The Real Slumdog Millionaire, from poverty in India to becoming a leading female entrepreneur.
Multi-award winning female businesswomen in UK & Asia.
Inspirational female speaker on her climb to success from depair to wealth and international celebrity status.
If ever there were truth in the adage that truth is stranger than fiction, it would apply in the case of Jillian Haslam. Born in Calcutta to parents with British ancestry in post-colonial India, Jillian faced a bruising childhood of extreme poverty, malnutrition & disease. She lived through the deaths of four siblings and some appalling instances of racist abuse. Her rise from the depths of despair and misery to wealth and international celebrity status is an inspirational story of vindication and coming home.
Jillian’s is an amazing tale of a gritty climb to success, wealth, international fame and honour. Titled Indian.English. A Memoir, her book is an international bestseller with extensive rave reviews in Indian and International press with her being dubbed the “Real Slumdog Millionaire” and the story being turned into a Hollywood production.
Jillian is passionate about giving back and works tirelessly with 6 of her teams to do just that. She received the first runner-up award for The Asian Woman of the Year (UK- 2012 ); The True Legend Award (The Telegraph- 2015); The Star Recognition Award (UK – 2015) and the Award for Excellence in Humanitarianism (India – 2016).
She has featured extensively in the media on the BBC, ITV, Channel 5, The Pioneer, Gulf News, The Independent, The Telegraph, The Times and others
Jillian Haslam – Speaker
A top Motivational Speaker, Jillian believes that resilience is the key to success. She terms it “The Irrepressible Mind” and delivers evidence from her own life on what it has taken her to stand up every time the rug of life was pulled from under her feet. Her real-life examples will move you to your core and leave you with nothing more to think about, except to ACT!!
Some for Jillian’s clients include The University of Cambridge, Barclays, Kings College London, Sheffield Hallam, HeriotWatt, Epsom, McDonald’s and many others.
Keynote Speaker On
The Irrepressible Mind – pushing past your fears and overcoming adversity
A Winning Hand – turning the hand life dealt you into a winning one
Olympic Gold Medal Winner in Rio with victorious Team GB Hockey.
Regarded as one of the world’s best hockey players with 185 international caps.
The Captain of Great Britain aged 18 years old.
Crista Cullen won Olympic Gold with the Team GB Hockey Team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and Bronze at the London 2012 Olympics. Cullen, is recognised as one of the best hockey defenders in the world.
Crista has over 185 Great Britain and England combined caps, Commonwealth, World Cup and European cup bronze medals, awarded Great Britain’s Hockey player of the year. She has been named three times in the International Hockey Federation’s World All Stars Team and is Great Britain’s top goal scorer
Born in Lincolnshire, Crista spent her early life growing up in Kenya, where her family still live, before moving to Leicestershire at the age of 12 to attend Oakham School, in Rutland. She studied Business at Nottingham Trent University before working for London 2012 as their Marketing Manager. After retirement she was invited back to fight for a place in the Rio Olympic Games squad.
Crista started her hockey career at the age of just nine at Banda School in Kenya and was only introduced to an astro turf at the age of 14 during Leicestshire U15 hockey trials. Her hockey playing accelerated quickly, playing County, Regional and England before being honoured with her Great Britain Cap when she was just 18 in 2003.
Throughout her entire hockey career Crista has been dedicated to Leicester Hockey Club and has been an influential part of the team for over ten years. Leicester have successfully won the English Premier League title four times and won a European silver medal in 2011.
As a speaker Crista demonstrates the importance of determination, teamwork, commitment passion and longevity all of which together have led to Crista reaching the ultimate goal in her specialism. Crista gives inspirational and motivational talks to companies and schools.
Crista Cullen is represented for speaking by the ProMotivate Speakers Agency. To enquire about Crista speaking please contact us directly from our website or send an email to enquiries@pro-motivate.com or call London 0207 8711829.
The world’s youngest person to climb Mount Everest and reach the North Pole
Pushing the limits of human outdoor endeavour in the most extreme environments on earth
Bonita has climbed the world’s highest mountains, including Mt Everest, and skied to the North pole. She has led teams on Kilimanjaro and is a champion for the great British outdoors, working alongside Ordnance Survey to inspire the nation to get outside.
Bonita has broken mountaineering records, and in 2012 became the first British woman to ever climb the world’s 4th highest peak, Mt Lhotse; considered a technically much more difficult climb than Everest.
She is also a highly in-demand corporate speaker and event host and has spoken for world-famous brands. Bonita is also one of the most sought after youth speakers in the UK, visiting hundreds of schools as a motivational speaker.
Bonita lives and breathes inspiring others to step outside their comfort zones, whether that be through the Get Outside campaign, her motivational talks, leading teams on Kilimanjaro or through her own extreme endeavours.
Major Expeditions & Achievements
Mount Everest 8848m, May 2010
“From Base Camp the summit stretched another 2.5 vertical miles above us. I couldn’t even imagine reaching the top. It looked impossible.”
Four weeks later she stood on the summit on the 17th of May. The final 1800m took 26 hours in The Death Zone, with only a few hours rest prior to setting off into the night and climbing through minus 40* temperatures.
“I’ll never forget the amazing stars above us, or the pain and exhaustion of climbing in the death zone, and then the sunrise illuminating the curvature of the Earth.”
The North Pole, April 2011
A year after climbing Everest Bonita and her team skied to the geographic North Pole. Carrying their own food and equipments, it took 8 days from the Russian Camp to reach 90 degrees. They battled the negative ice drift from the see currents and extreme cold.
“I remember feeling so far away from civilisation, that if anything went wrong out here in this wilderness, we were completely alone, just a few specks in this vast expanse of ice at the top of the world.”
Mt Lhotse 8516m, May 2012
Having conquered Everest they went back to Base Camp to attempt to climb its fearsome neighbour and the world’s 4th highest peak, Mt Lhotse. Her peers were sceptical as the Lhotse is dangerous and rarely climbed. A year later they successfully summited Lhotse.
“I knew our chances were almost zero- the mountain was in bad condition and Lhotse was rarely climbed. A year later, the same people who were so sceptical then went on to climb Lhotse themselves. I’m really proud that we didn’t let dogma and the mountain’s reputation cloud our judgement. I took that expedition one day, one step at a time. I could not believe it when we reached the summit. It was the toughest mental challenge of my life- just to hang in there day after day when success looked impossible.”
K2 11th June – 8th August 2016
Bonita worked with an international team of mountaineers to attempt to climb another of the world’s highest peaks K2.
The team climbed well above 8000m, entering a place called the Death Zone using supplementary oxygen on their ascent. They battled through minus 40-degree temperatures, as well as taking on extreme objective danger on the mountain itself.
The expedition took them to one of the remotest places on Earth, the nearest village was a 6-day walk away, with limited communications.
Motivational / Inspirational Speaking
Bonita is one of the UK’s most sought after motivational speakers and speaks across Europe. She has given hundreds of talks to many of the UK and Europe’s top business and schools. Here is an example of how Bonita’s mind works (when asked about the K2 expedition in 2016) and offers an example of some of the content from within her powerfully inspirational keynote talks;
“What If I fail? My dear, what if you fly?…Quite simply, that just by attempting something out of our comfort zones we learn so much, and we realise that we are far more capable than perhaps what we first think. We must all take risks, we must all seek to understand what is important to us, and what risks are worth taking. We must also have the courage to take leaps of faith and follow the path less travelled by, despite overwhelming chances of failure, and the intimidating mountain of hard work ahead.”
“I am almost convinced that we will not reach the top of this mountain. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the mountains of the heart- of having the courage to take on risk, to follow our dreams, to be willing to grasp life and all its opportunities. I know I will never look back and regret the incredible experiences I’ve had and the lessons I’ve learned. They are by far the most precious things in life.”
Please review the many client testimonials she has attained and watch the video’s alongside to gain a deeper insight into why Bonita Norris is in such great demand as a motivational speaker.
The Book: ‘The Girl Who Climbed Everest
Bonita wrote and published her first book, ‘The Girl Who Climbed Everest’ in 2017. The book tells the story of how Bonita went from novice mountaineer to standing on top of the world in only two years, and then what happened next. She talks with refreshing vulnerability and honesty about her motivations, her failures and why she was drawn to risk her lifetime and time again.
When published, the book received media coverage in The Times, Express, Sun and on the UK’s Loraine TV chat show, as well as appearing across many social media platforms as bloggers and influencers picked up on her inspirational story of overcoming odds and achieving a seemingly impossible dream.
Visually impaired former Accenture Consultant who is changing the global social landscape for people with disabilities.
Caroline Casey put Ireland on the accessibility map.
The Founder of the now international ‘O2 Ability Awards’.
Recognised internationally as a world-class speaker and Ireland’s first Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.
Dr Caroline Casey has dedicated the past decade of her life to changing how global society views people with disabilities. In 2000, she rode 1,000 kilometers across India on an elephant to raise funds for Sight Savers. Then, as founding CEO of Kanchi in Dublin, she developed a set of best practices (based on ISO 9000 quality standards) for businesses, to help them see ‘disabled’ workers as an asset as opposed to a liability. Hundreds of companies have adopted the standards, changing their policies and attitudes.
In 2004, Casey started the O2 Ability Awards to recognize Irish businesses for their inclusion of people with disabilities, both as employees and customers. The Ability Awards included the development of a unique assessment tool and intensive communications campaign. Establishing a business standard; they are also pioneering an achievable vision for leadership engagement whilst constructively challenging the relationship between business and people with disabilities.
International interest in the awards has created the opportunity to replicate them outside of Ireland and through O2’s parent company, Telefonica, the O2 Ability Awards were also brought to Spain.
Speaking & Accolades
For over a decade, Caroline has brought a unique blend of leadership and vision to the business and political world in relation to promoting the abilities of those with disabilities on a national and international level. She has received several high profile awards in recognition of her work worldwide.
She became the first Irish person to be appointed a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2006. In the same year, Caroline was awarded an honorary doctorate from NUIG Ireland, became the first Ashoka fellow from Ireland and the UK and received the Eisenhower Fellowship in 2007. Caroline is regularly invited back to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where she presents on a variety of issues relating to the area of disability and diversity.
Kanchi, stems from Caroline’s trip to India in 2001, when she trained to become an elephant handler with an elephant called Kanchi. Caroline is also involved with many projects and is a founding trustee of elephant family in the UK, a board member of the Jack and Jill Foundation, Sightsavers International, the Irish Charity Tax Reform Group and 98FM.
A former management consultant with Accenture, Caroline is visually impaired to the degree that she is registered as legally blind. Her objective remains focussed on changing the way people think about disability.
Caroline address audiences on the following subjects: business, culture, entrepreneurship, social innovation, diversity in business, health & wellbeing, innovation & creativity, leadership, marketing, and social responsibility. Her style has been described as being full of honesty, energy, and passion with unique experience as a social entrepreneur, business woman, adventurer, visionary, game changer, campaigner, collaborator, risk taker, and an expert on authentic leadership.
“She is one of those people who, instead of just talking about changing the world, gets up and actually does it however tough the doing of it turns out to be. ” — The Irish Times
One of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs has built the ‘Jo Malone’ global cosmetics brand that bears her name.
Dyslexia hampered her success in school which she left at the age of 15, look after her mother, and began making moisturizers in her kitchen.
Inspires others to follow, and encourages taking controlled risks to achieve far greater success.
Joanne Lesley Malone CBE is a British perfumer and founder of the companies Jo Malone London and Jo Loves. Originally a facial therapist, Jo fell in love with fragrance while working from her discreet skin care clinic which she set up from her London home. Discovering an instinctual talent for creating scented products by hand in her kitchen, word of her exceptional potions quickly spread, and soon Jo was unable to keep up with demand.
From these artisan beginnings, Jo launched her first brand, Jo Malone London, which gained cult status around the world. In 1999, Jo sold the business to Estée Lauder Companies and remained Creative Director until she left in 2006.
Jo Malone Keynote Speaker:
In her inspirational keynote speeches, Seld made entrepreneur from council house to building and managing her own multi-million-pound company.
Successes, failures, battling with a life-threatening illness and business obstacles, and the motivation behind her achievements.
Passionate about helping entrepreneurial individuals develop their own products for the mass market.
How to grow business: “Make sure your people feel secure and encourage them to take risks; only then can you reach a new level.”
An entrepreneur needs to succeed are passion, resilience & creativity.
Author of award-winning “The Management Shift”, selected by Forbes as one of the top 8 business books in 2014
Renowned international keynote and TEDx speaker on leadership
An international award-winning thought leader on Leadership 4.0,
Vlatka Hlupic is an international award-winning thought leader, an activist for humanising management, and an author of a ground-breaking book ‘The Management Shift – How to Harness the Power of People and Transform Your Organization for Sustainable Success, which was listed by Forbes as one of the top eight business books in 2014. She is a Professor of Business and Management at the University of Westminster, a former Adjunct Faculty at London Business School and founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Drucker Society, London.
Vlatka won the CMI Management Articles of the Year Award 2015 and the Axiom Business Books Award (silver medal in the “Leadership” category) and has been nominated for the Thinkers50 Guru Radar and “Ideas to practise” Award. Her book has been nominated for the CMI Management Book of the Year Award and the FT & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award.
Vlatka is also a management consultant and Board adviser, helping organisations worldwide substantially to improve performance, engagement, innovation and profit. She has advised major international organizations including the House of Commons, GlaxoSmithKline, BP, Learndirect, Brand Velocity USA, the Drucker Institute USA, the Croatian Government and the Hungarian National Bank. She has started preparing the launch of a global petition for humanising management, supported by many leading management thinkers.
Expert on Global Economic Trends & Corporate Governance Leadership Best Practice.
Professor of Leadership & Governance at the IE Business School.
Host of Reuters TV ‘In the Boardroom with Lucy Marcus’ and a contributor to leading global publications on leadership.
Conference keynote specialism on Corporate Governance, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Technology & Women in Business.
Lucy Marcus is recognised for setting the agenda on future proofing boardrooms and companies around the world. As an Anglo-American board chair and non-executive director she challenges conventional wisdom both inside and out of the boardroom. Marcus speaks and writes about corporate governance, ethics and leadership for the Harvard Business Review, The Huffington Post, Reuters and other leading global publications.
“Boards need independent directors with skill, vision and commitment and boardrooms need to be addressing new agenda items for difficult economic times, and students need to explore this now.” – Lucy P. Marcus
Marcus serves as non-executive chair of the Mobius Life Sciences Fund, is chair of the Mobius Life Sciences Fund Investment Panel, and non-executive director and chair of the board audit committee of BioCity Nottingham. She is co-founder and served as a judge and chair of the board of the Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Awards, and is also on the board of the Wellesley College Business Leadership Council. She is the co-founder and chair of ‘Leadership in Conflict’ which is working to develop leaders in conflict and post-conflict zones.
Marcus has been recognised for her ground breaking work in leadership and governance. She was the recipient of the 2011 Yale University ‘Rising Star of Corporate Governance’ Award, and was selected for one of the 2011 National Association Corporate Directors Directorship 100 lists for promoting boardroom excellence. She has been shortlisted for the 2011 ‘Thinkers 50’ list of most important living management thinkers and voted one of 6 of ‘Britain’s Best Connected Women’ in the UK Institute of Directors’ Director Magazine. The Independent newspaper ranked Lucy as 43rd in their “Most Powerful Britons on Twitter.”
Marcus was also a ‘World Economic Forum Global Leader for Tomorrow’, and is a fellow of the ‘Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellowship Program’, and the ‘British-American Project’. Marcus serves on the Steering Committee for ‘The Wall Street Journal Task Force on Women in the Economy’. A dual American and British citizen, she holds a B.A. from Wellesley College and an Masters in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge.
Lucy P. Marcus Speaking
Marcus is in great demand as a speaker on global economic trends and best practices for corporate governance and leadership, private equity, venture capital, entrepreneurship, technology, and women in business. Having worked in a number of sectors from software and the internet to government and financial services Lucy brings an invaluable perspective to conferences.
Recent Keynotes:
Future Proofing the Boardroom: The Critical Agenda
Future Proofing Organisations – the Role of Boards, Investors, and Stakeholders
Insights into the European Debt Crisis
The Future of Blue Skies Research
Doing Business in Challenging Times: The Role of Leadership & Boards
Competing Effectively in Tough Economic Times
Disruptive Innovation in Energy and the Environment
Dubbed the Willy Wonka of Design and Science, award-winning director and Designer of Experiences.
Nelly is ranked first on the Top 50 Best Female Speakers list and is a professional public speaker with over a decade of experience.
An innovator acclaimed for making a ‘Significant Impact on the World.’
She persuaded NASA to co-create the world’s first space orchestra with her, and the music was physically blasted into space.
Educates business people and entrepreneurs trying to initiate change and constantly coming up against resistance.
Mattel and Lego. These iconic toymakers created a Barbie doll and a Lego figurine modelled after her as a thank-you for her collaborations.
Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian is a dynamic super creative who will (literally) add rocket fuel to your events and campaigns – Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun- Stépanian will deliver in spades. She is known for electrifying audiences and leaving an impression that resonates long after she has left the room. Dubbed the Willy Wonka of Design and Science, award-winning director and Designer of Experiences, Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun is a critical explorer and a fearless and passionate provocateur combining experience, ideas, technology, radical pedagogy, music and art.
She has held an astonishing range of first-of-its-kind roles. As Designer of Experiences at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute), she founded the world’s first International Space Orchestra, a group made up of NASA space scientists and astronauts.
She is the founder of the pioneering University of the Underground, a free MA programme taught by an all-star lineup that aims to teach students how to “design experiences and events that best support social dreaming, social actions and power shifts within institutions, companies and governments”.
She has been Chief of Experiences at WeTransfer, Advisor to the United Nations Virtual Reality Labs and Vice-Chair at the International Astronautical Federation. Nelly’s musical collaborations include Damon Albarn, Bjork, Sigur Ros, Beck, Kid Cudi and most recently, with The Avalanches during lockdown.
Nelly Ben Hayoun – An Icon
In a consulting role, Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios supported creativity at Mattel and Lego. As a thank you for these collaborations, these iconic toymakers created a Barbie doll and a Lego figurine modelled after her.
Nelly has worked with NASA for over a decade. She is Vice Chair for the Cultural Utilization of Space, a member of the IAF Space Education and Outreach Committee, and a permanent committee member of the International Academy of Astronautics Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
A designer of extreme experiences, in late 2023, Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian, created a spectacular electric Porsche art car and worked with 3D software experts on designing an alternative universe to drive it.
Nelly Ben Hayoun – Dynamic Super Creative Keynote Speaker
Nelly is ranked first on the Top 50 Best Female Speakers list and is a professional public speaker with over a decade of experience.
One of a kind?
Nelly has two doppelgangers who travel the world giving talks, challenging notions of space and time while questioning the politics and economics of performance and public speaking.
Her story and decision to stand up and go public in Emmy nominated ‘Brave Miss World’ has been 5 years in the making.
Linor Abargil miss world Former Miss World Linor Abargil is a well sought after international speaker who recounts her epic journey from rural Netanya, Israel to winning the Miss World contest and her fearless decision to share the story of her horrific rape in Italy. What makes Linor stand out is that she chose to speak up to help others and turn her experience into a positive.
As a young beauty queen, she had been abducted, stabbed and raped in Milan just six weeks prior to being crowned Miss World. During her reign as Miss World, Linor had to testify against the rapist in a difficult, public trial and was able to convict the serial rapist. When the guilty verdict came in, Linor turned to a news camera in the courtroom and said to all the women in Israel that if she could do it, they could too. She was determined to transform herself from being the victim of a horrific crime, into someone who could encourage others to speak out. She wanted to tell her story, hoping that it might help other survivors. If something had happened to them, not to be afraid to report.
The calls to rape crisis centers rose dramatically that year, and Israel passed legislation protecting the rights of rape victims. 10 years later, Linor was launching a website for other survivors and was ready to speak publicly again. She wanted to document her journey to see if she could bring about global change. In her own word’s she says ‘her story is the story of every survivor. The trauma doesn’t go away, but you can pick up the pieces and move forward, with the right support.’
Linor Abargil was able to see justice done, but you can’t help but wonder, Would she have been able to convict the rapist if it wasn’t for the Miss World crown, and the public interest in her case?
The film took five years to produce and was incredibly difficult at times. Telling her story and listening to the plight of so many women, men, girls, and boys were bringing up Linor’s own trauma. She experienced post trauma stress disorder and her hard-fought stability was suddenly in real jeopardy when she learned that her rapist was up for parole. Filming had to be suspended for six months whilst she took a break and fought to keep the rapist incarcerated.
‘Brave Miss World’ the story of Linor Abargil draws focus to the current and real awareness that rape is a growing concern. There has in recent times been more of a global urgency for more attention to the lack of access to justice for many victims of rape.
‘Brave Miss World’ has become so much more than just one woman’s journey and aims to gather an international community with the strength to rise up and say ‘no’ to rape. The intention is that all survivors of sexual assault and their friends and families will use the film’s website as a place to connect find resources for support. If victims are encouraged to speak out and seek help, the silence will end.
Linor Abargil has spoken out to raise awareness for not only women but all victims of domestic, physical and sexual abuse.
Ukrainian student who featured anonymously in a viral video entitled I Am A Ukrainian viewed by 8.9 million people
After Ukraine’s Maiden riots studied at Stanford, New York, and London on an executive program in Global Leadership
Chief of Odessa’s Regional Customs for 18 months, exposing corruption and money laundering on a massive scale
Yulia Marushevska was a Ukrainian student who achieved worldwide fame when a video of her asking for help during Ukraine’s Maiden riots went viral. Since 2014 Yulia has been studying, speaking and working in positions of leadership to influence geopolitical change.
The uprising in Ukraine officially broke out in early February 2014 when a group of pro-Western protesters took to the streets in the capital city of Kiev to protest against then-President Yanukovych and his support of a pro-Russian economic agenda. This was instead of an attempt by Ukraine to join the European Union and reduce the country’s reliance on Russian energy and economic support.
The groups were brutally repressed by the police the crowds reached over 20,000. Social media played a large part in garnering support to the extent that the police shut down the internet. During the protests which went on for weeks, the Ukrainian people took a stand against their government and succeeded in overthrowing Yanukovych, who in turn fled to Moscow.
Yulia Marushevska though not seeking it has gained celebrity status at home in Ukraine. Such is the profound impact that she made promoting freedom and democracy in Ukraine met with international diplomats including France’s President Hollande and Peru and Georgia’s former leaders, Toledo and Saakashvili. She appeared on on over 80 major news networks in 35 countries including interviews on CNN, the Charlie Rose Show and on the Voice of America.
After the Revolution, in 2014 Yulia went to Stanford University to study the tools for rebuilding the state. Upon returning to Ukraine she was invited to join the team of the reformers in the Ukrainian government. Starting as a deputy governor in the biggest region in Ukraine she was appointed a chief of Odessa regional customs — one of the most corrupted institutions in Ukraine at that time. For more than a year Yulia was implementing anti-corruption policies and with a strong international team cleaned up five seaports from the massive bribery.
This activity received attention among international media but also caused irritation from the Ukrainian political establishment. This forced Yulia who was pushed to resign. The General Prosecutor started legal cases against her. At one point while she was making a speech in Guatemala, the police were trying to conduct a search in her apartment in Kiev: Wall St Journal ‘A Ukrainian Reformer Gets A Visit From The Police, Changing the custom of corruption.
After all of these happenings, Yulia is pursuing her studies on an executive program in Global Leadership in New York and London going into deeper levels of global development issues.
She is writing a book from her memoirs that tells her story intimately without geopolitical details of the Revolution in Ukraine and the other international events that have occurred in her life. Yulia is also embarking on a project called ‘Visionaries’ where she has deep and intelligent conversations with people who are shaping the future of our world; ‘conversations with inventors who create new things, comprehend the world and inspire the humanity.’
“As I started to familiarise with the global and economic situation, I realized that not only the politicians shape the picture of the world. And telling this story at the time of mosaic thinking in an insightful and deep manner may be interesting.”
Media
“I grew up as an ordinary, Western child. I grew up in a post-Soviet Union time. Now I am a student at a good Ukrainian university. There were no physical issues, but instead, more psychological issues. My grandparents asked me “why are you there,” and I answer them “How can I not be?” – Yulia commenting in the Stanford Daily
“Ukraine is a young democracy that was born three months ago in the Euromaidan. Before that, we were only the facade of a democracy with Soviet officials [making the decisions]. People had to pay to open their business, had to pay to close their business … every step of the way. That was very humiliating,” Yulia commenting in Georgetown Universities, The Hoya,
Speaking
Yulia is a remarkable and confident speaker who communicates highly effectively with great passion and poise. Impressive whilst humble she is an incredible speaker who will appeal to audiences of all ages and size.
She gives keynotes at major global conferences and initiatives where she draws awareness to the political and economic situation in Ukraine. Equally she i, at ease giving talks that inspire younger generations to push for achievement, whether it be making life changing decisions, realising ambition or simply contributing to making the local environment a better place to live in.
Feedback from major conferences such as leading European technology conference Wired and the Oslo Freedom Forumput Yulia as the top rated and most memorable keynote speaker.
For all speaking and media related inquiries please contact Jonathan Curran at Promotivate Speakers Agency in London or use the form below.
The first and only woman to ski across the Antarctic landmass alone.
Climate scientist who has spent the last 15 years leading teams in the polar environment including three years living and working on a small research station.
Felicity Aston MBE is the first and only woman in the world to ski across Antarctica alone. The 1744km, 59-day journey completed in 2012 also made her the first person in the world to do so purely by muscle power without the aid of kites or machines.
In 2009 she led the 38-day, 911km Kaspersky Lab Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition, the largest and most international women’s team ever to ski to the South Pole. The team included women from Brunei Darussalam, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Singapore, New Zealand. Felicity was responsible for selecting and training this diverse, multicultural team of ‘ordinary’ women for one of the most arduous journeys on Earth. Aston’s book about the expedition, ‘Call of the White: Taking the World to the South Pole’ and her second book, ‘Alone in Antarctica’ describe her adventures.
Previously, Felicity has led several other notable expeditions including the first British women’s crossing of Greenland, a 700km winter crossing of Lake Baikal in a Siberian winter and an adventurous expedition in Iceland for young people with a brain injury. She was also part of the first, ever, all-female team to complete the Polar Challenge, a 500km endurance race to the magnetic north pole, has completed the notorious Marathon Des Sables, a 150-mile foot race across the Sahara and has recently returned from a 35,000km drive in a Land Rover Defender to the Pole of Cold (the coldest inhabited place in the world) in the far northeast of Siberia.
Trained as a Physicist and Meteorologist, Felicity’s first polar experience was as a scientist with the British Antarctic Survey. Based for three years on a remote research station on the Antarctic Peninsula, her job was to monitor climate and ozone.
As a speaker, Felicity Aston appeals to audiences of all ages. Her ambition, courage and leadership qualities are evident in her talks and she inspires others to take on challenges in every day life.
Felicity shares stories of her adventures with audiences worldwide. Each presentation is uniquely tailored with absolute flexibility and is accompanied by stunning expedition photography and footage where possible, to ensure that the event has a lasting impact on the audience.
Previous clients include Microsoft, BSkyB, Royal Bank of Scotland, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, Swiss Re, Boehringer Ingelheim, Capital One, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Accenture, Hachette UK, BAE Systems, Kielh’s, ASDA and many more.
In 2015 she was awarded The Queen’s Polar Medal as one o the very few women to have received this special honour and was appointed MBE for services to polar exploration. She divides her time between Reykjavik and her native UK.
Northern Irish sports icon who defied its troubled past.
Ambassador for sport, role model and motivator for today’s future generations.
Dame Mary Peters is an Olympic legend who won gold in the pentathlon at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Now Mary is a much admired and sought after speaker and ambassador for sport and to young people.
Most people assume Peters is Northern Irish. She is from Ulster but didn’t move there until she was 11 years old having been born in Lancashire in the North of England.
Mary was noted for leaving no stone unturned in training putting in the necessary miles and hours required to become and remain a champion. Training in the backdrop of Northern Ireland’s Troubles Mary’s father improvised by building practice facilities including a large sand pit in their garden so that she could practice her jumping events.
Famed for her Olympic Gold in the 1972 Mary had other notable success in sport coming 4th in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, 2nd in the shot pit at the Commonwealth Games in 1966, 9th in 1968 Olympics and winning gold in the Commonwealth pentathlon in 1970 and ’74.
Mary also set a new World Record points score and narrowly beat the local German star by 10 points to become the Olympic Champion. With Northern Ireland in the grip of terrorism Mary who had competed for Great Britain and Northern Ireland returned home to death threats and threats by dissidents of burning her house down by those opposed to Britain’s involvement in Northern Ireland. She chose to ignore the threats and stay in Northern Ireland.
“Northern Ireland has taken a lot of knocks over the years and I think it’s one of the nicest places in the world.” – Mary Peters
Mary’s triumph in the ’72 Olympics would be overshadowed the next day when 11 Israeli athletes and officials were murdered by Palestinian terrorists.
In recognition of her services to sport and to the community in Northern Ireland Mary was awarded an MBE by the Queen in 1973 and latterly a Damehood in 2000. She is a Freeman of Belfast and Lisburn and remains a very popular and much admired figure in Northern Ireland and the UK.
Throughout her career Mary was always conscious of putting something back into sport. Having won Olympic Gold she used her fame to raise money to refurbish the Queen’s University athletic’s track to make in of international standard. It was renamed in her honour. Mary continues to work at the top levels of UK sport and runs a trust to support and encourage young people in Northern Ireland to follow in her own footsteps.
Mary has widened her experience lecturing internationally on fitness, motivation and women in sport and on behalf of many corporate bodies.
Specialized in the development of Culture and Customer Experience, Leadership, Management
Addresses teams all over Europe on improving their business skills internally and externally
Educates and motivates sales and customer service professionals based on her dedicated research
Multi-lingual presenting fluently in five languages
Carla Carvalho Dias is a Portugues public speaker and author of two best-selling business books called ‘Top Service – It’s Your Choice’ and ‘Art in War in Customer Service
She has a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Thermodynamics and Fluids, from Coimbra University. With 20 years of professional experience, she is a founding partner of Visão Integrada, where she specialized in restructuring and reorganizing companies in several business areas and countries including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Angola.
She specializes in speaking on leadership, management, and in particular on customer and client service. Carla speaks five languages and has previously spent 16 years as a Management Consultant for clients across Europe and Africa. Carla has spoken to more than 30,000 people over the past 20 years. Her keynote talks achieve great feedback from clients that include General Motors, Sonae, Ptelecom, and Europcar. Carla also appears on television and radio regularly.
“Top Service Talk” is transversal in both concept and style and takes on her mission in life: “To contribute to the improvement of service culture in Portugal,” she, therefore, says “why not in the rest of the world?”
Carla Carvalho Dias / Keynote Topics
Development of Customer Culture and Experience and work
Leadership; Customer Journey Mapping; Service Design
Restructuring and Reorganization Processes and Relationship Dynamic
Servant Leadership: emotional intelligence, espírito de Corpo, and clear communication
BOOST YOUR LEADERS lectures are moments of inspiration designed to impact leaders to act with attitude and empathy to be able to transform teams and customer experiences with smiles and results.
The UK’s leading and most popular breakfast television presenter.
Highly experienced in-demand corporate awards host and presenter.
Susanna Reid is the highly respected journalist and leading presenter on breakfast television. In 2014 Susanna switched from the BBC to ITV’s breakfast show ‘Good Morning Britain‘. Outside of her day job Susanna regularly hosts and presents at conferences and awards nights throughout the year.
She has hosted her own show Sunday Morning Live on BBC1 and has appeared on the Andrew Marr Show many times. She has grilled the Prime Minister and talked with many of Hollywood’s stars at the Oscars. When the BBC moved its news to Manchester from London Susanna commuted daily to Salford, Manchester to present BBC Breakfast. Her switch to ITV in 2014 was largely attributed to her wishing to work in London, in particular, to afford her more time with her three boys. In 2013 a poll amongst viewers on the BBC put Reid as the most popular presenter of the breakfast show in its 30-year history.
Reid is a regular contributor to Media Trust, the charity which links other charities to the media industry, and has hosted events for the Myotubular Trust and Voluntary Arts England. In 1998 she worked for three months in Sri Lanka as a voluntary media consultant for a charity which counsels victims of the civil war and operates orphanages and social development programmes. Since 2008 she has also been part of the annual BBC’s Children In Need “Newsreaders performance.” During the 2011 charity night, she took part in a Strictly Come Dancing competition, along with three other BBC newsreaders. Reid and her professional dance partner, Robin Windsor won the competition.
She regularly runs the London Marathon raising money for Sports Relief and has been voted amongst the Top 100 worlds sexiest women by FHM.
Well known Television Sports Anchor – Charlotte Sky Sports News
Experienced Awards Ceremony Host and Presenter.
Hosted at major international functions for FIFA, UEFA and Champions League and on behalf of large corporate events.
Charlotte Jackson is an accomplished and popular TV presenter who is currently a lead presenter on Sky Sports News. She also presents the Euro Pro Tour Golf on Sky Sports and has just finished appearing on ITV1′s new Saturday night show Splash! Charlotte is an experienced event host who is perfect for and regularly called upon by clients to host or present awards.
Charlotte re-joined Sky Sports after getting her TV break hosting a live daily sports show on Setanta Sports when it launched and she demonstrated her sporting prowess when she presented an Olympic Special for the channel called ‘All Action Jackson’, where she participated in a number of Olympic disciplines, including show jumping. Charlotte has also presented ITV’s Champions League Weekly, Beach Soccer coverage and hosted the Beijing Olympics and Champions League for Al Jazeera Sport. She went on to present 71 Degrees North on ITV1. She recently captained the ladies team on the Big Sports Quiz and appeared on Sky One’s A League of Their Own.
After completing a journalism course, Charlotte went on to present a variety of different television programmes, worked behind the scenes at Sky Sports, before getting her break with Setanta. Charlotte hosted the 2011 Champions League final dinner in London, the UEFA Season Kick Off party in Monaco in 2010 and the World Player of the Year awards for FIFA in 2009.
“It is genuinely a pleasure to work with Charlotte. As an event presenter and MC, Charlotte brings bundles of enthusiasm, excellent sporting knowledge and a touch of celebrity glamour to our events. Charlotte’s approachable and down to earth nature as well as her ability to help bring an event together to a successful end ensures she will always be considered by us for our events and potential brand endorsement opportunities.“ – Sunny Singh – Head of Sports Marketing, Sports Direct Group, Brands Division
“We hired Charlotte to present the FIFA Interactive World Cup in Dubai in 2012. She was hard-working, committed and a pleasure to work with, adding a high level of professionalism to the broadcasts.” – Dave O’Connor, Group Leader Marketing Communication & Research, FIFA
International speaker on ecological sustainability
A Cousteau, a family whose generations are renowned as world-famous oceanographers
An explorer and adventurer raising global awareness on protecting the oceans and their inhabitants
Celine is a socio-environmental advocate and public figure an explorer both above and below the sea, she is constantly traversing the world, taking part in new experiences and sharing her love of the Earth with people around the globe. Her role in the Ocean Futures Society has helped draw the organization’s recognition in Europe and raise awareness for the Cousteau mission of protecting the sea and its treasures.
As the founder and executive director of the non-profit organization CauseCentric Productions, she collaborates with other non-profits and individuals to increase their worldwide exposure by creating short documentaries about their work. Cousteau has also worked as a field producer, on-camera presenter, and photographer on numerous TV documentaries, including PBS’s Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, CBS’s Mind of a Demon, and the Discovery Channel’s Mysteries of the Shark Coast. She also co-hosted a 12-part documentary series produced by the Chilean-based NuevoEspacio Producciones, called Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar.
Céline Cousteau believes that we all inherit part of the Cousteau legacy, in that we can all be protectors of this fragile world. As one of the premier environmental speakers in the industry, Cousteau brings wit, wisdom, and insight, showing all audiences why the Earth and its unique ecosystems deserve every citizen’s respect and attention.
Speaking Topics
People and the Natural World: An Exploration of Connections
Environmental speaker Céline Cousteau travels the world, studying the intersection of nature and culture. From the jungles of the Amazon to remote islands near the Arctic, people have always maintained strong connections with the world around them. Cousteau reveals how our cultures and the plants and animals that surround us are all interconnected, showing that protection of the environment is also protection for our diverse cultures.
Inspiration from Exploration: Notes from the Field
Explorer Céline Cousteau tells stories from her many explorations forging her own trail on unique solo expeditions. Sharing her unique personal photographs, she captivates audiences with her incredible voyages into the deep.
Working for Change: How Nonprofits Are Shaping Tomorrow
Nonprofit organizations are integral to the continued success of exploration, science, and discovery. Working with several major nonprofits, including the Nature Conservancy and Amazon Promise, has made professional speaker Céline Cousteau’s projects – and making a difference – possible. Emphasizing the importance of nonprofit organizations, Cousteau demonstrates how they do good around the world.
On Being a Woman in the Field
Scientific research and exploration are typically considered a male field. Céline Cousteau has broken ground and become a successful explorer both above and below the sea. She shares stories of her groundbreaking career, encouraging women to find their passion and stick with to it, regardless of the obstacles in their way.
High altitude climber who escaped near certain death in Bolivia – Her partner was killed in the same fall.
Told she would never walk again; 14 operations later she has cycled across US and Europe and written an award winning account.
Speaks and presents her remarkable inspirational story in six languages.
Isabel Suppé in 2010 was climbing Ala Izquierda in Bolivia, with Peter Wiesenekker when Peter slipped, causing both climbers to fall 400 meters to the bottom of the face. Peter was killed as a result of the fall. Against all odds, Isabel survived and spent two days and nights dragging herself severely injured with a dangerously exposed fracture over the ice at 16,000ft. She was eventually rescued and had to undergo fourteen highly complicated surgeries so as to achieve something seemingly impossible: saving her right foot.
Soon after Isabel was told that she would never walk normally again or climb.
Two months after her last operation, when she was still unable to carry any weight at all, Isabel climbed Dos Conos on crutches after she pushed her gear up to high camp on her bike. One month later she completed the first female solo ascent of Mount Cachi, one of the highest mountains in the Andes.
“I decided to continue. To keep on dragging myself over the ice, maybe for nothing. So as to at least not to die without having fought to the last; to have a chance as tiny as it may be to live”
Isabel’s bookStarry Night tells the story of her accident and much more. It has been a finalist for the prestigious Desnivel Award for Literature in Spain. Since the climbing accident Isabel’s ankle joint has been deteriorating at a devastating speed, and she was advised to cycle as much as possible and undergo more surgery in Spain.
Cycling Across Europe and the USA
She borrowed her German grand-mother´s bike and solemnly named it ‘Rocinante,’ after Don Quijote´s noble horse. On Rocinante, Isabel then crossed the Alps, the Pyrenees, Switzerland, France and Northern Spain in the middle of winter for surgery. Later she continued south, crossing over to Africa, climbing Morocco´s highest mountain and ending up in in the Sahara desert.
The surgery in Spain did not succeed in restoring her ankle joint. Isabel requires a highly complex form of bone transplantation, a surgery that is only done in the USA. This accident was not covered by her insurance company and she has been raising further funds through her book, speaking and by cycling across the USA from Monterey California to New York.
Isabel presents in French, German, English, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish and welcomes international travel.
Double Olympic rowing champion in 2016 & 2012 triple World champion, quintuple World Cup champion and triple European champion
The World’s Number One ranked female rower and world record holder
Naturally talented sports star and winner of ‘Olympic Superstars’
TV commentator at the BBC, Ambassador for the Scouts, female role model
Helen Glover MBE is a British double Olympic champion, triple World champion and triple European champion in rowing.
With Heather Stanning they won Britain’s first-ever Olympic Gold Medal in rowing at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Since 2011 they have been undefeated internationally and hold the World Record in their women’s pairs category.
At the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, Glover’s reign continued with Stanning when they retained their Olympic title. Meticulous planning, science and commitment to leave no stone unturned all played significant importance in Glover’s success.
Remarkably Helen only took up rowing in 2008 when she was identified through the UK’s Sporting Giants recruitment scheme designed to identify and train athletes of a suitable size. She is a gifted sportswoman and competitor and prior to rowing had competed internationally in cross country and trained with the England Hockey Satellite Squad. Proving her sporting talent Helen has won the TV Olympic Superstars convincingly, sweeping aside all challengers and received an MBE after her Olympic success.
Following the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, she married popular TV wildlife presenter Steve Backshall and they had their first child, Logan. In 2017 she entered and won the 125 mile Devizes to Westminster ultra-endurance kayak race. Six days later she ran her first marathon in 3 hours 5 minutes. Later that year she qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Cape Town.
Helen was awarded an MBE in 2013 for her services to rowing and has a post box painted gold in her hometown of Penzance, Cornwall in recognition of her Olympic success. She is a well-known face commentating on the BBC at the Oxford and Cambridge Varsity Boat Races, is an ambassador for the Scouts and continues to pursue her passions including wildlife and improving the environment.
Breathtaking daring French climber who defies logic climbing the world’s highest peaks without safety ropes.
An internationally in-demand motivational speaker who encourages audiences to set and go after targets.
Informs organisations of how to take ‘intelligent risk’ in order to achieve greater success.
Catherine Destivelle is recognised and admired as the most adventurous and exciting female climber in the world today. Her daring accomplishments as a solo climber in scaling the most difficult and dangerous peaks without the use of safety ropes, support or back-up is legendary. Her passion and desire to conquer the most challenging mountain faces in the world satisfies her emotions and her thirst for adrenaline, keeping her at the forefront of climbing and ahead of her time.
This extraordinarily brave woman is an accomplished speaker in both English and French. She gives inspirational presentations where she challenges and inspires her audience to re-focus their goals to achieve success by sharing her visions and startling achievements. Catherine powerfully illustrates with slides, video footage and films the necessary vision, belief and self-determination needed to stretch herself to her full potential.
Speaking
Catherine Destivelle has become a very popular speaker around the world. A natural and spontaneous person, Catherine Destivelle is an enthusiastic communicator of her experiences. Breathtaking pictures help her listeners to grasp the keys to success. Catherine will give you the energy and imagination to make all your projects a success.
In addition, Catherine organises climbing excursions or trips into the high mountains as part of seminars or conferences. These are not meant to be testing ordeals, but rather opportunities to find out more about ourselves, others and the world around us in a sociable environment.
These unique, unusual experiences can play a major part in teambuilding.
Unforgettable talks that will help to build customer loyalty and boost the performance of executives.
A mother of triplets who one day woke up and transformed herself into a world breaking polar explorer.
An inspirational example of how anyone can change their outlook in life in an instance as she did one day.
Expert speaker on leadership, risk, goal setting, teamwork and global sustainability.
Ann Daniels is a record-breaking polar explorer and a renowned international speaker. Daniels is the first woman in history, along with expedition teammate Caroline Hamilton, to reach the North and South Poles. Aged 30 Ann was a mother of triplets and working at the Natwest Bank and had never had a rucksack on her back. She has turned ordinary into extraordinary.
In 2009, Ann was asked by Pen Hadowto be his head of ice operations for the ground-breaking Catlin Arctic Survey. This project completed a unique environmental study of the rapidly disappearing frozen Arctic Ocean. Ann was responsible for leading the team on the ice and finding a safe route, making difficult decisions in the most extreme environment on Earth for 74 consecutive days.
Described by the Times as “living proof that humans really can reach new peaks”, Ann’s initial experience of the polar world was as a key member of a relay expedition to the North Pole in 1997. She was selected from hundreds of applicants to join the first team, which was tasked with crossing the toughest sections of ice in the coldest weather that any of the five relay groups experienced. Fired up by her experiences in temperatures cold enough to freeze skin instantly, Ann and four colleagues from the relay went on to organise and accomplish a 700 mile expedition across Antarctica to the South Pole.
A couple of years after that stunning achievement, Ann invited two friends from the South Pole team to join her on a return expedition to the North Pole. This time there would be no relay: the trio would cover the entire distance on their own. Sadly, Pom Oliver had to be evacuated part-way through the expedition, leaving Ann and Caroline to reach the Pole and achieve their Guinness world record on June 1st 2002.
“A wonderful example of determination and true British grit” – Prince Charles, HRH The Prince of Wales
Ann supports a number of charities including the World Wildlife Fund, Cancer Research UK, and the Cornwall Rescue Group. A proud representative of the Special Olympics, Ann is a recipient of the prestigious Pride of Britain Award.
Speaking
Ann tailors every speech to her audience and illustrates the importance of strong leadership, teamwork, the correct attitude, setting goals, managing change, overcoming the odds and the importance of persistence. There is no doubt she is an ordinary woman who has achieved the extraordinary.
She is a mother of four children but an ordinary woman who has achieved the extraordinary. She tells her story with passion and humour and her illustrated presentations show what can be achieved with belief, determination and keeping focused on the goal. She has motivated teams in both the private and corporate world and tailors every speech to her audience. Ann’s speaking topics of choice and experience are leadership, teamwork, motivation and global warming/environmental change.
“Her energy, belief and determination is inspiring. She is living proof that humans really can reach new peaks” – The Times
