Sahar Hashemi

In 1995 Sahar Hashemi together with her brother Bobby founded Coffee Republic, and built it into one of the UK’s most recognised high street brands with a turnover of £30m. Giving up highly professional jobs, she a lawyer in London and he an investment banker in New York, they staked everything on a dream – and made Coffee Republic one of the main players in the ‘coffee revolution’ that transformed a nation of tea drinkers into one obsessed with ‘triple decaf half-caf lattes’. Read more

Martin Lindstrom

Martin Lindstrom is recognised as one of the world’s leading experts on branding since defining ten groundbreaking branding rules in 1995. A visionary and an educator in the rapidly growing field of on- and off-line branding, he has written a number of best-selling books on the use of emerging techniques for building strong, international online brands.

His reputation for earning “a guaranteed standing ovation” at his compelling lectures on 360-degree branding accompanies his growing popularity as a columnist. Every week Martin publishes his latest observations on branding to a global audience in excess of 4 million people in over twenty countries.

Last year, in partnership with “1 to 1-gurus”, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers PhD, he published his third book. The Financial Times hailed Clicks, Bricks & Brands as being one of the most innovative books of the year. The book has been a global success, having been translated into twelve languages and published in more than thirty countries.

Until 2001 Martin was world-wide Chief Operating Officer for BTLookSmart, the international joint venture between British Telecom and LookSmart and the world’s largest Internet search directory company. Founder and CEO of ZIVO, Australia/Asia’s largest Internet solution company, Martin also co-founded BBDO Interactive Europe (later renamed Framfab), Europe’s largest Internet solution company.

Throughout his outstanding career, the early thirties guru has provided brand-building expertise and advice to a host of leading international companies including Mars, Pepsi, American Express, Mercedes-Benz, Ericsson and Yellow Pages amongst others. He is also a member of several international boards including Wotch, Hitwise and eKit.com.

Martin educates and entertains with his spell-binding presentations, and is now one of the most sought-after speakers on branding at major conferences throughout the globe.

Clyde Fessler

Clyde Fessler, the former Vice President of Business Development for Harley-Davidson Motor Company, played an integral part in their dramatic turnaround over the past 24 years.

Fessler joined Harley-Davidson in 1977 as the Advertising and Promotions Manager, and soon was promoted to Director of Marketing Services. In that position he lead the establishment of Harley Owners Group, which now has over 500,000 members and is the largest enthusiast club in the world.

As General Sales Manager in the early 1980s, he established new policies and programs, many of which are still in effect today. As Director of Licensing, Clyde created a new business that has received national recognition enhances the brand to the general public as well as adding subtantial financial value to Harley-Davidson.

As Vice President of General Merchandise, he repositioned the rider accessory department and lead the MotorClothes team from $20 million in annual sales to over $100,000 million in a period of five years.

The Harley-Davidson turnaround story is the story of how the last remaining motorcycle manufacturer in the US competed against global giants like Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yamaha in the marketplace.

On the verge of bankruptcy in the early 1980’s, Harley-Davidson found itself facing severe market conditions and heavy foreign competition. Enter Clyde Fessler and a ream of creative hands-on people that through applying unique strategies, clever positioning, hard work and passion turn their last remaining American motorcycle manufacturer from the rust bowl of the Midwest into a Fortune 500 company success story.

Clyde is a dynamic speaker with a powerful presentation, demonstrating genuine passion centred on a much admired brand and the experiences of motorcycling. He captures the Harley-Davidson turnround story and adds mystique…the ability of the brand to bring together (in unique and surprising ways) seemingly disparate combinations of products, people, processes and experiences.

Clyde is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He served on the Board of Trustees for the American Motorcycle Association and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. He also served as an active liaison between the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Harley-Davidson… a relationship that has generated over $31 million in donations since 1981.

Dr. Kjell Nordström

Amid the madness and hyperbole surrounding the new economy, Dr. Kjell Nordström is a guru of the new world of business. The 2001 Thinkers 50, the world’s first ranking of management thinkers, ranked Nordström and his partner Dr. Jonas Ridderstråle at number 17 (one place below Nicholas Negroponte and one ahead of Stephen Covey). His dynamic style makes him a highly appreciated speaker throughout the world and a sought out advisor/consultant to large multinationals.

Kjell is currently Assistant Professor at the Institute of International Business (IIB) at the Stockholm School of Economics. His research and consulting focus is on the areas of corporate strategy, multinational corporations and globalisation.

Kjell has published numerous articles on the internationalisation process of firms. His book Funky Business – Talent makes Capital Dance (co-author Jonas Ridderstråle) is a manifesto of what our time requires from business firms and their leaders. The book has been featured on CNN and CNBC and appeared in Fortune, Fast company, Time Magazine, The Financial Times, Paris Match amongst others. It is an international best-seller and has been translated into more than 25 languages. In 2000 both Amazon.co.uk and Management General rated Funky Business as one of the best five business books of that year.

Publications:

| The International Process of the Firm – Searching New Patterns and Explanations | Electrolux AB enters Hungary | Funky Business – Talent Makes Capital Dance – with Jonas Ridderstråle

Key Topics:

| FUNKY BUSINESS | FUNKY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS | THE NEW RECIPE FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS | THE INTERNATIONALISATION PROCESS: IMPACT OF COMPETITION AND EXPERIENCE | CORPORATE STRATEGIES FOR GLOBALISATION

Dr. Jonas Ridderstråle

Dr. Jonas Ridderstråle is at the forefront of the new generation of European-based business gurus. The 2001 Thinkers 50, the world’s first ranking of management thinkers, ranked Ridderstråle and his partner Dr. Kjell A. Nordström at number 17 (one place below Nicholas Negroponte and one ahead of Stephen Covey).

Jonas’ uncompromising, imaginative and decidedly funky take on contemporary business life has made him one of today’s most sought after speakers. Jonas practices what he so persuasively preaches. He is an advisor, lecturer and consultant to a number of international corporations and is also on the board of several companies.

Jonas Ridderstråle’s day job is as an assistant professor at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Leadership at the Stockholm School of Economics. Jonas has a doctorate and an MBA from the same school. His research focuses on new organizational models and leadership styles in the information age and has been published in leading academic journals, magazines and newspapers. He has also run the School’s Advanced Management Program, a five-week top-management program that attracts the elite of Scandinavian business leaders. Jonas was recently recognized as Sweden’s outstanding young academic of the year.

His latest book, Funky Business: Talent makes capital dance (co-authored with Kjell A. Nordström) is a manifesto for the new world of business (more information at www.funkybusiness.com). The book is already an international bestseller and has been featured on CNN and CNBC. It has also appeared in Fortune, Fast Company, Time Magazine, Financial Times, Paris Match, etc. So far, it has been translated into more than 25 languages. In 2000. Amazon.co.uk and Management General rated Funky Business as one of the five best business books of that year.

Jim Maxmin

As a former CEO, Board Director, Strategic Advisor and ground-breaking management author, Dr Jim Maxmin has a unique perspective on successful global organisations and the challenges they face in the future. He foresees a new era for capitalism

In 1995 Jim Maxmin founded Informate Associates, a consultancy that focused on new forms of organisation designed to realise value from the new digital technologies. The focus was in financial services, technology and FMCG. The range of projects was unusual, for example:- How do I get a product to market 36 hrs after it is designed? How do I deliver services to customers at less than 1p cost? How do I manage virtual supply chains where I have no ownership? How do I manage collaborative working in a professional services organisation?

At the same Jim Maxmin also became an Advisory Director to Mast Global Ltd the investment banking arm of the Monitor Group. He specialised in providing funding for start up companies in both the UK and USA.

He also remains as a non-executive director on the boards of BAA Plc, Geest Plc Dawson International Plc and Scottish Provident.

Jim Maxmin became CEO and joint Chairman of Volvo UK at the age of 34. He developed the UK into Volvo’s most profitable market in the world over a seven-year period. He joined Thorn EMI PLC as a main board Director. As the CEO and Chairman of Thorn Home Electronics International, he created a business with turnover of over $3bn and 35,000 employees worldwide. He became CEO of Laura Ashley PLC in 1991, successfully returning the company to profitability by 1994. At Laura Ashley, he launched a major strategic alliance with Federal Express that is the subject of six Harvard Business School case studies.

In 2003, drawing on his own management experiences, and the lessons learned from investing and consulting, Jim Maxmin co-authored a book THE SUPPORT ECONOMY- Why Corporations are Failing Individuals and the next Episode of Capitalism – with his wife Shoshana Zuboff, a Professor at the Harvard Business School. The book was named one of the top 10 business books for 2003 by Strategy+Business. It has won worldwide acclaim. Jim Maxmin and Shoshana Zuboff have lectured all over the world and attend major conferences explaining the radically new ideas in the book. They also hold ‘conversations’ with the Boards of major global companies examining the future of business and the next phase of wealth creation.

As Jim Maxmin explains, “The Support Economy shows how individuals have changed more than the corporations that serve them for consumption and employment. As a result of this a chasm has opened up between the individual and institutions and over time this has become unbridgeable. This is an historical process that marks the end of one business model and the birth of a new one. The last time this happened was a century ago when Henry Ford invented mass production and what we now call “managerial capitalism”. Ford created wealth beyond imagination. He also created an adversarial managerial culture that was great for making cars but less useful for delivering service and serving today’s population. The model Ford invented is now obsolete and we are waiting for a new model to be invented. This new business model will no longer have value concentrated inside the organisation. Rather, all the value that exists will be inside individuals. In other words it is distributed and thus we are moving into a new era of capitalism, which we call ‘distributed capitalism’. In this model advocacy and relationships replace adverserialism and transactions. The individual is at the centre of the commercial universe. The purpose of commerce is more than products and services- it is providing support to allow individuals to live their lives they way they want to live them. The old organisational structures are collapsing, and will be replaced with agile ones. The Support Economy aims to provide a unique framework for thinking about the future and the next phases of wealth creation. It is an optimistic book, which outlines the road to a better and more profitable way of doing business”.

Charles Leadbeater

Charles Leadbeater is an ideas generator, author and adviser to leading European companies. He is reportedly Tony Blair’s favourite corporate strategist and last year published his acclaimed book entitled Up The Down Escalator. Why The Global Pessimists Are Wrong.

His previous book Living on Thin Air: The New Economy was published in 1999. The book is published in Italian, Chinese, German and Korean as well as in the US. Charles writes regularly for the Industry Standard magazine as well as contributing to the New Statesman, the Financial Times and The Guardian. In October 2002 he was listed by GQ magazine as one of the 30 Most Powerful Men in Britain and in 2003 Accenture ranked him one of the top 200 management thinkers in the world.

He spent ten years working on the Financial Times where he was Labour Editor, Industrial Editor and Tokyo Bureau Chief before becoming the paper’s Features Editor. He became Assistant Editor in charge of Features at The Independent where, with Helen Fielding, he devised Bridget Jones’s Diary.

Charles has been an adviser to the Downing Street Policy Unit and the Department of Trade and Industry on the Internet and the knowledge driven economy. He drafted the UK Government’s White Paper – Our Competitive Future: Building the Knowledge Driven Economy published in 1998, the Science White Paper published in 2000 and helped to draft the Communications White Paper also published in 2000 and the Competitiveness White Paper published in 2001.

Charles advises the European Commission, working as a special adviser on competitiveness and the New Economy. In the run up to the EU’s Lisbon summit in Spring 2000, he wrote the draft report presented at the Lisbon summit: “The New Economy: The European Model.” He brings a global perspective to innovation having researched in Silicon Valley, Sweden, Finland, China and India.

Brian Pitman

Sir Brian joined Lloyds Bank in 1952 and subsequently held a number of managerial appointments in the group, including spells in continental Europe and the USA.

He became Chief Executive of Lloyds Bank in 1983 and Group Chief Executive of the new Lloyds TSB Group in 1995, when Lloyds Bank merged with TSB. He was appointed Chairman of the Lloyds TSB Group in February 1997 and retired in April 2001.

He is also chairman of NEXT Plc; a director of Carlton Communications Plc; a director of Tomkins PLC; a director of The Carphone Warehouse Group Plc; and a Governor of Ashridge Management College.

Sir Brian was President of the British Bankers Association from January 1996 to May 1997 and President of The Chartered Institute of Bankers from May 1997 to October 1998.

In 1993, he was voted Financial World European Banking CEO of the Year; 1996 Times Businessman of the Year; 1998 KPMG Business Leader of the Year and was the winner of the 1999 Gold Medal of the Institute of Management.

Sir Brian was knighted for his services to banking in 1994 and he received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from The City University, London in 1996 and from the University of Science & Technology, Manchester in 2000.

Archie Norman

…one of the most high-profile turnrounds in British corporate history….

Archie Norman was born in May 1954. He was educated at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Emmanuel College, Cambridge (MA Economics); and Harvard Business School (MBA).

He worked for Citibank NA (1975-1977), was a partner at McKinsey & Co Plc (1979-1986), Group Finance Director of Kingfisher Plc (1986-1991), before joining Asda plc as Chief Executive in 1991.

It was here that he undertook one of the most high-profile turnrounds in British corporate history, and as a result became a household name.

Archie was a Non Executive Director of Geest Plc from 1988-1991, of British Rail 1992-1994, and was a Non Executive Director of Railtrack from 1994 – 2000.

Other appointments held include, Patron of the Yorkshire and North-East Bow Group, Fellow of the Marketing Society, Member of the Whitehall Dining Club, Council Member of the Industrial Society, Governor of the Institute of Economic and Social Research, and a Member of the Advisory Group on the Ingliston Development Trust of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.

He has also previously been a Member of the HM Government Deregulation Taskforce (1993-1997), and a Member of the Anglo-German Deregulation Taskforce in 1995.

Archie was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells in May 1997. He was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party in June 1997, with special responsibility for the reform and renewal programme. In July 1998 he was appointed Chief Executive of the Conservative Party. In the reshuffle of June 1999, Mr Norman became Front Bench Spokesman for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and was appointed Shadow Secretary for Environment Transport and Regions in February 2000. In 2001 he returned to the back benches. .

Archie Norman is now one of the most respected business leaders in the country, and is one of the most outstanding speakers on leadership, change and customer service.

Tom Farmer

Sir Tom Farmer CBE is Founder and Former Chairman of Kwik-Fit Holdings plc, the household-name automotive repair chain. He founded the Kwik-Fit Group in 1971. The company now operates through 866 centres in the UK, Eire and throughout Benelux and employs 4,000 people. In 1997 the company achieved a turnover of £. 426m, and a profit of £. 43m, an improvement of 19% over the previous year. In 1999 Sir Tom sold Kwik-Fit to Ford Motor Company for nearly one billion dollars.

The success of Kwik-Fit is based entirely on the commitment of the whole company to customer service and quality. Tom Farmer is also well known for putting his ‘people’ even before his customers. If the customer is king, he likes to say, the staff are emperors. He is a passionate and inspiring speaker on teamwork and how employees can be motivated to deliver not just customer satisfaction but customer delight.

Tom Farmer is owner of Hibernian Football Club, Chairman of Scottish Business in the Community, Chairman of Investors in People Scotland and Board Member of Investors in People UK.

Appointments:
Chairman of Scottish Business in the Community
Chairman Scotland Against Drugs Campaign
Non-Executive Director – Airtours PLC

Honours and Awards:
1998 The Institute of Management Gold Medal.
1996 Degree of Doctor honoris causa, University of Edinburgh.
1996 Honorary Degree of Doctor of Technology, Glasgow Claedonian University
1996 Officier in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau of The Netherlands (From Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands).
1993 Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration, Napier University, Edinburgh.
1993 The Knight Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (From the President of Poland).
1990 Scottish Marketing Man of the Year.
1989 Scottish Businessman of the Year.

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