Our Speakers

Dr. (h.c.) Deepa Malik is India's first female Paralympic Medallist across any sport, a record-breaking international athlete, and a recipient of both the Padma Shri and Arjuna Award. She is the founder of the Wheeling Happiness Foundation, which empowers disabled persons through sports and adventure activities. Her keynotes, delivered globally, advocate for Ability Beyond Disability, offering an inspiring, firsthand account of achieving the impossible through perseverance, courage, and self-reliance.

Shalini Raghunathan is a design strategist and co-founder of 3 Big Things, a behavioral design studio. With over 20 years of experience at tech giants like Autodesk and Salesforce, she is an expert in guiding digital transformation through a powerful blend of design strategy and cultural insight. A compelling keynote speaker, Shalini helps audiences learn to simplify complexity and align with purpose. She speaks on customer experience innovation, cultural transformation, and how to apply human-centered design to solve complex business challenges, empowering teams to create lasting impact.

Dr. George A. Kohlrieser is a Distinguished Professor at IMD Business School and an organizational psychologist who pioneered applying hostage negotiation techniques to corporate leadership and conflict management. The Founder and Director of IMD's flagship High Performance Leadership (HPL) Program, his book Hostage At The Table is an international bestseller. His keynotes provide senior executives with actionable strategies to resolve conflict, influence others, and build a Secure Base Leadership culture that sustains high performance.

Simone Heng is an award-winning author and global expert in human connection, with over 20 years of experience as an international broadcaster for HBO Asia and CNBC. She is one of the youngest Certified Speaking Professionals (CSP) in the world. Her book, Let’s Talk About Loneliness, is a Nautilus Book Award winner and focuses on mental wellbeing and social change. Her keynotes provide actionable strategies, including the 5 Pillars of Connection, to drive performance, keep talent engaged, and foster a culture of deep connection regardless of geography or polarized views.

Irina Bokova is the former Director-General of UNESCO (2009–2017), the first woman and first Eastern European to hold the post. She is a global expert on cultural heritage, global governance, and the role of education in sustainable development. Her leadership led to the UN Security Council recognizing the safeguarding of cultural heritage as a peace and security imperative. As a speaker, she provides critical insights on the challenges of global governance, women’s rights, and how to leverage soft power for sustainable, inclusive development in the 21st century.

Jeanne Bliss is known as the “Godmother of Customer Experience.” She pioneered the role of the Chief Customer Officer (CCO) at companies like Lands’ End and Microsoft, driving loyalty rates up to 95%. As the Co-Founder of the Customer Experience Professionals Association, she has delivered over 2,000 keynotes on how to build a roadmap toward genuine customer experiences. Her books, including the groundbreaking Chief Customer Officer and the bestseller Would You Do that To Your Mother?, provide actionable frameworks for earning passionate advocates inside and outside a business.

Simon Mainwaring is a leading brand futurist and the CEO of We First, a strategic consultancy specializing in purpose-driven brands. He is the bestselling author of Lead With We and We First. His books provide a blueprint for organizations to accelerate growth through social impact. Ranked among the Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World by Real Leaders magazine, he provides critical insights on how brands can survive crises, thrive in fast-changing markets, and utilize a Lead With We mindset for competitive advantage.

Dr. Fons Trompenaars is a leading expert and consultant on cultural diversity and corporate culture, whose foundational book, Riding the Waves of Culture, has been translated into various languages. Named a top management consultant by Business Magazine, he helps global leaders solve complex cultural issues critical to increasing global growth and efficiency. His keynotes provide actionable strategies for navigating the 7 dimensions of culture and building truly high-performance organizations.

Dr. Patch Adams is the visionary doctor and social activist whose life inspired the movie Patch Adams. He is the Founder of the Gesundheit! Institute, a free hospital that has operated for over 40 years based on principles of compassion and joy. His philosophy is that laughter, joy, and creativity are integral to the healing process. His keynote speeches offer a zesty, motivating message on personal, community, and global health, focusing on The Joy of Caring and how to live a Life of Joy as a revolutionary act.

Francis Fukuyama is a leading political theorist and a fellow at Stanford University, widely known for his book The End of History and the Last Man. His expertise covers global political philosophy, liberal democracy, and the challenges posed by biotechnology and identity politics. As a former policy advisor to the U.S. State Department and a member of the President’s Council on Bioethics, he brings a unique blend of scholarly rigor and policy experience. His talks offer deep, contrarian insights on the state of democracy, the future of governance, and the threats facing liberalism today.

Shekhar Gupta is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of ThePrint and the former Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express. He is a highly influential journalist and a recipient of the Padma Bhushan (2009). His career is marked by seminal news-breaks, including exposing the Nellie massacre and reporting on the threat of Islamic fundamentalism before 9/11. His keynotes offer sharp, perceptive analysis on politics, governance, and business, informed by his decades of reporting from the social and political frontlines.

Jairam Ramesh is a leading Indian politician and economist, currently a Member of Parliament. He formerly served as the Minister for Environment and Forests and for Rural Development. An acclaimed author of books including Green Signals and Intertwined Lives, he provides forthright insights into policy, development, and geopolitics. His keynotes offer expert analysis on the Indian Economy, the environment, and the strategic intersection of politics and market forces.

Yuvraj Singh is a former Indian cricket all-rounder, known for his aggressive batting and historic six sixes in one over at the 2007 ICC World T20. He was the Player of the Tournament in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. A recipient of the Padma Shri and Arjuna Award, his advocacy for cancer awareness is channeled through his YouWeCan Foundation. His keynotes provide deep, inspiring lessons on resilience, mental toughness, and achieving peak performance after overcoming a life-threatening illness.

Shiv Khera is a renowned motivational speaker and a bestselling author of You Can Win, which has sold over 13 million copies globally. He is an expert in transforming personal mindset for professional success. His life story, from being an uneducated college dropout to a successful entrepreneur, is a testament to the power of self-change. His keynotes provide dynamic, high-content strategies on leadership, motivation, and ethics for clients like Lufthansa, HP, and Mercedes, teaching audiences that earning money is spiritual.

Fred Kofman, PhD, is a pioneer of the conscious-business philosophy and a former VP of Leadership at Google and LinkedIn. He is a bestselling author of Conscious Business, which identifies consciousness as the bedrock of organizational greatness. His presentations and books, including The Meaning Revolution, focus on helping people rediscover their passion and bravely pursue it. As a speaker, he provides actionable strategies for leaders to create businesses where every workday is an opportunity for employees to contribute meaningfully, leading to dramatic improvements in engagement and organizational performance.

Bhaichung Bhutia is an iconic former Indian footballer, the "Sikkimese Sniper," and the first Indian to sign with a European club. He is a recipient of the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri. As the founder of the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools, he is dedicated to developing the next generation of Indian footballers. His story of perseverance, international breakthrough, and national service continues to inspire audiences on leadership, focus, and achieving the impossible.

Som Mittal is the former Chairman and President of NASSCOM, under whose leadership the Indian IT industry surpassed the $100 billion milestone. He is a distinguished alumnus of IIT Kanpur and IIM Ahmedabad. He is credited with leading the successful integration and mergers between Compaq and HP. His keynotes provide senior executives and trade bodies with unparalleled insights into Business Transformation through Digital Technologies and the strategic imperative of Doing Business with and in India.

Erik Wahl is a globally recognized artist, TED speaker, and #1 bestselling author known for his unique blend of artistry and entrepreneurial strategy. He is one of the most sought-after corporate speakers on creativity and innovation. His highly dynamic keynotes, which integrate live painting, inspire organizations to embrace mental agility and disruption. He has advised major clients like Microsoft, Disney, and FedEx, providing a blueprint for turning innovative thought into a tangible competitive advantage.