Founder, Wikipedia; U.S. Internet Entrepreneur and Wiki Pioneer; One of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People”; Wikipedia is the 5th Most Popular Website in the World

Jimmy Wales, the Founder and Visionary Force behind Wikipedia, is one of TIME Magazine’s "100 Most Influential People" and was ranked 12th by Forbes Magazine in their first annual "Web Celeb 25" List. Ten years ago Wales thought if Wikipedia could rank in the top 100 or Top 50 websites that would be pretty good...Today Wikipedia is the 5th Most Popular Website in the WORLD and Jimmy Wales is one of the most sought after visionaries in business and technology! Jimmy Wales' leadership was recognized by the World Economic Forum in 2007 when they acknowledged him as one of the top 250 young leaders across the world for his professional accomplishments, his commitment to society, and his potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. And in May 2008, Wales co-chaired the annual World Economic Forum on the Middle East, the foremost global gathering of political, business and cultural leaders.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT! 2011 Marks the 10th Anniversary of Wikipedia! Read Wales' inspired thoughts on the past decade of Wikipedia in articles from The Washington Post and WIRED Magazine, and watch his interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart or his video interview about Leadership!

Bestselling Author, FREAKONOMICS and SUPERFREAKONOMICS; Co-star, FREAKONOMICS Documentary ; FREAKONOMICS Spent Over 2 Years on The New York Times Bestseller List, With More Than 4 Million Copies Sold Worldwide; The Popular FREAKONOMICS Blog is Hosted Exclusively on The New York Times Website

Co-Author of the Phenomenal Bestselling Business Books FREAKONOMICS and SUPERFREAKONOMICS, and winner of the highly esteemed John Bates Clark Medal as the most influential economist in America under the age of 40, Steven D. Levitt works with businesses to apply his FREAKONOMICS approach (combining data, economic theory, and unorthodox thinking) to the corporate world.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT: View clips from the feature-length documentary of Freakonomics, which Variety calls "a revelatory trip into complex, innovative ideas and altered perspectives."   

NEWS SPOTLIGHT: Freakonomics.com makes Time Magazine's Top 25 List of "Best Financial Blogs!" Read more...; Chicago Magazine has named Steven Levitt one of the town’s top 40 pioneers from the past 40 years.

Bestselling Author, FREAKONOMICS and SUPERFREAKONOMICS; FREAKONOMICS Spent Over 2 Years on The New York Times Bestseller List, With More Than 4 Million Copies Sold Worldwide; Host of FREAKONOMICS RADIO; Co-star, FREAKONOMICS Documentary ; The Popular FREAKONOMICS Blog is Hosted Exclusively on The New York Times Website

An award-winning author, journalist, and radio and TV personality, Stephen J. Dubner is the co-author of the international bestselling business books FREAKONOMICS and SUPERFREAKONOMICS. Originally published in the U.S. in 2005, FREAKONOMICS instantly became a cultural phenomenon. Hailed by critics and readers alike, it went on to spend more than two years on The New York Times bestseller list, having sold more than 4 million copies around the world, in more than 35 languages. Dubner and his co-author, the University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt, have appeared widely on television and maintain the popular FREAKONOMICS blog, which can be found on The New York Times website. Mr. Dubner is also host of FREAKONOMICS RADIO, which includes radio, podcast, web, and live event programming imbued with the bestselling book’s iconoclastic approach to everyday economics – an approach that has found new ways to catch terrorists (hint: they don’t buy life insurance), and found the answers to questions such as, “Which is more dangerous: a gun or a swimming pool?” The audio content is available on-demand at www.freakonomicsradio.com, and on iTunes.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT: View video clips from the feature-length documentary of Freakonomics. Variety calls the film "a revelatory trip into complex, innovative ideas and altered perspectives."  

NEWS SPOTLIGHT: Freakonomics.com makes Time Magazine's Top 25 List of "Best Financial Blogs!" Read more...

45th Vice President of the United States; Nobel Peace Laureate; Senior Advisor to Google; Board of Directors, Apple; Chairman, Generation Investment Management; Chairman, Current TV; Chairman, The Climate Reality Project ; Bestselling Author

A political, business, and environmental visionary recognized around the world as one of humanity’s leading minds, Vice President Al Gore offers a unique perspective on national and international affairs. Referred by TIME Magazine as “a businessman who is out to change the world,” Vice President Gore’s status as a leader in global politics, technology and business influences his positions as Senior Advisor to Google and member of the Board of Directors of Apple. In addition, he is Chairman of Generation Investment Management, an asset-management company incorporating sustainability values into the financial-services world, and a senior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Silicon Valley’s preeminent venture firm. He also co-founded Current TV, an Emmy-Award winning cable news and information channel.

One of the most powerful champions of environmental awareness in America today, Vice President Gore continues to lead the campaign to educate the world on climate change, most recently launching an exciting new global campaign, "The Climate Reality Project." One of his best-selling books on climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, was turned into a critically acclaimed documentary which won two Oscar awards.

Visionary Innovator Merging Global Brands and Superstar Musicians

When Fortune 500 companies need to reenergize or reinvent a lagging brand, they call Steve Stoute. In addition to marrying cultural icons with blue-chip marketers (Beyoncé or Tommy Hilfiger's True Star fragrance, and Justin Timberlake for "lovin' it" at McDonald's), Stoute has helped identify and activate a new generation of consumers.

Considered “A McKinsey of Pop Culture,” Stoute's reputation for revolutionizing the relationship between global brands and superstar musicians has been praised by both Forbes Magazine and Bloomberg Businessweek. He has been featured in The New York Times, Adweek, in HBO's documentary The Black List, and in Target's DREAM.DARE.DO campaign for Black History Month. He was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2008 and is a featured speaker at conferences around the country.

Chairman & CEO, The Walt Disney Company (1984-2005); Owner and Non-Executive Chairman, The Topps Company, Inc.; Founder & CEO, The Tornante Company

Michael Eisner teaches audiences how to develop corporate creativity and strategically invest in innovation, based on his experiences as CEO of Disney and as Founder of The Tornante Company, a fund to invest in and develop companies in the media and entertainment sector. Both Fortune 500 CEO and entrepreneur, Mr. Eisner knows that even large global companies can innovate and adapt to new markets, new economies and new technologies. Through his remarks, he not only inspires corporate innovation, he gives parameters for successful execution such as brand building, establishing strategic partnerships and employee work teams.

Under the leadership of Michael Eisner, Walt Disney Company revenues grew from $1.7 billion to more than $30 billion by focusing on the power of ideas, pursuing the innovative vision, and taking creative risks. As a leader in the media industry for nearly four decades, Mr. Eisner has overseen organizations recognized for their inventiveness and innovation, experienced an explosion of technological advances that have impacted his business and led his companies through the advent of the next big ideas. In his presentations on leadership, he shares his insights on what it takes to run a company that must always grow and change.

Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media

Steve Forbes is chairman, CEO, and editor in chief at Forbes Media and an internationally respected authority in the worlds of economics, finance, and corporate leadership. With the economy at the forefront of conversation on a global level, Forbes offers long-standing insights that capitalism, free markets, and a flat tax are essential to a healthy economy. This is a message Forbes has been delivering as editor of one of the world’s most successful business magazines for decades, and he continues to be one of the most sought-after speakers on this and other economic issues leading the economic debates around the world.

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: Steve Forbes received "two standing ovations" from 700+ executives from corporations throughout the Rocky Mountain region at their 2011 Rocky Mountain Corporate Growth Conference. His gracious and approachable manner also made the event "a huge success!"

Robert M. Beren Professor of Economics, Harvard University; Economist Magazine: "One of the Top Young Economists in the World"; FORTUNE Magazine: "40 under 40 Most Influential People in Business" ; Collaborator on the Bestselling Book Freakonomics ; Affiliate, National Bureau of Economic Research

A collaborator on the Bestselling Book Freakonomics, Roland Fryer has received praise from an array of sponsors – from Universities and Lecture Series to Insurance and Financial groups – for his engaging perspective on an array of economic issues facing our society. Specifically, he focuses macro-solutions by influencing and changing individual behavior. Professor Roland Fryer has briskly established himself as an important player in the field of economics. Not only was Fryer named a "Rising Star" by Fortune magazine and featured in Esquire’s "Genius Issue," but his own work has been profiled in The New York Times, Washington Post, the Economist and the Boston Globe.

He rigorously and innovatively tests theoretical solutions to social problems on a scale previously unseen. As faculty director of Harvard’s Education Laboratory, and with large-scale funding from such partners as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Mr. Fryer tests what will influence change for an entire system or class of problems - such as school performance.

Chairman, Institute for Large Scale Innovation; Chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Advisory Council on Innovation ; Bestselling Author, Innovation Nation and Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity; Innovation Consultant to Public and Private Sector Leaders Worldwide

John Kao has made a career out of helping organizations go from “getting” the importance of innovation to “getting innovation done.”

Dubbed “Mr. Creativity” by The Economist, John is Chairman of the Institute for Large Scale Innovation, whose i20 group is an association of 30 national ‘Chief Innovation Officers.’  He is considered a leading authority on the subjects of innovation, organizational transformation, and new media. He is author of the best-selling Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity, a BusinessWeek best-seller that has been published in a dozen languages, and Innovation Nation: How America is Losing its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters, and What We Can Do To Get It Back.  

Kao’s life and career are a study in innovation: he focused on philosophy and social science at Yale where he earned his BA; he spent a summer as a keyboard player with Frank Zappa (he’s an accomplished jazz pianist); and he graduated Yale Medical School with a specialty in psychiatry. He did his residency at Harvard, where he then earned his MBA and stayed on for 14 years to teach as a Harvard Business School professor. His elective, "Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Organizations" drew some 2,000 MBA students, and the executive program he developed and taught, "Enhancing Corporate Creativity," attracted top executives from companies such as Merck, Merrill Lynch, and Saudi Aramco. He is this year's Chair of the World Economic Forum's (Davos) Global Advisory Council on Innovation.

It is the eclectic quality of Kao’s knowledge and experience that make his insights so useful and unique.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT: View a video clip of John Kao speaking at the Tides Momentum Leadership Conference. In a presentation that mixes speech, music, and audience input, Kao talks about the meaning and importance of innovation, how we innovate, and the future as a design problem. 

John Kao explained why innovation is the key to America's future in a recent CNN special report, Restoring the American Dream: How to Innovate. View video... In addition to his appearance, Kao contributed a special article to CNN,"Defining Innovation."

Author, The Art of Choosing; S.T. Lee Professor of Business in the Management Division of the Columbia Business School

A world renowned expert on the subject of choice, Dr. Sheena Iyengar's research on how and why we choose, and what we need to do to choose better, has surprising and profound implications for our personal and professional lives. Her insights are invaluable not only to businesses looking to improve strategy, leadership and customer relations, but to every individual trying to make positive and lasting changes to his or her life.

How did Dr. Sheena Iyengar become a leading expert on choice? View Video...

Her presentation to a packed house at the TEDxEast event (View video) was so successful that she was invited back to speak at TEDGlobal. Her talk earned thunderous applause and high praise from TED: "We're so excited to share this talk! It's mindblowing." (View video)

MEDIA SPOTLIGHT: Lessons on Growing Your Business from Sheena Iyengar

Contributor to the International Bestseller Freakonomics; Advisory Board, Berlin School of Creative Leadership; Senior Research Advisor, Department of Justice/FBI (2010-2011); Professor of Sociology and Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University

Highly esteemed Columbia University Professor and Leading Business Consultant Sudhir Venkatesh contributed to one of the most memorable chapters in the International Bestselling Book Freakonomics.  His ability to uncover hidden truths through his research has made him a sought-after voice for business and creative leaders worldwide on the topics of leadership and management. Venkatesh has recently spent time with more than 100 business leaders - from the tech sector to old-fashioned manufacturing to the FBI – observing how top executives uncover hidden aspects of their industry and perform beyond expectations. He brings these informative and entertaining insights to business audiences around the world.

For the past two years, Sudhir Venkatesh has provided presentations to Senior Executives and Creative Directors at the Annual Cannes Lions Festival, which brings more than 9,000 members of the Global Creative Communications Industries together to be inspired and entertained. Venkatesh also teaches popular courses at The Berlin School of Creative Leadership, which provides MBA (and custom executive education) for people in media, advertising, and the creative arts. His courses include: "The Secrets to Effective Leadership," as well as "How Business Executives can use Data Effectively."

Former Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Worldwide ; Former President of Sony; Founder, The Mottola Company

As one of the most highly regarded and influential executives in the worldwide entertainment business, Thomas D. Mottola most recently served as Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment. During his tenure, he transformed Sony and its 18,000 employees into the most successful global music companies in history, expanding its businesses and all of its manufacturing facilities into over 60 countries, while creating one of the strongest management teams in the industry. Under Mottola's leadership, Sony revenues skyrocketed from $800 million to over $7 billion a year, creating the largest sales in the history of the company.

Bestselling Author and World Renowned Speaker on Exploiting Business Trends and New Market Opportunities ; Founder and CEO of ChangeLabs™

Peter Sheahan has established a globally recognized brand as a leading expert in how the world's most effective organizations and individuals distinguish themselves from the competition instead of running with the pack. In the space of three years he built a multi-million dollar consulting practice attracting clients such as News Corporation, Google, Coca-Cola, L'Oréal and Ernst & Young.

WATCH SIZZLE REEL! Take a look at the following video compilation to see why meeting planners bring Peter Sheahan to the stage time and time again.  VIEW CLIP.

Pioneering Scientific Researcher; Founder, Chairman and President of the J. Craig Venter Institute; Founder and CEO of Synthetic Genomics Inc.

Most well-known for his visionary contributions in sequencing the first draft of human genome and first complete human genome sequence, Dr. Venter is regarded as one of the leading scientists of the 21st century for his invaluable contributions in genomic research. From positively impacting human health and better treating disease to enabling a better understanding of the environment and potentially creating new biological sources of energy, Dr. Venter illuminates how the field of genomics has the power to transform the world around us. Dr. Venter was awarded the 2008 National Medal of Science from President Obama. In 2007 and 2008, Dr. Venter was named one of Time Magazine’s “Most Influential People” in the Scientists and Thinkers category and was also listed among Foreign Policy’s “Public Intellectuals.”

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT! Watch Dr. Venter's Recent 60 Minutes interview.

ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT: Is Craig Venter going to save the planet? in The Washington Post

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Venter spoke before a crowd of 2,000+ attendees at the 24th Season of the University of Buffalo's Distinguished Speakers Series, and received glowing feedback: "Dr. Venter was a terrific, giving guest - a wonderful, fascinating, thought-provoking speaker with sensational visuals. Dr. Venter presented a Master Class to the audience!"

"The World's Reigning Strategy Guru," The Economist; Bestselling Author, Leading the Revolution

Fortune magazine labels Gary Hamel “the world’s leading expert on business strategy.” The Economist calls Hamel “the world’s reigning strategy guru.” Recently, the Journal of Business Strategy listed Hamel as one of the 20th century’s 25 most influential business thinkers, along with business pioneers such as Henry Ford and Bill Gates. For the past three years, Executive Excellence magazine has ranked Hamel as the world’s most influential management speaker.

Leading Expert on Strategy, Globalization and Emerging Markets

Anil Gupta, world-renowned scholar on global strategy, is a regular speaker at major conferences and serves as an adviser and director for corporations in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT: In this engaging Globe and Mail interview about Business Management, Anil Gupta says that "CEO's can make mistakes, but they must always act with integrity." Watch Video..

Author, The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life; Conductor, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra

Benjamin Zander has appeared three times as a keynote speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In his speeches he uses uplifting stories, parables, and anecdotes to invite audiences to become passionate communicators, leaders, and performers. In a profile of Mr. Zander, Fast Company writes: “He plays, lectures, spins tales, and pushes his audience to laugh, cry, and sing -- usually Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," in German.”

Apollo 11 Astronaut ; One of the First Two People to Walk on the Moon; Advocate for Space Tourism

A living hero, an American patriot and a space pioneer, Buzz Aldrin is a reminder of the adventurous spirit of our country and stands as one of the bravest explorers of all time. 2008 marked NASA's 50th Anniversary and 2009 marks the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Several film documentaries and TV series commemorating America's achievements in space and the historic moon landings have already been released with acclaim, and Buzz Aldrin appears in all of these special productions, including: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sundance Film Festival Winner of the World Cinema Audience Award); The Wonder of It All; and the Discovery Channel television series, The NASA Missions: When We Left Earth.

Best-selling Author, The Rise of the Creative Class: And How Its Transforming Work, Leisure Community and Everyday Life

Richard Florida is one of the world’s leading public intellectuals on economic competitiveness, demographic trends, and cultural and technological innovation. He is one of the world's most sought after speakers on global trends, economics, prosperity, competitiveness and growth. Combining in-depth analysis, cutting-edge trends, compelling personal stories and a touch of humor, Dr. Richard Florida presents his insights into how creativity and the Creative Class are revolutionizing the global economy.

First African American Woman in Space; Founder and President of Two Medical Technology Companies

Dr. Mae C. Jemison broke more than the sound barrier in 1992 when she climbed aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour and became the first woman of color to travel into space - she made history! Now, Founder and President of two technology companies, the space flight was just one of a series of accomplishments for this dynamic woman.

World Famous Trend Forecaster; Bestselling Author

Faith Popcorn removes the mystery from business, helping companies who apply her Trend-based methodology become leaders, not followers, of the future. She has been hailed as “the trend oracle” by The New York Times and the “Nostradamus of Marketing” by Fortune.

Author, RESET: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America ; Visionary, media icon and entrepreneur ; Bestselling novelist; Host, public radio’s Studio 360

“It’s the end of the world as we’ve known it,” Kurt Andersen writes in Reset, “but it isn’t the end of the world.” In this smart and refreshingly hopeful new book, Andersen–a brilliant analyst and synthesizer of historical and cultural trends, bestselling novelist, veteran of the New York literati, and host of public radio’s Studio 360–shows us why the current economic crisis is actually a moment of great opportunity to get ourselves and our nation back on track. Andersen explains how we’ve done it before and why we are about to do it again–and better than ever.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of 3Com, Palm and Cypress Semiconductor; Founder, Chairman and CEO Benhamou Global Ventures

Eric Benhamou has enjoyed a meteoric career creating and growing high technology companies. A name synonymous with Palm, 3 Com, Bridgecom, Cypress and Real Networks, Benhamou's companies are leaders in almost all aspects of the world of technology. Having spent nearly 30 years building or running high technology companies, Mr. Benhamou has a long history of figuring out what customers really want and building companies and products that serve those markets. He’s been the featured speaker at the Conference on Education Technology, IDC, the Jordan IT Forum, INET: The Internet Global Summit; and Davos World Economic Forum where he joined other technology industry titans, including Michael Dell, chief of Dell Computer, Nobuyuki Idei, of Sony, and Paul Jacobs, of Qualcomm.

Senior Advisor for Comcast Corporation, Present; Former Pentagon Spokesperson; ABC Commentator; Contributor to the Tony Kornheiser Show on ESPN Radio

A Senior Advisor for Comcast Corporation and on-air commentator for ABC, Torie Clarke has advised some of the nation’s best-known executives. Best known to the public as the chief spokesperson for the Pentagon on 9/11 and the beginning of the Iraq war, Torie Clarke has long been respected within the worlds of politics and public relations as one of the most insightful experts on communication in the age of transparency. The architect of the media "embedding" program in Iraq, Clarke has stood on the leading edge of this transformation of the information environment for more than two decades.

MEDIA SPOTLIGHT: Torie Clarke joined a fascinating roundtable discussion about Gender Politics on This Week with Christiane Amanpour, where she addressed the success of women in political and business leadership roles, and the different qualities that women bring to the table in order to "get the job done." Watch Video... Also, watch an additional interview from the green room: Click here...

Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc; Chairman, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS

In 25 years, Kenneth Cole has built a 150 store-strong retail empire, uniting his fashion instincts and business acumen with his philanthropic convictions. Mr. Cole’s influence reaches far beyond the world of fashion – he has been a dynamic advocate for many causes ranging from initiatives for the homeless to his work as Chairman of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).

White House Press Secretary, 1998-2000; Political Analyst and Commentator; Vice President of Global Communications, Facebook

Joe Lockhart talks candidly and humorously about the players on the Washington scene and the issues facing industry and individuals today. Mr. Lockhart also offers insight into how real solutions exist outside the beltway. A consummate strategist adept at educating audiences about current political issues and how to manage those issues to their best advantage.

Former President and CEO of Ferrari North America; Author, Selling Dreams: How to Make Any Product Irresistible

Marketing maven and veteran CEO Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni, Ph.D. has led some of the world's most prestigious consumer products companies. His broad experience in banking, luxury goods and branded products, along with his comprehensive international business perspective serve as the backdrop for his presentations, where Dr. Longinotti-Buitoni reveals how he transformed products like Ferrari into irresistible brands.

Former President and CEO of Pepsi; Former CEO of Apple Computer; High-Tech Entrepreneur and Venture Capitalist; Named "CEO of the Decade" by Financial News Network

John Sculley shares the business secrets that he used to catapult Apple and Pepsi to the most recognizable brand names in their categories.  John Sculley draws from his boardroom experiences to offer valuable insight into leading change, the new global marketplace and the innovative concepts companies are developing to transform business.

Former CEO of Snapple; Leading Brand Strategist & Innovator; Chairman of INOV8 Beverage Company

Mike Weinstein is the beverage guru. Having engineered and led the spectacular turnaround of Snapple and served as the COO for A&W Drinks, he is an expert in branding and innovation in the beverage industry. Mr. Weinstein loves to share the secrets and story of how he reversed Snapple’s waning fortunes, and made it one of the most successful drink companies around.

President, Institute for Exploration Mystic; Professor of Oceanography, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of R.I.; Director, Institute for Archeological Oceanography, University of R.I.; Founding Chairman of the Board and Chief Scientist, JASON Foundation for Education Waltham, MA

The man who made some of the most startling undersea discoveries in recent years, Robert Ballard, describes what it was like to locate the Titanic and other significant shipwrecks. World-famous for his discovery of the Titanic and the German battleship Bismark, Ballard leads audiences on a journey to plumb some of history’s greatest mysteries. Ballard’s adventurous spirit is matched by a practical and hugely successful approach to goal setting, team building and execution. The skills that led to his headline-grabbing accomplishments are the same skills that now lead people from all walks of life toward a realization of their dreams.

Leading Technology Forecaster and Business Strategist

Over the past two decades, futurist keynote speaker Daniel Burrus has established a worldwide reputation for accurately predicting the future of technological change and its impact on the world of business. He has helped hundreds of clients identify new opportunities and develop successful competitive business strategies based on the creative application of leading-edge technologies. As an innovative and impactful keynote speaker, Dan will bring this expertise to your audience, blending timely and provocative knowledge with just the right amount of humor and motivation for presentations filled with information you can take away and use immediately to gain a competitive advantage.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT: CLICK HERE to watch Daniel Burrus speak at TEDxNASA on Seeing Invisible Solutions to Impossible Problems. Burrus also talked about How To Spot The Next Hot Tech Trend on The Street.

Futurist, Trends and Innovation Expert; Author ; Columnist

Organizations worldwide have turned to Jim Carroll for his unique insight into the key innovation strategies to ensure they can capitalize on fast emerging opportunities and achieve transformational growth despite economic challenges. BusinessWeek recently named him as one of the four world's leading sources for innovation insight and he has been featured as an innovation expert on the global CNBC series, The Business of Innovation. For over 15 years, Jim has been studying how companies can identify and exploit trends to anticipate and manage change, instead of being reactionary.

Acclaimed Business Advisor; New York Times Bestselling Author of Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

For 35 years, Ram Charan has coached some of the worlds’ most successful CEOs, working behind the scenes at companies like GE, KLM, Bank of America, DuPont, Novartis, EMC, Home Depot, 3M and Verizon. Ram is a favorite among executive educators and was selected as one of Business Week’s top ten resources for in-house executive development programs. Ram is known for his practical, real world perspective. :

Professor, Harvard Business School; Bestselling Business Author

Clayton M. Christensen is the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, and is regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on innovation and growth. He is widely sought after as a speaker, advisor and board member. His research has been applied to national economies, start-up and Fortune 50 companies, as well as to early- and late-stage investing.

President, Currid and Company

As one of America’s most respected computer industry analysts, Cheryl Currid offers a rare blend of business and technical insight. With many years of hands-on management and executive experience, she also brings in-depth knowledge of the inner-workings of computer and communication technologies. Her understanding of past, present and future technology trends gives her a unique position as a highly successful trend forecaster. Her ability to explain the importance of technology is unparalleled.

MIT Professor; Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency; Former Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Energy; Board of Directors, Cheniere Energy

Former Undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Energy, John Deutch is world renowned in studies on energy and the environment. Mr. Deutch has published over 140 technical publications in physical chemistry, as well as numerous publications on technology, energy, international security, and public policy issues. In his speeches Dr. Deutch brings his academic training and government experience to cover topics as diverse as world security, technology and energy.

Internationally Licensed Columnist, PC Magazine; Vice President of Mevio Entertainment

John Dvorak has been a major technology industry columnist for fifteen years. Today he's a one-man column factory and he's on radio and television as well. People read him for his biting wit, his inside intelligence and his sense of humor - unparalleled in an industry not known for laughter. The edge.com wrote, “If I were pitching his story to a Hollywood studio, I would describe him as Don Imus meets David Letterman."

President, Extreme Leadership, Inc.; Best-Selling Author

Coaching and inspiring Extreme Leadership at all organizational levels is Steve’s passion, and he does so with a style that is part strategist, part social commentator, part comedian, and all energy.

Best-Selling Business Author ; Nationally Recognized Speaker

Adrian Gostick is the author of several successful books on employee engagement and retention. The Carrot Principle by Simon & Schuster has been a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, and The 24-Carrot Manager has been called a “must read for modern-day managers” by Larry King of CNN. In 2006, The Invisible Employee, from John Wiley & Sons also made the New York Times Best-seller list.

Chairman and CEO, Mandalay Entertainment Group

A passionate, humorous, and tireless motivator and speaker, Guber has dedicated himself to coaching current and future leaders about the importance of telling purposeful stories to propel their business success. Guber is the sponsor of e2e: A Day of Generosity, an annual conclave in which top business story telling experts and leaders share story telling best practices, brainstorm, and collaborate on bringing the MAGIC of telling purposeful stories to the people of enterprises everywhere.

Social Media and Marketing Expert; Chief Marketing Officer & Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company, 2006-2010; Bestselling Author, The Mirror Test

Jeff Hayzlett characterizes big thinking. From creating innovative marketing strategies to appearing on NBC’s hit television show, Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump, Hayzlett reaches for the stars, in his career and personal life. Former Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of the iconic Eastman Kodak Company, Hayzlett is a much sought-after speaker on topics ranging from worldwide business growth, communications, marketing, social networking and mobile marketing. He has become a "Celebrity CMO" according to Forbes Magazine, and organizations around the world are interested in the insights of this social media and marketing expert.

Chairman, Innosight ; Author, Seizing the White Space: Business Model Innovation for Growth and Renewal

Mark Johnson is Chairman of Innosight, a strategic innovation consulting and investing company. He has consulted to the Global 1000 and start-up companies in a wide range of industries—including health care, aerospace/defense, enterprise IT, energy, automotive, and consumer packaged goods—and has advised Singapore’s government on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Founder and Former CEO of Travelocity.com

The story of the entrepreneur in the garage is well known. But how does one build a startup inside a huge corporation? How do you successfully innovate in large and sometimes bureaucratic organizations? Terry Jones started Travelocity.com as a department inside the multi billion dollar Sabre Corporation. Starting with an idea and a team of ten, he grew the department into a three billion dollar public company with over 35 million members and 1200 employees.

Technology Expert

Scott is a thought leader that specializes in helping leaders see the world in new ways. He has used innovation, velocity, and future vision to build his own companies, and to advise clients. He speaks to audiences across the market spectrum and never fails to send them home with at least three new ideas that can be applied right away. Scott is one of very few people that can translate where technology and trends are going with a high level of flair. It is also rare to find someone that has his combination of both "over the horizon" vision, and "in the trenches" experience. He is about TRANSFORMING, not informing.

Senior Editor At Large , Fortune Magazine; Commentator, Fox News Channel

Adam Lashinsky is a Senior Editor At Large for Fortune magazine covering Wall Street and Silicon Valley, as well as a FOX News Channel contributor appearing weekly on the Saturday morning program Cavuto on Business. A preeminent voice on innovation and management, his new book Inside Apple (January 2012) offers lessons on leadership and management that are a must read for anyone who wants to be at the forefront of innovative thinking. Lashinsky offers insights that appeal to entrepreneurs in all industries because he helps them understand how Apple approaches product development, organizational structure, culture creation and the management of its message through product marketing, advertising and public relations. Lashinsky’s presentations resonate with business leaders and executives at companies large and small who want to understand how Apple innovates, and how to bring some of that successful Apple magic to their bottom line.

Award-Winning Architect and Designer; Time Hero of the Planet

William McDonough established himself as a leader in the sustainable development movement since its inception. Recognized by Time magazine as a Hero for the Planet, his vision of the hopeful, positive, and inspiring possibilities of an environmentally and economically intelligent future by design has made him a highly sought-after speaker for a wide range of audiences both internationally and in the U.S.

Marketing Guru of Silicon Valley

Considered the marketing guru of Silicon Valley, Regis McKenna is a well-known technology marketing consultant, advisor to entrepreneurs, venture capitalist and author. McKenna advised a number of entrepreneurial start-ups and their founders during their formation years including: America Online, Apple, Compaq, Electronic Arts, Genentech, Intel, Linear Technology, Lotus, Microsoft, National Semiconductor, Silicon Graphics, 3COM, and many others. He helped launch some of the most important technological innovations of the last thirty years including the first microprocessor (Intel Corporation), the first personal computer (Apple Computer), the first recombinant DNA genetically engineered product (Genentech, Inc.), and the first retail computer store (The Byte Shop).

Managing Director, TCG Advisors; Venture Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures; Bestselling Author, Dealing With Darwin: Great Companies Innovate At Every Phase of Their Evolution

Recognized as a leading business consultant to large companies facing formidable strategic challenges, Geoffrey Moore has made the understanding and effective exploitation of disruptive technologies the core of his life's work.

Founding Chairman, MIT Media Lab; Founder, One Laptop per Child (OLPC)

Nicholas Negroponte is a world-renowned technology visionary with the keenest understanding of technology and its impact on business and society. An exceptional speaker, his broad range of experience and thorough understanding of digitization and its impact on industry make him the foremost authority on transformations that define our future.

President, PCN Associates

As a speaker and consultant, Peg Neuhauser offers practical tips for actions to create a more innovative and adaptive organization. Her focus is on increasing collaboration in cross-functional teams, improving relationships among work colleagues, avoiding burnout, and strengthening the organization’s culture to focus on its goals more effectively. Her stories, case examples, and humor illustrate each idea in a way that is both entertaining and easy to remember. Peg Neuhauser is also the author and co-author of several books about corporate culture and conflict resolution.

Author; Journalist; Cultural Commentator

An esteemed cultural commentator, Christopher Noxon has developed unique perspectives on our nation’s shifting demographics and how institutions can adapt to a new generation.

Founding Partner, The Peppers and Rogers Group ; Acclaimed Author, The One To One Future

One of the foremost experts on customer relationships, Don Peppers shares his insights on customer relationship management, B2B, e-commerce strategy and Branding.

The Shaman’s Apprentice ; Time Magazine “Hero for the Planet”; The Skoll Foundation's 2008 "Social Entrepreneur of the Year"

World-renowned explorer and spell binding story-teller, Mark Plotkin is a Time magazine “Hero for the Planet,” and star of the Academy Award nominated IMAX documentary, Amazon. Respected and revered for his work in the Amazon Rainforests, Plotkin’s fascinating adventures inspire audiences to dream big, take risks, overcome adversity, and look beyond the obvious or expected, pushing the limits of commonly accepted concepts. Over the course of his 20 year journey deep in the jungles, Plotkin has endured some of the most bizarre encounters with nature. Whether sleeping in a tiny thatched hut, suffering from vampire-bat bites, eating delicacies like boiled rat, or nearly being electrocuted by a giant eel, Plotkin continues to race against time in saving the rainforest, the ancient knowledge of its shamans and its enchanted and endangered existence.

CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi

Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Worldwide Kevin Roberts is a radical optimist, a celebrated author, a motivator, a visionary and an evangelist for the power of world-changing ideas. A champion of unconventional thinking and assumption disruption, Kevin has a formidable record of success as a business leader. Teams he leads revere him for his energy, his uncompromisingly positive and inspirational management style and his extraordinary ability to generate ideas that cut to the heart of any problem. Using multi-media from Saatchi & Saatchi to engage and provoke his audience Kevin is not just a speaker, he is an emotion-in-motion experience in what it takes to succeed. As President of Pepsi in Canada after his team blew away Coke and took Pepsi to number one in the market for the first time ever, he celebrated by machine gunning a Coke vending machine on stage at a sales conference. As COO of Australasian brewer Lion Nathan, he shook up analysts by bringing a real lion on a chain to one of his first briefing meetings.

Founding Partner, Peppers & Rogers Group; Co-author, The One To One Future

As an Adjunct Professor at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, Dr. Martha Rogers has helped to spearhead the "Managing Customer Value" coursework at the MBA and Exec Ed level. She is also the co-director of the Teradata Center for Customer Relationship Management at Duke.

Author, Surviving the Digital Jungle and Doing Business in the Information Age

The author of two influential books on e-business, strategy, processes, and technology - Surviving the Digital Jungle and Doing Business in the Information Age - Jack Shaw helps organizations increase revenues, cut costs, improve service, and maximize productivity by using technology to enable winning business strategies.

ABC News Foreign Correspondent; Producer of NPR's All Things Considered; Consulting Editor, The McGraw-Hill Companies and Business Week

With a remarkable background including nine years as an ABC news foreign correspondent, producer of All Things Considered, editorial director of Business Week and the ongoing chairman of many McGraw-Hill industry-specific conferences, Scott Shuster's prodigious skills onstage make him the an excellent choice to serve as facilitator for the most challenging events. Scott brings a completely new method to onstage presentation at business events. More than a moderator, he is a leader of discussions, giving direction to your meeting's content on a minute-to-minute basis for the entire duration of your gathering. Armed with an MBA and extensive globe-spanning experience as a leader of business discussions, Scott Shuster prepares meticulously for every event, ensuring that he is ready for off-the-cuff discussion of the most detailed industry, policy or company-specific issues. Recent events Scott has moderated include: The US-Africa Business Summit, The 2005 HIMSS Thought Leader Summit, The World Health Care Innovation and Technology Congress, The Aspen Technology Enterprise Operations Management Executive Forum, The WIPRO Strategyms (US & UK): The 40-institution Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development conference, The McGraw-Hill Companies Top Firm Leaders Forum and The MCI CIO Forum.

High-tech Explorer; Renowned Expeditionary Caver; President, Stone AeroSPACE (1998-present) ; Chairman, Shackleton Energy Company (2007 – present); President, Piedra-Sombra Corporation, Inc. (2001-present); President, U.S. Deep Caving Team, Inc. (1980-present); Engineer; Author

Engineer and daredevil explorer Bill Stone is obsessed with discovery. After years of crawling through the deepest unexplored caves on the planet, he’s building robots to go where he can’t. His company Stone Aerospace built DepthX, an autonomous robot, which descended 1,099 feet down Mexico’s deepest watery sinkhole. By 2008 he’ll send an enhanced machine through the ice of Lake Bonney in the Antarctic. But that’s just a test for the real mission, building a probe with Nasa to bore through miles of ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa, then swim through the buried Europan sea in search of alien life.

Author, Blueprint to a Billion: The 7 Essentials to Achieve Exponential Growth

Microsoft, Google, eBay, Staples, Genentech, Starbucks, Nike, and Harley-Davidson . . . these are just a few examples of an elite group of companies that have managed to turn billion-dollar ideas into billion-dollar businesses. What did these and other high-growth companies do to achieve such a goal? What blueprint do they follow to produce such results?

Leading Authority on Corporate Strategy and Business Transformation; Author of The Discipline of Market Leaders and Double Digit Growth: How Great Companies Achieve It, No Matter What

Michael Treacy has been an expert in market leadership for more than 25 years, aiding the senior management of many companies with their greatest strategic challenges.

Executive Director, William F. Achtmeyer Center for Global Leadership; Author Building Breakthrough Businesses Within Established Organizations; Author Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators – from Idea to Execution

Chris Trimble is an expert on innovation and execution. He has been warmly received as a speaker by audiences at such forums as the Business Week CEO Forum and the Conference Board’s Innovation Conference. He tackles challenging innovation concepts with an engaging speaking style that includes a comfortable blend of storytelling, illustrations from real companies, and clear insights.

Author of Driving Growth Through Innovation and Innovation is Everybody's Business; President, The Innovation Resource

Robert Tucker is a much sought after speaker at conferences and company convocations. Clients range from Fortune 500 companies to national and international trade associations. He has been a consultant to Taiwan's Economic Development Ministry and the Japan Marketing Association and has traveled to every continent to share his ideas and strategies with global business leaders.

Former Director of Idea and People Development for Walt Disney Productions, Disneyland and Walt Disney World.; Former Dean of Disney University; Chairman, Creative Thinking Association

Because of his exciting style and unique content, Mike Vance is a distinguished name in speaking and communicating. His fast-paced delivery, sprinkled with good-natured humor, makes him one of the most stimulating speakers and sought-after teachers. USA Today named Mike as one of the most requested speakers in the United States.

CEO, Futurist; FirstMatter LLC

Watts Wacker is one of the most celebrated and influential minds in modern business and one of the world’s most respected futurists. He has been the resident futurist at SRI International the legendary Menlo Park think tank, and spent ten years as the resident futurist at the preeminent social research organization, Yankelovich Partners.

Entrepreneur and Technology Pioneer; President, Walker Digital; Founder, Priceline.com

Jay Walker is a technology pioneer who turns new ideas into BIG opportunities. Whether it’s changing the way consumers buy groceries and airline tickets (priceline.com) or changing the way old line companies approach their businesses, Walker and his team have invented over 600 proprietary business systems that solve problems in industries ranging from travel to defense to retail to restaurants to vending to publishing to gaming and entertainment.

Founder of Winston Eco-Strategies; Author, Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage; Director of the Corporate Environmental Strategy Project at Yale’s Environment School

As director of the Corporate Environmental Strategy Project at Yale’s Environment School, Andrew Winston studies companies like BP, Toyota, IKEA, GE and Nike who are achieving both environmental and business success. In his speeches Winston puts this knowledge to work by showing companies how to create an “eco-advantage” in the marketplace as traditional elements of competitive differentiation fade in importance.

Founder, Owner and creative driving force behind YO! Sushi.; UK entrepreneur of the year

Simon Woodroffe is a charismatic and engaging speaker with a very personal story on how he has built up YO! Sushi. His common sense approach is of practical use and his entertaining style leaves audiences feeling inspired.

Former Chief Marketing Officer for Coca-Cola; Bestselling Author

“Selling more stuff to more people more often for more money more efficiently™” defines marketing success for Sergio Zyman, the man who put the fizz back in Coca-Cola’s fortunes, founded a preeminent marketing strategy firm, and authored four books, including two international bestsellers.