6th IFSEA International Conference on Executive & Founder Issues
One-Day Conference: Tuesday, 17 June 2025, 8.00 am – 5.45 pm
(with Welcome Evening Drinks Reception: Monday, 16 June 2025, 6.00 pm – 8.30 pm)
Venue: Saddlers’ Hall, 40 Gutter Lane, London EC2V 6BR
Download the Conference Programme here.
Register to secure your place at the 6th Annual IFSEA Conference!
Keynote Speaker – Matthew Syed
Dynamic Leadership, The Future and How to Shape It
Success is no longer just about talent, or knowledge or skill. Today, it is also about freeing ourselves from the blinkers and blind spots that beset us all and harnessing a critical new ingredient: cognitive diversity (diverse thinking). Cognitive diversity can strengthen any institution or team; it challenges hierarchies, encourages constructive dissent and forces us to think again about where the best ideas really come from. Matthew draws on cutting-edge research in psychology, economics and anthropology, and lessons from a dazzling range of case studies. He offers a radical new approach to success and a route map to how we can tackle our most complex challenges. In addition, he will explore how Teams with high levels of psychological safety learn more and collaborate more effectively in an environment of trust and openness. With focus on:
- Different attitudes to failure and how creating a learning mindset and culture drives continuous improvement;
- How leaders’ thinking and behaviours can encourage or suppress collaboration, innovation and growth;
- The importance of psychological safety in order to increase learning.
We are delighted to be joined by Matthew Syed, two-time Olympian, award-winning broadcaster and journalist, international thought leader on leadership, growth mindset and high performance, and best-selling author (Bounce – The Myth of Talent & The Power of Practice, Black Box Thinking – The Surprising Truth about Success and Rebel Ideas – The Power of Diverse Thinking). Matthew also hosts the BBC Radio 4 series Sideways, which explores the ideas that shape our lives with stories of seeing the world differently.
Full List of Speakers
Jenny Afia, Schillings (UK)
Merrill April, CM Murray LLP (UK)
Alexandra Badel, M Group (UK)
Emma Bartlett, CM Murray LLP (UK)
Persephone Bridgman-Baker, Carter-Ruck (UK)
Katrina Cheverton, Chief Executive, Savannah (UK)
Terese Connolly, Taft (Chicago, USA)
Michael Cordy, Author/Screenwriter/Story Consultant (UK)
Claire Dawson, BDBF (UK)
Anne Davies, Richardson Lissack (UK)
Carol Davis KC, Littleton (UK)
Lori L. Deem, Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd (Chicago, USA)
Elizabeth Delafosse, GB RailFreight (UK)
Kelly Dermody, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein (California, USA)
Matthew Dineen, LocatED (UK)
Denise Drake, Polsinelli (Kansas City, USA)
Ming Evans, Smiths Plc (UK)
Yulia Fedorenko, CM Murray LLP (UK)
David Fisher, CM Murray LLP (UK)
Gavin Foggo, Fox Williams (UK)
Ken Fowlie, Stowe Family Law LLP (UK)
Andrew Frank, KARV (New York, USA)
Veena Gopalakrishnan, Trilegal (India)
Atul Gupta, Trilegal (India)
Beth Hale, CM Murray LLP (UK)
Carl-Fredrik Hedenström, CFH Law (Sweden)
James Hockin, Withers (UK)
Jenny Hodges, Aureos (UK)
Joydeep Hor, People and Culture Strategies (Australia)
Mathilde Houet-Weil, Weil et Associes (France)
Harry Jones, Polsinelli (Texas, USA)
Danny Kaufer, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (Canada)
Emily Kaufer, Air Canada (Canada)
Sir Nigel Knowles, CEO, DWF Group (UK)
Wendi Lazar, C-Suite Strategies (New York, USA)
Nick Leale, CM Murray LLP (UK)
Natacha Lesellier, Flichy (Paris)
David Lowe, Rudy Exelrod Zieff & Lowe (San Francisco, USA)
Sarah Lucey, Norton Rose Fulbright (UK)
Brian MacDonough, Sherin & Lodgen (Boston, USA)
Suzanne McKie KC, Farore Law (UK)
Megan Mathias, Hinshaw (Chicago, USA)
Jef Michielsen, Bellaw, Van Eeckhoutte, Taquet & Clesse (Belgium)
Kelsey Murrell, CM Murray LLP (UK)
Jason Nisse, The Nisse Consultancy (UK)
Matt Nixon, Stork & May (UK)
Regan O’Driscoll, CC Solicitors (Ireland)
Camille Olson, Seyfarth Shaw (Chicago & California, USA)
Carlos Pareja Frade, Augusta (Spain)
Andrew Pavlovic, CM Murray LLP (UK)
Jennifer Platzkere Snyder, Dilworth Paxson (Philadelphia/NY, USA)
Kristen Prinz, The Prinz Law Firm (Chicago, USA)
Nick Read, Experienced CEO (UK)
Richard Reice, Sterlington (New York, USA)
Mark Risk, Mark Risk PC (New York, USA)
Amy Rogers KC, 11KBW (UK)
Andre Royer, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (Canada)
Emma Sangeelee, CM Murray LLP (UK)
Gus Sellitto, Byfield Reputation Counsel (UK)
Amy Shulman, Outten & Golden (New York, USA)
Corinne Staves, CM Murray LLP (UK)
Michèle Stutz, MME (Switzerland)
Daniel Sutherland, Fox Williams (UK)
Matthew Syed, Matthew Syed Consulting (UK)
Adil Taha, CEO, Rosenblatt (UK)
Johannes Traut, Seitz (Germany)
Linky Trott, Edwin Coe (UK)
Jonathan Tuck, Baker McKenzie (UK)
Nick Vamos, Peters & Peters (UK)
Martijn van Hall, van Hall Arbeidsrecht (Netherlands)
Clothilde Verdier, Netflix (Netherlands)
Lindsey Wagner, Wagner Legal PC (California & Ohio, USA)
David Yewdall, Global Employer Services, BDO (UK)
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A look back at IFSEA Conference 2024:
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