Speakers on Change & Innovation

AG Lafley
Former Chairman, CEO and President of Procter & Gamble

A.G. Lafley is Procter & Gamble's former chairman of the Board, CEO, and president, serving from 2000 to 2009. He led a turnaround at P&G after taking over in 2000 in the wake of a big share drop and a "crisis of confidence," as he put it. Since then, the company has more than doubled sales, and has grown its portfolio of billion-dollar brands from 10 to 23. His areas of expertise include industry and company transformations, business strategy, business models, branding, innovation, and leadership.

General Stanley McChrystal
Former Commander of U.S. and International Forces in Afghanistan; Credited with the capture of Saddam Hussein and the killing of al-Qaeda’s leader in Iraq

A one-of-a-kind commander with remarkable record of achievement, General Stanley McChrystal, (USA,Ret.) is widely praised for creating a revolution in warfare that fused intelligence and operations. General McChrystal speaks with great insight about leadership, teamwork, and international affairs.

Governor Haley Barbour
Governor of Mississippi

Haley Barbour has put Mississippi on a new path for job creation, education, health care, and energy. He has been praised for his handling of both the Gulf Oil Spill and Hurricane Katrina and is one of the top Republican strategists in the country. He successfully served twice as chairman of the Republican National Committee, and POLITICO called Barbour “the most powerful Republican in politics.”

Gordon Bethune
Former Chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines

Candid and dramatic, Gordon Bethune's enthusiastic turnaround story of leading Continental Airlines from worst to first, leaves audiences with winning lessons in leadership, employee and customer relations, and management best practices.

Denny Strigl
Former President and COO of Verizon Communications
Former President and CEO of Verizon Wireless

Denny Strigl is the former CEO of Verizon Wireless and the former president and COO of Verizon Communications. He served in the telecommunications world for four decades and is widely recognized as one of the most prominent architects of the wireless communications industry. Strigl addresses telecommunications, leadership, management, and business strategies.

General James Conway
Retired United States Marine Corps Four-Star General

James Conway is a dynamic, powerful speaker who impresses audiences with leadership lessons learned from the field as a four-star general in the Marine Corps. His commanding presence and personal anecdotes make him an authority on military operations, its role in politics, leadership, the war in Iraq, and international affairs.
 

Bill Conaty
Former Senior VP of Human Resources for GE and Co-Author of The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers

A GE veteran who helped shape the modern face of human resources, Bill Conaty uses personal anecdotes and case studies to share his knowledge with the world. Learn from the expert who knows how to find and utilize a person's potential.

Jim Donald
Former CEO of Starbucks

Jim Donald was responsible for the overall management, business development, and operations of Starbucks in all North American markets from 2002-2008. He spent nearly four decades watching, listening, learning, and executing valuable lessons from the most successful figures in the world of retail. Donald shares his experience as a leader focused on innovation, quality, service, and strong relationships with the community.

Susan O'Malley
Former President of Washington Sports and Entertainment

As the first female president of a professional sports franchise, Susan O'Malley is a pioneer in two fields: sports and business. Through her experience, she knows what it takes to be a leader in a tough business environment and how to recreate an organization from the ground up. Her presentations are marked by her warm sense of humor, her self-described "folksy" style, and her lifetime of experiences as a pioneering woman in business

Peter Diamandis
Chairman and CEO, X PRIZE Foundation

Peter Diamandis believes if you are passionate about something, you can make it happen. He is passionate about radical breakthroughs for the benefit of technology, and he created an incentive to make these kinds of breakthroughs possible. Diamandis is the chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation.