Emma Harrison
Emma set up her company A4e in 1991 initially to provide skills and employment training for workers made unemployed by the decline in Sheffield’s steel industry. She has since built A4e into a competitive public services company that delivers a range of services to, amongst others, the financially excluded and long-term unemployed. Today A4E turns over in excess of £100 million. The company’s vision is to ‘Improve peoples lives’ and it does so globally, having touched the lives of over 1 million people in the last 15 years. Emma’s start in life was not the easiest and she knows only too well how damaging a tough start can be. This drives her to help wherever she can. She mentors young girls who are disengaged from education with a mission to get them through to GCSE and works closely with the NSPCC. Emma lives her life by her motto – ‘doing well by doing good’.

Dame Kelly Holmes
Dame Kelly Holmes is President of Commonwealth Games England (CGE). Her role is to be an ambassador for the England Team and the work of the CGE. In 2004, Dame Kelly secured a place in history by becoming the first English female athlete to win both the 800m and 1500m in one Olympic Games. Previously, Dame Kelly had won two Commonwealth Games golds and a silver. As such she has been described by CGE Chairman Sir Andrew Foster, with whom she will work to raise the profile of English Commonwealth sport, as “truly inspirational”. Made a Dame by Her Majesty the Queen in 2005, Dame Kelly was also winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2004. A former Army PTI, Dame Kelly was awarded an MBE in 1997 for her services to the British Army. Renowned for the work she undertakes with school and youth sport, she founded the DKH Legacy Trust in 2008 to provide support to elite performers as they develop a new career.

Stephen Green
An ordained Anglican priest, Stephen Green studied at Oxford and then spent a year working at an alcoholics’ hostel in London’s east end. He now heads up HSBC, the world’s biggest non-state-run bank and has been very vocal on the causes of the financial crisis. He has stated that remuneration in banking has run out of control and the bonuses being handed out were, and still are inflated and must be controlled. As well as his role as Group Chairman of HSBC, he is also Chairman of the British Bankers’ Association, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Business Council for Britain and a trustee of the British Museum.

Archbishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu
A man of immense moral authority, Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been one of the leading figures in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Tutu has strived to remain outside party politics and in 1984, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as well as the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2005. Today, he is the world’s voice of conscience. He is a peacemaker who is not afraid to speak his mind and put his head above the parapet on taboo subjects. He will be appearing in an exclusive video interview, recorded live for the Annual Convention.

Lord Puttnam
Politician, entrepreneur and most famously, the Oscar-winning producer of Chariots of Fire. David Puttnam spent thirty years as an independent film producer making many award winning films including; The Killing Fields, Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone, and Memphis Belle. Then, in 1986 he became the first European-born boss of a Hollywood studio, Columbia. Having retired from film-making in 1998, Lord Puttnam’s considerable energy is now channelled into education and the environment. He is Chancellor of the Open University and when the Blair government came to power, he became chairman of the Education Standards Task Force and later the General Teaching Council. Between his retirement from the film industry in 1988 to date, he has been involved in a huge array of projects, and undertaken many roles, including; Deputy Chairman of Channel Four ; Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Climate Change Bill Scrutiny Committee; President of the FDA; Trustee of the Eden Project.; Vice President and Chair of Trustees at BAFTA, He was also awarded a CBE in 1982, received a Knighthood in 1995 and was appointed to the House of Lords in 1997. His relevance and influence across so many core facets of our day to day lives makes Lord Puttnam’s appearance one not to be missed.

Sir Martin Sorrell
Sir Martin Sorrell was Group Finance Director of the advertising agency group, Saatchi & Saatchi, where he was instrumental in planning and implementing its international expansion. He then went on to found WPP in 1985 and has been Chief Executive throughout its history. During that period, WPP has grown rapidly to become one of the world’s leading communications services groups. Sorrell is widely respected throughout the advertising industry, with his words being scrutinised and quoted by many within the marketing sector. Many industry observers credit him with the fact that the UK still has an independent, vibrant communications industry As well as his key role within the communications sector, Sorrell also has a keen involvement in other worthy roles. He is a governor of the London Business School, was appointed an Ambassador for British Business by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and was subsequently appointed to the Office’s Panel 2000 aimed at re-branding Britain abroad. In 1999 he was appointed by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to serve on the Council for Excellence in Management and Leadership and most recently he was appointed a member of the Committee for the Special Olympics, serving on the Board. His many successes and keen entrepreneurial spirit have ensured his place in British business history and he is well placed to share his views on the shape of things to come.

Major Phil Packer
Major Phil Packer was told by medics that he would never walk again after sustaining a spinal cord injury during a rocket attack in Basra in February 2008. Phil went on to defy doctors to complete the 2009 London marathon, crossing the finish line 13 days after he started the 26.2 mile course. During Phil’s rehabilitation in hospital and at Headley Court, he decided to embark upon numerous physical challenges to raise funds for charity and raise awareness of the charities he supports. His three main challenges in 2009; rowing the English Channel with Al Humphreys, walking the London Marathon over 14 days and hauling himself up El Capitan with a support team of some of the country’s best climbers, Phil inspired millions and gained unexpected national recognition including Fundraiser of the Year at the Pride of Britain Awards and the Helen Rollason Award at the 2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Inspired by those he has met on his journey, Phil is embarking on a new life to dedicate his time and energy to supporting young people and young people with disabilities. In April 2010 he intends to attempt the Virgin London Marathon in 26 hours for 26 charities when he will be supported by a representative “Young Support Walker” from each charity for each mile he walks.

Michael Johnson International Athletics Legend and Entrepreneur
Michael Johnson won 12 Olympic and world championship medals during an unparalleled track career, and every one of them was gold. Nicknamed ‘The World’s Fastest Human’, Johnson is the only male athlete in history to win both the 200m and 400m events at the same Olympics and at 43 years of age, he still holds the world record in the 400m and 4 x 400m relay. He also held onto the 200m record for 12 years and it was only taken from him at last year’s Olympics in Bejing by a remarkable performance by Usain Bolt who took 200th of a second of his time of 19.32 seconds. His progression through the ranks of the track world was swift and stunning, during his career he became the best combined 200/400 meter sprinter ever. Having retired from track and field, Michael is now one of the most sought after motivational speakers in the world. He is an exceptional example of how extreme pressure can make one more focused on realizing his own true potential . Not content with retiring as a former world champion, Johnson also has a bachelor’s degree in business and has set up his own company which focuses on helping and developing up and coming athletes and has worked on a motivational front, with companies such as Sony, Microsoft, Bank of Scotland and Proctor and Gamble. More on Michael Johnson

Entrepreneurs Panel

Simon Calver
Inspired by his love for films, Simon Calver, Chief Executive of LOVEFiLM, was not the natural entrepreneur, yet he found a gap in the market and took full advantage. Calver joined the company Video Island in 2005 as CEO, he saw its potential and in four years he has overseen the merger with LOVEFiLM and the acquisition of Amazon’s UK and German DVD rental service. Under his stewardship LOVEFiLM has grown to a million subscribers with a £70m turnover.

Tristram Mayhew Chief Gorrilla, Go Ape
Tristram sees himself as an adventurepreneur rather than a businessman and founded Go Ape!, the multi-award winning high wire forest adventure that now has over 22 locations across Britain in 2002. After leaving the Army as a captain in 1997, he spent 5 years with multinationals including Coca-Cola Schweppes, before taking the plunge to go it alone. He was a Credit Suisse Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in the National Business Awards in 2006 and 2008.

Will King Founder, King of Shaves
A redundant marketer with a degree in mechanical engineering wondering if there was a way to avoid rashes when wet shaving using bath oil. This was the beginning of Will King’s story and how, with a little blood, sweat and tears, and £30,000 loan from his friends, he took his company, King of Shaves, from his kitchen sink, to the UK’s second largest shaving brand, overtaking household names such as Wilkinson Sword and Nivea in the shaving oils market. Read Will King’s blog