Kingsley Aikins
Kingsley Aikins is founder and CEO of Diaspora Matters, a Dublin based consultancy company that advises countries, cities, regions, companies and organisations on how to develop strategies to connect with their Diasporas. He is a recognised expert on Networking and has written and spoken extensively on the topic and has run workshops and online/offline Networking Training Programmes for Google, Linkedin, Accenture, Intel, PwC, KPMG and a number of the leading law firms in Dublin. He is an Economics and Politics graduate of Trinity College Dublin. In his career he worked for 10 years for the Irish Trade Board and IDA Ireland and was based in Sydney. He then led the Ireland Funds for 21 years, mostly based in Boston. In his time with the Funds over a quarter of a billion dollars was raised for projects in Ireland. He was awarded a CBE for his work on British-Irish issues. He represented Trinity College, Irish Universities, Vichy (France) and Leinster at rugby. He is married with 3 children and lives in Dublin.
Keith Barry
“How to tap into your subconscious mind to break through barriers, disrupt unhealthy thought patterns and exceed expectations both in your Business and your Personal life.”
Keith Barry’s TED talk ‘Brain Magic’ is in the top 25 TED talks of all time. He has recently featured as a keynote speaker at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, TUMI conference (Hong Kong), and the HRTech World Congress (Paris). Keith also works as a private mind coach with business leaders, sports legends and rock stars on how to unlock the power of the mind.
One of Keith’s projects saw him working as chief mentalist and hypnotist consultant for the blockbuster movie, Now You See Me 1 & 2, starring Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo and Michael Caine and grossed over $360M at the Box Office.
Gene Browne
Gene Browne is the founder and CEO of The City Bin Co.
Gene has led The City Bin Co. to be a four-time winner of the ‘Deloitte Best Managed Companies’ (Ireland) as well as a two-time National Winner (Ireland) of the European Business Awards – Customer Focus Category for 2013 and 2016.
Gene has led teams across Ireland as well as United Arab Emirates, Oman, Doha and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Under Gene’s leadership, The City Bin Co. has been profiled extensively in Scaling Up by Verne Harnish. The Quarterly Themes and Meeting Rhythm are the main thrust of the presentation and I present a number of themes we deployed in The City Bin Co. as well as our actual meeting rhythm (frequency, attendees, agenda.
Gene’s background is in Quality Engineering and he holds an MBA from National University of Ireland, Galway and a MSc in Executive Leadership from Ulster University. Gene is an alumnus of National University of Ireland, Ulster University, London Business School and Singularity University.
Gene is a member of the YPO Greater Europe Chapter since 2005 and has twice served on the YPO European Regional Board.
Alan Miltz
Alan Miltz is a global thought leader in financial analysis for business, banks and accountants. Cash Flow Story is his latest innovation in this space that allows individuals to easily analyse and improve business Profit, Cash and Business Value. As the founder of Inmatrix, Alan developed financial analysis techniques that have become a global standard for businesses, CPA’s and banks. These techniques are now being used in 30 countries by over 20,000 customers and leading banks including the NAB, ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, Bangkok Bank, Maybank and the Royal Bank of Canada.
Carlo Pignataro
Carlo Pignataro is an author, entrepreneur, consultant and training specialist best known as “The Luxury Coach.”
He is the author of the best-selling book “Sell with style, the ultimate guide to luxury selling” and of the newly released “Serve with style, customer service in the age of experience”
Born in Turin, Italy, and based between Dubai and Dublin, he travels the world consulting and training organizations who seek his help to align the value they bring to the marketplace with their perceived value.
“15+ years of experience in the international luxury industry have taught me that value, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.”
Carlo adds value to companies that understand premium prices are earned by fine-tuning their sales cycle, revising their client experience, strategizing their after-sales activities, and building a culture of luxurious service.
His experience and exposure to the strategies used by some of the most prestigious brands in the world makes him a global consultant and trainer for companies and individuals operating in various sectors, including Luxury Goods, Luxury Retail, Cosmetics, Banking, Automotive, Real Estate, Optical, Manufacturing, Corporate Services, Personal Services, Consultancy, and more.
Business with style
“My job is to help companies and individuals add a touch of luxury and elegance to their business, so they can stay out of price wars, and build strong emotional links with their clients.”
Carlo’s experience in the international luxury industry includes managerial roles with companies like Gucci, Damiani, TJF Group, and Al Tayer Group. His extensive research into perceived value and profound understanding of client relationship dynamics make Carlo a prominent speaker at conferences and a coach to companies interested in enhancing their client rapport and reputation for excellence.
As an NLP Master Practitioner, NHR Master Practitioner, Non Verbal Hypnosis practitioner, Body Language Scholar, and Vocal Coach – he is a trained opera singer – Carlo has gained an international reputation as the sales coach with a luxury twist.
Joseph Pine II
Joseph Pine II is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and management advisor to Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups alike. He is cofounder of Strategic Horizons LLP, a thinking studio dedicated to helping businesses conceive and design new ways of adding value to their economic offerings.
In 1999 Mr. Pine and his partner James H. Gilmore wrote the best-selling book The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage, which demonstrates how goods and services are no longer enough; what companies must offer today are experiences – memorable events that engage each customer in an inherently personal way. Published in fifteen languages and named one of the 100 best business books of all time by 800ceoread, in 2011 The Experience Economy came out for the first time in paperback as an Updated Edition with new ideas, new frameworks, and many, many new exemplars.
Mr. Pine also co-wrote Infinite Possibility: Creating Customer Value on the Digital Frontier with Mr. Kim C. Korn, Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want with Mr. Gilmore, and in 1993 published his first book, the award-winning Mass Customization: The New Frontier in Business Competition.
Mr. Pine consults with numerous companies around the world, helping them embrace the ideas and frameworks he writes about, develop concepts for creating more economic value, and see those concepts become reality. In his speaking and teaching activities, Mr. Pine has addressed the World Economic Forum, the original TED conference, and the Consumer Electronics Show. Today he is a Lecturer in Columbia University’s Master’s Program in Technology Management in the School of Professional Studies.
Ian Robertson
In The Stress Test: How Pressure Can Make You Stronger and Sharper, Professor Robertson, armed with over four decades of research, reveals how we can shape our brain’s response to pressure and answers the question: can stress ever be a good thing? The Stress Test is a revelatory study of how and why we react to pressure in the way we do, with real practical benefit to how we live.
Ian writes for several publications including Nature, Journal of Neuroscience, Psychological Bulletin and London’s Daily Telegraph, as well as for the Guardian and Times. His numerous articles and blogs on contemporary and business affairs in the international press have been widely acclaimed. One recent article, in London’s Daily Telegraph, was described as “a sensation” by its editor.
He holds the Chair in Psychology at Trinity College Dublin and is a visiting professor at University College London. Dr. Robertson is also T. Boone Pickens Distinguished Scientist at the Center for Brain Health at The University of Texas at Dallas. He has held senior academic appointments at Cambridge, Edinburgh and Columbia Universities. He has also been elected a Fellow of the US Association for Psychological Science and the British Psychological Society.
Ian’s books, The Winner Effect, Mind Sculpture and The Mind’s Eye, have been translated into dozens of languages. In The Winner Effect, Ian describes the mental and physical changes that take place in the brain of a “winner,” how they happen, and why they affect some people more than others. He explains the science behind success and how individuals, teams, businesses and even countries can build success by using this knowledge.
Niall Dorrian
Niall Dorrian is the CEO of Linked Finance, Ireland’s first and largest P2P lending platform. His mission is to bring Linked Finance to the next level; transforming the way lending works for Irish SMEs while providing an attractive asset class for those who want a better return on their money.
With a storied past in the worlds of finance and telecommunications, Niall has helped to scale successful businesses all over the world; heading up companies in several Caribbean markets, as well as Panama and El Salvador.
After more than a decade in senior leadership roles for companies like Diageo and Digicel, Niall took the helm at Linked Finance in 2016. He has led the company through a period of transformational growth. The platform has now provided more than €110 million in loans to thousands of businesses across Ireland.
Linked Finance has also demonstrated that supporting homegrown SMEs can deliver attractively returns. The platform is now an established and popular asset class for more than 23,000 registered users who range from local individual lenders to large international institutions.
Despite the impressive trajectory, Niall firmly believes that Linked Finance is just getting started. With big ambitions and an understanding that technology will continue to transform the way finance works, Niall is focused on making sure that Linked Finance is recognised as the best place in Ireland for ambitious businesses to access loans.
Sonia Deasy
Sonia Deasy is co-founder and CEO of Pestle & Mortar, an Irish skincare company which launched in 2014. Since the phenomenal success of her first formulation, Sonia has catapulted the company onto the global stage. As a direct result of Sonia’s mission to promote the brand via TV appearances, media interviews and social campaigns and in combination with her unique formulation ethos, Pestle & Mortar has experienced exceptional global business performance for a company that was founded just over four years ago.
Sonia’s innovative formulation strategy is inspired by her sixth-generation Indian heritage in natural healing. With a formulation ethos of ‘less-is-more’, and a mission to enhance and protect natural beauty, Pestle & Mortar is a skincare brand that is committed to providing simple solutions for beautiful skin. By combining natural extracts with high-performance technological actives, Sonia creates the most effective skincare solutions using as few ingredients as possible. Pestle & Mortar’s value systems have garnered a loyal customer following, testament to Sonia’s unique vision and flair for innovation.
David Maxwell
It is almost 25 years since David Maxwell first worked in a Belfast pub and since then he has worn every hat in the business. After a successful entrepreneurial journey in the restaurant business including a 10-year stint in US, where he first encountered Mexican food/culture, David is now the MD of Mexican fast casual food brand Boojum.
Under his leadership, Boojum has grown from 5 locations and 120 staff to 18 locations with 500 staff in only 3 years. A recent finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award, David will share his entrepreneurial journey and the lessons he has learned along the way.
Rebecca Godfrey PhD
I am proud to be the founder of Etheo, a Team & Leadership Transformation consultancy with a keen focus on highly regulated industries.
I am also the creator of The Leadership Vaccine methodology and host of The Leadership Vaccine podcast and YouTube series.
I started my life as an academic research scientist, completing a PhD in Immunology at the University of Cambridge. Since leaving academic research and heading into the pharmaceutical industry, my career has given me the opportunity to build and develop a highly successful drug safety consultancy business, work with and lead colleagues from more than 90 countries, live and work abroad and lead organisations and groups in roles ranging from Company Director of a niche pharma consultancy to Global Head and Global Director roles in two of the world’s top 10 pharma companies.
Having thoroughly enjoyed a fruitful and successful career so far, in 2018 I took the leap to set up Etheo bringing my extensive business experience, outstanding leadership skills, strategy and process development expertise and passion for meeting new challenges to support individuals and leaders build cohesive, high performing teams with a focus on operational excellence.
In the past year I have featured on BBC radio, Sky TV and have also contributed to the #1 Best-selling book “Fit for Purpose Leadership 5” with my chapter titled “Vaccinate your Leaders, Secure the future of your teams”.
Aidan McCullen
Master of Ceremonies (MC)
Aidan is the host and founder of the Global Innovation Show, broadcast on RTE and the only English speaking show on Finland’s Business FM and writer of The Thursday Thought weekly blog.
Aidan is a Change Consultant with Flow Consulting Group, where he works with organisations to improve how they engage with each other.
Aidan is a champion for change and has evolved in his own career after rugby. Aidan worked in transformation for digital, innovation and now culture and leadership.
Aidan has over 100 caps for Leinster, Toulouse and London Irish and is a full Ireland Rugby International.
He developed the digital eco-system for Communicorp Radio Group, served as Head of Innovation for RTE (Ireland’s National broadcaster), worked as an innovation consultant for Global company Katawave and was on the board of the Irish Internet Association.
He developed and delivers a module on Emerging Technology Trends in Trinity College Business School, ranked 1st in Ireland and in the top 100 globally.