Polar explorer, TED speaker, and record-breaking long-distance skier Ben Saunders fuses the spirit of adventure with impressive technical ingenuity. He has five North Pole expeditions under his belt and is best known for leading one of the most ambitious expeditions in a century. Humble and self-effacing, he is an explorer of limits and his message is one of inspiration, empowerment, and boundless potential. He explores the dichotomy between ideas and action and urges audiences to consider carefully how to spend the “tiny amount of time we each have on this planet.”

Described as the “Warrior Storyteller,” retired Lieutenant Colonel Scott Mann is a human connection expert and coach who works alongside organizations to unite their teams around a shared vision and arm them with the tools and resources to make an impact and achieve mission success. A former U.S. Army Green Beret who specialized in unconventional, high-impact special operations in do-or-die conflict zones all over the globe, Mann applies his hard-won lessons from the battlefield to business as he shares the relationship-building techniques that drove so many of his successful combat operations. Through Rooftop Leadership, the professional training and coaching program that he founded, Mann advises servant leaders across industries — from Fortune 100 corporations (including Capital One, Walmart, Raymond James, and Fannie Mae) to local small businesses — on how to mobilize their teams, forge deeper connections with their people, and gain a more complete understanding of the opportunities that exist to create high-trust, high-performance cultures.

For more than 12 years, Evy Poumpouras served as a Secret Service special agent in an action-packed career during which she was responsible for protecting the world’s most high-value assets. She was a member of the Presidential Protective Division for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and also protected Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush. Today, she is a widely recognized multimedia journalist, host, and producer who uses her skills in front of the camera and behind it to conduct headline-grabbing interviews and investigate the biggest stories in the media. She appears regularly on “TODAY,” NBC, MSNBC, and “Good Morning America” to share her sought-after expertise on national security, law enforcement, and crime, and is the host of Bravo TV’s competition series “Spy Games.” Having mastered the arts of communication and psychology in a wide-ranging career that has taken her from the Secret Service to the TV screen and everywhere in between, Poumpouras offers unconventional strategies for crushing any challenge and living life fearlessly.

Jenny Radcliffe is a “people hacker” — or a mix of shrewd behavioral scientist, master negotiator, and actor. Known for talking her way into high-security banks and even the Tower of London, Jenny is a world-renowned coach, consultant, and speaker who brings something different to meetings focused on culture, social intelligence, sales, negotiation, and interpersonal relationships. A regular keynote at major security events — including Infosec, Rant, DISA, Nordic IT Security, ICS2, Trend Micro, Cisco, NTT, Bright talk, and Cyber Security Week — and a multiple-times TEDx contributor, Radcliffe has been a guest expert on security, scams and social engineering for various television and radio shows as well as online media. She helps clients understand how to better read people and social cues, use subtle tactics of persuasion, open up avenues of conversation previously shut, and understand and shield against their own vulnerabilities.

With more than a decade working at the heart of the technology industry, Dex Hunter-Torricke has managed communications for some of the most-influential and admired Silicon Valley leaders and corporations of our day. In his daily work, Dex plays a critical role in writing the next chapter on science, tech, the economy, and society across the globe, and spearheads efforts to bring the stories of how the world is being moved forward to light. From 2012-2016, he led the executive communications team at Facebook and served as personal speechwriter for Mark Zuckerberg. He then went on to join SpaceX as senior director of communications. He later served as the VP Global Communications & Public Engagement for the Oversight Board for Meta, the independent body that makes decisions on Facebook and Instagram’s most challenging content issues. Dex takes audiences into Facebook’s boardroom, Musk’s open-concept cubicle, the famed Googleplex, and finally to the UN itself to share lessons on what it takes in today’s environment to build highly effective internal teams, how to use storytelling in modern communications, and what to make of the steady transition from local to global that’s unfolded over the past decade.

A legendary presence behind one of America’s most beloved television shows, Lindsay Shookus is an Emmy award-winning producer who, for 20 years, worked as a veteran producer for “Saturday Night Live.” During her tenure, as producer and head of the talent department, Shookus was responsible for engineering the show’s success from booking celebrity hosts and musical guests and creating comfort and connections between them and the cast, to scouting rising stars to join the show’s ranks. She played a pivotal role in launching the careers of household names, including Kristin Wiig and Kate McKinnon — cementing her reputation for having a sharp eye for talent within the entertainment industry. She points to her own experiences to lead an on-stage masterclass on personal transformation, building connections, and embracing life’s obstacles on the road to overcoming them.

When organisations and individuals want to better their understanding of the latest technology trends and their impact on business and society, Greg Williams is among the first names they seek out for thought leadership. As the deputy global editor for WIRED magazine and a widely respected strategic forecaster, Williams has exclusive lines of communication to the innovators, thinkers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and creatives who are changing the world and draws upon his conversations with them to publish insightful and influential pieces on innovation, technology, and the ideas that are reshaping our world in real time.

Maurice Conti is among the architects of the cutting-edge emerging technologies that are evolving humanity and the world around us: Artificial Intelligence, immersive reality (AR/VR/XR), advanced robotics and manufacturing, and technology for sustainability. He is a rare blend of hands–on practitioner and big thinker. Conti is a sought-after and trusted advisor to the leadership teams of global companies, including Amazon Web Services, Lululemon, Mercedes AMG, NielsenIQ, Ralph Lauren, and Blackline Systems, on how to think about and deploy AI for the benefit of people and business. Working at the intersection of disruptive innovation, emerging technologies, and the future of work, cities, mobility, and climate, Conti is a vocal champion for the creation of technologies whose foundations are rooted in positive, human-centered purpose. More than 12 million people have watched his popular TED talks, and his engaging speaking style, deep subject-matter expertise, and relatable insights are based on decades of work “in the trenches” with leading brands, including Nike, Tesla, Disney, Amazon, Airbus, and Ford.

Described as “a trailblazer, and the most determined, tenacious, and motivated woman,” Preet Chandi holds the record of being the fastest woman to complete a solo unsupported ski expedition to the South Pole, as well as the distinction of being the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition on the continent. Driven by an unending desire to push her mental and physical boundaries, Preet is any Army officer, physiotherapist, Nordic skier, ultramarathon runner, and endurance athlete with an iron will that has led to her making history and breaking barriers in the world of adventuring.

Cassandra “Cassi” Chandler is an innovator, strategist, investigator, and leader who has broken barriers, led diverse teams, and built cultures of motivational leadership and inclusivity at some of the world’s most important organizations, including Bank of America and the FBI. In a career that has included many “firsts” across the U.S. government and financial services industries, she served as the FBI’s first African American female special agent assistant director as well as the Bureau’s first female national spokesperson and director of public and community affairs. In addition to defining the tools motivational leaders need to mindfully build more high-performing cultures, Chandler provides actionable insights on how to move the needle while leading with empathy.

Erik Weihenmayer is a world-class adventurer, the first blind man to summit Mount Everest, and one of only 150 mountaineers to climb the Seven Summits. His latest and most demanding adventure is kayaking the 277 miles of the Grand Canyon. One of the most exciting and well-known athletes in the world, he never let his lack of vision interfere with his quality of life. Weihenmayer’s feats have earned him incredible press coverage and dozens of awards. He is also the author of two books and addresses leadership, teamwork, overcoming adversity, motivation, and inspiration.

Katie Ledecky is a 10-time Olympic Medalist (seven Gold, three Silver) and 21-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 eight 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.