IFB2016 has blue sky thinkers
FW De Klerk, Jim O’Neill and Liv Garfield are the early confirmed speakers for the International Festival for Business’ Blue Skies programme,
IFB2016 is securing a collection of thinkers, innovators, statesmen and business leaders to share their experiences. Its Blue Skies series will take place at the end of each day at the festival, and will give attendees the opportunity to listen to events that have shaped the speakers lives.
The first three to be unveiled are:
· FW De Klerk, the former South African President who oversaw the end of apartheid and the creation of the first fully democratic Republic of South Africa. Since leaving politics his work has included establishing Global Leadership Foundation (GLF), a non-profit organisation that plays a constructive role in the promotion of peace, democracy and development in countries across the world.
· Jim O’Neill, the former Goldman Sachs economist who defined the BRICS growth economies. Lord O’Neil is now Commercial Secretary to the UK Treasury and a key architect of the UK Northern Powerhouse as an economic area that will shape the success of the UK economy in the future.
· Liv Garfield, the FTSE 100 CEO of Severn Trent Water. Originally from Liverpool, the host city for IFB2016, she is one of only six female FTSE 100 CEOs and was recently announced as one of the UK Prime Minister’s Business Ambassadors.
Further Blue Skies thinkers will be announced over the coming weeks, while IFB2016 is launching a search for further Blue Skies thinkers that Festival attendees would like to hear from. The #searchforblueskies twitter campaign is being launched to gather the most interesting figures to attend the series.
Jude Kelly OBE, creative director of IFB2016 said: “The Blue Skies series is an exceptional addition to the 2016 Festival. The opportunity to hear from a group of the most fascinating global figures is a huge draw for festival attendees.”
IFB2016 is the world’s biggest business festival and will bring together thousands of global businesses, providing a platform for companies to connect and conduct international commerce.
This summer’s festival follows the success of the inaugural IFB in 2014, which produced more than £200m of new investment deals and export sales totaling more than £80m which were the direct result of introductions and connections facilitated by the event.
Commencing on 13 June 2016, it will focus on three key sectors: manufacturing; creative & digital; and energy and environment.
For more information visit: http://www.ifb2016.com/
