Founder of Strategos, an international management consulting firm and visiting Professor of Strategic Management at London Business School, Gary Hamel is the originator of the concept of core competencies. He is also the director of the Woodside Institute, a non-profit research foundation.

Dr. Kjell Nordstrom is a guru in the new world of business. The 2007 Thinkers 50, the world's ranking of management thinkers, ranked Nordstrom and his partner Dr. Jonas Ridderstrale at number 13 in the world. His dynamic style makes him a highly appreciated speaker. A 20-year veteran, he is a sought-after advisor and consultant to several large multinationals through out the world and has even worked with Tony Blair.

University of San Francisco MBA Professor and co-author of the bestseller, Jumping the Curve: Innovation and Strategic Choice in an Age of Transition, Oren Harari specializes in competitive advantage, organizational change and transformational leadership. He writes a monthly national column, The Cutting Edge for Management Review, and has written numerous publications for Harvard Business Review.

Ray Kurzweil is widely regarded as one of the leading inventors of our time. He invented the first reading machine for the blind, and is an otherwise accomplished entrepreneur, author, and recognized futurist. His presentations to diverse audiences combine wit and keen insight into contemporary issues of technology and its impact on society.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter is an internationally known business leader, best-selling author, and expert on strategy, innovation, and leadership for change. She is the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. She advises major corporations and governments worldwide, and is the author or co-author of 15 books.

Watts Wacker is one of the world's most respected futurists. He helps the world's top corporations and organizations navigate the changes and challenges of the new millennium through his work as a lecturer, best-selling author, political commentator and social critic. He was also Time magazine's 2006 Person of the Year.

Richard Florida is an economist best known for his work developing his concept of the "creative class", and its ramifications in urban regeneration. He expresses his theories in his bestselling book The Rise of the Creative Class.

Entrepreneur Simon Woodroffe started the sushi chain YO! Sushi. The concept was to make eating a complete entertainment experience and featured call buttons, robot drinks trolleys and Japanese TV. Simon has most recently appeared on the BBC 2 produced worldwide hit program Dragons' Den as one of the formidable panelists, who make and break the dreams of would-be entrepreneurs as they pitch their business ideas for financing.

Tyler Brule was trained as a journalist with the BBC, but eventually left the journalism field and launched a style and fashion magazine called Wallpaper*, one of the most influential fashion magazines of the 1990s. He's been a regular columnist for the Financial Times, The New York Times, and others.

Tim Smit is a millionaire record producer who enjoyed popular triumph with artists including Barry Manilow and the Nolan Sisters. Called the "Richard Branson of Cornwall", Smit's humble mission is to tell the world the story of plants that changed history. His "Eden Project" in Cornwall is what he calls a "living theatre of plants" -- 250,000 of them!