In his instant Wall Street Journal bestselling book Loonshots, SAFI BAHCALL reveals a surprising new way of thinking about innovation and group dynamics, challenging everything we thought we knew about radical breakthroughs. In talks based on his book—which Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman calls “Not to be missed by anyone who wants to understand how ideas change the world”—Bahcall shows how we can stoke innovation, create better leaders, and support “loonshots”: the imperfect but ingenious ideas that have the potential to change the world. As a consultant at McKinsey & Company, and co-founder and CEO of Synta Pharmaceuticals, Safi Bahcall spent nearly two decades of his life bringing big, innovative ideas to fruition. Frequently, this meant assessing and developing loonshots—the widely dismissed ideas whose champions are often written off as crazy. Along the way, he noticed the obstacles that innovators came up against, which seemed to stem from “the mysteries of group behavior.” As he dynamically explains in his book Loonshots, small changes in the structure of a company, rather than in its culture, can transform the behavior of the distinct groups involved, allowing innovation to flourish. Already a Wall Street Journal bestseller, Loonshots was recently dubbed a must-read “for people and organizations who are trying to increase their ability to catalyze more innovation” by Forbes magazine. In his talks, Bahcall shows how the science of phase transitions—think water becoming ice—suggests a useful new way of nurturing radical breakthroughs. He explains the mystery of why good teams—even those with excellent people and the best intentions—can kill great ideas. With humor, history, and a dash of physics, Bahcall offers audiences the tools to become initiators of innovative surprise rather than witnesses to it.

Chris Gibson brings with him over 34 years military and leadership experience. He has held leadership roles and key appointments throughout his career, serving on specialist military operations all over the world. Named International Innovator of the Year 2017-2018 by Ideas UK, Chris is currently serving as a special advisor to the Ministry of Justice as a Leadership and Cultural Advisor and speaks with various groups on applying his first-hand military practice and innovation into business leadership to formulate wining strategies.

A nationally renowned psychiatrist and authority in mental health, Jeffrey A. Lieberman, M.D. is the Lawrence C. Kolb Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Psychiatrist-in-Chief of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Lieberman’s research has focused on the neurobiology and treatment of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders and led to the transformative mental healthcare strategy for the early detection and prevention of schizophrenia. With a career dedicated to the study and treatment of mental illness, his talks break down the barrier and stigma of mental health and explore its importance on today’s business and society. A passionate advocate for mental health research and policy, Dr. Lieberman also highlights how current events like the COVID-19 pandemic will impact our lives at global scale – providing audiences with strategies to cope and plan for what’s next.

As party leaders from opposite sides of the ever-widening aisle, Doug Sosnik and Nicolle Wallace team up to deliver a presentation packed with behind-the-scenes anecdotes, unparalleled expertise, and the vast political wisdom that comes from advising Washington’s top leaders. 

Sasha Luccioni is a leading researcher in ethical artificial intelligence. Over the last decade, her work has paved the way to a better understanding of the societal and environmental impacts of AI technologies. Sasha is a Research Scientist and Climate Lead at Hugging Face, a Board Member of Women in Machine Learning, and a founding member of Climate Change AI, a global initiative that aims to catalyze impactful work and build a community at the intersection of climate change and machine learning. She has been called upon by organizations such as the OECD, the United Nations and the NeurIPS conference as an expert in developing norms and best practices for a more sustainable and ethical practice of AI. Her academic research has been published in conferences and journals such as the IEEE, AAAI, the ACM, and Nature Machine Intelligence. Her work has also been extensively covered in the media by outlets such as the MIT Technology Review, WIRED, the Washington Post and Business Insider.

Kien Vuu MD (Doctor V) is a human and organizational longevity and performance expert and a doctor who’s found a better way. By achieving the Thrive State, Doctor V has not only reversed his own chronic diseases, but has achieved peak mental, physical, and emotional performance, and has biologically aged backwards. Doctor V combines enthusiasm, energy, and entertainment to his keynotes and workshops. The Thrive State is an energy - a lifeforce - that activates the biology of human potential, and can be cultivated and harnessed in any individual or organization through a simple actionable framework. His mission is to empower people and organizations to reclaim their health and serve with fulfillment, abundance, and purpose.

DR. JONATHAN D. T. WARD has been studying the rise of China for more than a decade. From travels with truck caravans in Tibet and across the South China Sea by cargo ship in his early twenties, to accessing Communist Party archives that have now been closed to the world while a PhD candidate at Oxford, to consulting for the U.S. Department of Defense and Fortune 500 organizations, Dr. Ward has brought the experience of a traveler, the discipline of a scholar, and the insight of a strategy consultant to one of the toughest, biggest challenges of our time: what does China want, how will it try to get it, and what should America do? Dr. Ward is the Founder of Atlas Organization, a Washington DC based consultancy focused on the rise of India and China, and US-China global competition. He speaks Russian, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic. A path-breaking work on Chinese global strategy, China’s Vision of Victory brings the reader to a new understanding of China’s grand-scale planning and ambitions. From seabed to space, from Africa to the Antarctic, from subsurface warfare to the rise of China’s global corporations, this book illuminates the greatest challenge of our lifetimes – the Chinese Communist Party’s ambition to end the American-led world and to bring about a century defined by Chinese power.

Jürgen Klinsmann is a titan of football, both as a player and manager. Jürgen's successful playing career saw him lead the line for some of the most prominent teams in Europe, including: Bayern Munich, Tottenham and Inter Milan. A constant attacking threat, Jürgen racked up an impressive 108 international appearances for West Germany, scoring 47 goals. Jürgen boasts the impressive record of scoring in all six of the Major International tournaments that he participated in, from Euro 1988 to the 1998 World Cup. In 2004, Jürgen was subsequently named in the FIFA 100 list of the ‘125 Greatest Living Footballers’ and in 2016 he became the fifth player to be named as honorary captain of Germany. In 2004 Jürgen transitioned into management, leading the German national team through to 2006. He then went onto to manage Bayern Munich ahead of taking on the role with the USA team 2011 – 2016. Given his wealth of experience across various leagues and at international level and a sharp footballing brain, Jürgen is a popular and insightful broadcaster working with ESPN and the BBC. In 1995, Jürgen and some of his close friends founded the children charity foundation Agapedia, which stems from the Greek language and translates to "Love for Children.”

Jessica Kriegel (KREE-GL) is a workplace culture strategist. She is a Doctor of Leadership & Management and Fortune 100 Thought Leader. She is a dynamic speaker, consultant, Co-Active coach, and is author of Unfairly Labeled: How Your Workplace Can Benefit from Ditching Generational Stereotypes and upcoming book, The Culture Equation. For 15+ years, Jessica has been guiding global, national, Fortune 100 and other organizations on how to create intentional cultures that power your strategy and accelerate performance.

With more than ten years of government service, Mick Mulvaney has been at the forefront of U.S. economic policymaking and politics at the highest levels. Most recently, he was President Trump’s acting White House Chief of Staff for over a year – advising the President on politics and policy decisions. Mulvaney also served as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, managing and executing the President’s policy, budget, management, and regulatory objectives across the Executive Branch. For part of his tenure at the OMB, he additionally served as the acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. An engaging and candid speaker, Mulvaney is uniquely qualified to discuss today’s most pressing issues. He draws on his Cabinet experience to share his intimate knowledge of the inner workings of Washington. Witnessing first-hand how things get done inside both the White House and Congress, Mulvaney’s informative presentations give audiences a behind-the-scenes perspective into today’s economic climate, political landscape, policymaking, and current events.

A founding partner of his bipartisan firm, Mehlman is widely regarded as an expert in running issue campaigns, managing C-suite associations and developing strategies that achieve impactful policy outcomes. He concurrently serves as Executive Director of the Technology CEO Council and Co-Chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance. Mehlman previously held the post of Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy, having been nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed to the office by the United States Senate in 2001.

Andrew B. Busch is the Editor-in-chief for the global market and public policy newsletter, “The Busch Update.” He is regular panelist on CNBC’s new show, “Money in Motion” that appears every Friday. His views can be found on www.andrewbusch.com as well as CNBC.com. He is a recognized expert on the world financial markets and how these markets are impacted by political events.