Organisational Culture Speakers

Sir Ranulph Fiennes was born in 1944 and educated at Eton. He served with the Royal Scots Greys before joining the SAS. He was then the youngest captain in the British Army.

In 1968 he joined the army of the Sultan of Oman and in 1970 was awarded the Sultan’s Bravery Medal.

Since 1969 when he led the British Expedition on the White Nile, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has been at the forefront of many exploratory expeditions.

Described in 1984 as the “World’s Greatest Living Explorer” by the Guinness Book of Records, his expeditions around the world include Transglobe (the world’s first surface journey around the world’s polar axis) 1979-82; North Polar Unsupported Expedition (furthest north unsupported record) 1986; Anglo-Soviet North Pole Expedition 1990/91; co-leader of the Ubar Expedition (which in 1991 discovered Ptolomy’s long-lost Atlantis of the Sands, the frankincense centre of the world); leader of the Pentland South Pole expedition 1992/93 (which achieved the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic Continent and the longest unsupported polar journey in history).

By drawing the analogy between nature’s most dangerous and difficult challenges, and the very real day-to-day business challenges in the 1990s, Sir Ranulph Fiennes involves each individual in the audience on a very personal level.

The elements vital to the success of an expedition include teamwork, determination, patience, discipline, enthusiasm and creative thinking. Building a team with the right character and attitude is of paramount importance. Persistence, tolerance, planning skills, high organisational ability, flexibility to meet and beat unexpected obstacles, goal-setting and performing under extreme pressure are clearly all factors in the success of Sir Ranulph’s remarkable endeavours.

As a motivational speaker popular with both UK and European audiences, Sir Ranulph demonstrates how the qualities of the explorer/adventurer are applicable, crucial even, to success in the business world.

“It is quite remarkable how appropriate the review of your exploits turned out to be. Many comparisons could be drawn between your efforts and those we ask of our own people, such as decisiveness, tenacity, courage and the will and determination to succeed. It is for that reason that your presentation was amongst the most relevant and successful we have yet held for our staff”
Paul A. Verburgt, Executive Vice President, Bank of America

“Congratulations not only on your heroic accomplishments, but also in the manner in which you convey this story to an audience”
E.C. Rogers, Vice President Marketing IBM Corporation

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.

Former Chief of the General Staff and Senior Advisor at PA Consulting Group

General Sir Mike Jackson GCB CBE DSO has had a distinguished career, serving in numerous high-profile and difficult roles requiring operational leadership, strategic insight and unfailing good judgement.

Gen Sir Mike Jackson served as Chief of the General Staff (CGS) from 2003 – 2006, the culmination of four decades in the British Army. He previously served as Commander in Chief Land Command (from 2000), Commander Kosovo Force (in 1999), Commander ACE Rapid Reaction Corps (from 1997) and Director General Development and Doctrine at the MoD.

His active service included command at company and brigade level in Northern Ireland, divisional command in Bosnia, and corps commander in Macedonia and Kosovo.

Gen Sir Mike Jackson is now Senior Advisor at PA Consulting Group and has other consulting roles. He is a trenchant and authoritative commentator on military and other issues. He draws on a wealth of unique experience, combining sharp-end military action and the heavy responsibility of many life-and-death policy and command decisions.

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After four decades in military service culminating in three years as Chief of the General Staff from 2003-06, Gen Sir Mike Jackson has a distinguished strategic leadership profile and a powerful and authoritative style.

After a degree in Russian Studies he joined the Intelligence Corps in 1963, transferring to the Parachute Regiment in 1970 where he was present at the infamous 1972 ‘Bloody Sunday’ shootings in Northern Ireland. After a spell as Chief of Staff to the Berlin Infantry Brigade he returned to Northern Ireland and witnessed the grim aftermath of the heavy loss of British troops in the Warrenpoint Ambush in 1979.

After appointments at the Army Staff College and the Ministry of Defence he returned to Northern Ireland for a third time as brigadier commanding 39 Infantry Brigade.

In 1997 he was appointed Commander of the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and served in the Balkans before becoming the UK’s Commander-in-Chief, Land Command in 2000 and finally Chief of the General Staff in 2003. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 2004. He retired from the armed forces in 2006, joining PA Consulting Group and taking on other consultancy positions.

Gen Sir Mike Jackson’s military service involved him in a wide range of morally and operationally challenging situations, most notably his high-profile disagreement in with NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander General Wes Clark in June 1999 over the response to an unexpected Russian military move in Kosovo to occupy Pristina airport. He played the ‘national card’ and referred back to London General Clark’s orders to isolate the Russian contingent (“I won’t start World War III for you”). This more subtle approach paid off – NATO asserted control over the whole of Kosovo successfully and without dangerous confrontation with Moscow.

Gen Sir Mike Jackson subsequently spoke out forcefully in defence of British troops accused of ill-treating Iraqi prisoners when the Daily Mirror published faked photographs, but also apologised publicly in 2005 when British Army abuses in Basra were confirmed. In 2006 after British troops helped free a British peace campaigner kidnapped by Iraqi extremists General Sir Mike Jackson publicly criticised the hostage’s lack of appreciation, saying that he was saddened “that there doesn’t seem to have been a note of gratitude for the soldiers who risked their lives to save those lives“.

In 2006 he used the annual Richard Dimbleby Lecture to say sharp words about the UK Ministry of Defence: “One’s loyalty must be from the bottom. Sadly, I did not find this fundamental proposition shared by the MoD.” In 2007 he criticised the way the Bush administration had handled Iraq, arguing that the US approach had been too focused on military might rather than nation-building and diplomacy.

Gen Sir Mike Jackson now has a strong public profile emphasising leadership and strategic insight. He draws on a wealth of unique experience combining sharp-end military action and the heavy responsibility of many life-and-death policy and command decisions.

His presentations are sharp and memorable, featuring remarkable personal anecdotes and thoughtful examples of both success and failure.

Principle topics:

Leadership
Risk and risk strategy
Effective management and responsibility

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

Brain researcher, Chartered Neuropsychologist, Sony Award-Winning Broadcaster & Best selling author.

Renowned as the ‘father of neuromarketing’ due to his pioneering work in developing the science of Neurometrics, David is Chairman and Director of Research at Mindlab International. Based at the University of Sussex, it is the UK’s leading company specialising in brain research and neuroscience as applied to consumers.

David began his career studying medicine, later switching to psychology, gaining First Class Honours degree in psychology and a doctorate from the University of Sussex. After lecturing in Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology he left, to start his own research organisation.

Over the past twenty years David has made more than a thousand TV and radio appearances as both a presenter and contributor. His television credits include: Red Mist (LWT); Rude London; After Dark; Tomorrow’s World; Shopology (BBC1); 100 Best Television Commercials (Channel 4); Road Rages (BBC1); The Colour Eye (BBC1) – as Presenter; Work is a Four Letter Word (BBC2); The Alpha Plan (BBC1); A Little of What You Fancy (BBC1); Should We Be Worried About? (BBC1) Sky, CNN and the Discovery Channel as well as many others.

David has written many best selling books on practical psychology, including Thinking Better (Rawson Wade) which became a best selling business book and a Fortune Book Club Choice. Also, The Secret Language Of Success (1989) a practical guide to body language which was also a best seller. Business Week wrote: “The best book on the subject”.

Other books include, The Soul of the New Consumer: What People Buy and Why in the New Economy; of this book Tim Waterstone wrote in Management Today: “This is such an enjoyable, important and timely book…required reading.” Bookpage described it as: “…a lucid analysis of a wide range of sales related issues…for anyone in the business of sending those messages, it’s an enlightening and compelling guide.”

David now lectures to major corporations in Europe, Scandinavia, USA and the Far East with clients including IBM, British Airways, BT, Disney, Coca-Cola, MacDonald, Hewlett Packard, SAP, Novartis, Glaxo, and Merck as well as other leading financial institutions and pharmaceutical companies. In 1978 he founded the registered charity Action on Phobias and has been active in working with self-help groups for phobics and anxiety sufferers.

Academic Qualifications & Affiliations
Director of Research Mind Lab International (www.themindlab.org).
First class honours degree in psychology (BSc Hons). University of Westminster, 1981.
Doctorate in Philosophy (D.Phil), University of Sussex, 1986.
Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society.
Fellow of the Institute of Directors.
Fellow International Stress Management Association.
Fellow Royal Society of Medicine.
Member of the American Association for Psychological Science.
Member of the International Society for Neuronal Regulation.
Member of the New York Academy of Science.
Member of the Medical & Scientific Network.
Member MENSA
Member of the Society of Authors.
Member National Union of Journalists.

Professor Roger Steare is a leading practitioner in the development and delivery of Leadership, Culture and Ethics programs globally, for organizations such as BP, Citigroup, HSBC and PwC. He helps people in organizations all over the world develop good thinking and then do the right thing.

Regulators and law enforcement agencies including the FSA, the SFO and the US Department of Justice have endorsed the effectiveness of his highly interactive programs and while his consultancy work has been acclaimed by top executives from firms such as HSBC and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, his book ethicability®: How to decide what’s right and find the courage to do it has been endorsed by President Jimmy Carter and David Cameron MP.

Roger Steare is Professor of Organizational Ethics and Corporate Philosopher in Residence at the Cass Business School in London, where he teaches ethics at undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA levels. He conducts extensive research on human character, judgement and behaviour, and has published research based on over 20,000 “Moral DNA” profiles of people in 162 countries.

He is a Fellow of the influential centre-right policy think tank, Respublica; a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts; and a Fellow of the Institute of Recruitment Professionals.

Roger is a recognized media expert on ethics issues, appearing regularly on BBC Newsnight, the BBC World Service, CNBC Europe and in the FT and The Times. He was a member of the Expert Drafting Committee for Rights and Humanity, invited by the British Government to prepare recommendations for the G20 London Summit in April 2009.

Roger studied the History of Western Philosophy with the late Lord Conrad Russell, son of the great British philosopher Bertrand Russell and draws on a wide range of professional experience as a banker, a social worker, an executive coach and CEO of a UK subsidiary of Adecco, the world’s largest employment agency.

Whether as an enthusiastic, capable conference facilitator, a speaker working interactively among delegates on the floor, or as an advisor and consultant to boards and businesses, Roger’s unique skill set and ability to communicate his advice and views ensure he is constantly in international demand. He unfailingly provokes lively debate and discussion and the fascinating, thought inspiring opinions he holds on ethicability in the world of politics make him an important member of our Election 2010 commentary team.

View the corporate showreel for Prof. Roger Steare, the leading consultant, educator and speaker in the field of ethics.

James Sale FRSA is a Director of Motivational Maps Ltd, an organisation with over 90 Management Consultants and Business Coaches licensed to use its unique product in the UK and abroad.

James is a recognised world expert on motivation, and also the World’s No 1 authority on Motivational Mapping and its application-rich set of tools – Reward Strategies, Management Development, Appraisal and Team Building.

James has 15 years intensive experience in training and mentoring managers, developing teams and appraisal systems, and creating the conditions for change and growth in organisations through understanding how people are incentivised and optimised. His methods and product – the Map – are now increasingly being used in some of the largest companies, the public sector, as well as the small to medium sized businesses.

James has nearly 30 books to his credit listed on Amazon; he has co-authored in total nearer 50 and as a member of the Society of Authors has served as Chair of one of its Writers Groups, and as a member on its Management Board.

Because increased motivation is the foundation of improved performance, the work that James does is exciting, innovative as well as effective. People, teams and organisations learn, usually, for the first time what really motivates them, and exactly how motivated they are, and from that basis how to develop precise reward strategies that target each individual’s, each team’s, and the whole organisation’s needs.

The journey for the managers and the staff is extraordinary – and the HR professionals and senior managers that commission James frequently want training and accreditation in this new expertise and technology. The unique Intellectual Property surrounding the Maps is entirely compatible and often integrated with other well known models of people development – for example, the coaching GROW model.

James is also an outstanding conference speaker, presenter and introducer of Map technology and ideas, which are readily and easily assimilated by staff. One of the outstanding benefits for companies of using its technology is its simplicity – people do not need a degree in psychology to understand what the Map reports mean. Furthermore, because motivation is what it is, it is non-judgemental. Finally, the reward strategies are highly cost effective – managers learn very quickly that money is a motivator for only a small proportion of the staff, and much cheaper methods of motivating are available.

The Builder is motivated by money and material satisfactions. But it is vital to determine what beyond money can motivate or demotivate him or her?

The Creator. We all know that creative types are supposed to be volatile, but are they really and what will set them off? Creators are the key to innovation – how do we unlock them?

The Director likes to be in control of people and resources and loves to be the one making all the decisions. But what happens when he or she doesn’t feel in control?

The Defender likes stability, security and safety? Is this your main motivator at work? Defenders may act irrationally and undermine team objectives if their core security is threatened.

The Searcher. Is doing meaningful work more important to you than the money? What is it you are looking for? Do you know? Does your boss know?

The Spirit. So you like to plough your own furrow, hate rules and paperwork and being bossed around. How can the skills of the spirit type be channelled positively.

The Expert. You love to learn and absorb information you or a colleague may need one day. You want to be master of your trade or profession? How do we expand the talent of the expert to value the

The Friend is a people focussed team player. Work has to be sociable and they will nearly always be the first to show at company social events. Loyalty is high with this type, however they must feel valued.

The Star. You are good at your job and you want everyone to know about it? You must be recognised for your achievements or your loyalty could be questioned.

Differentiate your business by implementing the business motivation tool, improve staff satisfaction and boost team performance with Motivational Maps.

Try your own Personal Motivation Profile to get a taste of what Motivational Maps can do.

Dr Adrian Atkinson, business psychologist, strategic advisor and executive coach travels the world reorganising companies and advising CEOs and senior management. Drawing on 30 years experience working with a wide range of companies of all sizes, from all sectors, Adrian is an enthusiastic and inspirational coach and speaker.

Following a recent corporate event one delegate commented: “Best speaker I ever met, he took complex questions and theories and made them into down-to-earth solutions.”

Adrian specialises in revitalising companies, ensuring that business objectives are achieved through having the right people in the right roles. This can involve developing a new vision and mission for the company, coaching and developing senior managers, creating or restoring focus on wealth creation and managing organisational culture as well as identifying and developing key people and high performance teams.

Currently retained as strategic advisor to the board of several international companies, Adrian’s work has taken him as far afield as the jungles of Borneo, the streets of Jerusalem and the frozen seas of the Arctic Circle. Malcolm McClean, founder of Bearhunt recently described Adrian as speaking “in one of those soft, soothing Scots accents, so that if he were a medical doctor you would conclude that he had a good bedside manner.” This combination of empathy and firmness has often been critical to the success of Adrian’s projects, with well-known CEOs and business figures relying heavily on his advice and expertise.

In his excellent book ‘Leading HR – Delivering Competitive Advantage’ Andrew Newall, Corporate Human Resources Director for Allied Domecq described his experience of working with Adrian: “Over time I saw Adrian work his magic, and each of the directors grow.”

Through many years of work with some very charismatic business leaders Adrian has developed his fascination with the entrepreneur into an area of expertise. This particular specialism led to him being selected as the lead expert and commentator in the BBC series ‘Mind of a Millionaire’. Since then he has regularly been called upon to comment upon the characteristics of this typically misunderstood business personality. However, Adrian is the first to admit that fascinating as they may be, entrepreneurs are not always a positive force in a corporate environment.

View video of Dr Adrian Atkinson

Major Ken Hames is a British former Special Air Service’s officer,highly rated motivational speaker and specialist television presenter.

Ken Hames is a real life action man who leads from the front. He has 25 years military experience under his belt, and is almost unique in having served in The Parachute Brigade, the Royal Marines and the Special Air Service. Ken’s operational experience is vast, ranging from guarding Nazi war criminal Rudolph Hesse, in Spandau Prison to the liberation of Port Stanley in the Falklands.

He is an accomplished Mountain Guide and skier and represented Great Britain in cross-country skiing. He played rugby for the Combined Services, is an expert in the great outdoors in all survival disciplines and is a keen amateur opera singer

Following an impressive 25 year military career, Ken Hames has brought a unique slant to the many documentaries that he has created and presented for television. Ken’s third series of ‘Beyond Boundaries’ was set in the Andes range in Ecuador and followed his highly acclaimed BBC1 documentary ‘Ex Forces and Homeless’ , his next broadcast series will be ‘Beyond Boundaries – Where Are They Now’.

Ken has created and presented series like, ‘Mission Africa’ – a 15 part series for prime time BBC1 where Ken took a group of young apprentice builders from the UK to Kenya to build the first eco lodge and game reserve to protect the endangered species that live there working closely with the Born Free Foundation. This was then handed over to the local Samburu tribe as a sustainable business that also protects the wildlife.

Ken created and is the expedition leader on the ground breaking ‘Beyond Boundaries’ series for BBC TV. This is now a successful brand with it’s own live event, bringing disabled people from all over the world together with their friends and families. Each series, Ken takes a different group of highly disabled people and motivates them to achieve seemingly impossible expeditions. He trains and inspires them into a team and the end result is life changing.

‘Desert Darlings’ was broadcast on Channel 4 in spring 2003. Ken took couples across the Namib Desert, placing their sometimes fragile relationships under the extreme pressures of an expedition. His first series for Channel 4, was the award winning, ‘Jungle Janes’, where Ken’s challenge was to turn a group of British women, none of whom had any expedition experience, into a cohesive team fit enough to take on the gruelling jungles of Borneo. It was enjoyed by millions who found this journey an inspiration. The first documentary was a television series, called ‘The Trek’ broadcast by Meridian. In 1994, with the help of Diana, Princess of Wales, Ken was able to take twelve disadvantaged youngsters to the heart of Africa on a 500-mile trek over desert and mountainous terrain, The process transformed their lives and Ken still monitors their progress.

These documentaries have proved Ken’s extraordinary ability to inspire and motivate even the most unlikely candidates. His unique skills enable him to take any rabble of individuals and finish with a winning, cohesive team, using sound leadership and thorough training are just some of the tools he uses. Ken is passionate about empowering people to transform their lives for the better.

Ken presented the highly praised series, ‘Greatest SAS Missions’ for Five in 2004, CBBC’s ‘Bring it On’, ‘Hero Factor’ for the Discovery Channel in 2002, ‘Battle Stripes’ for Sky in 2000, ‘Future Fighting Machines’ for the US in 2003, Channel 4’s ‘Shattered’ and ITV’s ‘Celebrity Fit Club’. Ken was also involved from the earliest of stages in the design and development of ITV’s ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’.
A powerful and charismatic speaker, Ken’s experiences in the cutting edge of the military and at the forefront of some of history’s most significant expeditions combine with those in the business arena to provide a fascinating insight into pressure, survival, teamwork, leadership and motivation. Ken is an action man who leads from the front. He is an accomplished Mountain Guide and skier and represented Great Britain in cross country skiing. He has played rugby for the Combined Services and is an expert in the great outdoors in all survival disciplines.

Testimonials

• Thank you for your fantastic presentation. The feedback was excellent. People will not forget ‘Lead, follow or get out of the way’

Martin Goodman, Office of the Director – IBM

• Your speech was an inspiration to our audience. You have given IGF members a renewed sense of motivation and desire to succeed.

Paul Foulkes
Director of Global Financing – IBM

• Ken’s motivational style lifts people’s horizons. He was an absolute inspiration to our delegates.

Carole Nicholl, Director
Lehman Brothers

• Ken Hames is the master practitioner in the field of motivation. He has the unique ability to inspire other to seek personal transformation and high achievement.

Diana, Princess of Wales

• In his leadership master class Ken gave my senior managers a renewed sense of purpose and direction. He is current, credible and inspirational and is particularly adept at getting results in a short timeframe. I continue to use him to keep my leaders at the cutting edge.

Robert Ford CIO EMEA
Microsoft Corporation

• Ken inspired us all with his motivational conference programme and leadership master class. We are looking forward to the next phase in our business development programme.
Simon Curry Director BT UK

• Ken did a fantastic job for us and it was an inspiration to hear him talk and motivate our leadership team. We look forward to his return.
Derek Hudson Vice President UK, British Gas

• Wherever Ken goes the atmosphere changes significantly. He is able to get results and does this with credibility as someone who is still out there ‘doing it’ so to speak. He has a unique understanding of the pressures facing business today and delivers solutions that will help managers do better.
Jerry Hagan, Director GlaxoSmithKline

• I give Ken 10 out of 10 for everything from how the audience reacted to the content of his talk. He really met our expectations and at the end of the presentation there was an audible ‘wow’ factor – it really hit the spot. Our clients really appreciated his enthusiasm for their project and the willingness to stay behind and become involved on an informal basis.
Chris Ball Senior Partner Penna PLC

• Ken, Thank you so much for speaking at the Business Direct Forum, the feedback has been excellent. The Management team were really impressed and delighted. Your positioning was spot on and we were all grateful for the amount of time you took to understand our business and current challenges.
Vodaphone HQ, Management Meeting

• We have now come to the end of our series of leadership workshops held during March and April and as one of the guest speakers on the workshops I would just like to say thank you for your time in talking to us recently your session was extremely interesting and the feedback from our leaders has been very positive.
Nigel Cann Station Director, British Energy

Barry Gibbons acted as Chairman and CEO of Burger King for 5 years and was hailed by Fortune Magazine as a “Turnaround Champion” and received international acclaim for his consulting work in developing and reversing the fortunes of client companies.

He has written six business books and one on public speaking. His last book (‘Five Loaves, Two Fishes and Six Chicken Nuggets’), an irreverent but piercing look at the Fast Food Business, was a featured publication with the BBC.

He has now retired from big business, as a successful author, speaker and co-founder of the UK publishing business Infinite Ideas. He continues to inspire audiences of senior managers and executives in the style of an impartial advisory guru, his humour and wisdom combining to provide a valuable learning opportunity to the leaders of the future.

He has made over 250 speeches to blue-chip corporate audiences on four continents.

His topics include:

● How to lead, not just manage
● How to energise people who work for you, with you and above you
● How to stay ahead in fast changing and unpredictable markets
● How to keep yourself, your products and your company fresh
● How, in a world of virtually unsatisfiable customers, to develop a connection with them
● How to make sure you secure a parallel connection with your own employees

Professor Adrian Furnham was educated at the London School of Economics where he obtained an MSc Econ, and at Oxford University where he completed a doctorate (DPhil) in 1981. Previously a lecturer in Psychology at Pembroke College, Oxford, he is now Professor of Psychology at University College London and has lectured widely abroad including at the University of New South Wales, and University of the West Indies.

From 1999-2001 he was Visiting Professor of Management at Henley Management College, and was Visiting Professor at Hong Kong University Business School.

He has written over 400 scientific papers and 30 books including Culture Shock (1994), The New Economic Mind (1995), Personality at Work (1994), The Myths of Management (1996), The Psychology of Behaviour at Work (1997), The Psychology of Money (1998), The Psychology of Managerial Incompetence (1998), republished as The Incompetent Manager (2003), Personality and Social Behaviour (1999), The Dark Side of Behaviour at Work (2004), The People Business (2005) Personality and Intellectual Competence (2005) Management Mumbo Jumbo (2006) and Just for the Money (2006).

Adrian Furnham is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and was ranked the second most productive psychologist in the world between 1980 – 1995 and nominated as one the 25 Most Influential People in HR in 2007 by HR magazine.

He is on the board of a number of international journals, as well as the board of directors of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences. He is also a founder director of Applied Behaviour Research Associates (ABRA), a psychological consultancy.

He wrote a regular column in the Financial Times and HR magazine and is still a regular contributor to the Sunday Times, The Telegraph, Management Today, BBC radio and television internationally.

An engaging and amusing motivational speaker, he addresses corporate audiences on the psychology of management, corporate and self motivation, corporate culture, leadership and teams, management incompetence, the role of HR within an organisation and the future of work.

His consultancy had led him to work with leading international organizations such as Cathay Pacific Airways, Barclays Bank, Marks & Spencer, Air New Zealand, Channel Four, Boots and the Ritz Hotel.

Adrian Gilpin works with many of the world’s leading organisations such as Royal Bank of Scotland, Prudential Property Investment Managers and Barclaycard. Through coaching their senior management teams he has helped them perform to the peak of their ability. He is the co-developer of the Aspell-Gilpin Profiler – the world’s most advanced personality profiling technique.

Adrian coached the board of Bookham Technology through the largest ever public floatation of any UK technology business. He also works regularly within the public sector: all three forces of the MOD, the NHS, Housing Associations, and also social enterprises. Adrian’s personal passion is to impact the long term thinking about how we educate our children; and therefore he is also a regular speaker at national and local education conferences.

He is Chairman of the Institute of Human Development and the bestselling author of Unstoppable: The Pathway to Living an Inspired Life.

Adrian’s presentations are a unique mix of story-telling, movie clips, wisdom, common sense and a deep understanding of what makes human beings tick and perform at their best. He spends much of his time on conference platforms challenging the old models of corporate leadership and offering practical and inspiring alternatives for managing change in business, education and society.

Larry Hochman spent many years as Head of British Airways in New York and as Director of AIR MILES. Hochman is a globally recognised expert on the future trends of ethics, values, loyalty, service, people leadership and corporate team culture.

He is not just a theorist, but has turned his thoughts into tangible business triumphs internationally. At AIR MILES, Larry created what is widely recognised as one of the most progressive cultures and remarkable commercial successes, first as Director of Customer Service, then as Director of People and Culture.

Hochman currently consults and advises internationally recognised brands and service leading companies on building customer relationships to last a lifetime; global leadership in times of radical change; the war for talent and the future for HR; customer collaboration and building one corporate culture for success. His international experience and global focus have made him one of the top advisors to the world’s greatest multinational companies.

Alongside his numerous speaking engagements all over the world, Larry, who pioneered corporate mentoring work in the U.K. at Air Miles, is personal mentor to many senior executives and CEO’s.

• “BUILDING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS to last a lifetime”,
• “GLOBAL LEADERSHIP in times of radical change”,
• “THE WAR FOR TALENT and THE FUTURE OF HR”,
• “CUSTOMER COLLABORATION – the only sustainable edge”,
• “BUILDING ONE CORPORATE CULTURE FOR SUCCESS”

Hochman is one of the most popular keynote speakers in the world and has now delivered nearly 500 speeches in 45 countries and has spoken on every continent.

Mike Street is former Director of Customer Service and Operations for British Airways, and was appointed to the British Airways Board in December 2000.

Mike’s department looked after and delivered a cost effective, punctual operation and one that ensured the airline’s customers received the highest possible level of customer service worldwide from its 26,000 ‘front line’ staff, both in the air and on the ground.

Mike was also responsible for British Airways Operational and Airport planning, its Property portfolio including Terminal 5 and the day-to-day management of the British airways operation.

He is a Fellow of the Aeronautical Society, an Honorary Fellow of the Lancaster University Management School, Deputy Chairman of British Airways Charitable Trust and a non-executive Director of WSH (a contract catering company).

Greg Dyke became Director-General of the BBC in January 2000, having joined the previous year as Deputy Director-General and Director-General designate. He resigned as Director-General on 29 January 2004 following criticism of the BBC reportage of the invasion of Iraq. Dyke was the most popular DG in recent history both within the organization where he commanded huge loyalty, and with the public who respected his integrity. Dyke’s ability to manage the BBC’s sometimes ‘tricky’ people and get results quickly is a positive reflection of his management background. He was educated at Hayes Grammar School and later at York University where he read Politics. After an early career as a journalist, he started his broadcasting career in 1977 at London Weekend Television. He became Editor-in-Chief of TV-am in 1983 and the following year Director of Programmes for TVS (Television South).

He returned to LWT in 1987 as Director of Programmes; in 1990 he became Managing Director; and from 1991 to 1994 he was Group Chief Executive of LWT (Holdings) plc. After the Granada take-over of LWT, Greg Dyke joined Pearson Television as Chief Executive. During his time in the post, from 1995 to 1999, he built it into the largest non-US independent production company in the world.

He also guided the consortium, which created Channel 5 and became its first Chairman. While at Pearson, Greg Dyke undertook a review of the Patients’ Charter of the National Health Service at the request of the Secretary of State for Health.

Greg Dyke was recently made the new Chancellor of the University of York – he will take over in August 2004 from Dame Janet Baker. The Chancellor is the formal head of the university, whose official duties are to confer degrees on behalf of the university, and to chair the University’s Court

He has been Chairman of the Independent Television Association (1992-94); Chairman of GMTV (1993-94); and at various times a director of Pearson plc, Channel Four Television, ITN and BSkyB. He was a non-Executive Director of Manchester United Football Club (1997-99) and has been a Trustee of the Science Museum since 1996.

He became a Fellow of the Royal Television Society in 1998 and a Fellow of the National Film and Television School in 2002.

Entrepreneur and team leader Richard Noble specialises in developing high risk ventures. His Thrust team have held the land speed record for over a quarter of a century. First time around with the Thrust 2 programme which brought the World Land Speed Record back to Britain in 1983 and then with Thrust SSC, the first ever supersonic land speed record programme.

Other ground breaking projects have included the ARV Super2 aircraft, the Atlantic Sprinter Blue Riband contender, an original television funding company, and the last, Farnborough Aircraft.

At the end of September 1997 Richard achieved the seemingly impossible. His newly designed Supersonic car broke first the land speed record, and in October 1997 it broke the sound barrier with Andy Green as one of the top RAF pilots at the wheel. On the 15th October 1997 the first supersonic world land-speed record – 763.035 MPH was achieved.

The adventure is far from over. Bloodhound SSC was conceived with the objective of making engineering excellence and innovation sexy once again to young British adults. The project team will design, construction and attain 1000 mph on land.

His presentations are thought provoking, fast paced and feature enthralling video inserts. The idea is to inspire the audience to realize their potential to encourage original thought, develop ownership of responsibility and understand the principles of true teamwork.

Richard has received numerous awards from accross the world, the most valued among them are his OBE, RAC Diamond Jubilee Trophy, John Cobb Memorial Trophy, the Sir Malcolm Campbell Trophy and the Sir Henry Segrave Trophy.

The successes of Richard’s projects are driven by his energy and leadership, by bringing together a team and motivating and inspiring them towards the same goal. The tremendous loyalty and ‘ownership’ heuristic inherent in his teams are testament to the ability of humans to work together.

Sinclair Beecham graduated from the Polytechnic of Central London in 1983 after studying Urban Estate Management, where he met Julian Metcalfe. He then joined Crest Estates, a property developer as development and marketing executive.

He then teamed up with his partner Julian Metcalfe to form Pret A Manger.

In 2002 McDonald’s reached an agreement to acquire a minority interest in Pret A Manger. Founders Julian Metcalfe and Sinclair Beecham said, “Since opening the first Pret A Manger in 1986, we have been obsessed with selling good natural food to people who are in a rush at lunchtime. After 14 years, we are fortunate to have thousands of loyal customers in the U.K. and many visitors who have urged us to open Pret A Manger abroad. But to do this, we need a huge amount of support. Every new country will be an enormous challenge.”

In 2009 Sinclair Beecham sold his remaining stake in Pret A Manger.

He was a non executive Director of Virgin Active. In 2005 it was sold back to Virgin Group at an enterprise value of approx £350m with 20 Health Clubs in the UK, 8 in Italy, 6 in Spain and 77 in South Africa. He resigned from the company after the sale. He was also a non-executive director of Molton Brown which was sold to Kao for approx £170m in 2005. Again, he resigned from the company after the sale.

Sinclair Beecham has now moved into the hotel business. He is the Founder and Chairman of WS Hotel Ltd and has opened the Hoxton, a 205-bed hotel in which he invested £18 million. It opened in September 2006 in Shoreditch, East London.

Pret A Manger is recognised as a leader in customer service and staff motivation, and Sinclair Beecham is a powerful speaker on the factors behind the success of all his business ventures.

L. Vaughan Spencer is the spot-on satirical creation of comedian Neil Mullarkey. Neil has been in double acts with Nick Hancock and Mike Myers, improvised around the country with Eddie Izzard, appeared in hilarious cameos in Austin Powers movies and co-founded Britain’s top improve troupe, The Comedy Store Players, with whom he still performs.

Best selling author of Feel the Fear and Think About Doing it Next Week, The Tao of Shaving and Men are From Mars – Vaughan is from Surrey.

L. Vaughan Spencer a lifestyle coach, gangsta motivator and self help guru. Or is he a corporate charlatan?

L. Vaughan Spencer – or L-Vo to his friends and followers – helps executives find their inner Succeeder through a process of easy exercises and break-through techniques. He revels the significance of Tong Shui (a little like Feng Shui), Spellology (a little like numerology) and repetition of the word “Yes!” L-Vo deftly weaves all your conference messages and key learnings into his performance and incorporates all your favourite jokes and lingo.

L-Vo’s words have special resonance for anyone who can ever encountered management training, personal development or someone who’s too big for their boots. He will inspire, motivate, entertain and, most of all, make you laugh.

Client Comments:

The appearance of L. Vaughan Spencer was the highlight of the two days. The session was a totally different approach to our business mindset and the feedback we received from everybody has been phenomenally positive. Your ability to keep the audience awake and entertained (notably after a gruelling previous day) was absolutely fantastic, and you managed to deliver the key business messages in a unique and memorable way.

LEVER FABERGE

Your performance as L Vaughan Spencer is not only hilarious, it’s also far more inspirational than Tony Robbins, Tom Peters and Dale Carnegie combined. My team loved it, and said it did more to motivate them (not to mention entertain them) than anything else we served up as part of our “team-building” day.

THE HOSPITAL GROUP

L. Vaughan kept us giggling long beyond our hour in the presence of the great man and much of his unique wisdom has found its way into our group’s own idiom. It was just the thing after a hard day – making us laugh at ourselves and uniting us as a group. Among your many gifts, we found the pinpoint accuracy of your observations arresting. It was so refreshing to be entertained by someone who knows the absurd world we inhabit. So thank you for doing us what many rational and well-created process interventions just cannot do. We owe you.

ROFFEY PARK INSTITUTE.

Jonathan Gabay is a creative branding expert. He is founder of Brand Forensics and on the core faculty of the world’s biggest marketing training body – The Chartered Institute of Marketing.

As a journalist, Jonathan regularly delivers incisive comment and analysis in the national and trade press, including SKY, BBC, Channel 4, Five and ITN and Bloomberg TV.

He has addressed business gatherings all over the world and graduates at various major global academic institutions.

Jonathan is consistently voted as the most sought after speaker at the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He also delivers captivating, up to the minute lectures to senior managers around the world.

Leading business organisations as well as UK FTSE companies in sectors ranging from finance and technology to FMCG and travel, feature Jonathan’s award winning copywriting and marketing strategies.

His vast experience of working for some of the best known creative agencies and cutting edge brands in the industry – heading up departments at the UK’s top agencies, among them, Saatchi & Saatchi Direct – has shaped his work as an author

Jonathan has authored 12 best selling business books, many of which are now recognised at benchmark texts for marketing study having been translated into over 52 languages. (See www.gabaywords.com and www.soultraderstruth.com ).

The rare fusion of corporate experience, audience rapport and outstanding creativity gives Gabay significant status on the speaking and conference circuit. By avoiding jargon, ‘the camouflage of the incompetent’ and dry analytical prose, his approach provides insight and entertainment in equal measure and his incisive comment on brand-related issues, get to the heart of any event.

Key topics for Gabay include:

Brand strategy
Marketing strategy for directors
Creative advertising
Marketing and propaganda
Leadership for directors
Dealing with creative suppliers
Brands in the news
Establishing and re-establishing trust in business
Marketing and ethics
The future of training
Public Relations – where next?
Web 2.O and social networking on the web
The future of marketing
International branding
Marketing design
Terrorism and marketing
Marketing for government bodies
Reinventing Yourself (team building – a highly inspirational and interactive talk)

Sahar Hashemi founded Coffee Republic, the UK’s first US style coffee bar chain with her brother and built it into one of the UK’s most recognised high street brands with a turnover of £30m. Giving up highly professional jobs, she a lawyer in London and he an investment banker in New York, they staked everything on a dream – and made Coffee Republic one of the main players in the ‘coffee revolution’ that transformed a nation of tea drinkers into one obsessed with ‘triple decaf half-caf lattes’.

Sahar left the day to day management of Coffee Republic in 2001 and wrote a book called ‘Anyone Can Do It – Building Coffee Republic from our Kitchen Table’ which tackles some of the fears and answers some of the elusive questions about what it really takes to become an entrepreneur. It’s a personal story about two people who stopped ‘thinking about it’ and ‘did it’. ‘Anyone Can Do It’ has reached #1 on the Amazon business chart. It is ‘suggested reading’ for the London Business School entrepreneurship course.

In 2005 Sahar Hashemi launched Skinny Candy, a high profile brand of sugar free sweets. It has already received wide press coverage and is available across big department store chains throughout the UK.
In 2007 she announced the formation of a joint venture between Skinny Candy and Glisten plc.

Sahar and the management team of Glisten Plc’s Confectionery Division will work together to develop the Skinny Candy product range and particularly, to build upon its low-fat, low-calorie, confectionery credentials. Both parties feel that this is an area of the market which has very exciting growth prospects.

Sahar Hashemi and Paul Simmonds, Glisten Plc Chief Executive will be the Directors of this new joint venture.
Sahar commented, “I always talk about entrepreneurs within a large company and now I am one. It’s really exciting doing something I am passionate about and yet having the support, infrastructure and expertise of a large established company behind me. A real win-win.”

Sahar now inspires international business audiences with her unique story.

Sahar’s speaking topics include:

• Entrepreneurship
• Self Motivation
• Creativity
• Innovation
• Customer Service
• Brand Building
• Women in Business