Kevin Gaskell was appointed Managing Director of Porsche GB at the age of 32. In 5 years his team rebuilt the brand and turned a business close to bankruptcy into the UK’s most profitable car company.

He moved to BMW as UK Managing Director where he led the company to 4 years of record growth and a 500% increase in profitability. He was recognised as one of the ‘top 40 leaders under 40’ in the UK.

In 2000 he left BMW to found a dotcom, epyx Limited. Quickly becoming the market leader for automotive e-commerce, the company was sold to a private investor in 2008.

From 2001 – 2007 he was also CEO of EurotaxGlass’s in Switzerland where his team integrated 30 businesses to create a world leader in electronic data before leading a €500 million sale of the company.

He now acts as Chairman to a number of growing companies, one of which won the ‘UK Sunday Times FastTrack Award’ as the best private equity investment of 2011. He is also a member of a global bank taskforce acting to support the turnaround of troubled companies.

He has played international cricket but now relaxes by playing in a rock band. He celebrated his 40th birthday climbing on Mount Everest. With his 21 year old son he has walked to both the North and South Poles and climbed some of the world’s highest mountains to fund the building of a cancer treatment centre 
 

We live in a world of global networking, instant information and an increasingly blurred boundary between the real and the virtual. This new way of life is unprecedented and as such, is inevitably having an unprecedented affect on each individual human brain.

In this keynote address Baroness Greenfield will explore:

• How the human brain will adapt to whatever environment in which it is placed.
• How this will be affected by the cyber culture element of the 21st Century and what that environment will be like.
• How the human brain will change in parallel with this process.
• Predicting what the likely changes are likely to be – positive or negative – and how to minimise the threats they pose and harness the opportunities.
• Concluding how these findings will impact both our professional and private lives as well as every business sector in which including goods &services, insurance and risk management, the media, creativity, leadership, education and ultimately most of domestic and international policy planning.


Susan Greenfield is a scientist, writer, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords. She is Professor of Pharmacology at Lincoln College, Oxford University. With a well earned reputation as one of the most influential women in the world, she is an outstanding keynote speaker on change and tomorrows' people. She has deeply insightful perspectives on the effects of scientific and technological advancements on the human race as well as business management and leadership.

The myth of the NHS – a beloved institution, criticism of which is treated as something akin to treason, the supposed “envy of the world” (although no credible economy has sought to replicate it), on some measurements the world’s greatest (well, largest) employer (behind only the Indian Railway Company and the Chinese Red Army).

The facts behind the myth – on any overall analysis, the performance of the NHS is poor compared to health systems in other comparable countries. The key stats are survival rates from diagnosis (not life expectancy, which is affected by a wide range of factors other than a country’s health system).

Alternative approaches to healthcare are available. We should not fall into the trap of assuming it’s either the NHS or the “American system” (although the US actually spends more government money on healthcare per capita than we do in the UK).

Will we be governed by rationality or remain wedded to the myth? The cost of following the second course is too high (in lost lives and in cash) to seriously contemplate.

Mark Littlewood is the IEA’s Director General. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He went onto study at City University Law School. Since 1995, Mark has worked in political communications, public relations and public affairs – variously for the European Movement, the Environment Agency and the London Bus Initiative. In 2001, he became Campaigns Director for the human rights group Liberty, leaving in 2004 to found NO2ID, the group which opposes identity cards and the database state, and became its first national co-ordinator. From December 2004 to May 2007, Mark was Head of Media for the Liberal Democrats. In 2007, Mark co-founded Progressive Vision, a classical liberal think tank and was its Communications Director until November 2009.
 

Abbey Legal Services first introduced remote/home working 10 years ago -- not only has the technological landscape changed significantly since then, but so too has the business’s attitude and reasoning behind home working.  Join Toby Clarke as he first uncovers an ‘IT Package’ deployed to users that has gone through a number of iterations supporting remote workers that now make up 50% of the workforce, but also will open the floor to discussion on:

• Flexible working and the law – what employers need to know
• What is the right work/life balance?
• Why consider a remote work force?
• What are the financial implications for a having a remote workforce; is it a false economy?
• How do you maintain IT governance and support SLAs for distributed workforce?
• How does BYOD influence the future of remote working?

Let’s take a step back and draw breath. Loyalty is a phrase often used but perhaps not fully appreciated or even understood.

What is it ? What does it mean ? Why does it matter ? And perhaps most importantly, how might it be sustained both internally and externally ?  These are the questions to be explored in this wide ranging and free flowing session.

Whether it’s customer or colleague, store or on-line, product or service then loyalty counts and in this discussion we will examine some of the thinking, concepts, ideas and projects that might help navigate you and your organisation successfully through the ever shifting sands of business and future.

It’s time to re-imagine IT. Radical business and technical change demands that CIOs answer new questions, rather than just find new answers to old ones. Increasingly, we find that more leaders are engaging in a measured process of creative destruction ― overturning old practices in order to liberate resources for future innovation, growth and value.

This session will highlight the context challenges facing CIOs today, and how you can open new opportunities by re-imagining IT's role and capability.
 
 

While many IT projects deliver on-time and on-budget, a few run out-of-control and turn into black swans. These black swans are contagious, and have knock-on effects on other IT projects, disrupt the business, and even cost executives their jobs.

This session is going to look at three key questions:

1. Which challenges do black swan IT projects pose?
2. What are the root causes of a project becoming a black swan?
3. What are cures against black swans?

The academic research behind this session was selected the 'No. 1 Idea to Watch' in the Harvard Business Review's Issue on Complexity and Risk (09/11). Alexander Budzier is part of the University of Oxford's BT Centre for Major Programme Management and a former consultant with McKinsey's Business Technology Office.

The twin forces of consumerisation and commoditisation are having fast and far-reaching impact on the provision of technology within organisations. As IT departments struggle to stay relevant in a world dominated by powerful consumer brands, could refocusing on people, rather than technology or information, offer a new direction for IT?

Matt draws on his experience of corporate IT, consumer technology, media, marketing and leadership development to offer an alternative mission for a business function that is being now asked to manage without control over supply. He will explore some practical suggestions, with real world examples, on how IT can be seen as a collaborative helper rather than a bureaucratic hindrance within your organisation.

As the CIO role becomes more business-focused, what’s needed at the top of the organisation is someone who can bridge both the technology and business worlds.  Mentoring and personal development are key factors in enabling good IT people to step up the ladder into a CIO or wider business role.

During a 30 minute one-to-one coaching session you will be able to confidentially explore a personal or professional challenge that’s getting in the way of you achieving your aspirations, objectives or goals.  Dedication and commitment to personal and professional development is often what marks out the top CIOs – take this opportunity to set aside some time with professionals who can help.

Business presentation has moved on while no one was looking. Power Point has now become known as No Point, not because of the software itself but because of the user. That’s you! So how do you make your presentations focused, dynamic and memorable in 2012?

We’ll cover.....
• The holy trinity of things you must say at the beginning of every presentation.
• What an audience responds well to.
• How to read the room.
• How to construct a focused narrative.
• How to handle questions.
• Body language, eye contact and movement.

The hyperbole of the populist media is designed to be fearful. Sadly the demands of 24 hour media seems forever dependent on an increasingly extreme rhetoric that allows little time for considered thought and debate.  Yes, there are some very difficult issues that have to be addressed, but that is not to say that the global economy is doomed as some would have us believe.

Justin will take a global trip to try and put into perspective how the economic tectonic plates have been and will continue to be moving.  He will highlight key areas that must be managed through but also identify those positive themes that will eventually lead to a path of recovery for the indebted western nations.
With key political changes occurring in the USA, China and Europe, 2012 may well lay down the direction for the globe over the next few years.  The Year of the Dragon should be a year of good fortune and the dragon is seen as a master of authority, and if that means some more effective global statesmanship, then perhaps this year augurs well?

This presentation is about challenging negative influences, ideals and attitudes in life and business, the kind of attitudes and mind-sets which stifle personal growth and thus business development. It provides an opportunity for individuals to re-evaluate their true purpose in life and business by delivering the mind tools necessary to align business ambitions and aspirations with personal goals.

The messages and call to action are brought powerfully home by personal accounts of real life events that are not easily forgotten. Delegates and their businesses will benefit from attending this session by understanding how to:

• Make all experiences serve their ultimate purpose.
• Create the life and business they really want by the way they think.
• Discover some fresh perspective to the meaning of their individual lives.
• Understand and utilise the power of the spoken word.

Charlie will cover best practices for the development of a social media strategy. He’ll talk through case studies with measurable ROI that don’t pander to the social media hype-machine and explain why focusing on social media for marketing may be the least effective approach for your business.
 

Conflict is an inevitable part of life. Most of us wish that wasn’t so. But I have learnt through hard experience that conflict can be immensely creative. Doctor and Psychoanalyst, M. Esther Harding said,

“Conflict is the beginning of consciousness”.

If we can learn so much from it, why then do we often experience it as destructive? How can we make conflict work for, rather than against, us? In this lecture I’ll suggest the answer to that question concerns awareness and attitude. I’ll explore the potential and pitfalls of conflict. I’ll illustrate how our understanding of human perception needs to change if conflict is to become creative. I’ll argue that excellence in a competitive environment can be fully achieved only when compassion is central to our approach to conflict.
This session is rooted in personal and professional experience. I’ll use illustrations from my work with individuals and groups living with the legacy of violent conflict in different parts of the world. I’ll show how the dynamics writ large in these stories can shed light on our own, usually less dramatic, conflicts. I’ll engage your imagination with visual images that will challenge your understanding of human perception. I’ll raise questions that I hope will open up your awareness and encourage you to explore further. I aim to make my lecture an enjoyable, thought-provoking experience that will help you deal better with conflict wherever it arises.

Even in a crisis situation, any media interaction is an opportunity for good both for you and your company. But you have to know the rules. You are entering a world that the journalist deals with every day, so why should they have the upper hand? This session will help you to level the playing field.

We’ll cover......
• Why you need to interact with the media at all.
• How to make your point and use an interview situation effectively.
• The questions you must always ask the journalist before agreeing to be interviewed.
• Focusing your language for the audience – how the digital age has changed the way you must communicate.
• The differences between live and recorded situations.
• How to wind up an interview effectively, under pressure, without looking silly.

Dominic Holland is an author, actor and stand-up comedian. He has been performing on the circuit for over ten years and has appeared on many television programmes including: Have I got News For You, The Royal Variety Show, The Clive James Show, Clive Anderson Now, The Stand Up Show, The Des O'Connor Show, The Brian Conley Show and Bring Me The Head Of Light Entertainment.

Dominic has performed four highly acclaimed sell out "One Man Shows" at The Edinburgh Festival, winning the Perrier Best Newcomer Award in 1993 and a Perrier Nomination at the 1996 Fringe.

Dominic’s BBC Radio 4 show ‘The Small World of Dominic Holland’ was broadcast in August 2000, it featured as one of the most popular comedy shows with the listeners of that station. The show was a stand-up series of six half hours of comedy which Dominic wrote and performed.

As a writer, Dominic has written for many other performers including Bob Monkhouse and Clive Anderson.
 

This is the Northern Hemisphere's biggest, best & Most Authentic Tribute to one of pop's greatest bands. Superb sound, dramatic lighting and dynamic dance routines, complement breath-taking versions of All The Greatest Hits.. including Pray, Million Love Songs, How Deep Is Your Love, Could It Be Magic, It Only Takes A Minute, Babe, Back For Good, Everything Changes, Relight My Fire, Shine, Patience, Never Forget, Shame, The Flood, Kidz, Rock DJ, Let Me Entertain You, Greatest Day, Rule The World and many more. Now also featuring the excellent Peter Owen as Robbie, this amazing band continues to bring the unforgettable Magic Of Take That to audiences in all the best theatres and special events throughout the UK and Europe. Catch them while you can ! You won't be disappointed…

"Brilliant !...the attention to detail is amazing !"...Jason Orange