Matthew Syed is one of the world’s most influential thinkers in the field of high performance and cultural change and has worked with many leading organisations to build a mindset of continuous improvement. He is the author of 3 best-selling books on the science of performance – Bounce (2010), Black Box Thinking (2015) and You Are Awesome (for children – 2018). Matthew Syed is a multi-award winning columnist for The Times and regular TV and radio broadcaster.

Tim Peake is a former Apache pilot, flight instructor, test pilot and current European Space Agency astronaut. A veteran of 18 years military service, Tim has flown over 3,000 hours on operations worldwide. In December 2015, Tim became the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station and conduct a spacewalk during his six-month mission, Principia, where he captured the hearts and minds of millions. Tim’s mission engaged more than two million students in outreach activities. He has a background as a test pilot and a British Army Air Corps officer, and he is also a best-selling author. In addition to his achievements, he ran the London marathon from space. He is an ambassador for STEM Education, The Prince’s Trust, and the Scout Association.

Jim Lawless is one of the most popular inspirational speakers in Europe and the only authority on personal development to have put his life on the line to prove his approach. The author of Taming Tigers, he transformed himself to test his theories on mental toughness and in the process broke the British free-diving record. He became the first Briton to pass the magic 100m barrier on a single breath. Lawless shares his proven theories and inspires audiences to their best.

Adam is Managing Director at Duke Corporate Education, the executive education arm of the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. Previously, he was Executive Director of Thought Leadership and Learning Solutions for London Business School. He served on the School’s Executive Education Board and was responsible for curating and representing the School’s research, and transforming it into many formats for a practitioner audience. He was also an Associate of Management Lab and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Greg is a globally-acclaimed thought leader, author and keynote speaker who has delivered more than 350 talks to executive audiences around the world. His work focuses on how leaders and organisations thrive in a world of accelerating change – through developing behaviours, processes and culture which support creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

Susie has crafted an entire career from her unswerving passion for words and her belief in the power, influence and effectiveness that rich and precise communication can bring. Best known for her long-standing role on Britain’s word gameshow ‘Countdown’, her fascinating yet educational stories have entertained millions of households with her warm charm and stunning knowledge base around the power of language. Susie gives audiences a new appreciation of the value of using words that work, suggesting ways in which they can integrate her approaches into their own communication. With businesses struggling to sustain meaningful communication with customers and employees alike, her keynotes deliver powerful solutions. Susie’s mission is to help people and companies understand that words matter for meaningful collaboration that drives lasting results. Her entertaining yet educational stories are drawn from a lifetime of observation and surprisingly enough, include ways that even jargon can be a tool for personal and professional influence.

Julian is a sound and communication expert. He travels the world training people to listen better and create healthier sound. He is author of the books How to be Heard and Sound Business. Julian’s five TED talks have been watched more than 40 million times. His latest, How to speak so that people want to listen, is in the top 10 TED talks of all time. Julian is regularly featured in the world’s media, including TIME Magazine, The Times, The Economist and the BBC. Julian is also founder of The Sound Agency. The audio-branding company asks and answers the question “How does your brand sound?”. The Sound Agency work with some of the world’s biggest brands to improve their sound. Their award-winning work has made headlines internationally. Julian’s love of sound stems from his early experience as a musician. He was a drummer for British brand The Transmitters, amongst many others, and played on their second Peel Session in 1981. Before The Sound Agency, Julian spent 30 years working in advertising and publishing. He founded, grew and sold contract magazine publishing agency TPD. Nowadays, Julian splits his time between London and Orkney, where he lives with his fiancee and youngest daughter

John is a respected organisational psychologist, best-selling New York Times author and CEO of APS (Amaechi Performance Systems). John partners with organisations to help leaders move from being transactional to transformational. He focuses on improving performance, solving intractable people problems and creates thriving workplaces despite the challenges and disruption of the modern world. Prior to founding his own firm, John spent several years as a professional athlete, becoming the first Brit to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Nick Saunders has a 25 year track record as an international keynote speaker and trainer. Nick is known as The Family Man because he demonstrates that workplaces are like families; you can choose your friends but work colleagues and families you’re stuck with. However, you can still get on with them and Nick shows you how… by turning relationships into results. He delivers his powerful message in a highly entertaining style that is unusual, unstuffy and unpretentious.

Aidan is the host and founder of the Innovation Show, broadcast globally and on national radio stations in Ireland and Finland. He is author of the bestselling book "Undisruptable: A Mindset of Permanent Reinvention for Individuals, Organisations and Life" which includes a Foreword by Visa founder Dee Hock. Aidan’s presentation is visual, story rich and full of interesting analogies to bring concepts to life. Aidan is a Change Consultant, Board Director and Executive Coach. He works with organisational teams to improve how they engage and innovate. He is a champion for change and has reinvented in his own career after rugby. Aidan worked in transformation for digital, innovation and now culture and leadership.

Born and raised in Carlisle and adopted at an early age, Rusty lived with different relatives and attended many different schools up until the age of fifteen when he had to fend for himself. At the age of seventeen, he joined the 49 Field Regiment Royal Artillery and remained there for approximately four years. While there, he was made captain of the regimental football team and represented the Royal Artillery and British Army football team at top amateur level. He completed several of Northern Ireland as a patrol commander and was heavily involved in adventure training, completing the Italian Alps walk, French Pyrenees walk, and the Great Divide trail walk in Canada in successive years. Rusty volunteered to serve with 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, completed the grueling selection process, and at Lympstone received the coveted Green Beret. Within fifteen months of being in 29 Commando training wing. He applied to join the SAS and in 1977, completed the SAS selection course receiving the coveted beige beret and winged dagger in six months, assigned to B squadron.