Artistes of the Month
Also featured: Dave Spikey, Dr James Bellini
Sahar
Hashemi
In
1995 Sahar Hashemi together with her brother Bobby founded Coffee Republic,
and built it into one of the UK's most recognised high street brands with
a turnover of £30m. Giving up highly professional jobs, she a lawyer
in London and he an investment banker in New York, they staked everything
on a dream - and made Coffee Republic one of the main players in the 'coffee
revolution' that transformed a nation of tea drinkers into one obsessed
with 'triple decaf half-fat lattes' (Coffee Republic opened 3 years before
Starbucks came to the UK).
Neither had any previous knowledge about retail or indeed coffee. But Sahar had developed a passion for the skinny lattes and fat free muffins she had seen in New York. How they came to build a nationwide coffee chain is a fascinating and inspirational tale of the ups and downs of following your dream. From the first conversation when the seed of the idea was planted, to getting a DTI Small Firms Loan Guarantee, finding a name and opening the first store, its a personal story about two people who stopped 'thinking about it' and 'did it'.
Sahar left the day to day management of Coffee Republic in 2001 and wrote a book called 'Anyone Can Do It - Building Coffee Republic from our Kitchen table' which tackles some of the fears and answers some of the elusive questions about what it really takes to become an entrepreneur. The book reached no 1 in the Amazon business chart in 2007 became the second biggest selling book on Entrepreneurship in the UK, after Richard Branson (Nielsen Bookscan).
It is 'suggested reading' for the London Business School entrepreneurship course and Chapter 1 has been included as part of the syllabus of the Entrepreneurship summer school. The book has also been endorsed by the DTI, Prince's Trust and IoD and has received wide press coverage.
She is a popular speaker on the international conference circuit, and has spoken throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East for clients such as diverse as Microsoft, Novartis Royal Bank of Scotland and Accenture. She is also a popular choice for trade associations and government bodies such as Business Link, IoD and the CBI and has had widespread coverage in the media.
In 2005 she found time to set up a new business - Skinny Candy - a range of natural sugar free sweets such as cola bottles, chocolate raisins etc which are now stocked in a range of department stores and shops around the country, and is tipped to become another success. With the launch of the new company Sahar's had to go back to basics and is indeed practicing what she preaches, putting into practice the lessons from her speeches. It has already been listed as 'whats HOT!' in Tatler and described as 'a winner' by Rosie Boycott in ES magazine. Click here to read a recent interview Sahar gave to Growing Business magazine.
Other achievements include being named a 'Pioneer to the life of the
nation' by Her Majesty The Queen, listed in the 100 Most Influential Women
in Britain by the Daly Mail, 20 most powerful women in Britain by Independent
on Sunday and has been on the cover of countless business magazines and
supplements including Management Today, Director, Business 550 and The
Observer. She's also a regular contributor to the media with appearances
on media appearances include CNN Business Breakfast, BBC2, Radio 4, LBC,
Radio 5 and BBC London amongst many others.
- The Entrepreneurial mindset
- Anyone Can Do It - the system of making it happen
- Intrapreneurship - sparking the entrepreneurial spirit within large organisations
- Brand building and marketing- the entrepreneurs way
Testimonials:
"...Sahar was a great success at our workshop in Stockholm last week. She did an excellent job of taking on our brief about "brand" and converging it with her own story. The result was fantastic and hit all the right notes." Sahar spoke for IKEA in Stockholm - November 2007
"I just wanted to drop you a quick line to thank you for the fantastic job you did last Thursday evening at the RecruitRank awards.
We have had some tremendous feedback - both on the night and in follow
up thank you notes. You hit exactly the right note and inspired a lot
of the audience."
Sahar hosted the RecruitRank awards in November 2007
"It was the best speech of the conference...You were very informative
and maintained remarkable poise in the face of high level of delegation
and audience…Your speech not only kept audience glued to their seats
but also drew the delegates in and held their attention…
… Please accept our thanks for delivering wonderful motivational
speech."
Sahar spoke at the 6th Middle East HR Conference & Expo 2007 in
Dubai, April 2007
"...thank you for your invaluable contribution to the LDA Business
Opportunities seminar...your inspirational speech on your experiences
while setting up Coffee Republic really helped to highlight the entrepreneurial
spirit of London..."
London Development Agency on Sahar Hashemi who spoke at their State
of London Debate in May 2006
"Yesterday's filming went very well and Sahar was incredibly
patient which we really appreciated, plus she said some really interesting
things..."
NorthOne TV on Sahar Hashemi who took part in a programme for the Audi
Channel in March 2006
"…never before have I seen a talk make such an impact on
an entire audience. For two whole days and evenings they talked about
almost nothing other than Sahar Hashemi, what she had to say, and how
she said it. It was almost impossible to discuss anything else!"
Sahar spoke at the IAA World Congress in Dubai in March 2006
"...a quick email to say thank you to Sahar Hashemi for speaking
at B2B Midlands earlier this week....Sahar was just perfect for our event
and proved very popular."
Envelope on Sahar Hashemi who spoke at the B2B Midlands event in October
2005
...the delegates (and the crew) thoroughly enjoyed her presentation
so we are all very pleased.
Brilliant Events on Sahar Hashemi who spoke at a RBS Conference in
June 2005
"...very many thanks for a brilliant and very inspirational talk
last night."
The DTI on Sahar Hashemi who spoke at a dinner in December 2005
'she connected with the audience at an emotional level and made a
lasting impression"
Microsoft
'you were a hit' ROCHE
Click here to view Sahar's online video showreel
Dave Spikey
Dave
Spikey is in great demand on the corporate circuit having first found
fame as Jerry St Clair in Channel 4's comedy Phoenix Nights. He has mastered
the art of making even the dreariest of subjects hilariously funny and
creating hilarious stories out of seemingly mundane events. He glides
seamlessly between the everyday and the surreal and has the rare gift
of appealing to all types of audiences. He is an inherently funny man,
incredibly versatile and there's something for everyone to identify with
in his set.
If required, Dave finishes his own stand-up routine, and appears back
onstage in character, decked in Jerry's white tuxedo to finish proceedings
in true 'Phoenix Nights' fashion with a medley of Jerry's all time classic
ditties (including classics such as 'Black Bin Bags' and 'Corned Beef').
Dave does this on his tour dates and the room always erupts when Jerry
makes a guest appearance. It's a really dynamic finish to the show and
a real treat for Phoenix Nights fans.
He completed two legs of his sell-out nationwide "Overnight Success"
Tour in 2003 where he received standing ovations and rave reviews. Demand
for tickets was phenomenal and some venues added second, and in some cases,
third dates. In May of 2004, Dave performed another two sell out shows
at the prestigious Lowry theatre. Dave's profile rocketed with the release
of his first ever live stand-up video and DVD which was released in November
2003 and quickly achieved the Gold Retail Performance Award, selling over
75,000 copies.
He scooped the prestigious "Performance of the Year" at the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards back in December 2003 for his "Overnight Success" Tour show and was awarded "Best Comedy Performance" at the Leicester Mercury Awards in January 2004. Here's a selection of press reviews on the show:
2005 got off to a great start, with the broadcast of "Dead Man Weds" starring Dave alongside Johnny Vegas.
Dave has performed at numerous corporate events including: Asda, EMAP, Yes! Car Credit, Silentnight, Smirnoff, Coral Bookmakers, The Guardian, Employment Lawyers Association and Leeds Rugby Limited.
"Dave Spikey is one of the most original, funniest men to have emerged in years" The Stage
"Relaxed, visual and hilariously funny" Time Out
"Smart, unpretentious Stand-up with the co-star of Phoenix Nights"
The Guardian
Dr
James Bellini
James's
new book, co written with Kati st Clair, is entitled "The Bullshit
Factor" and tries to uncover the truth about corporate disguises,
lies & denial. Not your normal business book!
James describes himself as 'an historian of the future' with a close interest in key strategic challenges facing current and future management up to Horizon 2020:
· the business implications of emerging technologies and the wireless
world
· future challenges for senior managers
· new business 'eco-systems'
· the shape and style of tomorrow's company
· corporate psychology
· the changing marketplace including the demographic revolution
and its radical impact on the future marketplace:
· rise of the aspirational consumer
· post-family households
· financial services - pensions, savings products, insurance
· government and public services
· issues of work/life balance
· the 'mosaic' society
With many years' TV broadcasting experience specialising in live studio
programmes Dr Bellini is also a regular choice as moderator at leading
conferences for business and government around the world. He has built
a reputation as a no-nonsense and informed chairman and inquisitor in
areas such as pharmaceuticals, information technology, financial services,
manufacturing and public services.
His consultancy Corporate Catalysts provides facilitated workshops at board level to help organisations devise future strategy and achieve their business vision. He is founder-director of Media Counsellors, which advises and trains senior decision-makers in business and government on five continents to develop and communicate their organisational messages more effectively.
After a Masters in law and history from Cambridge, a PhD from the London School of Economics and a spell as university teacher he was the first British member of the renowned US-headquartered futurology 'think-tank', the Hudson Institute, founded by Dr Herman Kahn. As Head of Political Studies at the Institute's European Division, based in Paris, he worked on a succession of major reports on Europe's political, economic and social future. He subsequently consulted for the London-based Henley Centre for Forecasting and The Economist Intelligence Unit. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Future Forum, a worldwide network of futures professionals.
After the Hudson Institute James joined BBC TV as presenter of The Money Programme, Newsnight and Panorama. This began more than twenty years as a television programme-maker on business, politics and environmental issues, including ten years with Central TV, three years with Financial Times Television and four years with Sky News. Among his many award-winning TV programmes he scripted and narrated the 12-part series 'The Nuclear Age'.
In the 1980s he was retained by a leading London advertising agency, subsequently becoming Chairman of its corporate communications division. He regularly works with leading IT names such as Hewlett Packard, Siebel, Peoplesoft, Software AG, Unisys, BMC and BEA exploring strategic implications of the 'Knowledge Economy'.
James is the author of numerous books, special reports and analytical papers on social, political and business trends. He was for three years Editor of VISION, the four-language European business monthly and has contributed to such varied publications as Vogue, The Times, Survival, Business Life and the International Herald Tribune.
Recent speaking and conference moderating invitations have taken him to Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, the United States, Malaysia and to practically every country in Europe. He was recently engaged by the UK Cabinet Office helping communicate the launch of its e-government strategy.
His publications include 'Rule Britannia' [Jonathan Cape] and 'High-Tech Holocaust' [David & Charles, Sierra Club]. He is currently writing a book on the psychological characteristics of 21st century companies.
"absolutely wonderful - the best speaker we have ever had."
British Association of Print and Communication
Click here to view James's online video showreel
Further Information
For further information or for a copy of our latest speaker booklet please phone one of our consultants whose expert advice will help you find the right personality for your event.
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