Jim is Chair in Learning and Organisational Change at Northwestern University, Illinois, USA. He was previously at Michigan State University where he was a Post-doctoral Fellow. He trained as a teacher in Ireland and has published widely in the education field covering many areas including educational leadership.

Steve has been Chief Executive of the National College for School Leadership in England since March 2005. He has a background in school improvement and worked for Oldham Council as an Inspector. He was also the Director of Education and Lifelong Learning in Knowsley.

Bob is the National Director for Widening Participation in Learning at the Department of Health. In his role Bob has responsibility for devising, leading and supporting the implementation of a strategy to open up access to learning and employment in NHS professions. Prior to this has was the founding Chief Executive of NHSU who provided learning opportunities and support to 75,000 NHS staff.

Irwin is a senior Associate Fellow at Warwick Business School’s Institute of Governance and Public Management where he leads the development work of the Leadership Research and Development Programme. He was previously an Assistant Chief Constable in the Police Service of Northern Ireland and worked for the Police Standards Unit in the UK’s Home Office.

Ewan McIntosh works at Channel 4's Innovation for the Public (4iP), as Digital Commissioner for Scotland, Northern Ireland and The North East. He's currently seeking ideas for web, mobile and games-based media that will help change the lives of people in Britain. Previously, Ewan worked in the world of education, latterly as National Adviser on Learning and Technology Futures for Learning and Teaching Scotland, the education agency responsible for curriculum development, and as a member of several advisory boards, including the Channel 4 New Media Education Advisory Board.

Marie is the Principal of St Mary’s College, Derry, Northern Ireland. The College is an all girls’ school for pupils of 11 - 18 years. The College run an innovative programme (STAR) aimed at helping all pupils to develop and realise their ambitions through a series of interventions including an enriched curriculum and a partnership involving parents, community, local business and further and higher education.

Cliff helps people and organisations all over the world to think differently about their future.

Jamie Andrew is an astonishing individual, an unassuming hero who describes himself as an ordinary guy who just happens to have gone through extraordinary events. In 1999 he survived for five days perched precariously on an icy ledge at the summit of an alpine mountain while winds raged to 130 km per hour, and temperatures plummeted to minus 30 degrees Celsius. Despite hypothermia and severe frostbite, Jamie was still conscious as he was snatched from the ledge by the French Mountain Rescue Service in a daring and spectacular rescue that arrived tragically only hours to late to save his climbing partner.

Jamie survived the ordeal, but at great personal cost. Ten days later his hands and his feet, damaged by frostbite, were amputated. Many, including some of the medical staff who had fought so hard to save him, felt that this was a fate worse than death. Amazingly, three months later Jamie emerged from hospital, walking on prosthetic legs, having once again learnt to manage everyday tasks such as feeding, washing and dressing.

Since then Jamie has defied all expectations by running the London Marathon, returning to climbing using his own design of prosthetic ice axe, climbing Ben Nevis, revisiting the Alps, reaching the roof of Africa, and learning to ski, snowboard, sail and paraglide, raising tens of thousands of pounds for charity in the process. His humble and unassuming manner, coupled with a positive attitude towards life and its challenges make Jamie an extraordinary example of bravery and determination.

Jamie does a lot of work with schools, telling his inspirational story, as well as working on various projects with smaller groups of pupils. His input never fails to illicit a positive response from even the most sceptical of teenagers and Jamie firmly believes that bringing good outside speakers into schools can make a big difference in terms of showing children that there is more than the four walls of school, classes and exams, and inspiring them to go and achieve their potential. Jamie’s award winning first book “Life and Limb” tells the tale of his remarkable story.

Dennise is the Headteacher at St Michael’s Primary School, Dumfries and Galloway.

She was appointed in November 2003, having been Senior Teacher, a Depute Headteacher and an Acting Headteacher, working in a number of schools, both rural and urban, across Dumfries and Galloway. In July 2006 Dennise was asked, by the Scottish Government to be a part of a team to attend a Summer School for Leadership at Harvard University, Boston. In July 2007, the Scottish Government asked Dennise to return to Harvard, this time to lead a group of Scottish educationalists in attending a further leadership course.

As well as being the Headteacher of a busy, urban primary school Dennise sits on the Dumfries and Galloway Leadership and Management Strategy Group. Also, being an SQH graduate herself, she is now a Scottish Qualification for Headship Field Assessor and a Flexible Routes trained coach, able to support local candidates through these challenging yet very worthwhile programmes. In addition, she is part of the teaching team of a Leadership Programme in her home authority and is also a trained mentor to newly appointed headteachers.

Mhairi is the Principal Teacher at Humbie Primary School, East Lothian Council. Humbie PS is a two-classroom school with a roll of 19. In 2007 Mhairi attended a coaching training programme and immediately identified the benefits of using it to empower her pupils to take more responsibility for their learning. The GROW coaching model was introduced into Mhairi’s teaching and the pupils’ learning in March ’07. The pupils now use this model, taking ownership of their learning and going into areas that the teacher might not have if she had directed the learning more closely.