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

Today Wikipedia is the 5th Most Popular Website in the WORLD, and Leading Technology Futurist and Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales is one of the most sought after visionaries in business and technology. Named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People," Jimmy Wales was also acknowledged by the World Economic Forum -- the foremost global gathering of political, business and cultural leaders -- 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.

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.

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.

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.

Authors of the Much Heralded Book, Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives

Science Magazine has dubbed co-authors Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler the "dynamic duo." Connected is the winner of a Books for a Better Life Award and has been translated into nearly twenty languages. It was named an Editor's Choice by The New York Times Book Review, and was featured in Wired, Oprah's Reading Guide, BusinessWeek's Best Books of the Year, GOOD's 15 Books You Must Read, and featured as a cover story in the New York Times Magazine.

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."

One of the Inspiring Voices of the Arab Spring - Moving Millions Toward Freedom ; Head of Marketing of Google Middle East & North Africa (1998-2011)

Wael Ghonim, the 30-year-old sparkplug of the Arab Spring, offers one of the most inspiring stories of the Age of Social Marketing: a memoir and manifesto for all of us. Wael is an extraordinary individual, an activist who is literally changing the most important country in the Arab region, redesigning its place in the world and the world’s relationship to it. He helped to mobilize the Arab Spring from his laptop, waking up and engaging a large segment of the population to go into the streets and challenge its status quo. Although Wael doesn’t claim to be political, his social engagement is phenomenal, based on an innate sense of justice and non-violence rather than a study of history or established political precedents.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT : Watch Wael's captivating interview on 60 Minutes.

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.

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!"

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.

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...

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; President of Age Wave; Author of With Purpose: Going from Success to significance in Work and Life

As the foremost visionary on aging-driven change, Ken Dychtwald helps people understand how to prepare for a future that’s dramatically different. A psychologist, gerontologist and corporate consultant, Ken Dychtwald was honored by American Demographics Magazine as the single-most influential leader in Baby Boomer marketing the past quarter century. This respected futurist regularly provides commentary on network television, radio and in print. In his speeches Dychtwald focuses on the baby boomers and mature adults and their considerable impact on markets. His recent speeches focus on how aging boomers regard their advancing years not with dread but as a new chapter of life and a period of renewal and reinvention, marked by personal wisdom, accumulated wealth, skills honed over the course of a career and a sense that this is not a time of decline but instead, the beginning of "The Power Years."

Economist ; Principal Advisor to the European Union on Economic Development, Energy Security and Climate Change Policy ; President, Foundation on Economic Trends; Bestselling Author, The End of Work and The Age of Access; Fellow, Wharton School’s Executive Education Program

Jeremy Rifkin and his ideas are not without controversy. The author of seventeen books on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society and the environment, Mr. Rifkin advocates a new type of economic thinking. He is a proponent of sustainable development, quality of life and the nurturing of community. His books have been translated into more than thirty languages and are used in hundreds of universities, corporations and government agencies around the world. Mr. Rifkin is one of the highest rated speakers on the international lecture circuit on the topics of globalization, sustainability and shifting to a new energy era and low-carbon economy. CNN-International is airing a documentary on his Third Industrial Revolution vision for their program Principal Voices.  Click here to view the trailer.

Social Networking Strategist; Author, Relationship Economics; Managing Partner, The Nour Group, Inc.

David Nour is a social networking strategist and the author of Relationship Economics (Wiley, 2008) and The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Raising Capital (Praeger, 2009), a senior management advisor, and a featured speaker for corporate, association and academic forums, where he shares his knowledge and experience as a leading change agent and catalyst for Relationship Economics® - the art and science of business relationships.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

CEO, The Aaronson Group ; Columnist, ClickZ.com

Jack Aaronson's success in creating online customer loyalty programs teaches audiences how to attract and more importantly - retain - customers.

Behavioral and Communication Expert; Author of 14 books including The Platinum Rule, Collaborative Selling and The Art of Managing People

Tony Alessandra shows audiences how to out-sell, out-market and out-service the competition with his high-tech, high-touch sales and marketing techniques.

Apollo 12 and Skylab 2 Astronaut

As an astronaut and the fourth person to walk on the moon, Alan Bean is dedicated to inspiring people to be the best they can be, so their family can be the best it can be, and their company can be the best it can be.

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."

Author, Cycles: How We Will Live, Work and Buy ; Co-founder and Senior Vice President of Age Wave; Expert on Lifestyle Trends

A leading authority on generational marketing and demographics explores how age no longer defines who we are, how we live and work and what products we buy, rather it is “lifestage” that governs our life choices and purchases. She analyzes how old marketing practices such as age segmentation and brand loyalty are losing their traction in our quickly changing, ageless marketplace.

“World’s Greatest Living Explorer” - Guinness Book of Records; “One of the World’s Top Ten Speakers” – Daily Telegraph

A daring and world renowned explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has persevered through physical and emotional hardship to push the limits of human endurance. The first to walk across Antarctica, running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents after a heart attack, Sir Fiennes life speaks to the strength and courage inside everyone.

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.

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.

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.

Managing Partner: Rabin, Sheves, Lipkin-Shahak, Birger, Inc.

A veteran technology expert, Yuval Rabin is not only adept on the business side, but also posses the technical expertise needed to effectively promote client interests. His areas of expertise include development of large database systems, financial, human resources and payroll applications, and design of engineering, communications, Internet and embedded systems.

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.

MSNBC’s “The Practical Futurist” ; Technology Expert

Michael Rogers is a technology pioneer, novelist and journalist whose consultancy, PRACTICAL FUTURIST, helps businesses and organizations worldwide think about the future.

Corporate Comedian

Chicago Magazine calls Greg Schwem “America’s favorite corporate funnyman.” The Chicago Tribune proclaimed Greg “king of the hill” in the growing world of corporate comedy. Indeed, Greg Schwem’s client list includes such corporate heavyweights as McDonald’s, Microsoft, Motorola, IBM, Verizon Wireless, United Airlines and Cisco Systems. If your company or association wants to laugh at today’s fast-paced business world, look no further than Greg Schwem and “Comedy With a Byte.”

Partner, Sculley Brothers, LLC; Author, B2B Exchanges: The Killer Application in the Business-to-Business Internet Revolution

The New Economy has sparked a revolution in the way that business buy and sell products from each other. In his speeches, Arthur Sculley analyzes the nature of the revolution that is occurring in B2B transactions and how technology continues to revolutionize the procurement, pricing, and distribution of goods and services.

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.

Global Political-Economic Expert ; Professor at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago; Author

"All politics is local," former House Speaker Tip O'Neill once famously remarked and the adage holds true for economics as well, even in the era of globalization, according to Marvin Zonis, global consultant and University of Chicago professor. In a world where local markets are increasingly interconnected, events in one small country can easily snowball to have a worldwide impact and while powerful corporations may be able to plant their flags around the world, they still need to deal with the locals. Factors like political corruption or ethnic conflicts can undermine a country's chances for prosperity, but they can be countered by strong leadership and stable institutions. In order to "do globalization better," business leaders need to recognize the importance of local political dynamics.