Confex keynote speakers announced

Hamish McRae, Ruby Wax and Kelvin MacKenzie

HAMISH MCRAE

Hamish McRae is a London-based economic journalist. He is the principal economic commentator of “The Independent” and “The Independent on Sunday”. He is also the author of the acclaimed work on the future "The World in 2020: Power, Culture and Prosperity" first published in 1994 and translated into more than a dozen languages.

His other books include "Capital City - London as a Financial Centre\", co-authored with Frances Cairncross, and "Wake-up Japan", co-authored with Tadashi Nakamae. Most recent awards are the David Watt Prize for outstanding political journalism in 2005, Business and Finance Journalist of the Year in the 2006 British Press Awards and Communicator of the Year on the 2007 Business Journalist Awards. He is a visiting professor at the School of Management at Lancaster University and a council member of the Royal Economic Society.

He was educated at Fettes College, Edinburgh and has an MA in Economics and Political Science from Trinity College, Dublin. He was deputy editor of "The Banker" and editor of "Euromoney" before becoming financial editor of "The Guardian" in 1975. In 1989 he moved to "The Independent" where he is now associate editor.

On Tuesday 24th February at 1:00pm in Theatre 1, Hamish will be giving his insights into the future of the economy and some of the implications that the credit crises will have on the events industry.

RUBY WAX

Awareness is one of the tools Ruby uses to ground herself when interviewing famous or powerful people, to read their emotions and be able to control her own through self-awareness. This helps her read their states so she knows when to back off and when to go in and put them at their ease to get them out of their “automatic pilot mode”.

After showing a few video clips of her work, she describes how in the interviewing process one needs to be highly focussed, aware and emotionally present in order to bring the best out in her guests, getting people out from behind their masks and off their embedded scripts, so that the communication is authentic and the dialogue is “out of the box” and creative.

Ruby shows how, by way of some simple practical exercises, in a very short space of time, leaders can come to a deeper and more direct level of communication with their people, clients and colleagues.

The workshops combine humour with scientific and theoretical learning and practical exercises. Participants leave with a set of tools that will enable them to become more fully present - to themselves, clients, colleagues and subordinates. This kind of communication ensures that the individuals that make up an organisation work from a place of trust and transparency. Ruby demonstrates how leaders can get the best out of their teams by creating a climate of positivity, not fear. Fear or stress passes like a virus through organisations. Teams and people work at their best if they feel genuinely listened to and heard – not talked at.

On Wednesday 25th February at 1:00pm in Theatre 1, Ruby will show how, by the way of simple practical exercises, in a very short space of time, leaders can come to a deeper and more direct level of communication with their clients and colleagues.

KELVIN MACKENZIE

Former editor of The Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie started his media career when he was 16. In 1982 Kelvin MacKenzie was appointed editor of The Sun and stayed there for 12 years. Prior to this he was the managing editor of the New York Post.

Kelvin MacKenzie's subsequent roles included being managing director of BSkyB and deputy chief executive and group managing director of Mirror Group.

In November 1998, Kelvin MacKenzie became chairman and chief executive of the Wireless Group plc, which owned Talk Radio, which re-launched as talkSPORT. In 2005, The Wireless Group was sold to Ulster TV for £100 million.

In May 2007 Kelvin Mackenzie presented A Tabloid Is Born, on the BBC. Since then, his media activity has included standing in for Nick Ferrari on LBC, and appearing on "Sport Relief Does The Apprentice" on the BBC and It Pays to Watch on Channel Five.

He has now returned to his first love of journalism and writes a column for the Sun, contributes to the Spectator and regularly broadcasts and guests on television.

On Thursday 26th February at 1:00pm in Theatre 1, Kelvin will be interviewed by Robert Wright of Davies Tanner PR, focussing on the highlights of his career.