Book an After Dinner Speaker

People used to joke that if you find yourself in the same place as Adie you should get out immediately. As Chief News Reporter she broadcast from the front line in the Gulf War and riots in Tiananmen Square. After dinner Kate talks about Britain’s home front, when women started going to football matches.

Having worked in law enforcement and cybersecurity, Victoria joined the social media giant in a leading role to connect the business to government and security agencies. A leading thinker on trust and safety in the digital world, she looks at everything from the how, why and who of fake news to what AI could do for privacy, the myths and realities of cybercrime to what invading someone’s space in virtual reality might mean.

Clare is the First Lady of TV sport. The ex-champion jockey fronts Royal Ascot  and the BBC's Wimbledon coverage. After dinner Clare shares highs and lows, and takes guests behind the latest back page headlines. She is also adept at live Q&A with sporting heroes.

Noted as one of the leading economic voices in the Labour governments of the 1990s and 2000s, Ed was a key architect of policies from the independence of the Bank of England to the minimum wage. Having left politics he now has roles at Harvard and King’s College alongside a new life encompassing everything from Strictly to chairing Norwich City FC. As well as insights into Europe, populism, and economics he reveals a lighter look at Westminster and his career.

Martin has progressed from copper to Crimewatch presenter. In between he enjoyed a successful career as a rugby forward, earning 31 international caps. With natural comic timing, the 6’10” colossus compares his own sport to football, and reveals how he became a part of the Harry Potter phenomenon.

After joining the board of ITV, setting up her own company and serving as SVP in charge of International Sales at media giant Viacom, Cally has also started a parallel career in comedy. She brings humour and energy to workplace insights ranging from how to foster a creative, positive environment to how to inspire and lead through change.

As Home Secretary David was in charge of security, immigration and policing. He is now Chairman of a multi-Academy Trust and an advisor to easyJet. As well as sharing insights on cyber-crime and crisis management, David considers how leaders can best engage with the public and counter the widespread sense of grievance. He argues for business to take a lead: “You are a part of our communities, not just employers of people with certain skills.” After dinner he takes a lighter look at a life in politics - both highs and lows – from The Queen offering to cut up his meal, to Sarkozy claiming to have intercepted his emails.

Karren ran the business side of Birmingham City FC through promotion, relegation – and brain surgery. Karren’s mantra for leaders growing any enterprise can be summed up in 5 tips: work hard (be persistent); use every opportunity to network (spread your message); move on (failure is history); don’t get side-tracked, and do your sums.

As well as serving under George Bush Sr, Todd has headed a $15bn hedge fund, lectured on economics at Harvard and co-produced a Broadway hit. He has also written about global upheaval in Market Shock. Todd looks at macro and geopolitical issues, like the crisis in Syria, and the impact they have on financial markets and business strategy.