Two-time New York Times bestselling author and sought-after leadership expert Ashley Merryman finds the science essential to understanding what makes people tick — what motivates us, what inspires us. Then she explains how to use these insights to help people discover new ways to succeed. Merryman has taught Olympians and professional athletes how to perform under pressure, advised Fortune 100 executives on building winning cultures, and coached military leaders on institutional change. In her speeches, she offers evidence-based techniques and real-world strategies that leaders can apply at every level of their organization. Her talks are filled with fascinating anecdotes and cutting-edge research. Her presentations are always thought-provoking and inspiring, as she makes complex concepts accessible to a wide audience.

Helena Boschi is a psychologist who focuses on applied neuroscience in the work place. Her particular areas of interest include the brain and behaviour, our emotional and rational neural networks and how to improve our cognitive abilities in order to get the best out of our own and others’ brainpower. Helena has also researched the influence of cognitive biases and corporate psychopathy across different organisations. She has recently investigated the impact of chronic, work-induced stress on brain function and has just published a book called ‘Why we do what we do’.

Margaret Brennan is the moderator of CBS News' Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan and the network's senior foreign affairs correspondent based in Washington, DC. Brennan has reported on politics, international affairs, foreign relations, the economy, and global markets since she joined CBS News in 2012 and was named the White House and senior foreign affairs in 2017. Prior to joining CBS News, Brennan spent a decade covering global finance, anchoring a weekday show on Bloomberg Television called "InBusiness with Margaret Brennan."

Dominique Dawes spent years breaking barriers and breaking records in the sport of Gymnastics and is best known for her tremendous success as an Olympic gymnast who competed in three Olympic Games. She was a member of the gold-medal-winning "Magnificent Seven" team at the 1996 Atlanta Games. After much dedication to the sport, Dominique retired to focus on her passion to encourage, educate and motivate others. Currently the Co-Chair of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, she works closely with First Lady Michelle Obama and the President’s Council to help promote the Let’s Move! Initiative, educating children on fitness and nutrition while motivating them to get moving.

Widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest-ever skiers, Chemmy Alcott is a four-time Winter Olympian who has defied the odds in sport and life to inspire the world and show people that anything is possible when they’re willing to take risks. She represented Team GB throughout her 20-year sporting career, during which she became the eighth ranked skier in the world and the first British ski racer to win a run in the World Cup.

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.

Haiyan Wang is an expert on global business strategy, the managing partner of China India Institute, and the author of Getting China and India Right and the Quest for Global Dominance. Noted the world over for her vast expertise, she was among the first Chinese to study international business after China opened its doors to the outside world. She shares insights on the biggest global trends affecting business and how organizations can leverage the market and the resource opportunities presented by the China and India phenomenon to achieve global dominance within their industries.

Cath is a speaker and leadership consultant, drawing on her practical experience from two high pressure careers as an Olympic rower and a senior diplomat specialising in conflict stabilisation.

Dr. Pippa Malmgren is a trend spotter who advises investors and governments about economic policy and investment strategy. She anticipated the Financial Crisis in 2007, the slowdown in China, Brexit, Trump and the return of inflation. She is also an economist who manufactures, having co-founded), H Robotics which makes commercial-use aerial platforms (drones). She was named one of the Top 20 Most Influential Economists by Richtopia and one of the Top 5 Women in Finance by Rise in 2017.

Rita Clifton is the former chief executive and Chairman of Interbrand, the world’s leading brand consultancy, and has been referred to as the “doyenne of branding” according to Campaign magazine and a “brand guru” according to the Financial Times. She vastly experienced and respected in the advertising industry, having worked at Saatchi & Saatchi for 12 years, becoming Vice Chairman and Executive Planning Director in 1995. She also joined Interbrand as Chief Executive in 1997, becoming chairman in 2002. Clifton speaks on leadership, corporate reputation, and communicating sustainably as well as all aspects of branding and marketing.

Julie Leitz is a psychologist and neuroscientist who escaped her Oxford lab to help teams and their leaders create from conflict. She believes that learning how to have tough conversations is the key to peak performance. Having observed that there are crucial, tough conversations that every team absolutely needs to have but is avoiding out of fear that conflict of ideas might escalate into interpersonal conflict, Julie is on a mission to change our perspective on conflict by helping leaders and their teams harness the potential and power inherent to it.