Nina Conti
Comedian & Ventriloquist
Let Me Entertain You
Business might be serious, but people aren’t, we like to laugh, to entertain and to bond with others and that is what I wanted my first JLA feature to focus on!
Nina Conti performing on stage at the RVS.
Whether you like attending the theatre, concerts, magic shows, dance showcases and more in your spare time, why not incorporate these into your next event. Successful corporate entertainment brings fun and promotes sharing and socialising among attendees, enhancing business activities.
If my words are met with scepticism, please allow me to explain why corporate entertainment can transform any event:
- Audience Interaction: Entertainment / cabaret acts frequently involve audience participation, encouraging guests to become part of the show. Not only can this help to break the ice for networking, but this interaction can also boost engagement and create a sense of inclusion. Plus, the happier your team is, the more effectively they work together professionally.
- Memorable Experiences: Professional entertainment can leave a lasting impact on attendees. People often remember unique and fun experiences, and the entertainment provided can be a highlight that participants recall long after the event. This can contribute to positive word-of-mouth promotion and enhance the reputation of those hosting the event… It’s a win-win!
So now that I’ve convinced you all to book corporate entertainment for your next event, here is a list of some of my favourite acts:
Nina Conti
Nina is an actor, comedian and stand-up ventriloquist who quickly rose to prominence after securing victory in the BBC New Comedy Award. Recognized for her uncensored and cheeky partner, Monkey (also known as Monk), Nina has achieved multiple accolades for her exceptional writing, acting, and ventriloquism skills. Nina will have any audience laughing their socks off allowing people to escape from their day-to-day lives.
View Nina Conti’s full JLA profile here.
Steve Barnett: The Silent Conductor
Steve using nothing but basic percussion instruments, endless enthusiasm, and physical comedy to transform an untrained and unrehearsed audience into a harmonious orchestra, all achieved without speaking a single word. Not only does Steve make any event one to remember for its uniqueness, but I also personally find it very motivating.
View Steve Barnett: The Silent Conductor’s full JLA profile here.
Frobacks
Frobacks are a London-based male street-dancing quartet who incorporate flips and humour into their routines. They can start their shows among the audience before unleashing their energetic moves on the dance floor or as the headline act on stage. With the ability to tailor their choreography to suit a range of musical styles, they can cater to all kinds of event themes.
For more information on Frobacks please contact your JLA account manager.
Pete Firman
Pete is a very talented magician whose tricks rival those of Dumbledore as he uses props, fire, and a sense of unpredictability to leave audiences spellbound. Pete is also a master comedian, having performed at the prestigious Edinburgh Festival as well as many TV appearances. The question you should ask yourself is ‘what can’t Pete do…’
View Pete Firman’s full JLA profile here.
Pete Firman performing onstage at the RVS.
If you’re interested in seeing even more amazing cabaret performances, register for tickets to this years Real Variety Show!
If you’d like to enquire about any of the names above, or would like some more examples of great comedy and entertainers, please contact your JLA Account Manager.
Voices of Victory – Motivational Speakers for the Women’s World Cup 2023
Following a truly fantastic summer of sport so far, it is now time to turn our heads towards the Women’s Football World Cup 2023.
In recent years, women’s football has experienced a real surge in its popularity and support and so, after England’s incredible success during the 2022 Women’s Euros tournament, there is a real sense of anticipation to see whether they can recreate their incredible achievements of last year.
However, no matter what the final result, their power off the pitch is just as important as on the pitch. The way in which the women’s team has completely shattered stereotypes and proven that women’s football deserves the same amount of respect and recognition as its male counterpart is really inspiring, and it’s brilliant to see the increased support for the women’s game finally materialising.
There are a great deal of takeaways to learn from women’s football, for example the importance of teamwork, good leadership, rising above adversity – the list could go on! But rather than trying to explain further, I am happy to introduce a few handpicked professional speakers in the area of women’s football who are more than qualified to share their valuable stories and lessons…
Jill Scott
Former Lioness turned pundit, Jill’s feedback is repeatedly fantastic. With 161 England caps and as part of the winning Lioness squad in 2022, she is part of ITV’s team covering the Women’s World Cup. She undoubtedly has an abundance of experience and this really does shine through in her speaking in which she covers topics from overcoming adversity, to working as part of a team. I really couldn’t recommend her highly enough.
View Jill Scott’s full speaker profile here.
Gabby Logan
As one of this country’s most well-known sports broadcasters, Gabby was one of the leading presenters covering the Euros in 2022 and she is continuing in this position through the Women’s World Cup. With a lifelong immersion in sports, she has amassed a wealth of knowledge and expertise to share. This coupled with her brilliant communication style and professionalism further enhances her being a great choice to host or speak at your event!
View Gabby Logan’s full speaker profile here.
Jonas Eidevall
As Head Coach of Arsenal Women FC, Jonas is very much involved at the heart of women’s football. He is also part of the BBC’s coverage team for the Women’s World Cup, and is also a columnist for the Guardian in which he will offer his insights into the highly anticipated tournament. He has expertise in areas such as leadership, motivation, team building and high performance.
For more information on Jonas Eidevall please contact your JLA account manager
Eniola Aluko
Eniola, a renowned football pundit and commentator, has made a remarkable impact both on and off the pitch. Besides her successful playing career, she is a qualified lawyer and a UN Women UK ambassador. Notably, she played a pivotal role in unveiling racism and discrimination within the England team’s coaching setup. Being able to draw from these personal experiences make her an impressive speaker, in which she can clearly cover a variety of topics.
View Eniola Aluko’s full speaker profile here.
Ellen White
As the Lioness’ top all time goalscorer and three time recipient of England’s International Player of the Year, Ellen is the perfect candidate to discuss achieving peak performance and unlocking one’s full potential, especially in an environment where the pressure is often so high. Her experiences on the pitch have also left her with first-hand knowledge in areas such as teamwork, determination and perseverance – just to name a few!
View Ellen White’s full speaker profile here.
If you’d like to enquire about any of the names above, or would like some more examples of great sporting or motivational speakers, please contact your JLA Account Manager.
What about the Money?
Here at JLA, it’s our responsibility to stay atop the trends of the day, so that you don’t have to. We constantly ask ourselves, what do our clients want to hear about next? Who do they want to hear from?
At times, keeping ahead of societal trends is smooth sailing, with little to note other than the gentle ripple of a new motivational school of thought.
That is a pipedream in today’s climate, and the past few years have been a raging sea of unexpected twists and turns. The Covid-19 pandemic brought a rush of epidemiologists and the Westminster debacle of the last few years led even us to ask ‘What the hell is going on?’. More predictably, AI is taking centre stage in recent months, we covered that recently.
AI is clearly the new kid on the block, and we have (very gratefully) said farewell to the pandemic. With all of that in mind, it seems to me that one trend has continued unabated since records began, and is at the very tip of our client’s tongues whether they know it or not. That question is: What’s happening with the money? Where is it going next?
Now, I do not have the skill to answer that question for you, so please allow me to introduce you to the keynote speakers most qualified to do so:
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Paul Johnson
Paul heads up the widely respected Institute for Fiscal Studies and sits on the committee for climate change. Paul speaks with the energetic zeal of a motivational speaker and is well-placed to discuss all facets of the UK economy, from the labour market to the numbers behind the climate crisis.
View Paul Johnson’s full speaker biography here.
Trevor Williams
Trevor is a battle-hardened City Economist with the timesheet to prove it. After starting his career in the Civil Service, Trevor has over 30 years of experience plotting the trends of the UK’s Economy. He’s perfectly placed to discuss how demographics, society, and politics are shaping today’s economy.
View Trevor Williams’s full speaker biography here.
David Blanchflower
David is one of the most respected British economists with a focus on the economics of individuals, specifically with regard to wages, employment, and overall well-being. Widely credited as one of the early bell-ringers for the financial crisis – David is exactly the kind of visionary required for the road ahead.
View David Blanchflower’s full speaker biography here.
Pippa Malmgren
Pippa is uniquely placed across a multitude of different industries, and that makes her the perfect candidate. Her one-of-a-kind ability to weave together geopolitics, technology, and policy makes her a supremely capable authority on the economic picture.
View Pippa Malmgren’s full speaker biography here.
If you’d like to enquire about any of the names above, or would like some more examples of great economic speakers, please contact your JLA Account Manager.
New Additions – Spring 2023
Spring is a busy time for us at JLA and this year has been no exception, especially for our New Talent Manager who has added some fantastic conference speakers to our website.
Below is a selection of the new top talent to add to your consideration before your next event.
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Clara Durodié
Clara Durodié is a highly regarded expert in AI governance, fintech, and digital transformation. Her book Decoding AI in Financial Services was the first guidebook on AI in financial services for C-level, Boards, and decision makers.
View Clara Durodié’s full speaker biography here.
Benjamin Alexander
Benjamin Alexander made history as the first alpine skier to represent Jamaica in the Olympics. He took part in his first official race in 2020. As a result of his success, he qualified for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
View Benjamin Alexander’s full speaker biography here.
Dr Elisabeth Carter
Elisabeth Carter is the UK’s leading scholar of romance fraud, as well as an authority on all types of fraud. She uses her research to improve understandings of scams, improve outcomes for victims, address victimisation, and improve fraud reporting rates.
View Dr Elisabeth Carter’s full speaker biography here.
Håkan Nordkvist
Håkan Nordkvist is the former Head of Sustainability Innovation for the IKEA Group. His role was to identify, enable and build new sustainability related businesses that drive value. Håkan and his team built the IKEA Clean energy service business, one of the biggest clean energy service businesses existing today.
View Håkan Nordkvist’s full speaker biography here.
Pippa Crerar
Pippa Crerar is the Political editor of The Guardian. She previously held the same role at the Daily Mirror where she exposed the Partygate and Barnard Castle scandals.
View Pippa Crerar’s full speaker biography here.
Lord Tony Hall of Birkenhead
During his time as the sixteenth Director General of the BBC Tony Hall transformed iPlayer from a catch-up service into a destination in its own right and launched on demand radio with BBC Sounds.
View Lord Tony Hall of Birkenhead’s full speaker biography here.
Dr Julia Jones
Neuroscientist Julia Jones teaches audiences how to apply science to boost brain and body biology. She demonstrates how the brain works, and how to use biohacks to optimise ancient in-built biological systems.
View Dr Julia Jones’s full speaker biography here.
For further information or to book any of the above speakers please contact us.
Public speaking alumni: Which universities produce the most skilled orators?
If using the data sourced from JLA’s internal data, please provide credit and include the note: “This research was gathered by keynote speaker bureau JLA.”
Alastair Campbell studied at the University of Cambridge between 1975 and 1979.
Speeches have defined pivotal moments in history – and changed the course of events.
But the importance of making great speeches is not confined to history. It’s a highly-prized, incredibly useful skill for everyday working life.
Billionaire Warren Buffett has said it can increase your career value by 50%, while Richard Branson has called effective communication the “most important skill any leader can possess.”
There’s even data to back this up. A study by the American Association of Colleges and Universities found speaking skills were the ability most desired by executives hiring new people.
Our research revealed the universities with the most skilled orators among their alumni — those able to engage and hold an audience, who are also leaders in their respective fields.
Methodology
- Data comes from JLA’s database of over 3,000 professional keynote speakers, presenters and performers
- Data was cross-referenced with alumni data from UK and Irish universities to identify the universities producing alumni able to command a fee for sharing knowledge, hosting and entertaining an audience
- As well as charting the overall top 10, we have categorised universities into specialist, medium-sized and large institutions, based on their average yearly attendance
- We also examined the most popular subjects at each university, to highlight the subjects inspiring the next generation of leaders and public speakers
Top 10 universities for producing skilled orators
Sir Chris Hoy studied at the University of Edinburgh between 1996 and 1999.
University of Edinburgh alumni make up just over 1 in 20 (5.59%) professional speakers working in the UK, meaning it’s the most prolific producer of public speakers.
Alumni include presenter and journalist Laura Kuenssberg, ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and six-time gold medal-winning track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy.
The university ranks fourth in the UK for research power, which charts the quality and extent of research. Times Higher Education classifies 90% of its research as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”.
The University of Bristol comes second, with just under 1 in 20 (4.99%) of the UK’s public speakers having studied here.
Among its alumni are illusionist and performer Derren Brown, journalist and newsreader Alastair Stewart, and the biological anthropologist and television presenter Alice Roberts.
The 2021 QS Graduate Employability Rankings placed Bristol at 58th in the world and 9th in the UK in terms of reputation with employers.
The University of Cambridge ranks third on the list: 3.79% of UK public speakers currently operating are Cambridge graduates.
Famous alumni include broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough, political strategist and journalist Alastair Campbell, and actor and comedian Stephen Fry. Cambridge affiliates (alumni, academics and others holding official appointments) have won 121 Nobel Prizes between them.
According to QS World University Rankings, the University of Cambridge is the second-best university in the world behind MIT – and the best university in Europe.
Which subjects do orator-producing universities specialise in?
Some 41% of the institutions featured have a significant portion of students studying business and management courses. This could suggest that people studying business and management use the skills they learn to progress into leadership roles that require motivational abilities.
Medicine-related subjects were the most popular subjects at 23% of universities on the list. Then came engineering & technology, followed by social sciences, both of which were the most commonly studied subjects at 10% of the universities.
Which subjects are most attended at orator producing universities
Specialist ‘orator’ universities
Here we look at smaller universities, with student numbers up to 10,000 for the current year. In this category, two universities come joint top for the most speaker alumni.
SOASis a world-leading institution for the study of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, which trains many government officials, particularly in oriental languages.
The Royal College of Art, meanwhile, has come first nine years in a row for art and design courses in the QS World University Rankings.Being more specialised institutions, many universities in this category teach courses related to performance, the arts and theatre. Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Royal College of Music and Arts University Bournemouth all feature, highlighting these universities’ natural leaning towards performance.
Indeed, on average, professional speaker alumni are twice as likely to have studied at a university in this category than any other.
Which specialist universities are producing skilled orators?
Medium-sized ‘orator’ universities
This category includes universities with between 10,000 to 25,000 students in the current year.
The University of Cambridge tops the list here. A world-famous institution that regularly appears in lists of top universities globally, engineering and technology subjects have the highest number of students. However, it’s highly respected for a number of subject specialisms. In terms of speaker alumni, Cambridge has nearly double the number of close rivals the University of Oxford.
Following Cambridge, Loughborough University comes second in this category. It’s only one of four institutions named University of the Year twice by the Sunday Times and is globally renowned for its sports-related courses.
In third, Brunel University is the 14th best UK university for employable graduates, according to Global University Employability Ranking 2022. Fittingly, for a university named after an engineer, it has a fine reputation for its engineering and technology courses.
Which medium sized universities produce skilled orators
Large ‘orator’ universities
These are universities with over 25,000 students in the current year. They represent a third of the institutions in the rankings, though the number of professional speakers from these universities makes up 53% of the total numbers.
Four of the top five universities overall belong to this category. Among them are the University of Birmingham, which came 12th in 2021 Times Higher Education rankings and boasts former prime ministers and 11 Nobel laureates as alumni.
After Birmingham comes King’s College London in fourth place for large universities. King’s also comes fourth in terms of age, at least in England: as part of the University of London, it’s England’s fourth-oldest university. It’s now one of the largest centres for healthcare education in the world.
Large orator universities
Those who make a living from speaking publicly studied at universities from all corners of the UK. Some of the biggest, most renowned UK universities boast the highest numbers of alumni orators.
However, when taken as a group of institutions, the specialist, smaller universities are twice as likely to have professional speaker alumni than larger universities.
One thing is for certain: UK universities nurture inspiring speakers. From world leaders to broadcasters, Nobel Prize winners, and influential academics, they’ve all emerged from some of the UK’s finest universities.
To quit or not to quit? That is the High Performance question.
What do you do when something isn’t working out? Do you cut your losses and walk away? Or do you buckle down and keep trying.
The answer is YES!
Let’s start with the cutting our losses and walking away option. We all have some version of the sound track to “never give up” or “quitters never win and winners never quit” floating in our heads. But quitting isn’t always the same as giving up and winners know how to quit strategically.
I entered the world of Paralympic sport at 19. My original goal was to be an international rugby superstar, but a freak accident put an end to that dream. I was run over by a boat and got caught in the propellers. I was very lucky to survive, but unfortunately my right foot had to be amputated.
I didn’t want to give up on my goal just because I was an amputee, but it was a struggle because several referees didn’t think it was safe for me play. They were worried that my carbon fibre running blade presented an injury risk in the scrums. Perhaps I could have challenged the ruling. But the truth was that I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I used to because I wasn’t the same athlete.
I used to be able to run the ball from end to end without getting tackled. Which was good because I was small for a rugby player and I hated getting tackled! But my agility and my speed weren’t as good as when I had two legs, and I was tired of being slammed into the dirt and tired of comparing myself to the old me.
So I went in a different direction. Which is a nicer way of saying that I quit rugby. I let go of that childhood dream. Life is constantly changing and we have to update our goals and strategies to reflect this instead of forcing them to work in a reality that no longer exists. Quitting was the best thing I could have done because it freed me pursue a new dream as a Paralympic long jumper and sprinter.
It was less a case of giving up on Plan A, and more a case of reworking and imagining it!
Stef Reid is a World Champion, a 4 time Paralympian, 3 time Paralympic Medallist, and 5 time world record holder.
But sometimes it is about pushing through and refusing to give up until you find a way. Unfortunately there are no formulas in the world of High Performance!
In 2022, I was invited to be a contestant on Dancing on Ice. It’s a British reality TV show where celebrity contestants learn to skate ice dance routines. We perform live with millions watching every week in front of skate legends and head judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. Then the audience votes to decide who goes home.
Obviously, I said yes! However, skating was much harder than I anticipated. I had no experience as a skater or dancer or performer. And on top of that, it’s a sport that requires a lot of balance and fine movement from the ankle and foot – not ideal when you have an artificial leg.
I was not good. It is awful knowing that the show is expecting you to perform on live TV to millions and you are nowhere close to being ready.
I thought about quitting. The reality was that it may not be possible for an amputee to excel in this arena. Maybe I should invest my time and effort elsewhere.
But rather than quit, I decided to adjust my goal.
This was no longer about winning or losing (….okay, it still was a little bit. The competitor in me will always be there!) The reality was I probably couldn’t win. But I would rather go down fighting than give up. I did everything I could to be the best I could be and surprise the world in the process. I logged as many hours as possible, worked with engineers to optimize my leg for skating, and spent hours in the mirror practicing my choreography. And I decided I was going to love every moment of it.
And something crazy happened: after 7 weeks of this, I started getting better! My professional skating partner Andy realized that it didn’t make sense to teach me according to the usual progressions. As an amputee, I was still struggling with some of the basics, like stopping. But my background as an elite athlete meant that I could do some advanced skating moves on one foot, like the hydrablade, and that we could skip ahead to some Olympic standard partner lifts.
Andy and I didn’t win, but we made it to the quarter finals and turned a few heads in the process. Sometimes it is about refusing to give up, and running experiment after experiment for as long as it takes to find the solution.
So back to our original question: to quit or not to quit?
Life is about making good choices, and in the world of high performance, there is rarely a simple formula. But a good place to start is by being really clear on what you are trying to achieve. Does quitting take you closer to your goal or farther away from it?
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Stef retired from sport in 2022 and now works as a keynote speaker, broadcaster, and executive coach. Her expertise in high performance, overcoming adversity, and diversity and inclusion make her a popular choice for events across the world.
View Stef Reid’s JLA speaker profile here.
If you’d like to enquire about booking Stef, or would like other options for a speaker on High Performance & Teamwork please contact your JLA Account Manager.
Mental Health Speakers
As every year, May is the month of Mental Health Awareness week and it will focus on the theme of anxiety.
While anxiety is a feeling that is known to a lot of individuals, it has spread since the beginning of the Covid crisis, and it became a common feature of everyone’s experience during the pandemic years.
The theme is even more relevant today as not only are we all still adjusting to the ‘new normal’ post-Covid, but we are also facing the consequences of the political instability that has followed since the beginning of the Ukrainian war.
While these might sound like very broad and abstract themes, the impact on the individual is very tangible and measurable: a higher cost of living, insecurity and instability of the work landscape are all contributing factors to the growing anxiety in the world population. With this said, it’s also important to point out that anxiety can be made easier to manage and the mental health speakers I recommend can play a role in raising awareness on the topic and can get the conversations started at your next event.
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John Amaechi
John is one of those speakers that can effortlessly and confidently address a wide range of topics during his talks. Once a professional basketball player in the NBA, John has since become a respected psychologist and the founder of APS Intelligence. Whether he’s sharing strategies for reducing workplace stress or insights into individual development and diversity, John’s talks are always purposeful and leave his audience feeling inspired. John believes that in order to see change, one must act upon it and he excels at providing practical takeaways that empower his listeners to make a difference.
View John Amaechi‘s speaker profile here.
Jonny Benjamin & Neil Labourn
Jonny and Neil’s incredible bond formed under the most challenging of circumstances. They first met when Neil stepped in and talked Jonny out of taking his own life on Waterloo Bridge. This life-changing encounter led them to found the mental health charity Beyond. Their inspiring story has even been made into a Channel 4 documentary called ‘The stranger on the bridge’. Today, Jonny and Neil use their experiences to drive their passion for mental health, with the hope of breaking the stigma around the subject. In their talks Jonny and Neil wholeheartedly share their personal experiences and actively assist workplaces by equipping the audiences with crucial knowledge in order to better confront the challenges of mental health and raise awareness about mental well-being.
View Jonny Benjamin & Neil Labourn‘s speaker profile here.
Petra Velzeboer
Petra approaches mental health from a unique angle. Instead of focusing on the challenges arising from poor mental health, in her talks she empowers employees and companies to proactively cultivate environments that encourage personal growth and well-being. Growing up in the religious cult ‘The Children of God’ exposed her to abuse and punishment, which eventually led her into addiction and depression. Today, she’s a respected psychotherapist and she’s founded the Mental Health Consultancy PVL with the mission to establish a mentally healthy culture at all organizational levels. Despite her compelling story and the heavy topic, Petra inserts lightness and humor into her talks as she dares audiences to take personal responsibility for their health and challenges them to create workplaces that empower individuals to thrive.
View Petra Velzeboer‘s speaker profile here.
Petra also spoke at our JLA Speakers Breakfast on Motivation, Resilience & Mental Health in December, please see a short clip of her at that event below.
If you’d like to enquire about any of the names above, or would like some more examples of great keynote speakers to talk about the topic of mental health, please contact your JLA Account Manager.
Sustainability Speakers in 2023
In today’s world, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of bleak headlines about the many issues facing our society. From political unrest to economic instability and environmental degradation, you could be forgiven for feeling powerless and even despairing.
However, in the midst of all this chaos there is a growing awareness of the importance of sustainability and our responsibility to protect future generations from the catastrophic effects of climate change.
Given this backdrop, it is unsurprising that organisations seek experts on sustainable business practices to speak at their events. In fact, it is quite encouraging that this is now one of the most common briefs we receive here at JLA.
The value of these speakers goes beyond simple inspiration and education, though it never hurts to leave an audience feeling positive after a conference! We work with many experts on sustainability who either run their own businesses or are engaged in the corporate world. Crucially, they are able to provide insight into the economic benefits of sustainable business practices and demonstrate that profit, and a commitment to sustainable values, do not have to be mutually exclusive.
In no particular order here are a few of my favourite speakers on this topic:
Mary Portas
Mary is possibly the most inspirational speaker that I have heard during my time at JLA. She is one of the few I have seen receive a standing ovation and enthusiastic applause during her session! Her expertise on retail and marketing is unquestionable but since the pandemic her content is focused upon the importance of sustainability in the Fashion industry. She is the co-chair of the sustainable campaign group ‘Better Business Act’ and authored the brilliant ‘Kindness Economy’. Mary emphasises that change is possible and nothing to be scared of.
View Mary Portas‘s speaker profile here.
Natalie Campbell
Natalie has an excellent business background and is currently is the co-CEO of ethical water company ‘Belu Water’. Always receiving excellent feedback she is an expert on leadership and disrupting ‘business as usual’, a topic that is increasingly relevant since the pandemic. Like Mary, Natalie is an advocate of taking a step back and reconsidering the responsibilities of businesses in the 21st Century.
View Natalie Campbell‘s speaker profile here.
Marga Hoek
Marga brings with her a wealth of experience, having held several C – Level positions in both public and private organisations. She has further demonstrated her commitment to sustainability during her time as the Chair of the Dutch Sustainable Business Association and in her work advising governments. An accomplished speaker, Marga firmly believes that businesses cannot thrive in a world that is collapsing. As such, she advocates for corporations to be part of the solution rather than the problem.
View Marga Hoek‘s speaker profile here.
Leo Johnson
Leo is the Head of Disruption and Innovation at PwC and has hosted BBC radio shows on the topics of ‘Future Proofing’ and ‘Hacking Capitalism’. In his talks, Leo often emphasizes the importance of taking a long-term view of sustainability and creating business models that are regenerative and restorative rather than exploitative. He discusses the role of technology and innovation in driving sustainability, and how companies can leverage these tools to create positive environmental and social impact whilst also driving business growth.
View Leo Johnson‘s speaker profile here.
It’s Leadership, Stupid
The question I’m asked the most by corporate clients and many of the keynote speakers we work with is “what are you being asked about at the moment”.
Answering this isn’t as easy as it sounds. We book nearly 3,000 speakers every year and deal with over 10,000 enquiries over the same time as a result. Data isn’t that easy to collate and often clients come to us not knowing exactly what they want. The changing nature of our world – and what’s important to the business community as a result – is what keeps our job interesting. Conversely, it means that our research team ends up taking tangents and we can be susceptible to short term fads.
It’s true that any good speaker bureau should be nimble and fleet of foot in relation to the news cycle, find new voices in emerging areas like science and innovation, be the first to announce a partnership with a recently departed (but not wholly discredited) head of government, and make an effort to improve the diversity of the speakers they suggest in the wake of George Floyd and the revolution in DEI (diversity, equity & inclusion).
And yet, in answer to the initial question, “what are we being asked about”, in the years where everyone wanted to book an economist, then it was sustainability and more recently it’s been diversity and inclusion; amidst the ever changing news cycle and the chaos, an evergreen topic that continues to interest every type of corporate client is….leadership.
I recently analysed the last 400 enquiries from our clients, taking key words from the briefs we receive, and to my surprise, leadership is currently the most requested topic by our corporate clients. How to lead in a world with decreased geo-political security after almost 3 years of pandemic disruption, where there has never been as much divergence in the values and circumstances of those at the top of an organisation with the graduate intake. I guess it’s not surprising that leadership is the answer to the question posed in the title of this post.
Here are three of my favourite leadership speakers:
Kate Richardson-Walsh
Kate is one of the best sporting speakers on the circuit. Incredibly inspiring, but crucially, she makes the sporting analogies super relevant to business. From a leadership perspective, Kate talks a lot about instilling shared behaviours within a team and the transformative effect it can have. Rather than nebulous corporate values, behaviours are easier to define, and team members can call it out when they aren’t being adhered to.
View Kate Richardson-Walsh‘s speaker profile.
Kevin Fong
Kevin is one of the most inspirational speakers I’ve heard in all my time at JLA. He’s an emergency medicine doctor and a space scientist and he’s able to look at the way doctors and astronauts lead their teams – how do they manage and assess risk and develop culture and purpose in the teams they manage. It’s so good – Kevin is on the front line working in A+E, so it all feels quite current, and he’s just a brilliant communicator. If you have a spare half hour, this is his Desert Islands Discs.
View Kevin Fong‘s speaker profile.
Tim Campbell
Finally and with more of a business background, we’ve been working with Tim since 2006. He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet – totally genuine and down to earth, but seriously smart, business focused and a proper modern business leader with shed loads of empathy – it’s all about creating the right dynamics in the team around you, encouraging diversity of thought, fast failure and innovation. We’ve had more than the odd dodgy Apprentice candidate knocking on JLA’s door over the years, but Tim is the real deal and it’s brilliant to see him doing so well.
View Tim Campbell‘s speaker profile here.
If you’d like to enquire about any of the names above, or would like some more examples of leadership speakers, please contact your JLA Account Manager.
Underestimate AI – Blame Yourself Later
A few days before Christmas, I conducted a bit of an experiment. Every day, for ten days straight, I instructed the artificial intelligence ChatGPT to write a new column for me, to be published in the Swedish daily that I often write for.
We published every day, including an analysis of how good or bad it turned out.
We received a large number of reactions, and they can be divided into three types:
- The optimists. Some people start to think about utility, innovation, and possibilities. Totally reasonable.
- The pessimists. Some people start to wonder when an AI decides to kill us all, or at least spread malicious computer viruses because someone has managed to manipulate it. Also totally reasonable.
- The seen-it-alls. Some people are doing everything they can to point out weaknesses in the robot’s first results. They refer to almost magical notions of what is human, spiritual, intuitive, artistically valuable, or scientifically sound.
It is this last group that has clearly had the greatest impact on a fourth group of people in society: the columnists. Because if there’s one thing I’ve been showered in, since ChatGPT was unleashed to the sound of chins dropping to the floor across the world, it is analysts taking a comfortably laid-back or complacent position in the face of this new thing.
I think we would do well to take this very seriously instead. The artificial intelligence breakthrough in late autumn 2022 is a historic event. Here are three things to keep in mind:
- First, it is not finished. Right now, it’s learning more at breakneck speed as millions of users feed it new information and new questions. It should therefore not be judged by what it is, but by what it has the potential to become.
- Second, the age-old question of power and responsibility remains unresolved. Right now, it seems like ChatGPT is pretty good at not behaving unethically. But who defines that? According to what principles? Have you heard a single person in a responsible position at the conglomerate behind OpenAI speak clearly about this, or speak at all?
- Third, we need to take responsibility for our own knowledge. You can read a thousand texts like this one – or test, learn and think for yourself.
We are only at the beginning. Please do have a look at this new keynote I just made on the matter. It is not only wonderfully well produced by the team I worked with – I think it might be useful for anyone who is curious about what lies around the corner during the decade to come.
Andreas Ekstrom is a conference speaker and prominent figure in the field of digital futurism in Europe. He is the author the the bestselling book “The Google Code” that delves into the impact of one of the most culturally, technologically, and commercially significant companies in history.
His insights and perspectives on the intersection between technology and society are commendable, and his emphasis on promoting a sustainable approach to technology is critical for creating a more equitable and responsible future.
To book Andreas for your event please contact your JLA agent.
