Chartwell Speakers have been featuring in the news this week. See our ‘Top Five’ picks below. If you are interested in booking any of these speakers please contact us here.

1) IAN BREMMER

• Professor Ian Bremmer is an American political scientist and expert speaker specialising in US foreign policy, states in transition, and global political risk.
• In a session titled “Major Events that Will Impact the World in 2018”, Ian Bremmer, President and founder of Eurasia Group, said China is capable of leading the global economy, even while the world lacks model leaders capable of influencing events and building effective alliances. Bremmer said that the policies of US President Donald Trump have witnessed American influence waning in several areas of conflict such as the China Sea and Syria. He also highlighted the American withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and Trump’s recent comments that led to a broad international rejection to almost all the US foreign policies. Bremmer added: “The situation in Europe is similar to that in America in terms of the inequality and dominance of major economic monopolies, which have led to the spread of populist tendencies in these nations and the decline of the Western economic model in favor of countries such as China and Japan, which employ the bulk of their GDP to provide care to citizens and job opportunities that are in line with their qualifications.”

2) ROHAN SILVA

• Rohan Silva is a global thought leader on the relationship between public policy and innovation. He has an unrivalled perspective on technology’s potential to transform public services and drive economic growth and job creation.
• In an article for The Evening Standard, Rohan argued that we should be looking to Lisbon for ideas on how to repair Britain’s social and economic problems. When it comes to attracting global talent, or tackling social challenges in new ways, Lisbon is arguably getting a lot of things right. For example, the city’s bold experiment with what policy geeks call “participatory budgets”. Every year Lisbon residents get to decide how one per cent of the city’s budget gets spent, which adds up to millions of euros. It has been a huge success, with 500,000 people voting on projects annually — a fantastic way to get involved in civic life, and bring about real change. Rohan noted that one of the daft things about British politics is that our social and economic problems are usually treated as if they’re unique; it’s depressingly rare for policymakers to look overseas and learn from other countries. Moreover, in the wake of the EU referendum we need to do better.

3) IAN BIRRELL 

• Ian Birrell is the Foreign Reporter of the Year (2015) and Columnist of the Year (2015) at the British Press Awards – a unique double win reflecting his unusual range of journalism, informed by his wide experiences and reporting on the ground.

• Ian argued, this week, that the Tories move to increase prison sentences for animal cruelty is unlikely to make a difference. Behavioural economists have shown humans are highly irrational creatures and there is little if any evidence that the threat of jail serves to deter animal abuse. He continued, most people convicted of animal cruelty do not go to jail, and are instead issued with fines that often go unpaid. Ian suggested that instead of fines and indeed, longer prison sentences, miscreants should work in animal sanctuaries under strict supervision to make them understand the sentience of animals.

  

  

  

  

  

4) CAMILLA CAVENDISH

• Camilla Cavendish is a respected journalist and commentator with a particular interest in social and healthcare issues. In 2013 Camilla was commissioned by the British Department of Health to lead an independent review into healthcare assistance in the NHS and care homes.
• Writing for The Financial Times, this week, Camilla warned that a second referendum is in the Tory party’s interests because unless voters endorse a deal, the government will be punished in a general election. Camilla wrote: ”If the Tories want to avoid annihilation then, they should try to get the best possible deal and then put it to a public vote. Polls show growing support for this. It would be the grown-up thing to do. It might even start to heal some divisions. And it would be a great deal more impressive than hoping to get this over and move on. Everyone loses if this game is won by the populists.”
   

5) LEWIS PUGH

• Lewis Pugh is one of the world’s leading inspirational and leadership speakers and an authority on how to achieve the “impossible”. He was the first person to complete a long distance swim in every ocean of the world. He was the first to undertake a swim across the icy waters of the North Pole and the first to swim across a glacial lake on Mt Everest. In a career spanning 27 years the maritime lawyer has pioneered more swims around famous landmarks than any other swimmer in history.
• Lewis’ new documentary, ‘Arctic Peril’ for Sky News, was screened for the first time this week, and is due to be aired on 20th December. The documentary is based on Lewis’ latest campaign in which he put his life on the line, swimming at the northern ice edge to fight for the protection of the worlds northern wilderness. The documentary explores the world’s most pristine and least understood ocean, the Arctic, which is under threat from chemical pollutants, plastics and climate change.