensics

“Kinvara interprets trends with clarity and insight; she is an articulate and informative speaker with an impressive knowledge of what is happening in the world of style, fashion and beauty. Her sense of humour and charming character serve her well.” Andrea Witty, Communications Manager Procter & Gamble Beauty and Prestige Beauty.

“The moment I met Kinvara I knew she was going to become indispensable to us- she is an articulate, intelligent and very likeable individual. Her knowledge of the world of fashion and beauty is impressive.” Jane Boardman, Director, Talk PR

‘Kinvara’s insights are invaluable and her enthusiasm, infectious. Any fashion, trend or beauty-related company will undoubtedly benefit from what she has to say.’ Brent Hoberman, Co-founder www.lastminute.com, Founder www.mydeco.com & www.profounderscapital.com.

Kinvara has consulted some of the largest global retail brands in the run up to the crucial Christmas trading period. Ever focussed on the future, Kinvara now delivers key insights through The International Catwalk Report: Key Trends in Fashion, Hair & Beauty for Spring/Summer 2010*

During the last few years Kinvara has travelled the world for clients such as Wella, Max Factor, Panthene, Coutts and UBS to share what is happening in the world of fashion, hair and beauty – at private events, conferences and on TV. Industry experts she has worked with on this include Pat McGrath, Mary Greenwell, Sam McKnight and Josh Wood. Now, by popular request Kinvara provides an independent catwalk round-up for Spring/Summer 2010.

This consulting service meets the needs of companies that need to know how to pitch their clients/products to magazine editors and retailers. Any culture-conscious company needs to keep up to date with current trends.

Kinvara has advised many design-related organisations seeking inspiration in modern times, and even fashion-following individuals wanting a secret update on what’s hot (and what’s not)

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC grew up in Glasgow, raised from a working-class background. She has dedicated her professional life to giving a voice to those with the least power by championing civil liberties and promoting human rights.

Elevated to the House of Lords in 1997 – she has argued with passion, wit and humanity for social justice and written and broadcasted on a range of issues, from medical negligence to women and childrens rights.

Beyond the House of Lords, Helena Kennedy is an acclaimed public speaker, regularly requested for lectures and after-dinner speaking.

As a member of the Doughty Street Chambers in London she has been involved in many prominent cases; including the Brighton Bombing, the Michael Bettany espionage trial, the Guildford Four appeal and the bombing of the Israeli embassy. She has acted for many battered women who have killed their husbands.

She was a British member of the International Bar Association Task Force on Terrorism. She currently chairs the inquiry for the Royal College of Pathologists and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health into infant death, following miscarriages of justice where mothers were wrongly convicted of infanticide.

She is a life peer participating in the House of Lords on issues of human rights, civil liberties, social justice and culture.

From 1992 to 1997, she was chair of the constitutional reform group Charter 88, persuading the Labour government to make devolution and human rights legislation central to thier manifesto. She is also on the board of the Independent newspaper and chair of the Human Genetics Commission, advising government on the ethical, social and legal issues related to genetic science.

An active and prominent promoter of education issues, Kennedy was commissioner on the Hamlyn National Commission on Education from 1991 to 1993. In 1997, her report Learning Works, for the Further Education Funding Council sparked great changes within education policy. Subsequently, The Helena Kennedy Foundation was established to help disadvantaged students into higher education.

In 1993, she became the first chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 1993 to 2001 and is now president of the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University, the National Children’s Bureau and vice president of the Association of Women Barristers and the Haldane Society.

She is chair of The British Council and the Human Genetics Commission. A trustee of the Club of Three: a tri-lateral network of countries comprising UK, France, Germany, and the KPMG Foundation. A member of the Foreign Policy Centre advisory council, the International Centre for Prison Studies, World Bank Institute, the Independent News & Media board and the Académie Universelle des Cultures. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the City and Guilds of London Institute.

As a media personality, she has presented radio and television programmes including Heart of the Matter, Raw Deal and the award-winning Time, Gentlemen, Please for the BBC, and is a frequent guest on both radio and television, including Any Questions, Newsnight, Question Time and The Today Programme.

She made the film Mothers Behind Bars, which radically changed policy within women’s prisons. She created the highly political drama series Blind Justice, which lifted the lid on many of the legal scandals of the era.

Helena Kennedy’s new book Just Law: the changing face of justice and why it matters is now available – click here to review or purchase

Allison Pearson is a regular columnist for the Daily Mail. Prior to joining the Mail she was a columnist with London’s Evening Standard and The Daily Telegraph. She began her career with The Independent on Sunday, where she was a TV critic, winning Critic of the Year at the British Press Awards in 1993. Pearson has presented Channel 4′s J’Accuse; BBC Radio 4′s The Copysnatchers and appeared as a regular panellist on The Late Review (Newsnight Review’s predecessor).

She has written one novel, I Don’t Know How She Does It (2002), a lightweight ‘chick-lit’ take on the pressures of modern motherhood.

In I Don’t Know How She Does It, Pearson’s heroine is Kate Reddy, hedge fund manager and mother of two. She can juggle nine different currencies in five different time zones and get herself and two children washed and dressed and out of the house in half an hour. In Kate’s life, Everything Goes Perfectly as long as Everything Goes Perfectly.

Monty Don was born in Germany. After graduating from Cambridge in 1979 he explored various working roles, even setting up as a jeweller. In 1988 he moved to Herefordshire and started his first large garden, and embarked on a career in television and newspaper journalism.

Prior to his current position as lead presenter on the BBC flagship programme Gardeners’ World, Monty filmed around 70 items for Holiday, Summer Holiday, and Holidays Out (BBC), presented Tomorrow’s World (BBC), presented Real Gardens, Fork to Fork and Lost Gardens for Channel Four.

In addition, he has presented RHS shows at Chelsea, Hampton Court and Tatton Park for Channel Four, and wrote, produced, and filmed Don Roaming for C4.

More recently, he presented Painting Flowers for BBC4, and was a contestant on the BBC University Challenge Celebrity Christmas Special. He has recently recorded a pilot Gardening Quiz for Radio 4.

Monty is also a renowned gardening writer: he writes for The Observer, The Mail, Gardeners’ World magazine, and Amateur Gardening. He is the author of ten books, most recently The Complete Gardener (DK, 2003), The Jewel Garden (Hodder, 2004), Gardening from Berryfields (BBC, 2005), and My Roots (Hodder, autumn 2005).

Alongside his television and writing work, Monty has appeared seven times at Hay literary festival, as speaker and interviewer, and has also spoken at Edinburgh literary festival, the Cheltenham literary festival, and Dartington ‘Way With Words’. He has given many paid lectures in UK, Eire, and New York, and last year participated in a panel discussion at the Tate Britain.

Monty actively supports and is dedicated to the charities THRIVE – which specialises in providing gardening opportunities to people with a range of mental health problems – and THE SOIL ASSOCIATION

Rick Stein OBE is the first TV chef everyone thinks of when it comes to seafood. But with his series Food Heroes, Rick has shown that he’s equally passionate about the best of British produce whatever its provenance. In his most recent series French Odyssey, he also revealed a passion for the French way of life, especially the food culture.

Stein didn’t always harbour ambitions to be an award-winning chef. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, he spent several years at running a disco before buying an ailing local nightclub in Padstow.

The venture was not a success and Rick turned to food as a way out. He opened a restaurant that specialised in freshly caught local produce, supplied by the fishermen who had once frequented his club.
Rick has run the Seafood Restaurant for more than 25 years, seeing it grow from a seaside bistro to an award-winning restaurant with an international reputation. Since those early days, the Steins have added guest bedrooms, a Seafood Delicatessen, a gift shop and two smaller restaurants – St Petroc’s Bistro and Rick Stein’s Café. The most recent addition is the Padstow Seafood School overlooking the Camel estuary and a fish and chips takeaway.

He has been honoured for his cookery success with many awards, including the Glenfiddich Trophy for his outstanding contribution to widening the understanding and appreciation of excellent food and drink in Britain through his work as a chef, teacher, presenter and author.

His many TV programmes and books include Rick Stein’s Taste of the Sea, Fruits of the Sea, Seafood Odyssey, Fresh Food, Seafood Lovers’ Guide, Food Heroes, French Odyssey and, most recently, Mediterranean Escapes.

In January 2003, Rick was awarded an OBE for services to Cornish tourism. He’s based in Padstow but spends several weeks each year in Sydney, Australia.

Sir Roy Strong, author, broadcaster, former Director of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, is one of Britain’s best-known public figures. Articulate, witty, often provocative, he is a great communicator much in demand for his opinions and ideas. His many bestselling books include The Story of Britain, The Cult of Elizabeth and The Spirit of Britain.

He was Director of the National Portrait Gallery from 1967 to 1973 and of the Victoria and Albert Museum from 1974 to 1987. In 1980 he was awarded the prestigious Shakespeare Prize by the FVS Foundation of Hamburg in recognition of his contribution to the arts in the UK. He has published a number of highly acclaimed books, most recently The Laskett, the story of the garden he built with his late wife, the film, television and theatre designer Dr. Julia Trevelyan Oman. He is currently working on a history of the Coronation for HarperCollins and A Little History of the English Church for Jonathan Cape.

For a public figure whose career is firmly rooted in the arts, Sir Roy is widely known as a common sense advocate with views on society and the future. His warm and witty style makes him a popular choice as an after dinner speaker; a role he increasingly enjoys.

Professor Lord Robert Winston of Hammersmith is well known today to audiences throughout the world for his several BBC television series, which include The Human Body, Secret Life of Twins and Superhuman, and through which he has shown a great capacity for communicating often complex science to a wide public audience.

He is Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College School of Medicine, London University, and is world-renowned as a fertility expert. He also heads the Department of Reproductive Medicine at the Hammersmith Hospital in London.

His research into embryology and genetics is internationally recognised. As a researcher into human reproduction, Lord Winston helped develop techniques for sterilisation reversal. The improvements he has developed in fertility medicine have subsequently been adopted world-wide. Contrary to popular belief Lord Winston was not part of the team that produced the first test-tube baby in 1978 but he has been most prominent in many areas of research related to various aspects of human reproduction, and founded the first NHS (British National Health Service) In Vitro Fertisation (IVF) Programme. His group’s research enabled families with a history of a particular genetic disease to have children free of fatal illnesses.

Lord Winston is the author of many books, including Infertility – a sympathetic approach (1985); Getting Pregnant (1989); and Making Babies (1996).

Created a Life Peer in 1995, he comments on a wide range of medical, ethical and scientific issues in Parliament, scientific journals and the media. He was recently Chair of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology. He is also Chancellor elect of Sheffield Hallam University.

He currently researches transgenic technology, particularly for models of human disease and organ transplants. He is also continuing to make efforts towards developing methods for maturing eggs outside the body as this would make IVF treatment more affordable and accessible and less intrusive to the hopeful parents.

For his several publications about fertility and pregnancy for a lay readership, Winston was awarded the Royal Society’s Michael Faraday Gold Medal.

Robert Winston has regularly presented science programmes for BBC television, including the groundbreaking series of programmes on the subject of Human Instinct in 2002. The several episodes that comprised the Human Instinct series were, Born to Survive, Deepest Desires, Will to Win and Natural Born Heroes.

His many interests have threatened to take him away from science altogether. As a young man he left medicine to direct an award-winning production of Pirandello at the Edinburgh Festival, and followed this by pursuing a short – and very successful ¬ career as an impresario. His other passions include opera and classical music ¬ he has appeared on quiz programmes on Radio 3 on several occasions – literature, chess, adventure travel, restoring classic cars, landscape gardening (particularly water-features), skiing and Arsenal.

“Scientists must listen to public fears, and respond to the concerns of ordinary people. We must behave responsibly, ensuring our work has the highest ethical standards.”

A child chess prodigy who started playing as a five year old, Kasparov qualified as an International Chess Master at the age of sixteen. Those close to Garry know his unrestrained contagious laugh, his kindness and caring and know him as a multi-faceted and unique person.

All of his adult life the courage of his convictions have been put to the test. His matches against Anatoli Karpov were widely regarded as a show of individual opposition to the authoritarian state. Kasparov was in the fore-front of the anticommunist movement and the resulting threats to his well-being were real.

In 1988, a computer program was devised to analyze a vast collection of chess statistics, in order to create a ranking of the all-time chess greats. Top of the list, was the twenty-five year old Russian, Garry Kasparov. Today, in his late-thirties, Kasparov has been THE WORLD CHAMPION for fourteen years.

He has successfully defended his title more times than any other champion in modern times. On each occasion, his famous attacking style of play and brilliant strategy have proven too much for his opponents.

The restless Russian is always looking for new challenges and for the past decade has astounded the Chess world by beating some of the world’s strongest Olympic chess teams, playing four or six Grandmasters simultaneously.

In February 1996, in Philadelphia, he played IBM’s Deep Blue computer. His opponent was able to analyze 50 billion moves in three minutes. In NYC in May 1997, Kasparov again played the monster computer. The series stands at one match each and the World Champion has challenged IBM to a tie-breaking third match.

The Brain Club and Synapsia elected Garry as its first ‘Brain of the Year’ and described him as ‘The World Chess Champion, athlete and humanitarian both, and a cultivated and curious man who closely follows literature, films and politics’.

He has authored several books on chess and is a regular contributor for the Wall Street Journal. Other recent contributions have been made to TIME magazine and Forbes. His speeches are as dynamic as his chess.

Everywhere he goes he is a guaranteed news story. This is brought about by his forceful personality, his outspoken political and economic views and his greatest passion of all – an undying love of the game of Chess.

Bill Bryson is the bestselling author of The Lost Continent, Mother Tongue, Neither Here Nor There, Made in America, Notes From a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, Notes From a Big Country, Down Under and, most recently, A Short History of Nearly Everything. He is also the author of the bestselling African Diary (a charity book for CARE International). He was born in Des Moines, Iowa, he dropped out of Drake University in 1972 to backpack around Europe and soak up the culture. Some of his experiences from this trip are re-lived as flashbacks in Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe, which documents a similar journey made twenty years later.

Bill Bryson first visited England in 1973 during a tour of Europe, and he returned a few years later to begin working in a psychiatric hospital in Virginia Water, Surrey. It was there that he met a nurse by the name of Cynthia, a native of England who would eventually become his wife. The couple returned to the USA so Bryson could complete his college degree, after which, in 1977, they settled in England, where they remained until 1995. Living in North Yorkshire and mainly working as a journalist, Bryson eventually became chief copy editor of the business section of The Times, and then deputy national news editor of the business section of The Independent. He left journalism in 1987, three years after the birth of his third child.

In 1995, Bill returned to the USA to live in Hanover, New Hampshire for some years, the stories of which feature in his book I’m A Stranger Here Myself, alternatively titled Notes from a Big Country in Great Britain. In 2003, however, the Bryson’s and their four children returned to England, and now live in Norfolk. Also in 2003, in conjunction with World Book Day, voters in Great Britain chose Bryson’s book Notes from a Small Island as that which best sums up British identity and the state of the nation. In the same year, he was appointed a Commissioner for English Heritage.

In 2004, Bill Bryson won the prestigious Aventis Prize for best general-science book with A Short History of Nearly Everything. This concise and popular piece of literature explores not only the histories and current statuses of the sciences, but also reveals their humble and often humorous beginnings. One “top scientist” is alleged to have jokingly described the book as “annoyingly free of mistakes.”

Bill Bryson has also written two popular works on the history of the English language — Mother Tongue and Made in America — and, more recently, an update of his guide to usage, Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words (published in its first edition as The Penguin Dictionary of Troublesome Words in 1983). These books were popularly acclaimed and well-reviewed, though they received criticism from academics in the field, who claimed they contained factual errors, urban myths, and folk etymologies. Though Bryson has no formal linguistics qualifications, he is generally a well-regarded writer on the subject of languages.

In 2005, Bill Bryson was appointed Chancellor of Durham University, succeeding the late Sir Peter Ustinov. He had praised Durham as “a perfect little city” in Notes from a Small Island. He has also been awarded honorary degrees by numerous universities.

In 2006, Bill Bryson ran (as part of a celebrity relay team) in the Tresco marathon, the Scillian equivalent of the London marathon. His most recent book project is a memoir about growing up in 1950s America: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. In November 2006, Bryson interviewed Prime Minister Tony Blair on the state of science and education.

On December 13, 2006, Bill Bryson was awarded an honorary OBE for his contribution to literature. In January 2007, Bryson was the Schwartz Visiting Fellow of the Pomfret School in Connecticut

For 14 years, Peter Hobday was one of the main presenters of the Radio Four flagship programme “Today”. He was the anchor man for the award winning regular advisory “Money Programme” and was also one of the original presenters of the much respected current affairs programme “Newsnight”.

In radio, Peter has presented the “World at One” and “Financial World Tonight” a European Business Weekly, which was subsequently bought by Financial Times Television.

Peter has a lively sense of humour and in addition to his skills as a conference chair he has spoken at countless dinners providing a humorous take on journalism, the media and current affairs. His style is lighthearted, witty and he extensively researches his presentations to personalise the humour to suit the clients audience. Hugely popular with international audiences in both roles, Peter speaks in Europe and the UK in equal measure, making him a rare speaker indeed.

Outside broadcasting and journalism Peter is very much in demand as a conference chairman. He has chaired and spoken at International Conferences ranging from Defence and Automobile Industry, Pensions, Aerospace, Human Resources, Agriculture, Finance and Accountancy.

Peter’s particular skill is getting audience involvement in “Question Time” format sessions. Peter is bilingual in French and English and has used his skills as a regular contributor to French and French-Canadian television. He has also spoken and chaired international conferences using both languages.

Peter Hobday is a visiting professor at De Montfort University of Media Studies, as well as one of the leading media trainers for industry having worked with the majority of companies in the Times Top One Hundred.

Camila Batmanghelidjh is a psychotherapist and founder and director of Kids Company, a charity based in south London devoted to ‘lone’ children. These are children and young people who experience significant psychosocial difficulties because their parent is unable to function as a caring adult. The lack of a functioning adult has a negative impact on their ability to access education, health, housing and meaningful employment.

Born in Tehran to prosperous Iranian and Belgian parents, Batmanghelidjh was sent to public school in Dorset, England. Her father was Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj. After the Iranian Revolution her sister committed suicide, but she was kept on by her school despite a lack of funds.

Severely dyslexic, Batmanghelidjh completed her studies using a tape recorder instead of pen and paper. She completed her degree in theatre and dramatic arts at Warwick University gaining First Class Honours. Then she did a Master’s degree on the philosophy of counselling and psychotherapy, two years of child observation at the Tavistock Clinic in north London and a course in art therapy at Goldsmiths College, in south-east London. For four years, she trained in psychotherapy. She also worked with children as a nanny, and discovered a talent for the work.

Batmanghelidjh used her mortgage repayments to set up The Place to Be, offering psychotherapy and counselling to children in schools. It is now a national project and serves in excess of 20,000 children a year.
Camila is now Director of Kids Company – registered charity 1068298. Kids Company supports children with severe behavioural, emotional and social difficulties resulting from significant levels of trauma and neglect.

The children often suffer from abuse, mental health problems, substance misuse and homelessness. Kids Company aims to restore their trust and provide an environment in which they can begin the healing process, using a carefully designed support system that includes psychotherapy, counselling, education, arts, sports, hot meals and various other practical interventions.

Kids Company currently delivers services to 11,925 clients through – 33 inner-city schools in London, – a drop-in centre at street-level in Camberwell and – a new, post-fourteen educational institute, the Urban Academy in Southwark.

For ten years Kids Company has survived due to the support of charitable trusts and businesses. Camila has taken on and exceeded the challenge of funding the organisation. It has been a ‘hand to mouth’ existence for the organisation and Camila has kept united a staff team who accept that the future is always uncertain. On two occasions she has re-mortgaged her flat to see Kids Company through its lack of funding.

Batmanghelidjh won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2005. She has written Shattered Lives: Children Who Live with Courage and Dignity, ISBN 1-84310-434-2 and other papers. She was also nominated in The Good List 2006, of exceptional people.

Camila Batmanghelidjh was awarded the Woman of the year award for 2006 in recognition of her work with Kids Company.

She has curated two major art exhibitions, one called “Shrinking Childhoods” at the Tate Modern in 2005 and “Demons and Angels: Does it have to be this way?” at Shoreditch Town Hall.

Ed Stourton joined the Today programme in January 1999 and left in December 2008 following an illustrious career as a foreign correspondent and television news presenter. Things could have been very different. In his first interview for a broadcasting job after leaving university, John Birt (then at LWT) told him: “I could send you a polite letter saying we had no vacancies, but frankly, it would be a waste of the postage stamp.”

Ed went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read English literature before joining ITN as a graduate trainee in 1979. He was a founder member of Channel Four News in 1982, working as a scriptwriter but adding producer, duty home news editor and chief sub-editor to his duties.

He reported from Beirut for the first time in 1983 and spent most of the next decade covering foreign news. He was appointed Channel 4′s Washington correspondent in 1986 covering the final years of the Reagan presidency and the 1988 presidential campaign.

In 1988, he joined the BBC as Paris correspondent. In 1990 he returned to ITN as diplomatic editor, and during his three years in the job he reported from Baghdad during the Gulf War, from Bosnia during the siege of Sarajevo, from Moscow in the final days of the Soviet Union and from Europe throughout the negotiations leading up to the Maastricht summit.

In 1993, he returned to the BBC to present the One O’Clock News and editions of Correspondent, Assignment and Panorama before joining the Today team in 1999.

An expert on Roman Catholicism, in 1997 he presented Absolute Truth, a landmark, four-part series for BBC Two on the modern Catholic Church and wrote a book to accompany the series.

In addition to his presenting duties on Today, Ed often reports for Radio 4 on religion and current affairs.

The Earl du Cardinal

Philip Holzberg is widely recognised as the connoisseurs’ ideal dinner guest, his knowledge, charisma and style have made him an honoured guest and raconteur at the greatest tables in the world. Holzberg has been in wines-and-spirits all his working life, beginning with his restaurants and wine bars in the 1970’s, in his native Toronto, Canada. “Ï knew from the beginning that I would move to France, the spiritual home of the finest wines and spirits in the world, and make my own”, he says. He is now a successful winemaker in both Burgundy and Bordeaux, living in the latter area with his wife and two young children at their family property, Chateau Franc-Cardinal in Tayac, not far from St. Emilion.

The love affair began in Cognac when he moved permanently to France in 1990 to become Export Director of Cognac Otard, based in the historic Chateau de Cognac, where King of France, François 1er, who hob-nobbed with Leonardo da Vinci, was born in 1494. “It was magnificent”, says Philip. “We didn’t have a lot of 15th-century castles where I grew up!”

It was here that he met his wife Sophie, of the fifth – generation family firm Cognac Hardy, known for the elegance of their very old eaux-de-vie. They thus have ready access to “the good stuff” when they want it.

As Philip says, “There’s always a bottle of the sixty-year-old around which, when the kids are at last in bed, or if a special friend is around, we dim the lights and enjoy.”

The Holzberg’s epitomise the French aspirational lifestyle, Bon chic, bon genre. Philip’s enormous character and strength of knowledge mean he is beloved of Frenchmen and all those gentlemen across the globe for whom eating, drinking, smoking and living the very best life possible is a task to be taken very seriously indeed.

“Wine is meant for lively discussion”, he says. “Cognac – the finest ones – are meant for contemplation. And what better accompaniment for contemplation, with a superb, aged cognac, than a fine cigar?”

Highly successful and popular speaker Wayne offers audiences insights into entrepreneurship, creativity, common sense and moving onto new challenges. Inspirational and hugely entertaining, Wayne’s energizing presence leaves audiences feeling inspired, motivated and empowered.

Wayne Hemingway’s career in fashion began in 1982 with a stall selling second hand clothes on Camden Market and peaked when his label Red or Dead was sold in a multi-million pound deal in 1999. Red or Dead became one of the strongest British brands of the 90s. Hemingway has since been involved in many award-winning redevelopments of urban environments in Gateshead, Manchester, Lothian, London and elsewhere.

Born in Morecambe in 1961 Hemingway grew up in Blackburn, the son of Billy Two Rivers, a Mohawk Indian wrestling champion. Hemingway is part punk, part pop star, part speak-it-like-it-is northerner. He relies heavily on gut instinct when looking at new projects and backs it up with a remarkable work ethic. The enormous success of Red or Dead came despite opposition from the fashion industry which sneered at the labels cheap, playful street style and didn’t like it when Hemingway grinned back.

After dominating the London fashion scene in the mid-1990s, Red or Dead was sold in 1999 and Hemingway began a new business, Hemingway Design. Operating under the strapline “We design things” the firm has created objects ranging from Pure’s “The Bug” radio, to carpets, to Sky’s set-top digibox. Hemingway prides himself on creating designs that “can add something to people’s lives–without hurting their wallets!”

Hemingway Design has also been successful as a creator of affordable low-cost housing. Wayne is a Geography and Town Planning graduate from University College London but had no experience of the construction industry. Working with house builder Wimpey in 2005 he created the Staithes South Bank, an 800-unit development In Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. This was the first in a series of award-winning building projects that includes The Birchin, an apartment block in Manchester built with affordability for the inhabitants ahead of profitability.

Hemingway insists that his main motivation is to change things and to leave a legacy. He has done just that first in the fashion world and now with development projects across Lancashire, the North and in London.

Hemingway’s extensive humour and no-nonsense style have impressed audiences in over 30 countries.
His mission is to deliver messages that inspire and improve the daily effectiveness of each and every member of the audience, making them more productive, creative, forward thinking and above all, able to get straight to the point!