Recognised as “the man who fixes businesses” Kevin Gaskell has an impressive track record in building and leading successful companies. As CEO of Porsche, Lamborghini, and BMW, Gaskell led hugely successful turnarounds that are pointed to as examples of how to successfully transform companies and position them for long-term success. His energy and leadership have helped companies to achieve world-class levels of customer service and financial performance, and he speaks with electricity about using inspired leadership to achieve incredible results.

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’.

Kate Ancketill is the brains and driving force behind GDR Creative Intelligence, a globally recognised consultancy focused on innovation and emerging trends in retail, leisure and hospitality around the world. World-renowned, dynamic and commercially successful, Ancketill won the Jennifer d’Abo Memorial Scholarship for female entrepreneurs in 2007 and was selected as one of the UK’s top 100 in the Courvoisier Future 500 in 2009.

Steven Van Belleghem is a thought leader on the transformation of customer relations and the future of marketing. In 2012, Steven founded the inspiration company B-Conversational. He gives strategic advice to companies around the globe, helping them better understand the world of conversations, social media and digital marketing. In addition, he also helps clients set up long-term inspirational programs to change the mindset and enrich the knowledge of their teams. Steven started his professional career in 2000 as a research assistant at the Vlerick Business School, where he remains a guest marketing professor to this day. He is an expert in guiding companies through the smart usage of technology in the customer relationship, without forgetting the human side of business. In 2001, Steven became one of the first employees to join InSites Consulting, an innovative start-up in the online research industry. Over the next eleven years, he worked his way up to become one of the company’s managing partners and shareholders. During this period, the company grew from just 8 staff to 130 with branches in 5 countries. Steven is a best-selling author of business books. His latest, titled “When Digital becomes Human” (2014), describes the need to digitise the customer relationship without forgetting the human aspect. He believes that today’s world not only needs a digital transformation; the human side of business is also in need of a makeover. His two previous books, “The Conversation Manager” (2010) and “The Conversation Company” (2012), are award-winning best-sellers with more than 50,000 copies sold.

Having had over thirty years of experience in board level business, Alan O'Neill shares powerful insights in all aspects of industry, including Financial Services, Hospitality, IT, Retail, Travel. It is this unrivalled business acumen that has seen Alan facilitate conferences in several countries and conduct master-classes with C-level executives.

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.

Bill has served as CEO at Wickes, Focus and Iceland. He has now produced The Grimsey Review, looking at what can be done to reinvigorate the high street. He argues that town centres should be reinvented as community hubs, with housing and public services at the centre. Bill talks about changing customer habits and the growth of ‘mall culture.’ These out-of-town arenas will become the showrooms of the future, in which we choose what to order online.

Alex is a technology expert, specialising in the practical application of the latest innovations and tech trends to solve retail’s biggest challenges, from machine learning to post-channel retail. Prior to GDR, he spent seven years at technology firm Red Ant, designing and delivering award-winning applications, innovation and strategy from boardroom to stockroom for some of the UK's largest and most forward-thinking retailers. In his spare time, he enjoys running and an ongoing quest to connect everything in his house to the internet.

Lord Stuart Rose is the former chairman and chief executive of Marks & Spencer, Argos, Arcadia Group, and Booker Plc. Stuart, one of the preeminent executives in retail and one of the best-known British business leaders, is credited with giving Marks & Spencer renewed energy and cachet among younger, more fashion-savvy customers. During his time, he successfully defended the company from several takeover attempts, helped to rejuvenate the brand and was named the 2006 Business Leader of the Year by the World Leadership Forum.

Andrew specialises in employee engagement, customer experience and the leadership required to create the link between the two. Previously, he spent 28 years working for the John Lewis Partnership, starting as a management trainee to becoming responsible for customer experience across the department store division.

After a successful spell at top ten ad agency TBWA, working on disruptive brand strategies for clients like PlayStation and Nike, at the age of 24, Nick decided to set up on his own. He founded a pioneering innovation consultancy, which has seen him work on numerous global launches including Xbox, Unilever’s 7 year future of laundry, the BBC’s most successful TV show of all time (Dancing with the Stars) and sustainable cities for the UK government.

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.