SPEAKERS

Brian is heralded as one of the ‘top 10 people to know in Silicon Valley’ and considered “one of the most important thought leaders of our time.” Brian Solis shares his vision, research, and front-line experiences through keynotes at conferences and events worldwide.

In his work, Brian helps people understand the complex dynamics defining every wave of digital disruption and how they’re reshaping the future. No matter the industry or the application, Brian humanizes technology, market, and societal events and translates trends into meaningful insights, impact, and next steps. He connects with audiences in ways that are not only enlightening but also personally inspiring.

Brian is indeed ‘Mr. Futurist’. He has personally influenced and shaped business and technology trends through his work, lead countless programs for Fortune 500 companies, notable celebrities, startups, and is globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders and published authors in innovation. His message simply resonates and that’s why he’s also followed by more than 700,000 people online, including some of the most influential people in business, politics, entertainment, and technology industries globally.

He’s an eight-time, best-selling, and award-winning author and has published over 60 research reports on the future of business, work, digital transformation, innovation, and industries such as retail, healthcare, financial services, insurance, and public sector. Whether it’s a technology or business event or an internal corporate summit, Brian brings a naturally engaging and entertaining message of clarity, meaning, and inspiration.

His blog, BrianSolis.com, is among the world’s leading business online resources. Brian also contributes to FastCompany, ZDNet, Techonomy, CIO, ADWEEK, and Singularity University.

Christina Blacken is a public speaker, performer, and founder of The New Quo, a leadership development and equity consultancy, helping leaders use behavioral science-based narrative strategies to disrupt bias, build better relationships, and communicate new ideas with deeper connection and influence to achieve status quo breaking goals. She helps leaders identify the psychological impact of historical, cultural, and personal narratives on beliefs, bias, and behaviors to improve their bias recognitions, as well as providing them with leadership tools to create more equitable communications, goal setting, decision making, and relationship building skills. She’s applied this methodology to a variety of equity problems, from social media content moderation, to creating equity goals and practices for every area of a business, to helping companies create more inclusive language in their content and services. She’s trained 8,809 leaders across nine industries, and has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, and Nasdaq.com among other outlets.

Dr. Robert Genetski has a rare combination of business and academic experience. He is a world-renowned economist, consultant, teacher, author and popular speaker. For the past 25 years, as the head of his own consulting firm, he has provided his clients with valuable insights to the financial implications of various policy developments.

Genetski has taught economics at various institutions including New York University, and the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business.

As one of the nation’s leading advocates of free market classical principles, he has written five books on the subject. His latest book, Rich Nation, Poor Nation, provides extensive historical evidence showing how poor nations have become rich, and how rich nations can lose their wealth. It has received rave reviews with the President of the Heartland Institute calling it “…an instant classic and belongs in every library and on the desk of everyone with and interest in human prosperity.”

Two of Genetski’s previous books, Winning with Money, and Classical Principles & the Wealth of Nations, have been translated into Japanese and Chinese. Genetski has been recognized as one of the top five speakers in the field of economics and finance. He entertains tens of thousands of people each year, using humor and anecdotes to make complex economic issues understandable to all.

Sven Ballschmiede is Executive Director of the International Organization of the Flavor Industry (IOFI). Before joining IOFI, Sven had been the Executive Director for the European Flavor Association (EFFA), while simultaneously serving as Executive Director for the German Flavor Association (DVAI) and the German Fragrance Association (DVRH). A native of Saarbrücken (Germany), Sven is a lawyer by training who studied in both Germany and Switzerland.

Prior to his career in the world of associations, Sven worked at the International Law Firm Gide Loyrette Nouel in Brussels specializing in International Trade Law and WTO Dispute Settlement. He assisted multinational companies in the context of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy procedures and advised different national governments in dispute settlement procedures at the WTO in Geneva.

Dr. Helena Boschi is a psychologist who focuses on applied neuroscience in the workplace. Her particular areas of interest include the brain and behavior, our emotional and rational neural networks, and how to improve our cognitive abilities in order to get the best out of our own and others’ brainpower. Helena has also researched the influence of cognitive biases and corporate psychopathy across different organizations. Recently, she investigated the impact of chronic, work-induced stress on brain function and published a book called Why We Do What We Do: understanding Our Brain to Get the Best Out of Ourselves and Others.

Helena has spent the last 25 years working closely with businesses to define and design new initiatives, particularly in the areas of organizational behavior, leadership and team development, intercultural communication, and organizational change. Helena has held senior talent management and organization development positions within international companies and now works predominantly in the telecommunications, pharmaceutical and finance industries. She has delivered and coordinated tailored development in different countries in line with the requisite capabilities and business requirements and created a reliable process for building a talent pipeline. Helena believes in creating an energized and participative learning environment whilst at the same time treating people with sensitivity and respect. Helena has lived and worked in Switzerland and the US and now works extensively across the Middle East, Europe, US, Africa and Asia. She works at all levels within organizations and also coaches senior executives.

With a deep commitment to ongoing research in current organizational and psychological trends, Helena possesses keen insight into best and evolving practices in learning, communication and leadership. A member of the British Psychological Society, she brings a scientific edge to the work she delivers and continues to apply the latest developments in the fields of psychology, neuroscience and behavior to the organizational context.

Karl Ahlrichs specializes in helping professionals make order from chaos. He is a national speaker, author, and consultant, presenting on the people issues in all industries, and is often quoted in the local and national media.

Karl’s Human Capital and Operations experience is ideally suited to times of organizational change as he pulls on risk management and organizational development theories to replace “best practices” with “next practices.” He has direct HR Consulting experience in the Flavor and Extract industry, along with consumer foods.

He joined Gregory & Appel in 2010 after serving as a founding partner of ExactHire, bringing his HR, operations, diversity & belonging, and learning & development skills with him. In 2003, he was named the SHRM Human Resource Professional of the Year for the State of Indiana. He is on the Boards of several organizations, including the Maryland CPA Society. Karl has lived in Scotland and Spain and lives to explore new experiences with his wife and family.