As Chief Nurse, on the board at the Royal Marsden, Eamonn represents the Trusts 1400 Nurses, Therapists and Pharmacists and is responsible for the patient safety and patient experience portfolios. The Royal Marsden is Europe’s largest cancer centre with the third largest cancer research portfolio globally. It is rated ‘Outstanding’ by the NHS regulator, the Care Quality Commission.

At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, Eamonn was called upon to become the Director of Nursing at NHS Nightingale London – part of a five person leadership team charged with designing, building and operating the world’s largest temporary Critical Care Unit built at the Excel conference centre, which become operational in just 9 days. Fortunately, Nightingale London was not used to its full capacity, but still cared for 55 critically ill Londoners, becoming at that time, Europe’s largest temporary Critical Care Unit.

Prior to his current role, Eamonn held a number of positions in prestigious NHS Trusts, including – Deputy Chief Nurse at University College London Hospitals and Deputy Chief Nurse at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals.

Eamonn spent much of his clinical career in Adult Critical Care, he holds an MSc in Critical Care from Kings College London. In 2017 he was honoured to become a Florence Nightingale Leadership Scholar.

Outside of the NHS, Eamonn is a Major in the British Army Medical Services (Reserve). He has had the privilege of leading UK and US Army Medical Teams in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, including being appointed as the Officer Commanding Critical Care at Camp Bastion. Eamonn rates these experiences as being pivotal periods in his career.

In October 2020 Eamonn was called upon to become NHS Test and Trace’s first Chief Nursing Officer – he is currently seconded into this position and returns to the Royal Marsden in January 2021.

Eamonn lives in Berkshire with his wife Yamini, an NHS Paediatric Speech Therapist, and their two children.

Dan Stembridge MA FRAeS ADC RN

Dan is a former Royal Navy fighter pilot who has seen combat in major conflict zones. As a UK TOPGUN instructor, he went on to command an airbase of over 3,000 personnel. An influential thinker whose advice has been sought by government ministers, Dan is a former aide-de-camp to Her Majesty The Queen.

A highly experienced speaker with an engaging and interactive style, Dan is extremely skilled at gearing his material to the precise needs of his audience. He uses entertaining and dramatic stories to bring the desired messages to life. Audiences always find Dan’s talks gripping, relevant, thought-provoking and highly memorable.

Dan now runs his own consultancy where he teaches state of the art skills in leadership, resilience, building high performance teams and creating a winning business culture. Find out more on Dan’s website here.

Edward Colver MBE MBA

Edward commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst into the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment in 1999. He commanded at Company and Platoon levels interspersed with a variety of high level technical and program management roles.

During his 17 years within the Military, Edward has excelled both professionally and within the area of sport. He has captained the RMAS and British Army Germany 1^st XVs and represented the Army in tennis and golf. His professional highlights include leading a unit during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, achieving promotion to Major at 30, the youngest in the British Army at the time, and being appointed as a Member of the British Empire for his leadership on the frontline in Afghanistan.

Edward is a proven international leader who thrives on mentoring the individual, developing teams and delivering success. This was most noticeably demonstrated when he successfully led 700 men and women from 6 different nations on combat missions whilst in Afghanistan. Since leaving the Army Edward’s multinational leadership experience combined with his knowledge of the Arabic language and culture, has led him to research and write about the development of global leadership competencies at a post graduate level.

By combining his experiences of commanding soldiers on the front line, dealing with catastrophic events, transitioning into the business world and joining a public sector organisation he delivers a compelling, insightful and down to earth approach to leadership, management, resilience, risk and dealing with adversity.

Connie Henry

Connie is a former International Triple Jumper and 1998 Commonwealth Games Bronze medallist. Connie has broadcast experience with companies including BBC, ITV, Sky and the International Association of Athletics Federation, as well as becoming Director of the Track Academy.

Connie’s own experiences of dysfunctional family life and lack of childhood security thrust her into the sporting arena, joining the Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers at just 15 years old. Connie’s determination and commitment continued at St Mary’s University when studying Sports Science and History and her post-graduate teacher training course at Brunel University, while becoming one of the best athletes in the country.

In the autumn of 1997, she moved to Sydney to train with Keith Connor, Australian head coach and British Olympic triple jump medallist, and within 2 years Connie travelled to Kuala Lumpur to compete in the 1998 Commonwealth Games, taking home bronze.

The next phase for Connie saw her gain freelance broadcasting experience with several organisations including the BBC, Sky and the International Association of Athletics Federation. Her work included a memorable stint with boxing promoter Frank Warren, during which she found herself ringside at the heavyweight match between Wladimir Klitschko and Danny Williams in Las Vegas.

In 2007 Connie was approached by Willesden Sports Centre, asking her to lead new track and field activities there. Connie utilised her contacts from the athletics world to grow the temporary work at the centre into 10 years of the Track Academy, a charity which has changed the lives of hundreds of young people.

Neil Thubron

Neil is an Executive Mentor & Coach, Sales & Leadership Development Consultant, and Keynote Speaker whose passion enables others to challenge themselves and break through their mental and physical barriers.

It was at IBM, shortly after leaving school, that Neil moved into sales and found his passion for selling. Neil finished his career as European Head of Sales managing 450 sales people in 60 countries across Europe.

As a member of the British Army Reserves Neil went on to complete some of the toughest challenges set for British soldiers. He was commissioned as an officer through Sandhurst College, where he spent time with the Army Reserves and Bomb Disposal Unit. The army sparked Neil’s deep interest in physical challenges, and as a result in 2003 he completed his first Marathon. This subsequently led him onto more extreme physical challenges including an Ironman, the Marathon Des Sables in the Sahara desert, the Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc, the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon in the South African desert and the Yukon Arctic Ultra – a 300 mile foot race in -55 degrees centigrade, which he won.

Today, Neil is the founder of Extreme Energy – XNRG – Ltd who organise single and multi-day ultra-distance events in the UK. He is also a coach, consultant and teacher who helps companies develop their leadership and sales teams.

Neil works closely with his clients to identify and deliver the right solution to help you achieve your goals, no matter how complex they are. Neil’s mantra on big goals is to “Never Ever Give Up”. He translates his experiences and findings from the world of extreme sports to deliver compelling takeaways for his corporate audiences.

Andy Torbet

After 10 years in the British Forces Andy left to pursue a career in scientific exploration and film-making. To date Andy has presented on 19 TV series including BBC1, BBC2, CBBC, Discovery US and the History Channel. This has seen him free dive under the Alaskan ice, stand in the middle of a 700 degree fireball, climb a 12 storey glass building, swim with sharks, cave dive inside icebergs and present live on BBC1.

With his background as an ex-Bomb Disposal Officer, Paratrooper and Army Diver Andy uses his own life experiences and love for extreme sports to innovate and push the boundaries of what is possible. As part of a TV series called Beyond Bionic, Andy asked contacts within the UK Space Agency to personally build him a set of jet engines that would allow him to fall faster in a skydive. The project eventually led to Andy being involved as a test pilot with the UK’s Space sector in their development of prototype equipment.

As a keen Skydiver and Wing suiter Andy has made various films for TV in the name of science. This has seen him execute a HAHO (High Altitude High Opening) jump for BBC’s Cloud Lab as well as perform a solo jump from 28,000ft over the Arizona desert with various scientific collection apparatus strapped to his chest, whilst racing a Peregrine Falcon – the fastest animal in the world.

Despite the technical and extreme nature of the work he undertakes, Andy maintains a deep interest in academia. With a degree in Zoology and a Masters in Archaeology, Andy’s academic interests are as varied as his extreme skills. He has a keen interest in science and engineering and he’s a member of Mensa, the High IQ Society – “For every hour I spend in the gym I’ll spend three reading a book”.

Most recently Andy has become involved with elements of the UK Space community assisting in the design and testing of space exploration equipment.

David Coulthard MBE

Winner of 13 Grands Prix, including twice winner of both the British and Monaco Grands Prix, David achieved a remarkable 62 podium finishes during a stellar 15 year Formula One career which saw him race against world class competition including Michael Schumacher, Mike Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

David played a key role in helping McLaren to win the Formula One World Championships for Constructors in 1998, the team finishing 2nd in 1999, 2000 and 2001. He also finished 2nd in the 2001 Formula One World Championship for Drivers behind the dominant Schumacher/Ferrari partnership and was 3rd in the World Championship on no fewer than four occasions.

As a founding member of the Red Bull Racing team in 2005, David brought the team its first podium finish in 2006 in Monaco, and was instrumental in developing it into a 4-times World Championship winning team in 2010-2013. When he stopped racing in F1 at the end of 2008 he held the record for being the highest points scoring British Formula One driver of all time.

Since retiring as an F1 driver at the end of 2008, David has continued working for Red Bull Racing, driving its cars in promotional events all over the world. He also remains as a brand ambassador for leading companies including Mercedes-Benz, UBS Bank, Red Bull, IWC, Cooper Tires, Transcal and Heineken.

He has established a successful second career as a world class broadcaster and commentator, initially with BBC Television and more recently at Channel 4, for which David’s production company ‘Whisper Films’ produces the television coverage of Formula One in the UK. Outside of Formula One, David has been a successful entrepreneur, investing in a range of successful businesses which have added to his reputation as being a winner on and off track.

Professor Jo Delahunty QC

Professor Jo Delahunty QC is a highly sought-after specialist children silk entrusted with the most significant and demanding national cases. Jo has become a pioneering force within her profession. Cases in which she is instructed are regularly reported for their legal significance. She is noted for being “brilliant at distilling a case down to its key issues, great at strategic planning, supportive to instructing solicitors and very easy to talk to.”

Jo was appointed Gresham Professor of Law in the summer of 2016 and in that role she has a direct interface with the public and media in a way that singles her out as a practising Queens Counsel and part time judge.

Brought up by a single mum and educated in the state sector, Jo was the first person in her family to stay in education after the age of 16. Against the odds, Jo went to Oxford University to read law: one of only two girls from her school ever to do so. Unsuited to a 9-5 job Jo describes how she had never easily accepted instruction on what to do; she thrived on competition, was a deadline junkie, an independent worker and wanted to make a difference to the world. Becoming a barrister seemed to be the perfect profession.

Jo chose to practise Civil Law initially, but soon found her niche in Public Law child protection cases. Since being called to the Bar in 1986, Jo has come to practise at the High Court level and above. Alongside her practice in the Family Justice System, between 2013-15, Jo acted on behalf of 76 bereaved families in the Hillsborough Inquests and was instrumental in securing the verdict that the inadequate emergency medical response caused or contributed to loss of life.

An accomplished speaker, Jo speaks with passion and insight on what really happens inside and outside of court. Communication, the art of persuasion, how to win an argument, how to lead a team and how to marshal your resources to make an impact to win over adversaries are the tools of her trade: ‘her conversational style of advocacy puts witnesses at their ease yet conceals a rapier –like incisiveness.’ Often representing vulnerable people, Jo explains the importance of effective listening and authenticity and is frank in describing the different ‘voices’ she has acquired to bridge the gap between the public and professionals.

In a competitive and highly specialist silk field Jo has gained a reputation for formidable advocacy and tactical trial management alongside superb client care and court room forensic skills. These strategic skills are highly relevant for leaders across many sectors. Jo describes it as the art of “marshalling information and drowning out the white noise”. Her job as a QC demands that she is highly competitive, resilient in the face of the pressures of an enormous case load, ruthlessly efficient in time management but moving forwards in her career with a strong moral compass to serve society and the clients she represents.

More recently Jo has become known an outspoken voice for gender equality in the Law Profession and is passionate about mentoring and role modelling for all young students and barristers working their way through the ranks. She has spoken openly about the use and abuse of power in the legal profession: described as ‘fearless’ in her pursuit of fairness for those who don’t have a voice or are afraid to use it.

Jo has been interviewed by the First 100 years team for episode 9 of 10 as we approach the centenary of the Sex Discrimination Removal Act 1919. To listen to the podcast click here.

For more of an insight into Jo’s life outside of family law, into giving professional speaking advice to a wider audience, click here.

Iain Hennessey

Iain Hennessey currently leads an Innovation Team which is working with world leading companies and local small businesses, using gaming technology, sensors and cognitive computing to predict the progression of illnesses and plan individualised treatments.

He graduated from the University of Edinburgh with honours degrees in Medicine, Surgery and Anatomical sciences, before going on to train as a paediatric surgeon in the United Kingdom and Australia. He has always been interested in innovation, helping found a startup surgical simulation company as a trainee and then progressing to become the clinical director of innovation at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Notable achievements have included forming partnerships with large multi national companies such as Sony and IBM, building a unique underground 1000sqm innovation facility for collaboration with the tech sector and developing a team of clinician entrepreneurs to drive change within the NHS.

He founded the world’s first cognitive hospital AI project for patient support. This was a healthcare innovation ecosystem at Alder Hey, centred on a 1000m2 health innovation hub which also featured an award-winning team.

As Director of Innovation Iain is passionate about working with companies who are at the leading edge of technology; for example, trying out new kit such as virtual reality headsets, or visiting a super computer to see how it crunches data to produce the best care plan for a patient.

Alder Hey is pioneering the use of 3D printed body organs which can be taken into operating theatres, to help guide surgery; and they are helping to develop gaming and the use of artificial intelligence to communicate, entertain and reduce stress in child patients.

He is currently developing a long term strategy to build the worlds first “Living hospital” by adapting emerging technologies to enable the building to care for the children within it, both medically and holistically.

In 2017, he was presented with a gold award for his pioneering leadership of innovation. In 2020 Iain was appointed Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Liverpool.

TALK TOPICS INCLUDE:

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Living/learning from mistakes
Human factors in the operating room
Creating a culture of innovation
Dealing with fear

Speaker Theme: Resilience

Eamonn Sullivan