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E-Newsletter > Speakers News: June 2010

Speaker news: June 2010

IN THIS ISSUE:
Energy expert Jason Grumet, Economist correspondent Vijay Vaitheeswaran, author and professor Jack Goldstone, TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie, and Power Friending author Amber MacArthur.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON ENERGY POLICY

An Oil Spill's Timely Reminder

As a massive oil spill decimates the Gulf of Mexico, policy leaders -- like Jason Grumet -- point toward a New Age of Energy

"We're not going to be able to sustain this kind of fossil fuel use," President Obama recently said in reaction to the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. America is entering a New Energy Age. And one of the people leading the way is Jason Grumet. During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Grumet was Obama's Chief Advisor on Energy and the Environment. Today, he is the Executive Director of the National Commission on Energy Policy, where he works with upper-tier policy makers in various fields to find a better way to deliver energy to Americans -- a way that makes sense for consumers, industry, and the environment. When it comes to the energy crisis, partisan gridlock -- "politics as usual"-- is not an option. (Grumet is also the founder of the Bipartisan Policy Centre.) We must all work together to build robust policy. The stakes, as we've been so rudely reminded, are too high.

Jason Grumet Speaker Profile

AWARD WINNING CORRESPONDENT FOR THE ECONOMIST

Need. Greed. Speed: Welcome to the Innovation Economy

Vijay Vaitheeswaran shows us why innovation is the only competitive advantage in the 21st Century

Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, the award-winning correspondent for The Economist, has tackled the politics, economics, business and technology of the interrelated fields of energy and the environment throughout his acclaimed career. Now, he's moving into new territory: innovation, health and biotechnology. As new technologies emerge -- and as the speed at which they are developed and adopted reduces -- the economy reconfigures and moves forward. Spanning the worlds of technology, energy, sustainability and the economy, Vaithesswaran shows us why innovation is the only competitive advantage in the 21st Century. Vaitheeswaran makes these disparate issues resonate for audiences who need to know where we stand, and how quickly things change in our new innovation economy.

Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran Speaker Profile

THE NEW POPULATION BOMB

The New Population Bomb: How Demographics Will Change The World

Jack Goldstone reveals how demographic shifts will reshape the world

Jack Goldstone is a world renowned author, professor at George Mason University, and highly sought after consultant. Although his fields of expertise range from political revolutions to state security to the cultural origins of modern economic growth, his most recent notoriety comes from his work on demographics. His monumental article in Foreign Affairs, The New Population Bomb, offers a startlingly original discussion of how demographic changes will shape how we live in the future. His article focuses on a macro vision of growing trends such as the rapid aging of Western democracies, the increasing urbanization of the planet and the rise of new powerhouse economies such as Brazil and Iran. Goldstone's work is an ambitious and wholly accessible look at where we're going and what will happen once we're there.

Jack Goldstone Speaker Profile

AMERICA'S MOST INSPIRING COMPANIES

TOMS Shoes Lands on Forbes' List of Most Inspiring Companies

How TOMS' story inspires customers and creates ambassadors

If you haven't heard of TOMS Shoes, it probably won't be long before you do. It won't be through advertising or traditional marketing, however. It will likely be through word of mouth. That is because what makes TOMS different is their story -- and it's a story people tend to share. Blake Mycoskie's company started with a simple vision: for every pair of shoes TOMS sold, they'd give a pair away to a child in need. One for one. The story of TOMS has landed them in Forbes' list of America's most inspiring companies. Who else is on the list? Apple, Google, and Microsoft to name a few. Mycoskie's success goes to show that the good deeds of a company can resonate with consumers -- and help grow your business.

Blake Mycoskie Speaker Profile

POWER FRIENDING

Social Media Expert Amber MacArthur's

Amber MacArthur's debut book helps businesses leverage social media to it's full extent

"Social media is here to stay, and Amber Mac's Power Friending is the ultimate guide for all those looking to understand (and profit) from our highly connected future."
-Jeremy Gutsche, chief trend hunter at TrendHunter.com and author of Exploiting Chaos

Amber MacArthur, the ultra-connected web strategist and consultant, has just released her first book, Power Friending, to universal acclaim. No stranger to the media spotlight, MacArthur is a well established media figure in the web world, appearing on the CBC, CityTV, CTV and G4TechTV as well as writing "Tech Trends", a weekly column in The Globe and Mail. Her debut book aims squarely at businesses and challenges them to think about social media in a new light. Her message? Treat your audience as "friends" and they will return the favour. MacArthur explains that using social media to create meaningful relationships with your customers doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. You just have to understand the tools.

Amber MacArthur Speaker Profile

GAYLE LEMMON at TEDxWOMEN

"If you're going to talk about jobs, then you have to talk about entrepreneurs," says Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. "And if you're talking about entrepreneurs in conflict and post-conflict settings, then you must talk about women." Lemmon is the author of the New York Times bestselling book The Dressmaker of Khair Khana and a Contributing Editor-at-Large for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. She has devoted her life to shedding light on the resiliency of female entrepreneurs, and their remarkable power to reshape local economies. By recognizing and investing in these female breadwinners, Lemmon says, we can help grow economies of all development levels around the world.