John Paul Volanthen is a world record-holding British exploratory cave diver who specialises in rescues through the Cave Rescue Organisation, South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue, and the British Cave Rescue Council. John hit the headlines in July 2018, when he was part of the multi-national team involved in the rescue of 12 young football players and their coach in the Tham Luang caves in Thailand. John and his co-diver, Rich Stanton, were the first to make contact with the missing youngsters when they had been lost for nine days. Both men were part of the team that successfully rescued all the boys and their coach and brought them to safety. In keynote talks, John gives audiences an astonishing account of the harrowing rescue effort. With heart-pounding anecdotes from the high-risk rescue mission, he hammers home the importance of perseverance, determination, and preparation, and explains why he believes success in life is rarely due to “luck.” John also shares his belief that anyone can rise to the occasion and achieve extraordinary things in the face of insurmountable odds. Using a combination of pictures and audio, he communicates what it was like to be there and the joy he felt when it was all over. Uplifting and inspiring, John’s story is one in a million.

One of the brightest minds in economics, Matthew Slaughter addresses the near-term challenges facing the economy with an eye on the future. He is a member of the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Economic Advisors and was a member on the White House Council of Economic Advisors. Approachable and enthusiastic, he makes practical sense of economic data and shares insights on opportunities, emerging markets, trade, investments, and policy – offering organizations the numbers they need to put the economic situation in the right perspective.

Trevor Williams served as Chief Economist at Lloyds Bank for over a decade. Now an author, academic and consultant, he analyses the key trends and policies that shape the economy and markets. From energy and climate to how companies use their data to understand the wider economy, he brings clarity and relevance to an often complex and abstract field.

Mark Zandi is chief economist and cofounder of Moody's Economy.com, where he directs the company's research and consulting activities. Moody's Economy.com, a division of Moody's Analytics, provides economic research and consulting services to businesses, governments and other institutions.

Ash Alexander-Cooper OBE is a former Specialist Military Unit Colonel in the British Armed Forces and a former Partner at McChrystal Group - an elite advisory services firm that builds agile teams and enables clients to adapt to their complex operating environments. Ash was a Partner in McChrystal Group's London, England office, where he focused on expanding the firm’s offerings and developing relationships with European clients. With a focus on leader development, talent management, and team-building solutions, Ash draws upon lessons learned from over 22 years of experience leading and managing diverse multinational military, civilian government and other elite teams.

Daniel Hughes has spent the last 15 years leading and making decisions in high pressure and often environmentally hostile environments. He describes himself as a “determined problem solver, who builds teams to succeed”. He previously has been a Special Forces Instructor, Great Britain Athlete and in 2013 built a team of 268 for him to deliver the world’s highest video broadcast from the summit of Mt Everest to the BBC Newschannel. Hughes is a current 787 pilot and as the founder of Reignite Consulting, he globally delivers Management Development programmes to executive teams and helps organisations establish or reaffirm their vision and values.

Alongside Sunday Times responsibilities and columns in Professional Investor and Industrial Review, David is a prolific book-writer. In speeches David likens low oil prices to a major tax cut, and distinguishes between good (UK) and possibly bad (Eurozone) deflation. He might also reveal the latest findings of his own Skip Index, a reliable indicator of the state of the domestic economy.

Paul has been director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the UK’s leading economic research institute, since January 2011. The IFS became the first organization to win the Prospect “Think Tank of the Year” award two years in a row in 2014 and 2015 and has won “economic and financial” think tank of the year four years in succession. Paul is also a visiting professor in the economics department at UCL. He is a columnist for The Times. He is a board member of the Climate Change Committee, of the Office of Tax Simplification, and of the Banking Standards Board. Paul has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Exeter University, has been named in the Public Finance Top 50, in the Higher Education top 50 “power list”, and in the International Tax Review global top 50.

Robert Hannigan is a leading authority on cyber security, cyber conflict and the application of technology in national security. He is an international speaker and contributing author on cyber security topics. Currently, Robert serves as Chairman of BlueVoyant International, a global cybersecurity services firm. He is a Senior Adviser to McKinsey & Co and advises a number of international companies on cyber security. Prior to moving into the private sector, Robert served as Director of GCHQ, the UK’s largest intelligence and security agency. Robert has a long history of involvement in cyber security and technology, having drawn up the UK’s first Cyber Security Strategy and outlined the government’s ambition of making the UK ‘the safest place to live and do business online’. He set up the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre as part of GCHQ and launched the active cyber defense program for the UK in 2016. He was responsible with military colleagues for the UK’s national offensive cyber programme.

Cristian deRitis is the deputy chief economist at Moody’s Analytics where he specializes in the analysis of current and future economic conditions, housing markets, and consumer credit. He publishes his analysis regularly on the Economic View website and is often quoted in publications such as The Wall Street Journal for his views on the economy. Cris is a certified risk management professional and writes a monthly column on risk management issues for the Global Association of Risk Professionals. 

With an extraordinary career at the highest levels of sport, politics, and international diplomacy, Lord Coe has achieved huge success by leading from the front to make vision a reality. He cemented his place in public life leading the successful bid, and subsequently the organising committee, for London 2012, and is today the President of the IAAF and Executive Chairman of CSM Sport & Entertainment.

She joined the business team at the BBC in 2002 and has been presenting the early morning edition of World Business Report on BBC One, BBC News Channel and BBC World News for the past 10 years. Sally has also recently launched the BBC’s flagship business programme, Business Live which airs every week day at 0830 on BBC News Channel and BBC World News. It’s a packed 30 minute programme that covers all the key business stories and gets the inside track from the world’s leading CEOs. In 2014 Sally was named as one of the UK’s 50 most powerful part-timers on the third annual Power Part Time List compiled by both Timewise and the Financial Times. Sally is now a part of the judging panel working with Timewise.