1) Gerard Lyons

• Dr. Gerard Lyons is a leading global economist widely respected for his understanding of macroeconomic trends and the accuracy of his forecasting. In August 2008 he was one of only two UK economists then predicting an imminent deep recession. He was ranked number one forecaster globally by Bloomberg (out of over 360) in 2010 and 2011. He regularly tops the Sunday Times annual forecasting table.
• Gerard wrote an article in the Times this week, that argued, ‘robots can boost productivity and creativity for the poor’.  We are not the first generation to fear the absence of jobs. The industrialisation of the 18th and 19th centuries saw phenomenal change, with people lured from the land to the city. New technology tends to be continuous, complex, competitive and creative. Although the competitive threat from new technology could wipe out jobs, one lesson from the past is that technological advance often led to jobs changing and to the creation of new roles. 

2) Elizabeth Linder

• One of the most accomplished public speakers of her generation, Elizabeth Linder’s meteoric career spans the heartbeat of the Silicon Valley, where technology changes the world; dozens of parliaments and boardrooms around the globe, where leadership decisions change the world; and the back alleys of metropolitan centers, where civil society leaders agitate for change. When it comes to the intersection of social media and society, Elizabeth has seen it all.  And she’s articulate and thoughtful enough not only to tell the tales, but to inspire us to make the world a better place as a result.
• Writing for tech magazine, Wired Focus, Elizabeth argued that it is politicians rather than Facebook who need to do more to tackle abuse online, the founder of the organisation’s politics division has said.Taking a swipe at “hardline” MPs who use the site irresponsibly, Elizabeth Linder claims that the organisation’s attempts to promote “enlightened conversation” have been hampered by politicians who use social media to attack one another.She added that their use of divisive rhetoric online was “not only unhealthy for society but also incredibly disappointing.” she suggested…

3) Liz Nicholl

• Liz Nicholl CBE is a British sports administrator and former netball player who has been chief executive of UK Sport since 2010. She has been called “the most powerful woman” in British sport.
• Liz Nicholl believes the low number of women in senior coaching roles in elite sport means Britain is “missing out on talent”.According to statistics from UK Coaching, women account for about one in five qualified coaches in the country but that falls to one in 10 in the high-performance programmes funded by UK Sport. said great strides have been made to improve the gender balance in the boardrooms and executive teams at the various British sports councils and national governing bodies, and her own organisation has a female chair, chief executive and performance director.But as the recent furore over Phil Neville’s appointment as England Women’s football manager demonstrated, the lack of diversity in elite coaching is an area nobody has really cracked yet.Nicholl, who was speaking to mark International Women’s Day, said: “It is an issue in our high-performance system (and) it is clear we are missing out on some talent.”

4) Clay Chandler

• Clay Chandler is Executive Editor for the international division of Time Inc., where he oversees editorial operations outside North America and develops content and programming for high-profile business conferences including the Fortune Global Forum, Brainstorm Tech and Brainstorm Design. Clay writes frequently on topics related to global business and Asian affairs for Fortune and other Time Inc. titles, and publishes the weekly China-focused edition of Fortune’s popular CEO Daily newsletter.With two decades of experience researching, editing and reporting in Asia, Clay has deep knowledge of the region’s “big three” economies, China, Japan and India. His roles as co-chairman of the Fortune Global Forum and co-chairman of Brainstorm Tech International, to be held this year in Guangzhou, China, take him regularly to the Chinese mainland and afford him a frontline perspective of Chinese innovation and entrepreneurialism.
• Clay gave the closing address at this years Brainstorm Design conference, jointly hosted by Fortune, Time, and Wallpaper* in Singapore, on Thursday. He said “Our goal here was to bring the different tribes of the design community together,” said Clay Chandler, chair of Brainstorm Design. “And I think we achieved that in a small way.”Over the last few days, leading CEOs, academics and designers spanning all industries engaged in an array of panels to grapple with hefty questions about business and design: What does it mean to be a designer in the 21st century? What is good design? What is bad design? Why does it matter? How can businesses harness the power of design to meet the needs of consumers?

5) Amy Purdy

• At 19, after experiencing flu-like symptoms, Amy was rushed to the hospital in a state of septic shock. En route, she experienced respiratory and multiple organ failure which caused her to lose circulation to her extremities. When she entered into the hospital she was given less than a 2% chance of survival, put on life support and placed into a coma. After multiple blood transfusions, and the removal of her ruptured spleen, doctors diagnosed Amy with Meningococcal Meningitis, a vaccine preventable bacterial infection. Due to the lack of circulation she had suffered doctors had to amputate her legs below the knee. She later received a donated kidney from her father a week before her 21st birthday.
• The 2018 Paralympic Games will take over South Korea today, with its largest field of athletes ever. This year, the Paralympic Games welcomes 670 athletes from over 40 countries, and the Americans have big plans to make it to the top of the medal stand. Speaking of the games, Amy said, “Being a Paralympian takes laser focus…it takes all of you”. Amy is going for gold in para-snowboarding in PyeongChang, along with 74 other U.S. athletes.