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.

Annie Auerbach is a writer and consultant specialising in the new world of work and the future of the workplace. She is the co-founder of cultural trends and insights agency Starling, and the author of Flex – Reinventing Work for a Smarter, Happier Life. Her work and research has big implications and fascinating insights for anyone that employs people, sells things, or works for a living.

Millennial, award-winning entrepreneur, CEO of Inkpact and women-in-tech ambassador. Charlotte is an inspiring and motivational speaker whose mission is to bring delight and connection to the heart of business communications. Using innovative and disruptive tech, Inkpact, successfully transforms digital email campaigns into beautiful, handwritten notes at scale. The letters are written by hand, by a freelance community of scribes - The Scribe Tribe, who make up the heart of the business. The thriving community of over 100 UK and US based creative freelancers leverage the flexible working hours and equal opportunity employment to earn in their spare time whilst doing work they love. Inkpact has recently launched a successful salesforce app allowing businesses to scale thoughtfulness at the touch of a button. Charlotte is a passionate and energetic leader who leads with heart. She has built a flexible and collaborative culture internally, provides work to those who prefer flexibility and has revolutionized the depth of connection companies can experience with their customers, through the power of innovative tech and human heart. Expertise: Charlotte is on a mission to connect the head and the heart of business and to drive innovation in the way humans and technology co-create meaningful experiences and lasting business relationships.

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.

David Rennie is the Geopolitics Editor and columnist of The Economist, the world’s most influential news magazine of business and politics. With 27 years of experience as a foreign correspondent and a six-year posting as the Beijing Bureau Chief and Chaguan columnist, Rennie is more than a seasoned journalist—he is a well-regarded, go-to expert on international politics. Rennie’s insights are so trusted that he has been asked twice to launch a column for The Economist.

Anders Sörman-Nilsson (EMBA / LLB) is a futurist and the founder of the think tank and trend analysis firm - Thinque, which provides data-based research, foresight and thought leadership assets for global brands across 4 continents. His vision is to disseminate and decode ‘avant-garde ideas which expand minds and inspire a change of heart’, and clients like Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, McKinsey, Jaguar Land Rover, Adobe, MINI, Rugby New Zealand and Lego trust his future guidance. He is an awarded keynote speaker who helps leaders decode trends, decipher what’s next and turn provocative questions into proactive answers. He has published 3 books on digital transformation and innovation including ‘Aftershock’ (2020), ‘Seamless’ (2017) and ‘Digilogue’ (2013), is a member of TEDGlobal, and was nominated to the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders in 2019. He is the author of the 2020 Microsoft & Thinque whitepaper "How Artificial Intelligence is powering Australian Retail in 2020 and beyond", the co-creator of the Adobe Creative (CQ) Intelligence test, and is the host of the innovation podcast - 2nd Renaissance. His futurist thinking has been shared by the Wall Street Journal, Financial Review, Monocle, BBC, Esquire and ABC TV.

Susie has crafted an entire career from her unswerving passion for words and her belief in the power, influence and effectiveness that rich and precise communication can bring. Best known for her long-standing role on Britain’s word gameshow ‘Countdown’, her fascinating yet educational stories have entertained millions of households with her warm charm and stunning knowledge base around the power of language. Susie gives audiences a new appreciation of the value of using words that work, suggesting ways in which they can integrate her approaches into their own communication. With businesses struggling to sustain meaningful communication with customers and employees alike, her keynotes deliver powerful solutions. Susie’s mission is to help people and companies understand that words matter for meaningful collaboration that drives lasting results. Her entertaining yet educational stories are drawn from a lifetime of observation and surprisingly enough, include ways that even jargon can be a tool for personal and professional influence.

Joe Studwell is the author of best-selling books about emerging economies. He was a founder of the Asian research firm Dragonomics, now Gavekal Dragonomics and the founding editor of the China Economic Quarterly. He has written for The Economist, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), The Financial Times, the Asian Wall Street Journal and the Far Eastern Economic Review, as well as working on television and radio. Studwell earned his doctorate from the University of Cambridge for research on processes of technology acquisition in manufacturing companies in emerging economies. He is Senior Visiting Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute, the UK’s leading non-government development think-tank. Joe’s next book, published in early 2025, is How Africa Works: dynamism and atrophy on the world’s last developmental frontier, a book that started at the suggestion of Bill Gates and African governments that engaged him to debate development policy choices based on his books on Asia. Joe is an engaging, humorous speaker with a wealth of anecdotes who also has a grip on the latest data. He has long experience as a meeting chair and panelist. • Best-selling author and expert on emerging markets in China, East Asia, South-East Asia, South Asia and Africa • Combines engaging anecdotal delivery with deep knowledge of data • Seasoned interviewer, host and conference/panel chair

Bruce Daisley is a best selling author and technology leader from the UK. He spent 8 years as EMEA Vice President for Twitter having joined the company in 2012. Prior to this, Daisley ran YouTube UK at Google and he has also worked at Emap/Bauer and Capital Radio. Daisley frequently speaks about the importance of laughter in the workplace. He highlights the benefits of reducing the number of interruptions from emails, the importance of striking the right work-life balance, and the contribution which digital social media is making to our lives. His 2019 book on improving work culture, “The Joy of Work”, was the Sunday Times number one business bestseller in spring 2019 which also went on to be named The Financial Times made it Book of the Month. Professor Sir Cary Cooper described it as ‘a joy to read’ and best selling business author Dan Pink said it ‘can help transform your work experience’.

Dethra Giles is a workplace and career optimizer who advises organizations and individuals on how to chart their unique paths to success. She is a four-time TEDx speaker who has been named a “Top 100 HR Influencer” by Engagedly, and was selected by HR Gazette’s “HRchat” podcast as one of the “Top 22 Most Influential Figures in HR.” With clients including Kaiser Permanente, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), The Army Corp of Engineers, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Salvation Army, Giles shares a unique blend of advanced education and industry experience that has been described as “university-tested and industry-approved,” and can be implemented by organizations of any size, and across industries. Testimonial “Dethra was amazing. She left the audience wanting more, which is rare in today’s culture of limited attention span. We already booked her again for this year and will look to have her back next year as well” - CEO, Insurance Company

What makes Mark Bryan one of the world’s leading futurists is his proven mastery advising organizations on the trends and tech that will disrupt their industries, and his inventive approaches for adapting to an ever-evolving business environment. He is the senior foresight manager at the Future Today Strategy Group, a leading foresight and strategy firm founded by world renowned futurist Amy Webb. In his role, he supports leaders and their organizations in developing and implementing customized, forward-looking strategies that position them years ahead of their competitors and expedite their journeys to their desired futures. Bryan’s expertise spans across industries — having worked alongside national retail brands, higher education institutions, nonprofits, multi-family developers, and large corporate clients to evolve them from market leaders to market innovators.

A passionate advocate for a more human way of working, Melissa Swift is a seasoned HR thought leader and Founder & CEO of Anthrome Insight, an organization that helps teams navigate the future of work. She was formerly the VP of workforce and organizational change acceleration at Capgemini Invent. Her work helping clients power their workforces for more innovative, higher-performing futures spans across industries and geographies and tackles issues ranging from attracting and retaining top talent to reshaping organizations for greater nimbleness and building futuristic capabilities among today’s employees. She leverages thoughtful data analytics, a humanist view, and a healthy dose of pragmatism to create extraordinary outcomes for organizations.