The Keynote Lineup
Keep an eye on this page for the full breakout agenda release later this year.
Peter Zeihan
STRATEGIST, THINKER, FUTURIST
Peter is a New York Times bestselling author whose first three books — The Accidental Superpower, The Absent Superpower and Disunited Nations — have been recommended by Mitt Romney, Fareed Zakaria and Ian Bremmer. Peter is also a highly sought after public speaker. With a keen eye toward what will drive tomorrow’s headlines, his irreverent approach transforms topics that are normally dense and heavy into accessible, relevant takeaways for audiences of all types.
Linda Bernardi
TECHNOLOGIST, ENTREPRENEUR,
INNOVATOR
Linda Bernardi lives and breathes technology disruption and innovation. She is currently Co-Founder and CEO of XdMind Inc., a revolutionary company using AI to dynamically adapt music to video gaming. Today, technology is evolving like never before, and Linda is involved in cutting edge technologies across all sectors, such as Finance, Retail, Healthcare, High Tech, Logistics, Automotive, Consumer Goods, and all others. Her focus is to enable all enterprises to imagine, disrupt, innovate at record pace, and make the impossible become possible. She works with startups all around the globe, as well as large companies, to enable and inspire enterprises to build a culture of mindful innovation.
Vince Poscente
AUTHOR & MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
Despite any challenges they face, Vince Poscente helps business leaders with massive breakthroughs. His "Do what the competition is not willing to do" approach to obstacles and resilience has been used by Fortune 500 companies around the globe. As a New York Times bestselling author of nine books and an in-demand corporate presenter, he's an Olympian and Hall of Fame Speaker in both Canada and the USA. His Full Speed Ahead and Setback to Breakthrough conference keynotes are delivered with energy, humor and practical takeaways.
Meagan Johnson
GENERATIONAL EXPERT & AUTHOR
During the 1990s, while working for companies like Quaker Oats, Kraft Foods and Xerox, Meagan often heard negative comments about Gen Xers. Things like “they’re all slackers,” “gold collar workers,” and “it’s the Beavis and Butthead generation” were not uncommon. Being a Gen Xer herself, Meagan knew those terms were unfair, untrue and hurtful so she began researching small and large businesses to debunk generational myths and discover the most effective ways to solve multi-generational clashes. That research gave birth to thousands of generational presentations and to her best-selling book "Generations Inc., From Boomers To Linksters Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work”.
Anirban Basu
CHAIRMAN & CEO OF SAGE
POLICY GROUP
Anirban is a study in contradictions. He has been called an economist with a personality, or alternatively, one with a sense of humor. He has twice been recognized as one of Maryland’s 50 most influential people. He has also been named one of the Baltimore region’s 20 most powerful business leaders. He teaches global strategy at Johns Hopkins University and serves the Chief Economist function for a number of organizations around the country.
Alex Ayers
DIRECTOR OF GOVT. AFFAIRS, HARDI
Alex Ayers is the Director of Government Affairs for HARDI. Alex serves as HARDI’s primary lobbyist and policy expert. Alex has spent nearly a decade lobbying on the federal level and published papers and studies in various policy areas including taxes, energy, agriculture, and economics and has testified on tax policy. His research has been cited by organizations such as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Tax Foundation.
