AESC Global Conference - Sustaining Growth - London

“People, Planet, Purpose and Prosperity” – that is Gerd Leonhard’s motto. As one of the leading futurists worldwide, having presented at over 1600 leading conferences and events over the past 20 years and worked with the likes of Microsoft, NBC, Visa, Google, the European Commission, L’Oréal, Audi and IBM, just to name a few, Gerd has had the opportunity to influence and inspire Millions to “imagine and create a better tomorrow” – which led to him being named to Wired UK’s 100 Most Influential Europeans in 2015 and to be listed #7 in the global ranking of futurists.

As a leading voice on the pitfalls of unregulated exponential technologies and the bestselling author of “Technology vs Humanity: The Coming Clash Between Man and Machine” Gerd has built a storied reputation as the go-to keynote speaker and thought leader when it comes to digital ethics, human-centric technology, sustainability, and the need for a new form of capitalism.

In addition to being one of the top 10 virtual keynote presenters worldwide, Gerd is also a former professional musician, a filmmaker, a successfully failed dotcom paper-millionaire, a Forbes column contributor, a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (London), and a Visiting Professor at the Fundação Dom Cabral in Brazil.

Gerd is no stranger to media, frequently sharing his often controversial but always prescient views with pieces in The Guardian, Harvard Business Review, Business Insider, Wired UK, and interviews with the likes of BBC, CNN, Arirang TV, Swiss SRF, ZDF, ARD, ARTE, and inclusion as a special guest in over a dozen documentaries.

He is based in Zurich Switzerland.

Karen Greenbaum is President and CEO of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), the global association representing the $15b+ profession worldwide. AESC is dedicated to strengthening leadership worldwide. AESC’s rigorous Code of Professional Practice guides its members, spanning 1,200+ offices in 70+ countries and beyond, to serve as strategic advisors on behalf of their clients. AESC Members are best positioned to provide companies with a competitive advantage—the ability to find, attract and develop the best talent in the world and ensure that executives are successfully integrated.

Ms. Greenbaum is an experienced business leader having served as the President and COO for the $1 billion US business of Mercer Consulting/MMC, a Fortune 200 company and later as COO for Nixon Peabody LLP a nearly $500 million global 100 law firm. She also served as an executive search consultant and partner before being selected as President and CEO of AESC.

Ms. Greenbaum is committed to diverse leadership, representing AESC as an official member of the 30% Club, a global group of Chairs and CEOs committed to board diversity and The Committee of 200, a global non-profit focused on advancing women in business. AESC recognizes that diversity is a business imperative. As trusted advisors to those companies that drive economies, lead innovation, and compete across vital sectors and geographies, AESC members know first-hand the power of diverse corporate leadership.

Michael co-leads McKinsey’s Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice globally. He also serves on the McKinsey Global Institute council – which advises on MGI’s research on global economic, business, and technology trends – as well as the committee that develops and evaluates our partners around the world.

Michael partners with bold and determined executives to set strategy, transform organizations, and deliver sustainable value. He has served companies around the world at the board and executive-committee levels across a diverse set of industries, as well as institutions in the public and social sectors, and his work is often shaped by insights and analogies from other contexts. Michael’s deepest sector expertise is in energy, natural resources, and industrials, where he works with several of the leading global organizations across their agenda.

Passionate about helping talented executives to succeed as individuals – particularly as they take on new roles – Michael co-leads McKinsey’s research on CEO excellence, as well as MGI’s research on companies in the 21st century. His perspectives have been published and cited in the McKinsey Quarterly, Harvard Business Review, and Financial Times, among other leading publications.

Michael is a director of BritishAmerican Business, a governor of the Royal College of Art and the British Film Institute, and a former trustee of the Marshall Scholarships and the World Schools Debating Championships. In 2016, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

Based in London, Michael previously worked in McKinsey’s San Francisco and Mumbai offices. He studied Philosophy, Politics & Economics at the University of Oxford and holds an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School.

Ruth Cairnie is the Chair of Babcock International Group plc and the SID at Associated British Foods plc. She is Patron of the Women in Defence Charter, also a trustee of Windsor Leadership and of the White Ensign Association. She is a supporting Chair at Chapter Zero.
Ruth’s previous roles include chair of the POWERful Women initiative, Non-Executive Director of Rolls-Royce Holdings, Contour Global plc and Keller Group plc and member of the Finance Committee at Cambridge University.
Ruth’s executive career was at Royal Dutch Shell spanning Research, B2B businesses, Strategy, Supply Chain and M&A.

Ron Soonieus is a Senior Advisor for Boston Consulting Group’s Social Impact practice. He also serves as Director in Residence at INSEAD, and is a non-executive director at the University of the Arts in the Netherlands.

Ron’s focus and expertise mostly involve integrating sustainability and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) into corporate strategy, governance, and culture. He has worked with clients to fill executive and non-executive boards in sustainability and ESG. Ron works with clients to help them develop a culture of purpose and adopt a sustainable corporate mindset and behaviors.

In his appointment as Director in Residence at INSEAD, Ron researches and teaches about the role of the board in sustainability and ESG.