Chris has made his name covering the political twists and turns since the referendum, especially on BBC’s chart-topping Brexitcast. Before that he reported on football in Kazakhstan, earthquake in Italy, scandals in Formula 1, the birth of Kosovo and the trial of Karadzic, and more besides. He also spent two years in Brussels as Europe Correspondent. Chris now lives and breathes Westminster, and offers an inside track on Parliament.
Jo served as Minister for Transport, London and Universities, Science and Innovation. With his own family as divided over Brexit as the nation, he quit the May Government to campaign for a second referendum. As a former FT journalist and the man who put together the 2015 Conservative manifesto, Jo considers the relationship between business and public policy. He also peers into the future of trade with the EU.
Sacha created waves as CEO of Grant Thornton. She became the first female to head a major UK accounting firm, turning it into a ‘joint enterprise’ (sharing profits with all staff). She also set out to challenge the Big Four. In speeches Sacha tackles social mobility and how to get the best from change-resistant members of the team. It’s about creating a supportive culture and encouraging individuals to develop.
Starting as a trainee, Mark rose to MD of Waitrose and Deputy Chairman of John Lewis Partnership. He has since published Fairness For All, Six Steps to Workplace Happiness and Workplace Fables – and served as Government Minister for Trade and Investment. Now Chair of Fairtrade, he’s also founded a platform linking happiness, engagement and productivity. Mark is a naturally entertaining speaker on good, bad and amazingly stupid business practice.
At Time Out Tim witnessed the decline of print. When he was appointed CEO he made the magazine free and focused on digital brand extensions – to huge acclaim. To his own surprise he then moved into banking as Creative Director of Virgin Money overseeing marketing, digital and customer experience. Tim talks about how the need to understand and serve customers must inform culture, strategy and the process of innovation.
William founded True Knowledge in 2005, aiming to build a system allowing humans to communicate directly with, and be understood by computers. He developed a voice-operated search engine app, sold to Amazon and joined the team that created Alexa. In presentations William looks at the latest AI, and the short and long-term possibilities for products that were once the stuff of science fiction. Unsurprisingly he takes an optimistic stance.