After ten years as an international civil servant Samantha moved to the private sector and worked as a banker for Coutts Bank Switzerland and Merrill Lynch Bank of America. She has also been a consultant and private investigator for Control Risks Group.
This relatively rare mix of public and private sector experience places Samantha in a privileged position to be able to explain geopolitics security and military issues to business audiences by presenting the facts in ways that are relevant and understandable to the private sector.

As a confident and accomplished public speaker, Samantha has talked about NATO to Russian military personnel in military academies in Moscow and provincial Russia, was the first NATO civilian officer to undertake information outreach projects with the Serbian military following the Kosovo war, and has significant experience talking about Russia, Ukraine and Belarus to government and business audiences in her three main working languages, English, French and Russian. She is a regular commentator on various British and international television and radio stations (BBC, GB News, Al-Jazeera, France-24, Belsat and others), and since February 2022 has been a daily in-studio commentator on the live evening news program on the French channel LCI.

Apart from Russia and Eurasia, Samantha is well versed in EU affairs, disinformation and combating financial crime. She is a Senior Advisor at the Conflict Studies Research Center (former Defence Academy) and part of the Associate Network of LOW Europe, a Brussels based strategic communications consultancy.

Samantha has lived and worked in Russia, Ukraine, India, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic and the UK and is happy to undertake public speaking assignments in English, French and Russian.

Samantha is graduate of UCL London, holds an MSC in Politics from the London School of Economics, has a Masters Degree in Financial Management from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris and is currently following the part time 2021-23 Crime Fiction Creative Writing MA at the University of East Anglia.

She is currently researching a book on Ukrainian Identity and in the process finishing an espionage noir novel based in Belarus in 1994 and 2020.

Avery has organised over a dozen expeditions across the globe and is the youngest Briton to have been to both Poles. His 2005 Ultimate North team made headlines around the world for recreating Robert Peary and Matthew Henson’s disputed discovery of the North Pole in 1909 , and in the process entering the Guinness Book of Records for ”The Fastest Surface Journey to the North Pole”.

Avery’s passion for adventure began when he first read about the exploits of Captain Scott as a seven-year-old boy. So consumed was he by Scott’s story that he knew his life wouldn’t be complete until he had followed his hero’s footsteps to the South Pole. He learnt to climb in the Welsh and Scottish mountains, first on rock, before moving on to snow and ice. A born leader, he subsequently went on to organise and lead expeditions to some of the world’s biggest mountains, including the Alps, Tanzania’s Rift Valley, the Andes, New Zealand’s Southern Alps, the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and the Himalayas, climbing an array of challenging peaks, including several unclimbed summits up to 20,000 feet in height.

In December 2002, days after his 27th birthday, Avery became the youngest Briton to complete the perilous journey to the South Pole on foot. His team also broke the South Pole Speed Record; man-hauling their sledges more than 700 miles from the Antarctic coast and using state-of- the-art kites to power them across the ice on the few days when the winds allowed.
In April 2005 Avery and his five-strong team electrified the exploration world by recreating Peary and Henson’s controversial 1909 expedition to the North Pole, travelling with teams of Eskimo dogs and replica wooden sledges. Avery’s ambitious aim was to prove the sceptics wrong and match Peary’s 37-day journey to the Pole. After an epic dash across the most unforgiving environment on the planet, his exhausted team rewrote the history books by making it to the Pole with five hours to spare. More than a decade later, they remain the fastest team in history to reach the North Pole.

Avery’s most recent challenge saw him breaking another World Record, this time for the fastest coast-to-coast crossing of Greenland in May 2015. Using kites and pulling two sledges each, Tom and his three team mates smashed the previous record by more than a week, completing the crossing in just 9 days, 19 hours with hardly any time for sleep. During one night, the team kited an incredible 180 miles in 16 hours, the equivalent of travelling from London to Manchester.

Avery is a graduate of Bristol University, where he gained a degree in Geography and Geology. His highly acclaimed first book, Pole Dance, was released in 2003 and his second, To the End of the Earth, was published on both sides of the Atlantic in 2009. He was an official ambassador for the London 2012 Olympic Games and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Explorers Club of New York.

Over the last 20 years Lynda has written extensively about the interface between people and organisations. Her ten books cover the link between business and HR strategy (‘Living Strategy’), the new ways of working (‘The Democratic Enterprise’), the rise of complex collaboration (‘Hot Spots’ and ‘Glow’) and the impact of a changing world on employment and work (‘The Shift’ and co-authored ‘The 100-Year Life’ and ‘The New Long Life’ with Andrew Scott).

In 2012, ‘The Shift’ received the business book of the year award in Japan and has been translated into more than 15 languages. In 2015, ‘The Key’ won the CMI Management Book of the Year. In 2016, ‘The 100 Year Life’ was short listed for the FT Business Book of the Year award, and became one of the best-selling books in Japan.

In 2020, Lynda and Andrew published ‘The New Long Life – a framework for flourishing in a changing world’. Lynda is a regular columnist for MIT Sloan Management Review and has written for a range of press including the Financial Times and the Sunday Times.

During March, Lynda’s new book ‘Redesigning Work – how to transform your organization and make hybrid work for everyone’ was released.

Lynda’s work has been acknowledged globally – she has won the Tata prize in India; in the US she has been named as the annual Fellow of NAHR and won the CCL prize; whilst in Australia she has won the AHRI prize; she has received the Best Teacher Award at London Business School. Lynda is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum and chaired the WEF Council of Leadership. She has served on Prime Minister Abe’s “Council for designing the 100-year-life society” and is currently a member of the international advisory board of Equinor.

Daisley is an expert on the transformations that modern work is Undergoing in the era of hybrid jobs – acting as a consultant for a wide range of companies – from the hottest new technology sensations to centuries-old manufacturing firms. Whether addressing governmental bodies or banking organisations Daisley has been praised for sharing an inspiring vision of the future work and leaving audiences with actionable insights into their own companies.

His 2019 book on improving work culture, “The Joy of Work”, was the Sunday Times number one business bestseller going on to be named The Financial Times Book of the Month. It came runner-up in the CMI Management Book of the Year Awards and has over 250 five star Amazon reviews. Professor Sir Cary Cooper described it as ‘a joy to read’ and best- selling business author Dan Pink said it would ‘help transform your work experience’.

His follow-up, Fortitude, tackling the subject of resilience has received dazzling reviews. Ed Miliband described it as ‘an absolute revelation’, Gary Lineker said ‘A book that confirms what I’ve always believed; that we can’t be resilient on our own. In fact, resilience is about all of us being stronger than any of us’. Oliver Burkeman said it was ‘an important and well-timed book’.

Bruce Daisley has been awarded ‘Greatest Individual Contribution to New Media’ by New Media Age. He has been rated as the top leader in digital media by Campaign Magazine, placing him 7th in the overall media market. In a survey of CEOs and MDs, Bruce was named the “Fantasy Hire” that most leaders would like to make. He often places as the top- rated speaker at conferences in the US and the UK.

Bruce was trained by Vice President Al Gore as part of his Climate Reality leadership program. As part of this Bruce has presented to thousands of people at various organisations around the world driving discussions about solutions to climate change.

Bruce Daisley grew up on a council estate in Birmingham. He started his working career in fast-food restaurants to help him pay his way to become the first member of his family to ever go to university. After dozens of rejections, Bruce landed his first career role by taking a risk and drawing a cartoon CV of his life. Twenty years on, having worked in radio and magazines, he’s made his way to work in technology firms like YouTube, Google and Twitter.

She regularly appears on the BBC TV and Radio, most recently as Science Presenter in Family Brain Games with Dara Ó Briain, Tomorrow’s World Live and BBC Radio 4 Destiny and the Brain. Her book on Consciousness: A Ladybird Expert Guide, was published with Penguin in 2018, whilst The Science of Fate, published with Hodder in May, 2019, made The Sunday Times Bestseller list, receiving international press coverage.

In 2019 Hannah was named by Nature as a ’Rising Stars in Life Sciences’. She was recognised as a ’Top 100 UK scientist’ by the UK Science Council in 2014 and one of Cambridge University’s most ‘inspirational and successful women in science’ for her work in science communication.

Hannah has extensive experience creating and delivering interactive talks, workshops and panel discussions for a variety of clients including those in the legal, business and policy setting. Her expertise spans topics from decision-making, morals and ethics, resilience, mental wellbeing, boosting brain performance, intuition and creativity, collective intelligence, to communication and recruitment strategy.

Hannah has spent the last 1.5 years researching and writing her 3rd book Joined up Thinking – how to boost brain power with team synergy, due to be published with Hodder June 2022.

His dual identity as a psychiatrist and explorer makes him an influential voice heard by the largest institutions which today consider him as a forward-thinking leader on the themes of innovation and sustainability. Founder and Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, he has succeeded with his team to identify 1000 efficient solutions to protect the environment in a profitable way. In a third round-the-world tour, he will bring them to decision-makers in order to help them meet their environmental targets while ensuring clean economic growth.

Aware that sustainable development is not limited to the protection of the planet’s resources, Bertrand is also actively involved in humanitarian causes, fighting for the eradication of Noma, a disease associated with extreme poverty, caused by malnutrition and lack of hygiene. Whether it is to protect the environment or to reduce inequalities, Bertrand seeks to highlight solutions by developing synergies where others see only oppositions. To support his approach, he strives to unite the forces involved, raise public awareness and encourage political action.

A true communicator at heart, Bertrand has become a prominent speaker, invited to express his vision of the pioneering spirit at public, private and institutional events. Bertrand also enjoys sharing his experiences and ideas through writing, as well as inspiring younger generations.

Bertrand is currently United Nations Ambassador for the Environment and Special Advisor to the European Commission.

A graduate of Harvard Business School and Boston University, Markides worked as an Associate with the Cyprus Development Bank and as a Research Associate at Harvard Business School before joining London Business School in 1990. He has taught on a wide range of in-company programmes and serves on the Editorial Board of several academic journals. He has also served on the Board of the Strategic Management Society and on the Academic Board of the Cyprus International Institute of Management (CIIM).

Markides has written about a broad range of business issues including strategic innovation, corporate restructuring, business model innovation and international acquisitions. His publications have appeared in numerous academic journals as well as leading managerial journals such as the Harvard Business Review and the Sloan Management Review. Markides is also a member of the Editorial Boards of the Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Perspectives, Journal of Strategy and Management and Sloan Management Review. He is a member of the Academy of Management and the Strategic Management Society and participated at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland during 1999-2003 and 2012-2013.

The books written by Markides include: Game-Changing strategies: How to Create New Market Space in Established Industries by Breaking the Rules; Diversification, Refocusing and Economic Performance, and All the Right Moves: A Guide to Crafting Breakthrough Strategy. He has also co- authored several other books including: Strategic Thinking for the Next Economy and Fast Second: How Smart Companies Bypass Radical Innovation to Enter and Dominate New Markets, which was shortlisted for the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Management Book of the Year award in 2005.

Markides’ current research interests focus on corporate entrepreneurship, the management of business model innovation and the use of creativity to achieve strategic breakthroughs.

His thinking on how to find your next cutting edge has been published in The Economist, Forbes, Reuters, Huff Post and Wired and he has delivered keynotes for clients including Visa, Facebook, VMware, Capital One and HSBC. Terence holds Entrepreneur Mentor in Residence roles at MIT and London Business School and has over 20 years experience of helping leaders bounce back from adversity and move beyond disruption.

Terence Mauri has first-hand experience of growing $100m+ businesses in rapidly changing times as a former director at Saatchi & Saatchi where he advised leaders from iconic companies including Apple, Microsoft, Netflix and Novartis.
One day a car lost control, mounted the curb and hit Terence Mauri. This terrible accident changed his life forever and has enabled him to share new growth strategies for one of the greatest challenges facing leaders today: transforming your business in the face of massive and yet hard to predict disruption.

Terence Mauri delivers top rated talks and actionable content on how to win the future through his partnerships at Hack Future Lab and MIT. His Inc. column has over 1 million views a month. This means new growth strategies, battle tested ideas and winning mindsets needed to scale daring and resilient leaders who embrace disruption and re-imagine potential.