For over 25 years, adventurer Jeff Evans’ global experiences as a world-class mountaineer, guide and emergency medic have helped him master the skills of servant leadership, teamwork, communication and trust - which are the cornerstone themes in his keynote and breakout sessions. Jeff’s amazing adventures and challenges have given him the tools to become one of the most dynamic and motivational speakers on the circuit today, delivering his message to tens of thousands of audience members and changing the way we approach our roles within our work and family environments.

Jeff reminds us that, in fact, that we are all guides in some capacity - professionally and personally. By utilizing real life stories, vivid images and thrilling video from his adventures around the globe, Jeff is able to extract the impactful themes that are applicable for every audience member - and weave them into memorable, humorous, thought-provoking and paradigm shifting keynotes.

Jeff’s skills have been acquired not only on the highest peaks around the world, but also through guiding blind climber Erik Weihenmayer on extraordinarily challenging objectives including the summit of Mt Everest and a 2nd place finish on ABC’s adventure series, Expedition Impossible. While filming the series Everest Air for the Travel Channel, Jeff served as the chief medic and team leader for the highest helicopter-based Search and Rescue team in the world on the flanks of Mt Everest.

Also contributing to Jeff’s expertise are his experiences as the co-founder and Expedition Leader for the injured US veteran program, No Barriers Warriors - as well as his time spent on the front lines in Iraq leading a team of emergency medics in their efforts to save the lives of injured soldiers and civilians.

He is the published author of Mountain Vision: Lessons Beyond the Summit, and is featured in the award-winning documentaries Farther Than the Eye Can See, Blindsight and High Ground.

• Jenny talks about the connection between the daily grind of life and the chemistry of the brain and body and how to build resilience every day.

• Audiences leave with actionable micro-strategies that individuals and teams can implement immediately to start building their resilience and stress-proof their brains.

• Jenny Evans is a speaker, author, and on-air expert on physiology and chemistry, as it relates to resiliency, confidence and performance. She is also the author of The Resiliency rEvolution, TEDx speaker and regular contributor to The Huffington Post.

• Past clients include: Microsoft, Cisco, Nestle Purina, Johnson & Johnson, Blue Shield, US Bank, Aveda, Clinique, Estee Lauder and MGM Resorts.

About Colin Fenton - Former Managing Director, the Global Head of Commodities Research, and Chief Commodities Strategist for J.P. Morgan:

Colin Fenton is co-founder and managing partner of Blacklight Research, LLC and the senior managing director for commodities at 22V Research, LLC. Previously, he was the global head of commodities research and chief commodities strategist for J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. There, he was a member of the ten-person global management committee that supervises the work of about 1,000 research analysts worldwide across all asset classes and sectors.

On the buy side, Colin founded Curium Capital Advisors, LLC, a registered investment adviser that he sold to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in 2010. Curium had served as a subadvisor to hedge funds run by Soros Fund Management, Makena Capital, Raptor Capital, and other firms. Before striking out on his own, Colin was the managing director responsible for commodities and cyclical industries at Stanley Druckenmiller’s hedge fund, Duquesne Capital Management, LLC. Colin also worked for two years as the Chief Intelligence Officer for Ospraie Management, LLC, at that time manager of the world’s largest commodity hedge fund by AUM.

Colin began his Wall Street career in 1996 as an original member of the commodities research group at Goldman, Sachs & Co. Before joining Goldman, Colin was the research assistant to Ambassador Chester A. Crocker, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and then-Chairman of the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Colin holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) degree from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He is presently serving a three-year term on the Board of Advisors for the MSFS program. Previously, he was a Non-Resident Fellow at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs in the Center on Global Energy Policy. Colin earned his A.B. in early modern history at Princeton University.

Keith Ferrazzi is a renowned executive team coach, keynote speaker, influential thought leader and founder of Ferrazzi Greenlight, where he has spent more than 20 years coaching Fortune 500 companies, unicorn startups, and even governments. Keith leads the Greenlight Research Institute, which is focused on team transformation. He is a business coach who challenges the way teams work to achieve breakthrough results through more connection and collaboration across silos, with a revolutionary shift from leadership to teamship. His Radical Innovators Collaborative brings together Fortune 500 CIOs and CHROs for peer-to-peer interaction and ongoing best practice sharing.

Keith’s columns are regularly published in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Fast Company, and Inc. Magazine. Ferrazzi is also a #1 New York Times Bestselling author with familiar titles like Never Eat Alone, Who’s Got Your Back, Leading Without Authority, and Competing in the New World of Work. His latest book, Never Lead Alone: 10 Shifts from Leadership to Teamship, draws on two decades of team coaching experience and research insights from 3,000+ diagnostic assessments with leading organizations. He is a 2024 recipient of the Coaches 50 Award, which recognizes the world’s most influential executive coaches. Ferrazzi is also a philanthropist and strategic investor, where he is committed to making a positive impact on society.

Connor Fields is a three-time Olympian, a two-time World Champion, and the only American to win a Gold Medal for the United States in BMX Racing. He is also the only Olympic athlete who has both won the Olympics… and nearly died while competing during the games.

As one of the world's all-time greatest BMX racers, Connor has represented the United States over 50 times in more than 25 countries across the globe. In 2016, he reached the pinnacle of success for an Olympic athlete, coming home with a Gold Medal to show for his unrelenting dedication.

At the 2021 Tokyo Games, Connor was the number one seed in his semi-final when a mid-race collision sent him into the track at 40 miles per hour, recounted as one of the worst accidents in Olympic history. Instead of defending his title, he found himself fighting for his life. He laid unconscious in a hospital bed for 5 days, ultimately diagnosed with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) including life-threatening hemorrhages to four different parts of his brain, along with broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and torn shoulder and bicep ligaments.

After a grueling year of rehabilitation, Connor jumped on his bike the very first day he was cleared to ride, determined to go out on his own terms.

Since retiring, Connor has become the Emmy Nominated host of PBS's Outdoor Nevada and provided commentary for the Emmy-Winning NBC broadcasts during the 2024 Summer Olympics. He serves on the boards of USA Cycling and USABMX, coaches the next generation of riders, and travels the country presenting his keynote, "Now What?" inspiring others to keep moving forward after wins, losses, and even a brush with death.

Watch Connor's Speech Demo

Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina is a true leader and seasoned problem-solver. She passionately advocates for problem-solving, innovation, and effective leadership. Her mission is to inspire, equip, and connect individuals and teams to seize opportunities, face challenges, and accelerate impact in their communities and workplaces. She believes everyone has more potential than they realize and that those closest to the problem understand it best. Leading to unlock potential in others can result in progress and joy.

Carly’s experience spans from secretary to CEO, public to private, and for-profit to non-profit. She started as a secretary for a nine-person real-estate business and became the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 company. When Carly led Hewlett Packard (HP) in 1999, the industry faced the worst technology recession in 25 years. Under her leadership, revenue grew, innovation tripled, growth quadrupled, and HP became the 11th largest U.S. company.

During her tenure at HP, the company received numerous civic recognitions, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by Business Ethics Magazine, one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers by Working Mother Magazine, receiving a 100% rating by The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, and being named one of the World’s Most Respected Companies by The Financial Times and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

After leaving HP, Carly focused on giving back. Before Unlocking Potential, she served as Chairman of Good360, the world’s largest product philanthropy organization, and Chairman of Opportunity International, a Christian-based organization lifting millions out of poverty through micro-finance. She also founded the One Woman Initiative with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to empower women in Pakistan, Egypt, India, and the Philippines through increased economic opportunity.

Carly was appointed by President Bush and CIA Director Michael Hayden to serve as Chairman of the External Advisory Board of the CIA after 9/11. She held the highest clearances available to a civilian and focused on CIA recruitment policies, information technology capabilities, and organizational integration.

Carly is also a best-selling author. Her titles include Tough Choices and Rising to the Challenge. Her third book, Find Your Way, is out now.

• Molly shares stories from her experiences as one of the only female sports agents in the industry as well as lessons from some of the top athletes and coaches in the game in her inspiring keynote.

• Audiences leave with Molly's  5-step process to unleashing your potential and achieving peak performance.

• Molly is hailed by CNN as hailed as the “female Jerry Maguire” and spent two decades as one of the world’s only female sports agents. She is also a best selling author of four books, and agent to some of the world's top athletes.

• Past clients include: AT&T, Cox Communications, ITA Group, Kraft, Morgan Stanley, and Porsche.

Hailed as the “female Jerry Maguire” by CNN, Molly Fletcher made a name for herself as one of the first female sports agents. During her almost two-decade career as President of CSE, Molly negotiated over $500 million in contracts and represented over 300 of sports' biggest names, including Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, PGA TOUR golfer Matt Kuchar, broadcaster Erin Andrews and basketball championship coaches Tom Izzo and Doc Rivers.

Today she is one of the most booked female speakers in the world. Her TED Talk, “Secrets of a Champion Mindset,” has more than one million views. She is the author of multiple books, including The Energy Clock, Fearless at Work, and A Winner’s Guide to Negotiating. Her latest book, Dynamic Drive, is a #1 USA Today Bestseller.

Molly is the founder and host of the Game Changers with Molly Fletcher podcast, where she interviews experts and celebrities in every field including Troy Aikman, Sue Bird, Glennon Doyle,
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Matthew McConaughey, and Simon Sinek. Molly’s insights have been featured in prestigious media outlets, including CBS, CNN, Fox, ESPN, Forbes, Fast Company, InStyle, and Sports Illustrated.

A world-renowned speaker, Molly has delivered inspiring keynotes to some of the world’s most admired brands. She talks on leadership, mindset and peak performance. Molly understands the importance of putting someone in front of your people, and trusting that they deliver. That’s why she takes the time to customize every keynote to meet your goals. Whether she’s commanding the stage at a global conference for 50,000 leaders or inspiring a room of 75 top sales performers at a sales summit, Molly gets rave reviews and repeat bookings.

• Tom Flick helps develop leaders, lead change effectively, seize opportunities for growth, and increase teamwork and organizational performance.

• Audiences leave with an understanding of how to lead with heart, navigate change and accelerate personal, team, and organizational performance.

• Tom spent seven seasons as an NFL quarterback and has been teaching leaders around the world how to lead with heart.

• Clients include: Microsoft, Starbucks, Google, Boeing, American Express, Amazon, NASA, Mercedes-Benz and the Pentagon

Tom Flick is a dynamic and highly sought-after, leadership expert who has delivered over 3,000 presentations to a "who's-who" list of clients that includes Microsoft, Starbucks, Google, Boeing, American Express, Amazon, NASA, Mercedes-Benz and the Pentagon. Mr. Flick addresses more than 100,000 men and women each year and has garnered a reputation around the world as an authority on leadership, helping organizations develop leaders, lead effective change and accelerate personal, team and organizational performance.

Mr. Flick’s passion for raising more effective leaders is achieved by his unique gift to connect with the listener's heart as well as their head. Understanding that people, not programs, help organizations change and grow. Tom draws on his leadership experience as a former NFL quarterback for seven seasons, his extensive work in corporate America, and his alliance with leadership guru, Dr. John Kotter, to provide actionable solutions around developing leaders, leading change, motivating and driving performance.

Mentored by leadership and change experts Dennis Goin, Executive Vice President of Kotter International, and Dr. John Kotter, Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at the Harvard School of Business, Flick uses his exceptional talent as a deft storyteller to inspire audiences to lead change, seize opportunities for growth, and to implement the power of leadership, whether in the role of executive, manager, salesperson, or front-line employee.

Mr. Flick customizes every engaging presentation based on each organization's needs and desired outcomes, collaborating directly with the client to ensure measurable takeaways for their organization. Tom’s exceptional ability to communicate clear business solutions with humor, wit and razor-sharp insight is why he is in such high demand.

Since 2015, John Foley has been recognized as one of the top 10 most in demand speakers. John has spoken to some of the highest performing organizations in the world such as, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Goodyear, Chevron, Lowe's, Marriott, Hilton, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NCAA, Penske Racing, Sprint, Motorola, Merrill Lynch, Mass Mutual, AMC Theatre, Norton Lifelock, Capital Group, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, GE, American Hospital Association, Mayo, Merck, Palo Alto Networks, Sunovion, Gillette, McDonalds, Stanford Business School, Global Sports Summit, and numerous CEO Summits to name a few.

He is the former lead solo pilot of the Blue Angels, Bestselling Author of Fearless Success, an expert in the How of High Performance teams and 'The Guru of Gratitude.’ As a Blue Angel, John consistently performed in an extreme, high-stakes environment, flying at speeds of more than 500 miles per hour in formations as close as 18 inches apart. To survive in those circumstances he relied on a culture of high trust, leadership and teamwork. John employs the intense realities of his aviation career as a metaphor to inspire - breath life into - teams to reach for their highest potential and sustain excellence under dynamic change. John’s presentations are highlighted by:

• An energizing delivery that inspires High Performance with a grateful mindset.
• Awe inspiring storytelling and electrifying video of the legendary Blue Angels in action.
• A contagious attitude of gratitude that he calls Glad To Be Here®.
• A unique approach that equips others to take the same journey toward excellence, teamwork and transformation.

In 2011 John founded the Glad To Be Here Foundation. John donates 10% of his speaking fees to charities through the foundation. The program has donated over $2 million to 380+ charities and impacted thousands of lives globally including sponsoring 47 children in 47 countries. It's part of his mission to connect a shared ‘purpose larger than self’ with every organization.

Click Here to Watch John's Virtual Presentation

George Friedman, Founder & Chairman, Geopolitical Futures | Geopolitical Forecaster | New York Times Bestselling Author | Founder of Stratfor

Understand What Happens Next

George Friedman helps audiences understand the geopolitical forces shaping the future and what they could mean for business, economies and global strategy.

Founder and Chairman of Geopolitical Futures and founder of Stratfor, George is one of the world's best-known geopolitical forecasters. His books include The Next 100 Years, The Storm Before the Calm, Flashpoints and The Next Decade.

Why Book George Friedman?

George goes beyond headlines and daily political commentary to examine the deeper forces shaping nations, economies and international relationships.

Drawing on decades of geopolitical analysis, he gives leaders a framework for understanding global events and considering how political, economic, military and geographic forces may affect their organizations.

His presentations are particularly valuable for executives who need to make long-term decisions in an increasingly uncertain world.

What Makes George Different?

• Founder and Chairman of Geopolitical Futures
• Founder and former Chairman of Stratfor
• New York Times bestselling author
• Author of The Next 100 Years and The Storm Before the Calm
• Has briefed military and government organizations in the U.S. and internationally
• Translates complex geopolitical developments into clear strategic implications
• Challenges audiences to look beyond today's headlines and consider the forces shaping tomorrow

Why Is George Right for Your Audience?

George is an excellent choice for executive conferences, leadership meetings, financial and investment audiences, global companies and organizations whose future is affected by geopolitical change.

Book George when your audience needs to:

• Understand the geopolitical forces reshaping the global economy
• Look beyond headlines to identify longer-term trends
• Explore how international events could affect markets and business
• Understand changing relationships between major global powers
• Consider geopolitical risk when making strategic decisions
• Think more clearly about an uncertain global future

Audience Takeaways

Attendees will leave:

• Better able to put major world events into a broader strategic context
• More informed about geopolitical forces affecting business and markets
• Equipped with a framework for thinking about global uncertainty
• Better prepared to challenge assumptions about what happens next
• Thinking differently about risk, opportunity and long-term strategy

Keynote Programs

The Future of the World

What forces will shape the international system over the coming years?

George examines the geopolitical realities influencing nations, economies, alliances and conflicts and helps audiences consider what these changes could mean for the future.

Ideal for executive conferences, global leadership meetings and organizations operating internationally.

Geopolitics and the Global Economy

Political events increasingly have direct consequences for business.

George connects geopolitics with economics, trade, markets, supply chains and investment, helping executives understand how international developments may affect strategic decisions.

Ideal for financial services, investment, manufacturing and multinational business audiences.

America and the World Ahead

The United States is experiencing significant political, economic and social change while its relationship with the rest of the world continues to evolve.

Drawing on themes from The Storm Before the Calm and his broader geopolitical work, George examines the forces shaping America's future and their potential implications for the global system.

Ideal for leadership, economic and international affairs audiences.

Why Contact The Sweeney Agency Now?

Geopolitical events move quickly. The most valuable presentation will connect George's global perspective directly to the issues your organization and audience are facing at the time of your event.

Contact us to:

• Confirm George's availability and current fee
• Discuss the geopolitical issues most relevant to your audience
• Explore customization around your industry, markets or regions
• Determine the best presentation and format for your event
• Receive comparable recommendations if another geopolitical speaker may be a stronger fit

Is George Friedman Right for Your Event?

Tell us about your audience, the geopolitical issues affecting your organization and what you want attendees to better understand.

We will provide an honest assessment of George's fit, confirm availability and fees, and help shape a presentation around the global issues that matter most to your audience.

Contact The Sweeney Agency to discuss booking George Friedman.

Chris Gardner is an Entrepreneur, Author, Philanthropist, and single parent whose work has been recognized by many esteemed organization.

Gardner is the author of the 2006 autobiography, The Pursuit of Happyness, a New York Times and Washington Post #1 bestseller that has been translated into over forty languages. Gardner is also the inspiration for the acclaimed movie The Pursuit of Happyness for which Will Smith, starring as Gardner, received Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award nominations for his performance. Gardner’s second bestselling book, Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, was published in May 2009.

In the fall of 2010, Gardner was named the Ambassador of Pursuit and Happyness for AARP, which has nearly 40 million members worldwide. Always hard working and tenacious, a series of adverse circumstances in the early 1980’s left Gardner homeless in San Francisco and the sole guardian of his toddler son. Unwilling to give up Chris Jr. or his dreams of success, Gardner climbed the financial industry ladder from the very bottom. He worked at Dean Witter Reynolds and Bear Stearns & Co before founding the brokerage firm Gardner Rich in Chicago in 1987.

Chris Gardner’s aim, through his speaking engagements and media projects, is to help others achieve their full potential. He is a passionate philanthropist committed to organizations combating violence against women, homelessness, financial illiteracy and providing access to medical care and treatment; issues of the utmost importance to Gardner.

Chris Gardner resides in Chicago.

Laura Gassner Otting inspires people to push past the doubt and indecision that keep great ideas in limbo by helping audiences think bigger and accept greater challenges that reach beyond their current, limited scope of belief.

She delivers strategic thinking, well-honed wisdom, and perspective generated by decades of navigating change across the start-up, corporate, nonprofit, political, as well as philanthropic landscapes. Laura dares audiences to find their voice and generate the confidence needed to tackle larger-than-life challenges by helping them to seek new ways of leading, managing, and mentoring others.

Laura’s rebellious and entrepreneurial edge has been well-honed over a 25-year career that started when she dropped out of law school to join an unknown southern governor’s presidential campaign and ended up as a Presidential Appointee in Bill Clinton’s White House, where she helped shape AmeriCorps.

She left a leadership role as the youngest Vice President at a nationally respected search firm when she realized that her boss’s definition of success didn’t align with hers and, instead, founded and ran one of the fastest-growing search firms in the country, partnering with the full gamut of mission-driven executives, from start-up dreamers to scaling social entrepreneurs to global philanthropists. In 2015, Laura sold that firm to the team who helped her build it, both because she was hungry for the next chapter and because she held an audacious dream of electing our nation’s first female president. (Whomp whomp.)

Since that time, Laura has appeared regularly on Good Morning America and the TODAY Show, and her writing has been seen in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, HR Magazine. She is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of three books, including Wonderhell: Why Success Doesn’t Feel Like It Should… and What to Do About It, Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life, and Mission-Drive: Moving from Profit to Purpose. Her books have been translated into five languages.

Through her own commitment to give back, Laura has helped build a local Montessori school, co-founded a women’s philanthropic initiative, advised a start-up national women’s PAC, grew a citizen-leadership development program, and completed five charity-inspired marathons, projects emblematic of her passions and values. She’s turned on by the audacity of The Big Idea and that larger-than-life goal you just can’t seem to shake. She’s an instigator, a motivator, and a provocateur, and she’s never met a revolution she didn’t like, just ask her enduringly patient husband, two almost-grown sons, and troublesome puppy with whom she lives outside of Boston, MA.

David Gerard is Silicon Valley's premier mystery entertainer. Hix mix of mentalism and magic has taken him around the world, garnering standing ovations from the world’s most sophisticated audiences.

David’s background is what truly makes him unique. After a decade working in tech marketing (Google, Discord, and more) David understands the nuances of corporate life and the modern corporate audience. David also recognizes each unique and diverse corporate culture, which allows him to tailor his performance for each group. There is simply no other performer who has the corporate background and stage credentials of David Gerard.

David has performed for hundreds of companies across a variety of industries, and has entertained CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg, Brian Chesky (Airbnb) and Marc Benioff (Salesforce). He also toured with the Broadway show The Illusionists and has consulted on three seasons of America's Got Talent.

Get Your Customized List of Speaker Ideas

Simply fill out the form below and we will be in touch with a customized list of ideas for your event.

It's that simple.

Yossi Ghinsberg’s business adventures include: a tech entrepreneur in the heart of Silicon Valley, VP of a groundbreaking medical corporation and the visionary behind Chalalan the most celebrated eco-resort in the Bolivian Amazon. A world explorer and epic & inspirational storyteller, he is a graduate of philosophy and business administration from Tel Aviv University.

His book ‘Jungle’  has sold millions of copies globally, aired as a docudrama on Discovery Channel and has been produced as a major motion picture starring Daniel Radcliffe, entitled Jungle.

Yossi has met with world leaders, bringing his Amazon survival skills to institutes and organizations worldwide. He knows survival like no one else, and he knows why it is important for businesses to learn and embed these survival principles. Yossi advises leaders and teams worldwide on how to awaken their ‘Day to Day Hero,’ following a set of natural survival skills we have all forgotten that we possess. His unique insights are counter-intuitive, motivational, mind-bending and nothing short of transformational for individuals and organizations today.

Yossi knows that the old Darwinian approach is wrong, limiting and dated, and yet so prevalent. There is a new way of thinking about leadership and business with new science behind it. Fascinating and enlightening, Yossi is an epic storyteller who has shared the stage with luminaries such as Bill Clinton, Richard Branson and Wayne Dyer.

• Vinh talks about how leaders and teams can create and cultivate the RIGHT influence in our lives to make the difference between tremendous success or limited mediocrity.

• Audiences leave inspired and entertained by how Vinh teaches leaders how to achieve the right mindset through a presentation interwoven with entertainment, magic and powerful messaging.

• Vinh is a magician, powerful storyteller and CEO of Luminary Productions which produces exceptional video for individuals and companies all around the globe.

• Past clients include: Intuit, American Equity, Microsoft, Flinders University, American Dental Education Association, Western National Group, NALCO Champion, and Tetra Pak. 

Vinh Giang had only 6 months to graduate when he left his degree program in commerce and law to become an online magic teacher - ultimately building a hugely successful online business, 52kards, which now serves over 800,000 students around the globe. This earned him the award of Top Young Entrepreneur in Australia.

Vinh Giang’s real magic journey began when he finally understood what Robert Houdin (an amazing magician) meant when he said: “A magician is an actor playing the part of the magician.” Once Vinh understood the meaning behind this quote, he focused all his energy on studying the art of performance - and not the art of presentation. He has spent the last 15 years mastering the art of performance-enhanced communication - helping thousands of professionals worldwide to learn these skills.

Vinh is also the CEO of Luminary Productions which produces exceptional video for individuals and companies all around the globe.

Vinh’s presentations will bring out the magic in you! Prepare to be captivated by Vinh - as he:

• unlocks your mindsets - by presenting innovating concepts that produce deliberate and definitive action
• is an Entrepreneur who knows what it takes to lead and sell ideas
• is a Young Entrepreneur of the Year and award winning magician
• shares three key business ideas - and demonstrates them using the art of magic with on-stage audience participation
• creates a fun and highly entertaining atmosphere of illusion - where each key business concept is driven home in a truly profound and creative manner
• carefully crafts each performance creating the most powerful emotional experience for attendees - making the conference theme stick in their minds long after the event

“I believe that magicians are salespeople; they sell one of the most difficult products in the world. They sell magic - they sell the illusion. The way they’re able to sell magic is by working ridiculously hard. It takes thousands and thousands of hours to be able to sell the illusion, to be able to really sell the magic. Imagine if you applied the same mindset to your company - imagine if you applied the same dedication to your business - think about what you could achieve.” - Vinh Giang

Click Here to Watch Vinh's Virtual Presentation

Michelle Gielan, founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research, researches the science of positive communication and how to use it to fuel success. She works with Fortune 500 companies and schools to raise employee engagement, productivity and happiness at work. Michelle is a partner at GoodThink, a positive psychology consulting firm, and she holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Michelle is an Executive Producer of “The Happiness Advantage” Special on PBS, and she formerly served as the anchor of two national newscasts at CBS News. Her research and advice have received attention from Forbes, USA Today, CNN, FOX and NPR.

• Libby talks about what followers want – and deserve – from their leadership, and how to create, communicate and thrive in change.  

• Audiences leave with inspirational blend of leadership strategies and  secrets to success.

• Libby is a bestselling author, keynote speaker on Leadership and regular guest on the CBS Early Show, CNN, Inside Edition, NPR, the Today Show, and in BusinessWeek, Time, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and many more.

• Past clients include: Abbott Medical, ADP, Disney, Ernst & Young, Facebook, First American Insurance, Hyundai, Microsoft, Sony, Sutter Health, Viacom, Warner Bros., and Wells Fargo.

Libby Gill knows change. She grew up on two continents and went to eight different schools before putting herself through college waiting tables. Starting her career as an assistant at Embassy Communications, a television company founded by the legendary Norman Lear, Libby survived three mergers to emerge as head of publicity, advertising, and promotion for Sony’s worldwide television group in just five years.

After her first career heading communications at media giants Sony, Universal, and Turner Broadcasting, Libby founded LA-based Libby Gill & Company, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm. She guides individuals and organizations to lead through change, challenge, and chaos by deeply engaging employees in a shared future-focused vision of success.

In her consulting, coaching, and keynotes Libby helps her clients:

• Reframe change as an opportunity for massive growth
• Re-energize your best performers to reach their full potential
• Reinvent your corporate culture to embrace ambiguity

Her clients include Abbott Medical, ADP, Disney, Ernst & Young, Facebook, First American Insurance, Hyundai, Microsoft, Sony, Sutter Health, Viacom, Warner Bros., Wells Fargo, as well as non-profits and small businesses. A global speaker, Libby has delivered keynote presentations on three continents and in 36 U.S. states for organizations including Acura, ADP, Bank of America, Capital One, Cisco, Disney, Honda, Intel, Kellogg’s, Marriott International, Medtronic, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, United Healthcare, Vanguard, and many more.

Libby is the author of five books, including the award-winning You Unstuck, Capture the Mindshare and the Market Share Will Follow, and Traveling Hopefully. Her latest book is The Hope-Driven Leader: Harness the Power of Positivity at Work. A former columnist for the Dallas Morning News, Libby has published book chapters and peer-reviewed articles for numerous journals and trade publications. Business leaders including Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh, Stephen M.R. Covey, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, and Dr. Ken Blanchard have endorsed her work. Currently, she is co-authoring a book about Rice University’s Doerr Institute for New Leaders with former Brigadier General and Director of the Institute Thomas Kolditz, Ph.D.

A frequent media guest, Libby has appeared on the CBS Early Show, CNN, Inside Edition, NPR, the Today Show, and in BusinessWeek, Time, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and many more. Libby lives with her husband in Los Angeles and is the proud mother of two millennial sons.

Mandy Gill runs farther than most people drive in a week - and she brings that same endurance, mental stamina, and real-world toughness to the corporate leaders and teams she trains. A bestselling author, ultra-endurance athlete, and Harvard Leadership Program graduate, Mandy has built her career around a single mission: helping people stay steady, adaptable, and high-performing when conditions get hard.

After building and scaling one of the world’s most effective behavior-change apps, Hooked on Healthy Habits, Mandy has amassed one of the largest datasets on human performance, resilience, and goal-setting - tracking the habits and patterns of over 10,000 clients across the past decade. Combined with her lived experience pushing the limits of human capacity, this evidence base makes Mandy one of the most sought-after resilience experts for organizations facing rapid change and increasing pressure.

Her credibility is unmatched. Mandy has completed 100+ kilometer ultra-marathons with more than 20,000 feet of elevation gain, climbed some of the highest peaks in Nepal, and navigated extreme environments where conditions shift in seconds. She masterfully translates life-or-death decision-making from the mountains into practical frameworks leaders can use in boardrooms, manufacturing plants, virtual teams, and anyone navigating constant uncertainty.

Before becoming a recognized resilience expert, Mandy built a respected broadcast career, interviewing icons like Lady Gaga and Rihanna. Her background in media, combined with her entrepreneurial work as a tech founder and CEO, gives her a rare ability to connect with diverse audiences - from frontline teams to C-suite executives. She is also a two-time Women of Distinction nominee and a passionate advocate for leveling the playing field for women in leadership.

Mandy is the bestselling author of Reset with Resilience: A Guide to Greatness When Your Goals Go Sideways, a book that distills insights from her massive behavioral dataset and extreme-endurance experiences into a practical roadmap for turning setbacks into breakthroughs. It is the same data-backed philosophy she delivers to global organizations including the US Navy, adidas, DocuSign, TD Bank, Manulife, and many more.

Across every keynote and leadership session, Mandy blends:

• Real-world stories from extreme environments
• High-performance psychology and behavior science
• Evidence-backed tools for staying steady under pressure
• A grounded, humble, tough approach that audiences instantly trust

Her message is simple - and unforgettable: You are more capable than you think.

Organizations bring Mandy in when they need their people to stay confident, adaptable, and effective in environments that refuse to slow down. She shows teams what resilience looks like - and exactly how to build it.

James H. Gilmore specializes in provoking executives to think more richly and constructively about growth and innovation. Combining imaginative business thinking with practical analytical tools - Jim excels at helping businesses conceive new ways of understanding customer needs and adding value in the marketplace. To direct new strategic thinking and foster greater corporate ingenuity, Jim leverages insightful frameworks drawn from his world-renowned expertise in three innovation disciplines:

First, Jim challenges organizations to think beyond goods and services as a means to overcome commoditization - and engage customers with truly new forms of output. His highly influential work, The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre & Every Business a Stage, now published in fifteen languages - literally wrote the book that spawned worldwide attention in experience design, experiential marketing, and customer experience management. Gilmore's thinking on the subject is unparalleled in terms of challenging businesses to explicitly create value in two customer currencies: the importance of their time and the desire to achieve personal transformations.

The second innovation area in which Jim assists businesses is in mass customizing products and processes. He is co-editor of Markets of One: Creating Customer-unique Value through Mass Customization, which addresses how to best pursue customized offerings in the face of increasingly fragmented markets. Jim challenges businesses to go beyond mere customer satisfaction (the gap between what customers expect and what they perceive they get) - to focus on the new innovation metric of customer sacrifice (the gap between what customers settle for and what they want exactly) in uncovering new innovation opportunities. Not limited in any way to consumer businesses, Gilmore argues this metric in particular holds the key to creating value in B2B relationships.

The third arena of innovation directs businesses to consider a whole new consumer sensibility in today's marketplace - namely the desire for authenticity. Jim's most recent book, Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want, outlines how authenticity must be managed as a distinct business discipline if any innovation is to find a receptive buyer. Here Jim addresses ways for businesses to innovate that go beyond appeals to availability, cost, and quality - outlining the deliberate steps needed to gain the perception of authenticity and a reputation as real.

Jim has worked across a wide array of industries. His work in experience innovation has included helping a number of hospitality clients, technology firms, equipment manufacturers, restaurant chains, and medical care businesses. He has helped both goods manufacturers and service providers incorporate principles of mass customization into their operations. Jim's work in helping organizations render authenticity has primarily focused on travel and tourism, real estate development, and urban renewal.

Jim is co-founder of Strategic Horizons LLP and a Batten Fellow and Adjunct Lecturer at the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia. He is a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an alumnus of Procter & Gamble, and before co-founding Strategic Horizons LLP was head of CSC Consulting's Process Innovation practice.

Nancy Giordano: Keynote Speaker on Future Trends, AI & Leadership | Strategic Futurist | Author of Leadering | Founder of Play Big Inc.

Don't Just Predict the Future. Help Build It. What future do you want your organization—and your leaders—to be responsible for creating?

As technology, AI and societal expectations reshape virtually every industry, Nancy helps leaders understand not only what is changing—but how they can actively shape what comes next.

Her optimistic, human-centered approach challenges audiences to stop thinking about the future as something that simply happens to them and start recognizing their responsibility and opportunity to help create it.

Why Book Nancy Giordano?

Nancy doesn't simply predict trends. She helps leaders understand the forces reshaping their world and decide what they want to do about them.

Her work sits at the intersection of exponential technology, AI, leadership, work and societal transformation.

Rather than overwhelming audiences with predictions, Nancy creates a compelling picture of what's becoming possible—and challenges leaders to think more boldly about the organizations, experiences and systems they can create.

Her central question is powerful:

What future do you want to be responsible for?

What Makes Nancy Giordano Different?

• Strategic futurist — connects emerging trends to practical leadership decisions
• Author of Leadering — introduces a new approach to leading through exponential change
• 200+ global keynotes — extensive experience engaging executive audiences
• Founder of Play Big Inc. — focused on helping leaders actively shape the future
• Deep technology perspective — explores AI and other exponential technologies
• Human-centered futurism — keeps people, purpose and responsibility at the center
• Highly customized — tailors presentations to the questions facing each audience
• Optimistic perspective — helps audiences become excited rather than overwhelmed by what's next

Why Is Nancy Right for Your Audience?

Nancy is an outstanding choice when you want your audience to understand what's changing, rethink outdated assumptions and become more confident shaping what's next.

She is particularly effective for leadership conferences, executive meetings, association events, innovation summits and organizations navigating AI-driven transformation.

Book Nancy when your audience needs to:

• Understand the forces reshaping business and society
• Prepare for the opportunities and responsibilities created by AI
• Think differently about leadership
• Anticipate the future of work
• Challenge outdated assumptions and systems
• Become more comfortable with exponential change
• Think more boldly about what's possible
• Move from reacting to the future to actively shaping it

Audience Takeaways

Attendees will leave:

• Better prepared to understand exponential change
• More confident navigating AI and emerging technologies
• Thinking differently about what 21st-century leadership requires
• Better able to recognize opportunities hidden inside disruption
• More willing to challenge outdated assumptions
• Understanding why human capabilities matter even more as technology advances
• Inspired to take greater responsibility for shaping what's next
• Asking: What future do we want to create?

Nancy Giordano Keynote Programs

Creating a Future to Be Excited About. What if the future isn't something to fear—but something we're responsible for designing?

Nancy explores the powerful technological, economic and societal forces transforming our world and helps audiences understand what these changes could make possible.

Rather than simply forecasting what's next, she challenges leaders to think intentionally about the future they want to create and the actions they can take today to move toward it.

Ideal for: Executive conferences, association meetings, innovation events and organizations preparing for significant change.

21st Century Expectations for Leadership. The leadership practices that got organizations here may not be enough to take them where they're going next.

Drawing from her book Leadering, Nancy challenges traditional ideas about leadership and introduces a more dynamic approach designed for continuous change.

She helps leaders become more curious, adaptive and forward-looking while developing the confidence to navigate a future where many of yesterday's assumptions no longer apply.

Ideal for: Leadership conferences, executive meetings and organizations transforming how their leaders think and operate.

The Opportunities and Responsibilities of Being AI-Led. AI is extraordinarily powerful—but what do we actually want to do with that power?

Nancy moves the AI conversation beyond productivity and automation to explore the bigger leadership questions surrounding artificial intelligence.

She challenges audiences to consider how AI can expand human capability while recognizing the responsibility leaders have to make thoughtful decisions about how these technologies are designed, deployed and governed.

Ideal for: AI conferences, executive meetings, technology events and organizations developing their AI strategy.

The Work of the Future. As technology transforms what machines can do, how should we rethink what humans do best?

Nancy explores how exponential technologies, changing expectations and new organizational models are reshaping work.

She challenges audiences to move beyond simply making existing work more efficient and instead consider how work itself can be redesigned to become more meaningful, human and valuable.

Ideal for: Future-of-work conferences, HR events, leadership meetings and organizations undergoing workforce transformation.

Why Book Nancy Giordano Through The Sweeney Agency?

Nancy Giordano combines future trends, AI, leadership and human-centered thinking—but the real value comes from connecting those forces directly to the future your organization needs to prepare for and help create.

The Sweeney Agency can help you:

• Confirm Nancy Giordano's availability and current speaking fee
• Determine which Nancy Giordano keynote best fits your audience
• Discuss customization around your industry and strategic priorities
• Coordinate format, timing and event logistics
• Compare Nancy with other leading futurist, AI and leadership keynote speakers

Is Nancy Giordano Right for Your Event?

Tell us what's changing in your industry—and what you need your leaders to understand about the future ahead.

We'll help you determine whether Nancy is the right fit, confirm availability and fees, and make the booking process simple.

Planning a leadership conference, AI summit, association meeting or corporate event? Contact The Sweeney Agency today [email protected] to discuss booking Nancy Giordano as your keynote speaker.

Jeffrey Gitomer is a creative, on-the-edge, writer and speaker whose expertise on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development is world renowned. He is known for presentations, seminars and keynote addresses that are funny, insightful, and in your face. Jeffrey gives audiences information they can take out in the street one minute after the seminar is over and turn it into money.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The New York Times best sellers The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Black Book of Connections, and The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude. Most of his books have been number one best sellers on Amazon.com and have appeared on major best-seller lists more than 500 times and have sold millions of copies worldwide.

Jeffrey gives public and corporate seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts live and virtual training programs on selling, YES! Attitude, trust, customer loyalty, and personal development. His customers include Coca-Cola, US Foodservice, Caterpillar, BMW, Verizon, MacGregor Golf, Hilton, General Motors, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, AmeriPride, NCR, IBM, Comcast Cable, Time Warner, Liberty Mutual, Principal Financial, Wells Fargo Bank, BlueCross BlueShield, Carlsberg, Mutual of Omaha, AC Neilsen, Northwestern Mutual, Church Mutual Insurance, MetLife, Sports Authority, GlaxoSmithKline, The New York Post, and hundreds of others.

Jeffrey's syndicated column, Sales Moves, appears in scores of business journals and newspapers in the United States and Europe, and is read by more than four million people every week. His WOW website, Gitomer.com, gets thousands of hits per week from readers and seminar attendees. His state-of-the-art presence on the web and e-commerce ability has set the standard among peers, and has won huge praise and acceptance from customers.

International keynote speaker, Sylvie di Giusto, brings her expertise from a successful corporate career in Europe to every presentation. Formerly the head of a management academy and innovation hub, she developed innovative programs for high-end education with never-before-used training methods. As the Chief of Staff for the Chief Human Resources Officer of Europe’s largest tourism and retail group, Sylvie also coordinated all group-wide human resources teams and activities. Prior to that, at a consultancy firm, she implemented online and in-person training and development initiatives for Fortune 100 companies. Well versed in the study of social and cultural norms, personal beliefs and values, as well as cognitive biases and thought patterns, her 20 years in learning and development leaves a deep understanding into how ‘The Power of Choice’ impacts an organization’s sales, leadership and growth.

Now, extraordinary leaders and professionals at many of the most respected organizations and associations in the world—from American Express to American Airlines, Hilton to Nespresso, Microsoft to Prudential, and even the US Air Force—trust Sylvie to help them make the right decisions that grow their brands and bottom lines. Building on her five cornerstones of Modern Emotional Intelligence—visual, behavioral, verbal, digital, and social intelligence—Sylvie gives her audiences ‘The Power of Choice’ a conscious decision-making framework that allows us to understand our perceptions, choose our behaviors, and determine our best outcomes.

She is the author of The Image of Leadership, Discover Your Fair Advantage and the upcoming Make Me Feel Important, in which she leads you deep into the customer experience and shows you how to make every interaction count. Sylvie takes your organization on an entertaining, spectacular, and thought-provoking journey through the brain, the mind, and from the unconscious to the conscious—and ultimately to the heights of personal, professional, and organizational success.

Brent Gleeson: Keynote Speaker on Leadership, Teamwork & Organizational Change | Navy SEAL Combat Veteran | Bestselling Author | Business Leader

Lead Through Change. Build Teams That Win.

Brent Gleeson is a Navy SEAL combat veteran, bestselling author, business leader and highly engaging keynote speaker on leadership, teamwork, resilience and organizational change.

Drawing on lessons from the SEAL Teams and his experience building and leading businesses, Brent shows organizations how to create cultures of trust, accountability and disciplined execution—giving leaders and teams practical strategies for performing at their best during uncertainty and change.

Why Book Brent Gleeson?

Brent brings together two worlds that make his message particularly relevant to business audiences: elite military leadership and real-world business experience.

His experiences as a Navy SEAL provide powerful lessons about trust, teamwork, resilience and performing under pressure. But Brent doesn't simply tell military stories—he translates those experiences into practical principles leaders and teams can apply in their organizations.

His keynotes challenge audiences to embrace change, take greater ownership and build the trust and accountability required for high performance.

What Makes Brent Gleeson Different?

• Navy SEAL combat veteran — leadership lessons developed in demanding, high-pressure environments
• Business experience — translates elite-team principles directly into today's workplace
• Bestselling author — recognized for his work on leadership, resilience and organizational transformation
• Change expertise — helps organizations turn uncertainty and disruption into forward momentum
• Accountability focused — challenges people to take ownership rather than wait for circumstances to improve
• Practical and actionable — audiences leave with strategies they can immediately apply
• High-impact storytelling — compelling SEAL experiences connected directly to business challenges

Why Is Brent Right for Your Audience?

Brent is an excellent choice when you want your audience to embrace change, strengthen teamwork and take greater responsibility for achieving results.

He is particularly effective for leadership conferences, sales kickoffs, corporate meetings, association conferences and organizations navigating transformation, growth or significant disruption.

Book Brent when your audience needs to:

• Lead confidently through change and uncertainty
• Build stronger, more accountable teams
• Break down organizational silos
• Strengthen trust and communication
• Take greater ownership of results
• Develop resilience when facing setbacks
• Improve execution and follow-through
• Create a culture committed to continuous improvement

Audience Takeaways

Attendees will leave:

• Better prepared to lead themselves and others through change
• Understanding how trust and accountability drive team performance
• Ready to take greater ownership of results
• Equipped to strengthen collaboration across teams
• More resilient when facing uncertainty and setbacks
• Focused on turning strategy into disciplined execution
• Motivated to raise their own performance and expectations

Brent Gleeson Keynote Programs

Embrace the Suck: Leading Through Adversity: High-performing teams aren't defined by the absence of adversity. They're defined by how they respond to it.

Drawing on lessons from his experience as a Navy SEAL and business leader, Brent shows audiences how to develop the resilience, mindset and discipline required to navigate difficult circumstances and continue moving forward.

He challenges people to stop resisting discomfort and instead use adversity as an opportunity to adapt, grow and perform at a higher level.

Ideal for: Leadership conferences, sales kickoffs, corporate meetings and organizations navigating uncertainty or disruption.

TakingPoint: Leading Through Organizational Change: Change doesn't fail because organizations lack a strategy. It often fails because people don't fully commit to executing it.

Brent explores the leadership behaviors, cultural disciplines and levels of accountability required to successfully navigate transformation.

Audiences learn how to build trust, improve communication, increase engagement and create greater ownership throughout periods of significant change.

Ideal for: Leadership meetings, transformation initiatives, mergers, growth organizations and companies undergoing cultural change.

Building High-Performance Teams: Elite teams aren't created by individual talent alone. They are built on trust, accountability and commitment to the mission.

Brent translates lessons from the SEAL Teams into practical strategies for today's workplace, showing audiences how to strengthen relationships, increase accountability and create teams where people put collective success ahead of individual agendas.

Ideal for: Leadership, teamwork, culture, sales and high-performance events.

Why Book Brent Gleeson Through The Sweeney Agency?

Brent Gleeson's Navy SEAL experience creates an immediate connection with audiences—but the real value comes from connecting those experiences directly to the leadership and performance challenges your organization is facing.

The Sweeney Agency can help you:

• Confirm Brent Gleeson's availability and current speaking fee
• Determine which Brent Gleeson keynote best fits your audience
• Discuss customization around your organization's objectives
• Coordinate format, timing and event logistics
• Compare Brent with other leading leadership, teamwork, change and motivational speakers

Is Brent Gleeson Right for Your Event?

Tell us the change, leadership challenge or performance goal your organization is facing.

We'll help you determine whether Brent is the right fit, confirm availability and fees, and make the booking process simple.

Planning a leadership conference, sales kickoff or corporate event? Contact The Sweeney Agency today at [email protected]  to discuss booking Brent Gleeson as your keynote speaker.

Jodi Glickman is passionate about developing leaders— both seasoned executives and next generation talent.

As the CEO and founder of Great on the Job, Jodi and her team have reached hundreds of thousands of the brightest minds across corporate America and academia—working with many of the most influential organizations and iconic brands—counting LinkedIn, JP Morgan, Abbott, and Harvard Business School among their longest standing clients.

Jodi has appeared on the TEDx stage (Why You Should Stop Looking for Work You Love), she is the author of the critically acclaimed book Great on the Job, What to Say, How to Say It, The Secrets of Getting Ahead (St. Martin’s Press), and she is a writer for the Harvard Business Review.

Jodi regularly contributes to media outlets and her career advice hasbeen featured in the New York Times, USA Today, US News & World Report, Business Week, Fortune, Forbes, WSJ finance, CNN Money, Glamour, Shape, Real Simple, Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post, and many more.

Jodi is a former Peace Corps volunteer (Southern Chile) turned investment banker (Goldman Sachs) turned communication expert. She received her MBA from the Johnson School at Cornell where she was a Park Leadership Fellow and received a full-ride scholarship to business school.

Before turning to the world of finance, Jodi was a policy analyst at the U.S. EPA and did stints at the White House and Governor’s Office of Illinois. She has a B.S. in Social Policy, Magna Cum Laude, from Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy. She is a former member of the Northwestern University Council of 100, and a former board member of Readworks.org and Trustee of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

Jodi lives in Chicago, IL with her husband and three children. She enjoys hiking, biking and eating hot fudge sundaes, not necessarily in that order.

Kian Gohar is a bestselling author, AI researcher, and futurist. He coaches leadership teams to solve complex problems.

He is founder and CEO of Geolab, a research lab focused on the future of work, with training programs focused on AI and innovation, leadership development, and teamwork transformation.

Kian is a former executive director of the XPRIZE Foundation and Singularity University. He has coached the leadership teams of dozens of Fortune 500 companies, startup unicorns, venture capital firms, and government agencies, and fundraised nearly $50m for nonprofits that have changed the world.

His latest research on Human-AI collaboration has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal, and on a Stanford podcast selected as “Best Podcast Episode of the Year” by the podcast industry awards.

In 2022, he co-wrote “Competing in the New World of Work” with Keith Ferrazzi, which was on top of the Wall Street Journal bestseller list and translated into 7 languages.

He is a sought-after keynote speaker and emcee for marquee global events, including the World Economic Forum, YPO, and many industry associations. He serves on the board of the Transformational Leadership Council, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Kian graduated from Northwestern, the London School of Economics, Harvard Business School, and was a Henry Luce Scholar in China.

Garry Golden is a professionally trained futurist who writes, speaks, and consults about issues that will shape society and business in the 21st century. His uncanny sense of what will hit—and what won’t—can be seen in futurethink’s research and heard in his international keynotes and corporate leadership seminars. His insights on how to align talent development to coming industry and market transitions have been shared with and implemented by such organizations as the McGraw-Hill Companies, Goodyear, S&P, and Reliant Energy.

Garry serves as Adjunct Lecturer on the Future of Energy and Environment for the University of Houston. He has consulted on projects as diverse as the future of utilities; transportation and supply chains; food safety and health; financial services; and sustainable retail packaging. He is the co-author of the inspiring book Designing Your Future, and author of the upcoming book titled The Age of Adaptive Experiences.

Garry attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received his Futures Studies degree from the University of Houston. He is a past board member of the Association of Professional Futurists (APF) as well as an aspiring collector of street art (which will likely be huge in the year 2040.) If left to his own devices at a museum gift shop, odds are a micro-machine or geological piece will be finding itself a future home.

Professor Ian Goldin was the Founding Director of the Oxford Martin School from September 2006 to September 2016. He is currently Oxford University Professor of Globalization and Development and the Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Technological and Economic Change. He is a Senior Fellow at the Oxford Martin School and a Professorial Fellow at the University’s Balliol College.

During his decade as Director, the School established 45 programs of research, bringing together more than 500 academics from across Oxford, from over 100 disciplines - and becoming the world’s leading centre for interdisciplinary research into critical global challenges.

Professor Goldin initiated and was Vice-Chair of the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations, which brought together 19 international leaders from government, business, academia, media and civil society - to address the growing short-term preoccupations of modern politics and business, and identify ways of overcoming today’s gridlock in key international negotiations. The Commission’s report, Now for the Long Term - was published in October 2013.

From 2003 to 2006 he was Vice President of the World Bank, and prior to that the Bank’s Director of Development Policy (2001-2003). He served on the Bank’s senior management team and led the Bank’s collaboration with the United Nations and other partners - as well as with key countries. As Director of Development Policy, he played a pivotal role in the research and strategy agenda of the Bank.

From 1996 to 2001 he was Chief Executive and Managing Director of the Development Bank of Southern Africa - and served as an advisor to President Nelson Mandela. He succeeded in transforming the Bank to become the leading agent of development in the 14 countries of Southern Africa. During this period, Goldin served on several Government committees and Boards, and was Finance Director for South Africa’s Olympic Bid.

Previously, Goldin was Principal Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, and Program Director at the OECD Development Centre in Paris - where he directed the Programs on Trade, Environment and Sustainable Development.

He has a BA (Hons) and a BSc from the University of Cape Town, an MSc from the London School of Economics - and an MA and Doctorate from the University of Oxford.

Ian has served as a non-executive director on the boards of a number of leading businesses, including Old Mutual, Implenia AG, Metropolitan Life, and CDC Plc. His board positions include being the lead independent director - and chairing investment, credit, risk, audit, strategy, remuneration, social responsibility and ethics committees. Ian has advised over 50 governments and 100 leading global businesses. His non-profit activities include being the Chair of the CORE-econ.org initiative to reform global economics - and serving as a trustee of Comic Relief and other charities.

Goldin has received wide recognition for his contributions to development and research, including having been knighted by the French Government and nominated Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum. He has published over 50 articles and 20 books, including Globalization for Development: Meeting New Challenges (Oxford University Press, 2012), Exceptional People: How Migration Shaped our World and Will Define our Future (Princeton University Press, 2011), Divided Nations: Why Global Governance is Failing and What We Can Do About It (Oxford University Press, 2013), The Butterfly Defect: How Globalization Creates Systemic Risks, and What To Do About It (Princeton University Press, 2014) and an edited volume, Is the Planet Full?  (Oxford University Press, 2014). His latest books are The Pursuit of Development: Economic Growth, Social Change and Ideas (Oxford University Press, 2016) and  Age of Discovery: Navigating the Risks and Rewards of Our New Renaissance (Bloomsbury and St Martin’s Press, 2016).

• 25-year entrepreneur & senior executive for multinational firms

• Uses his piano to reveal the habits of virtuoso musicians and apply them to business and life

• Inspires organizations to unleash individual and collective virtuosity

• Fun, immersive, multi-sensory, music-filled keynote experience; Has spoken in 33 countries on five continents

• Author of two books on exceptional performance

We call a supremely talented person in the arts and sports a virtuoso. Keynote pianist Felipe Gomez believes the term also applies to business. Felipe has an impressive decades-long business history as an entrepreneur and senior executive in multinational firms, but his passion has always been music. Obsessed with learning the habits of virtuoso musicians, Felipe believes applying the virtuoso mindset is the key to achieving breakthrough success in business and life. In 2014, Felipe combined his business experience with his passion for music and began his speaking career full time. He has gained worldwide recognition, inspiring audiences on five continents and in 33 countries with his dazzling musical interpretation of the traits that define a virtuoso. Charismatically commanding the audience from his grand piano, Felipe’s presentations are fun, interactive, and deliver great content in both English and Spanish. The author of two books on exceptional performance, Felipe uses his music and business insights to help unleash the individual and collective virtuosity in organizations.

Born in Colombia, Felipe began playing piano at the age of four. He came from a musical family – there was always music in the house. After graduating Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota, Felipe pursued a career in business, becoming known for his strategic vision and ability to innovate across diverse industries.

At Compass Group, the world's largest food-catering company, Felipe served as the Managing Director for the operation in Colombia. There he led initiatives that not only tripled the division’s revenue but also increased operating profits by 130% through keen strategic acquisitions and a focus on operational improvements and innovation. He later served as the Innovation and International Business Development Director for Latin America.

Felipe led the launch of Farmacity in Colombia, establishing it rapidly as a dominant force in the pharmacy retail sector by opening 12 stores in just 20 months and positioning the brand as a leader in the market.

He co-founded Azurian, a pioneering internet consulting firm in Latin America, guiding its expansion into seven countries and driving its rise as a significant regional consultancy firm.

Beyond his corporate success, Felipe founded Allegro, a non-profit organization that brings therapeutic live music to hospital settings like ICUs, delivery rooms, and cancer treatment areas.

Combining his corporate and entrepreneurial experience with his passion for music is Felipe’s greatest joy. He has a gift for empowering individuals and organizations to transform their behaviors, embrace risk, learn from failure, and achieve mastery.

Felipe has spoken at prestigious management and leadership conferences around the world, including TED, the Global Peter Drucker Forum, WOBI, the Oslo Business Forum, the World Business Forum, and many more. He has appeared at over 1,000 presentations for corporate, association, and global leadership events and consistently delivers unforgettable experiences that leave lasting impact.

Felipe’s first book, published in 2019 is Attitude-E, a bestseller that introduces a powerful framework for success through an entrepreneurial mindset, anchored in six levers: Envision, Energy, Endurance, Ensemble, Elasticity, and Engagement.

His second book, Bitacora De Una Pandemia En Quince Conversaciones, was published in Spanish in 2020 and is a collection of conversations he had during the pandemic with a number of thought leaders in different fields.

Felipe is now writing his third book, Virtuoso.

Felipe currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his family and holds an MBA from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland, where he also completed a program on Leading Digital Business Transformation.

Amanda Gore is an Australian living in the USA. An author, USA Hall of Fame speaker, business woman, CEO of The Joy Project and a Huffington Post Columnist, she has won many awards, including Educator of the Year and Keynote Speaker of the Year from the National Speakers Association.  

She works with organizations of different sizes to help boost engagement of teams, create cultures of joy and joyful people, manage change fatigue and bring humanity back into leadership and work.  

With the rise of mental health issues, Amanda believes that joy is the antidote to burnout and has been shown to increase productivity, sales, and well-being. In her presentations, she blends humor, science, and life experience to teach practical tools and skills for personal and organizational growth. She focuses on helping people feel good about themselves which leads to positive changes in all areas. 

Originally a physical therapist with a major in psychology, Amanda blends research in neuroscience, epigenetics, positive psychology, quantum physics and emotional intelligence with funny stories to help organizations achieve better performance by aligning with values and mission and creating joyful workplaces and people. Through her funny, interactive and engaging presentations, Amanda breaks down barriers, opens hearts and minds, and inspires people to action. 

Her presentations are funny, energetic, entertaining, and engaging, and she is dedicated to inspiring and facilitating lasting change while people laugh and learn. 

Click Here to Watch Amanda's Virtual Presentation