Fred Colantonio is a Belgian criminologist-turned-innovation expert who has redefined business transformation through a behavioral and pragmatic lens. After five years in public administration, he founded CGroup Communication, a consultancy focused on digital strategy and innovation, supporting over 175 companies with more than 21,000 hours of consulting and training.
As a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP®), Fred has delivered 1,100+ talks across 16 countries. His innovation keynotes focus on helping companies decode disruption, foster intrapreneurship, and create agile, future-ready cultures. He introduces frameworks like the “Natural Differentiating Asset” to help teams harness their strengths for competitive innovation. A bestselling author of ten books, he also runs a non-profit supporting entrepreneurs, demonstrating his belief that innovation is accessible to all. With energy and clarity, Fred empowers leaders to turn challenges into strategic opportunities.
Vijay helps executives at leading organizations to drive growth through responsible innovation. Previously, Vijay was Head of Strategy at World Economic Forum, Venture Director at Harvard's Clayton Christensen's Innosight Ventures where he led an Edison award winning healthcare innovation and also, was the Project Head and Technical Director for India's first disney style computer animation series that won a daytime Emmy nomination. Vijay was also an Entrepreneur in Residence for the Adecco Group. World Economic Forum identified Vijay as a GLobal Leadership Fellow in 2013. Vijay holds a Masters in Global Leadership offered by WEF along with INSEAD, Wharton, Columbia, London Business School & CEIBS, China. Vijay also holds an MBA from the International University of Japan with a prestigious Monbukagakhusho scholarship from Ministry of Education (MEXT), Govt of Japan. Vijay has spoken at WEF Davos, Cannes Lions, TEDx and has written for WEF Agenda, Al Arabiya, Huffpost and Forbes.
Mr. Alexander Papakostoulis is an Investment Manager at Bayerische Versorgungskammer, Germany's largest pension group, specializing in the selection and monitoring of investments across the fixed income space. Mr. Alexander Papakostoulis is part of the investment committee and responsible for the selection of external asset managers (Fund Manager selection) as well as executing direct investments in various fixed income asset classes including bonds, bank loans and private loans, private debt, infrastructure debt, structured products (CLOs), Emerging market debt, Local currency debt products as well as distressed debt products. Mr. Papakostoulis has 5+ years of experience in the Asset Management / Investment Management industry and holds a M.Sc. in Business and Economics from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Christian Byrge, PhD and professor, is a leading international expert in creative thinking and has collaborated with global organisations like Novo Nordisk, LEGO, Velux, Grundfos, Maersk, Danfoss, Kompan, Siemens, Novozymes, Warner Music, Zealand Pharma, TotalEnergies, and many others. He has worked with engineers, lawyers, cleaners, attorneys, salespeople, managers, software developers, geologists, directors, operators, nurses, project managers, entrepreneurs, and educators—along with HR leaders, doctors, farmers, innovators, film producers, and many more. His captivating keynotes inspire attendees to discover new, better, and more engaging solutions to everyday challenges—elevating innovation capabilities to the next level.
Silvia Garcia is an award winning TEDx speaker who helps people and businesses thrive. As former Global Marketing and Happiness Institute Director for Coca-Cola, she unlocked the company's secret to success: its people! Silvia put into practise cutting edge discoveries to increase happiness and create the right mindset to help teams raise through challenges. Today, Silvia guides organizations to harness human potential. Silvia brings the latest scientific discoveries on human thriving and business performance to cultivate cultures of high resilience, trust, and collaboration. She is regularly consulted on topics such as Sales and Growth, AI, Trust, tthe future of work, resilience, leadership and wellbeing. Highly demanded all around the world, her speeches have been said to change “lives and companies”. Silvia works with clients to spread positive leadership and cultivate high-trust, growth-minded cultures that elevate performance in individuals, teams, and organizations.
Born and raised in Mozambique, Lerio has spent the last decade living in Portugal, Germany, and England, enriching his global perspective and cultural sensitivity. This international experience enables him to connect deeply with diverse audiences, fostering an environment of care, sensitivity, and presence in every engagement. His mission is to help people connect better, interact and engage. When we are engaged, we communicate better and we perform better. And good levels of performance lead to better results. Lerio helps people reach that through the Power of Asking. Are you ready to connect? Just ask!
Matteo Rizzi is a globally recognized entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in financial services. Known for his unconventional approach, he spent 13 years at SWIFT, where he co-founded Innotribe—its innovation arm—and launched the first global startup challenge in the finance industry. Since 2013, Matteo has been actively involved as a fintech investor and venture partner with global VCs and CVCs, contributing to over 20 deals and five successful exits. He currently serves as a venture partner at Bamboo Capital Partners, focusing on fintech and impact-driven investments. Matteo continues to influence the evolution of financial innovation through strategic investments, thought leadership, and advisory roles across the global ecosystem.
Andrew has deep knowledge of leadership, change, and transformation, based on nearly 25 years of experience and research. His 2023 signature keynote is: "Driving Accelerated Results with Self-leadership". The Audience will learn: Self-leadership means accepting responsibility for your results. You don't blame other people and you don't make excuses. We are born into a frame of mind that is reinforced by our early experiences, and education. Unless we become aware of these frames of mind and take ownership, we will be destined to firefighting one issue after another until we are exhausted. You can’t lead others unless you first lead yourself. As you increase your self-awareness and embrace self-learning and self-regulation you will get results. There is a formula, and that formula is that Clear Expectations X Mindset & Motivation X Right Behaviors = Accelerated Results.
Chris is the Founder and CEO of The Innovation Alliance, a global network of tech executives and innovation leaders dedicated to helping organizations build world-class innovation engines. Before launching his company, Chris spent 13+ years at top tech firms, including Apple and Google USA. At Google, he led the North American Inbound Sales organization and served as an advisor to Google's Innovation Lab. In 2023, Harvard Business School highlighted Google's Innovation Lab in a case study featuring Chris. Beyond his corporate roles, Chris is the author of The Innovation Scorecard, a faculty member at the European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability and a trusted advisor to the United Nations in Vienna.
David Chislett is a published author, poet, musician, artist, and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience. His work is rooted in creativity, which he believes is key to solving challenges in a rapidly changing world. David has been on stage since 1980, using his experience, research, and passion to inspire audiences. He helps individuals, teams, and organizations harness and grow their creative abilities, offering presentations and insights that improve creativity and innovation. His curiosity drives him to explore new ideas and connections across various fields.
Barbara Salopek is an international innovation strategist with over 20 years of experience helping organizations drive sustainable growth through strategic innovation. As the founder of Vinco Innovation, she works at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and leadership, delivering measurable outcomes across sectors including energy, health, maritime, tech, and the public sector. Barbara has successfully led over 20 innovation projects and secured 10 major international funding wins in just five years.
A TEDx speaker and upcoming author of Future-Fit Innovation (Practical Inspiration Publishing, 2025), Barbara also serves as an adjunct lecturer at BI Norwegian Business School. She empowers SMEs to turn strategy into action, foster cultures of innovation, and develop new services, products, and business models. Fluent in English, Norwegian, and Croatian, Barbara brings deep multicultural insight, having worked across four countries. Her work enables organizations to innovate with purpose, scale impact, and navigate complexity with confidence.
There are so many enticing Innovation speakers just waiting to speak at your next event. Bringing a top speaker or expert to your event can be a game changer. Whether it is inspiring, engaging life stories or driving change within your organisation or institution. Connect with Best Innovation speakers & leaders through European Speaker Bureau; a platform where leading organisations partner for their business conferences and events – via keynote presentations, cross-industry interactions, inspirational and leadership sessions.
