Exclusive Speakers
Leading Authorities' exclusive roster of speakers includes former Fortune 1000 CEO's, high-profile figures from political life, military leaders, and some of today's greatest stories from everyday life.
Let us know if you are interested in one of our exclusive speakers for your event.
Mike Allen
Co-Founder & Exec Editor of Axios, Frmr POLITICO Chief WH Correspondent
Fees
Please Inquire
Mike Allen
Mike Allen is one of Washington’s most influential and well-connected journalists. He is the co-founder and executive editor of Axios, a new company delivering news and insights on politics, business, media, and tech. The company, whose name means “worthy” in Greek, specializes in high-quality news and analysis easily shared among the country’s influential readers and across social platforms. In addition to starting Axios, Allen was a co-founder at POLITICO, the digital media company that upended and revolutionized political and policy journalism in Washington, New York, and Europe.
Poppy Crum
Expert in Technology-Driven Innovation & Human Evolution; Chief Technology Officer at NextSense; Stanford University Adjunct Professor; Futurist; Neuroscientist; and Technologist
Fees
Please Inquire
Poppy Crum
Poppy Crum works to bridge the gap between technology and insightful, effective human interaction. As a multi-dimensional advocate of empathetic technology, she builds technologies that best leverage human physiology to enhance our experiences and how we interact with the world. Poppy serves as the Chief Technology Officer at NextSense and is an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University in the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, as well as its Symbolic Systems Program. She is formerly the Chief Scientist at Dolby Laboratories. She is dedicated to the development of immersive technologies that leverage human physiology and perceptual realities to enhance our experiences and interactions in the world. She is a frequent speaker on topics related to the intersection of human experience, artificial intelligence, sensory data-science, and immersive technologies.
Doug Rauch
Former President of Trader Joe’s
Fees
- Local: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US East: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US West: $20,001 - $35,000*
- Europe: $35,001 - $55,000*
- Asia: $35,001 - $55,000*
Doug Rauch
Doug Rauch, a legendary former president of Trader Joe’s, was instrumental in leading the company’s transformation from a 7/11 knockoff to what Fortune magazine called the “hottest retailer in the U.S.” In eye-opening presentations, he shares insights on building a great business based on culture, innovation, leadership, and teamwork. He shows leaders how to push for new and better ways to perform, and audiences walk away with knowledge of how to create a self-sustaining culture of innovation, build a brand in a competitive marketplace, and lead with a purpose.
Jake Tapper
Award Winning Journalist; Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent, CNN
Fees
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Jake Tapper
CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper, joined the network in January 2013. His one-hour weekday program The Lead with Jake Tapper debuted in March 2013. The program seeks to examine and advance stories that demonstrate Tapper's own curiosities and interests with headlines from around the country and the globe, from politics to money, and sports to popular culture.
Jim VandeHei
Jim VandeHei is a media entrepreneur and expert on American politics. He is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Axios, a new media company delivering news and insights on politics, business, media and tech. The company, whose name means “worthy” in Greek, specializes in high-quality news and analysis easily shared among the country's most influential readers and across social platforms.
Chuck Todd
Chuck Todd, NBC News’ political director and the host of Meet the Press, is one of Washington’s foremost experts on political campaigns at all levels. With what the Washingtonian calls a “savant-like knowledge of politics,” his up-to-the-minute analysis and nonpartisan commentary has made him a sought-after voice in American political coverage. Previously the network’s chief White House correspondent and host of The Daily Rundown, he has the unique ability to deliver an all-consuming passion for politics with razor-sharp analysis as he looks at politics, campaigns, and elections.
Mark Bowden
Expert in Body Language, Human Behavior & Communication
Fees
- Local: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US East: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US West: $20,001 - $35,000*
- Europe: $35,001 - $55,000*
- Asia: $55,001 - $75,000*
Mark Bowden
Mark Bowden is the keynote speaker for organizations worldwide whose work depends upon winning the hearts and minds of others. Mark entertainingly trains any audience in the most cutting edge techniques to stand out, win trust and profit every time they speak. His keynote presentation takes everyone on an exciting and humorous journey to understand how, with the right body language “It’s often not what you say—but how you say it, that gets results!”
Expert in human behaviour and body language, keynote speaker Mark Bowden is the creator of TRUTHPLANE®, a communication training company and unique methodology for anyone who has to communicate with impact to an audience. Mark’s highly entertaining keynote speeches and training seminars teach audiences around the world how to use the most influential verbal and nonverbal language to stand out, win trust and gain credibility every time they speak.
Katie Ledecky
Olympic Champion Swimmer; 10x Olympic Medalist, 19x World Champion, 14x World Record Breaker
Fees
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Katie Ledecky
Katie Ledecky is a 10-time Olympic Medalist (seven Gold, three Silver) and 15-time World Championship Gold Medalist, the most for any female swimmer. She has broken 14 World Records and 37 American Records in her career. Katie was the most decorated female athlete at both Tokyo and Rio Games and had the most decorated single Olympics performance ever by a U.S. female athlete in Rio. Katie’s success has earned her USA Swimming’s Golden Goggles Award as Female Swimmer of the Year an unprecedented six times. A recent graduate of Stanford University, Katie is passionate about the importance of education, especially STEM and leadership programs for girls. Katie went home with more hardware at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics -two gold medals and two silver medals, making her the most decorated female swimmer in individual events of all time. She also made history by winning gold at the first ever 1500m women’s event.
Ginny Clarke
Former Director, Executive Recruiting at Google and Holistic Leadership Strategist
Fees
- Local: $10,001 - $20,000*
- US East: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US West: $20,001 - $35,000*
- Europe: $35,001 - $55,000*
- Asia: $35,001 - $55,000*
Ginny Clarke
Dedicated to creating the conscious workplace for tomorrow, Virginia “Ginny” Clarke is a seasoned executive recruiter who has advised at the highest levels of corporate America for decades. A proven expert in driving diverse leadership, she is the former director of executive recruiting at Google, where she led the company’s diversity, non-tech recruiting, and leadership internal mobility teams – finding and hiring senior leaders across the company. She also built a scaled internal mobility program for Google’s senior leaders and designed much of the infrastructure that supports their executive recruiting function today. In speeches, Clarke draws on her unparalleled experience assessing thousands of executives inside corporate C-Suites and boardrooms to bring a unique, holistic five-dimensional approach to true leadership that is essential now more than ever. She delivers “no-holds-barred” discussions on the root causes that lead to a lack of diversity in organizations, and provides the integrated solutions that anyone can use to affect change.
John Volanthen
British Exploratory Diver Who Played A Leading Role In The 2018 Thailand Cave Rescue
Fees
- Local: Under $10,000*
- US East: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US West: $20,001 - $35,000*
- Europe: $10,001 - $20,000*
- Asia: $20,001 - $35,000*
John Volanthen
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.
Margaret Brennan
Moderator of CBS News’ Face The Nation & CBS News’ Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent
Fees
Please Inquire
Margaret Brennan
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."
Jessica O. Matthews
Innovator and CEO, Uncharted
Fees
- Local: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US East: $35,001 - $55,000*
- US West: $55,001 - $75,000*
- Europe: $55,001 - $75,000*
- Asia: $75,001 and up*
Jessica O. Matthews
Jessica O. Matthews is the Founder & CEO of Uncharted, an award-winning energy and data technology company that develops infrastructure solutions for communities, facilities, and Internet of Things. The company was founded by Jessica when she was only 22 years old. Jessica’s research and career centers around the intersection of disruptive technology, renewable energy, human behavior, and the psychology of self-actualization. A dual citizen of Nigeria & the U.S., Jessica has a degree in Psychology and Economics from Harvard University, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and is listed on over 10 patents and patents pending—including her first invention of the SOCCKET, an energy generating soccer ball, at the age of 19.
Stephanie Cutter
Legendary Political Strategist, Founder of Precision Strategies, and Former Deputy Campaign Manager & Senior Advisor to President Obama
Fees
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Stephanie Cutter
Stephanie Cutter is one of the most-trusted voices of the Democratic Party. At the center of every major policy and political debate of the last 20 years, she offers an enlightening look at the current state of politics told through insider stories with today’s top lawmakers. From the halls of Congress to the campaign trail and from the West Wing to the C-Suite, Stephanie is one of the foremost experts at weaving together political strategies to create a narrative that resonates with voters. She was named one of the “50 Most Powerful People in Washington,” by GC magazine.
Reggie Fils-Aimé
Former President and COO of Nintendo of America Inc.
Fees
- Local: $55,001 - $75,000*
- US East: $75,001 and up*
- US West: $55,001 - $75,000*
- Europe: $75,001 and up*
- Asia: $75,001 and up*
Reggie Fils-Aimé
An award-winning innovator and disruptor, Reggie Fils-Aimé is a proven expert on transforming companies, re-vitalizing brands, and reshaping industries to solve daunting challenges and achieve ‘the impossible.’ Most recently, he was the president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America – the first American and African-American to hold this position. Revered by business leaders and gaming fans alike, Fils-Aimé helped bring Nintendo’s greatest successes – including the Nintendo DS, the Wii, the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and the Nintendo Switch – to the global marketplace. Using his personal story as an example, he shares with audiences his principles for effective and innovative leadership, including defining a vision, courage in decision-making, and “irrefutable integrity.”
DeDe Halfhill
Renowned Leadership Expert and Colonel, USAF (Ret.)
Fees
- Local: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US East: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US West: $20,001 - $35,000*
- Europe: $35,001 - $55,000*
- Asia: $55,001 - $75,000*
DeDe Halfhill
Described by Dr. Brené Brown as one of her “leadership heroes and a total badass,” U.S. Air Force retired Colonel, DeDe Halfhill is a proven leader who draws from 25 years of command experience and as a senior advisor to the military’s highest-ranking officials to provide a real-world perspective on the power of embracing humanness and vulnerability in leadership. Twice deployed to Iraq, DeDe’s sought-after leadership insights are grounded in personal experiences commanding and advising organizations through challenging environments — often when lives were at risk and there were no easy answers. As a senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, DeDe was a trusted influence in developing solutions to the military’s most-pressing issues. She also served as the military’s lead spokesperson responsible for implementing plans supporting the Department of Defense’s global communications strategy.
Alex Stamos
Former Chief of Security at Facebook & Stanford University Professor
Fees
- Local: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US East: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US West: $20,001 - $35,000*
- Europe: $35,001 - $55,000*
- Asia: $35,001 - $55,000*
Alex Stamos
Alex Stamos is a cybersecurity expert, business leader and entrepreneur working to improve the security and safety of the Internet through his teaching and research at Stanford University. Stamos is an Adjunct Professor at Stanford’s Freeman-Spogli Institute, a William J. Perry Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation, and a visiting scholar at the Hoover Institution. As a Chief Security Officer at Facebook and Yahoo and a co-founder of iSEC Partners, Alex has investigated and responded to some of the most seminal events in the short history of cybersecurity and has been called the “Forrest Gump of Info Sec” by friends. He is working on election security via the Defending Digital Democracy Project and advising NATO’s Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. He has spoken on six continents, testified in Congress, served as an expert witness for the wrongly accused, earned a BSEE from UC Berkeley and holds five patents.
Joan Higginbotham
Retired NASA Astronaut, Rocket Scientist, Electrical Engineer, & Third African American Woman in Space
Fees
- Local: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US East: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US West: $35,001 - $55,000*
- Europe: $35,001 - $55,000*
- Asia: $55,001 - $75,000*
Joan Higginbotham
A NASA astronaut, Joan Higginbotham is a trailblazing electrical engineer who in December 2006, flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery to become the third African American woman to travel into space. Over the nearly 13-day mission, she joined the seven-member crew to continue construction of the International Space Station (ISS), embarking on four space walks and operating the station’s robotic arm. Sharing captivating insights from her 20-year distinguished career with NASA, Higginbotham inspires audiences with her personal journey of breaking barriers into space and beyond. Taking groups aboard the International Space Station and sharing her lessons-learned along the way, she highlights the keys to succeeding in her missions – including preparation, perseverance, and never giving up – and how these tactics can be applied to any endeavor.
Sheryl Connelly
Manager of Global Trends & Futuring, Ford Motor Company
Fees
- Local: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US East: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US West: $35,001 - $55,000*
- Europe: $35,001 - $55,000*
- Asia: $55,001 - $75,000*
Sheryl Connelly
Sheryl Connelly, the manager of global trends and futuring at Ford Motor Company, is a leading global consumer trends expert, futurist, and a keynote speaker. In her role as the in-house futurist at Ford for over a decade, she tracks consumer trends and collaborates with people throughout the Ford system to see how that information may impact future products. Imagine being able to look into a crystal ball and predict the future. Metaphorically speaking, that’s what Sheryl does on a daily basis in her role at Ford. But instead of a soothsayer’s ball, she relies on an ever-expanding repertoire of knowledge, a keen ability to research and analyze information, and a natural gift for communicating with others. In her compelling talks, Sheryl reveals her secrets for how to think like a futurist, providing audiences with the expertise and strategies necessary for effectively anticipating change and managing uncertainty. She delivers the insights necessary for business leaders and organizations across industry sectors to thrive, innovate, and remain relevant in the new age of constant innovation and disruption.
Helena Boschi
World Renowned Applied Neuroscience Psychologist
Fees
- Local: Under $10,000*
- US East: $10,001 - $20,000*
- US West: $10,001 - $20,000*
- Europe: Under $10,000*
- Asia: Please Inquire
Helena Boschi
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’.
Scott Mann
U.S. Army Green Beret (Ret.), Pineapple Express Mission Leader, Rooftop Leadership Expert
Fees
- Local: $10,001 - $20,000*
- US East: $20,001 - $35,000*
- US West: $20,001 - $35,000*
- Europe: $20,001 - $35,000*
- Asia: $35,001 - $55,000*
Scott Mann
Described as the “Warrior Storyteller,” retired Lieutenant Colonel Scott Mann is a former U.S. Army Green Beret who specialized in unconventional, high-impact special operations missions in do-or-die environments all over the globe. In a distinguished 23-year military career, Lt. Col. Mann operated at the highest levels of the Special Operations Community and has been widely recognized for his successful leadership of teams in complex situations. He grabbed global headlines when, alongside fellow Green Beret veterans and other volunteers, he led “Pineapple Express” — a grassroots leadership campaign using Rooftop Human Connection Skills to honor a promise and save more than 1,000 Afghans from a life-threatening situation amid the chaos of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. He brings an innovative approach to problem solving — one that has empowered people from all walks of life to get surrounded on purpose to achieve something much greater than themselves. Following his military service, Lt. Col. Mann founded Rooftop Leadership, a professional training and coaching program designed to help high-performing, servant leaders forge deeper connections with the people they serve to create more powerful outcomes in business and life.