Artistes of the Month
Also featured: 
Kit
and The Widow, Alex
Horne
Mike
Southon
Mike
Southon is one of the UK's leading authorities on entrepreneurship and
sales with a weekly column every Saturday in the Financial Times.
Mike is one of the most experienced business speakers in the world, a Fellow of the Professional Speakers Association, and speaks at conferences all around the world.
Customers include Coutts, GlaxoSmithKline, Goldman Sachs, Cisco Systems, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Accenture, The European Commission, The Entrepreneur Business School (Bali), The MIT Forum (USA), The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (UK), the East of England Development Agency, Finance Wales, The Institute of Directors, and Rolls-Royce.
Mike is a Visiting Fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at London South Bank University, and is a visiting lecturer at London Business School, Cass Business School and many others.
Mike Southon is a very experienced broadcaster and conference moderator, and has released over 80 podcast-friendly radio interviews with famous industrialists, entrepreneurs and business experts.
These include Allan Leighton (Chairman, Royal Mail), Sir Robin Saxby (former Chairman, ARM), Sir Philip Trousdell (former commander, NATO forces in Bosnia), Sahar Hashemi (Co-founder, Coffee Republic), Sir Keith Mills (Chairman, London 2012 Olympic bid) and Trevor Baylis (inventor of the clockwork radio).
- In the '80s, Mike co-founded, built and sold The Instruction Set, a software consultancy
- In the '90s, Mike worked with 17 start-ups; two later went public (and three went broke!)
- In the '00s, Mike has co-authored with Chris West four bestselling
books:
The Beermat Entrepreneur, The Boardroom Entrepreneur, Sales on a Beermat, and Finance on a Beermat
"The presentations featured the leading figures in the industry
and required a very skilled facilitator...Mike Southon has a rare blend
of detailed technical knowledge and expert presenting skills….His
understanding of the industry, event preparation and presentation skills
are first class."
Thomas Chambers, CFO, Symbian
"Mike's handling of the event was both skilful and good-humoured.
All the talks ran precisely to schedule, and his keynote speech on sales
was very appropriate for our members. The feedback on the event was excellent."
John White, Chief Executive, Timber Trade Federation
"Mike Southon is more than Quite Interesting. He spreads insight
and cheerfulness in equal measure, like an ambidextrous chef icing two
cakes at once."
John Lloyd, producer of Blackadder, Not The Nine o'clock News and Qi
"97% of delegates said they were inspired by Mike' Southon's
presentation. Comments included: 'absolutely brilliant', 'motivating',
'practical, concise tips', 'thought-provoking' and 'informative'."
Julie Readman, Chief Executive, Business Link for South Yorkshire
"Mike has a background of success that enables him to speak authoritatively
for the need to focus on simple, strategic selling. All of this with the
added bonus of a truly engaging character and presentation."
Virginia Flavin Pribanic, MIT Forum
"Wisdom without jargon: practical, practicable advice for the
would-be entrepreneur."
Lord Karan Bilimoria, founder, Cobra Beer, foreword to The Beermat
Entrepreneur
"This is a sales book for everyone, written with clarity and
wit."
Stephen Fry, author, producer and performer, foreword to Sales on a
Beermat
Click
here to see Mike Southon's online video showreel
Kit
and The Widow
KIT
AND THE WIDOW met in the Cambridge University Footlights, and immediately
went their separate ways. Kit made documentaries for BBC Television, whilst
the Widow worked as a silver-service waiter at Claridges, until they reconvened
at the Comedy Store during the dark days of the Falklands crisis.
Their stylish musical humour catapulted them into the ozone layer of the theatrical firmament. They had their own sell-out runs at the New End, King's Head, Donmar Warehouse and Albery Theatres; and their frenzied work for charity and world-peace has taken them into virtually all the other regional and West End theatres.
Ten giddy years on the Edinburgh Fringe culminated when they played the Royal Lyceum Theatre as part of the official Edinburgh Festival, the first cabaret artists since Dietrich to do so.
"Lavishly Mounted", their first West End run in 1991 at the Vaudeville Theatre transferred to the Ambassadors, and was nominated for an Olivier Award in 1992. "January Sale", their second show in December 1993 at the Lyric Hammersmith, transferred to the Vaudeville in January 1994, where it was extended and nominated, too, for a Larry. On New Year's Day 1992, they hosted their first hour-long TV special on Channel 4. This led to their hosting "Mounting the Hustings", an hour's live election coverage during the 1993 General Election.
Intercontinentally, they have toured America, Australia, Africa and Europe, and are, like Shirley Temple Black, delighted to be little ambassadors on behalf of you all.
Kit and the Widow have piloted a music quiz for Radio 4 entitled "Kit and the Widow's Sound of Music". They have also recorded a musical sketch show for Radio 2. In 1995 Kit and Widow took a break from their own show in a revival of the musical SALAD DAYS, which did a nation-wide tour.
Kit Hesketh-Harvey was born in Nyasaland, and was educated at the Choir School, Canterbury, Tonbridge School and Clare College, Cambridge. After touring America with the Oxford and Cambridge Shakespeare Company, he joined BBC Music and Arts TV as a staff researcher-producer. He wrote songs for the acclaimed Channel 4 documentary "If They'd Asked for a Lion Tamer" and translated Simon Callow's impactful "Die Fledermaus" for Scottish Opera. He edited "5 O'clock Angel", the letters of Tennessee Williams to Maria St Just (Knopf, 1990). He won, with the composer James McConnel, the Vivian Ellis award for writing "Orlando", first staged in 1988, and was a pupil of Stephen Sondheim at Oxford. His screenplay about the poet Lord Rochester, directed by Simon Callow, was selected by the European Script Fund and was intended for pre-production in 1995. "Putting It Together", the Sondheim revue which he co-devised and in which he starred during its British try-out, starred Julie Andrews off-Broadway.
Kit and the Widow bring their stylish brand of sophisticated musical cabaret to the corproate market and are happy to write specific pieces for the audience. One not to be missed!
Click
here to see Kit and the Widow's online video showreel
Alex
Horne
He
delights his audiences with his fractured style and twisted logic, which
resemble other forms of surreal stand-up currently in vogue. The thing
is - and unlike many others - Horne has mastered it.
"Not in a long time have I seen a comedian break down the barriers with his audience and put faith in them in such a funny and original way" THE HERALD
"A quick witted and genial Comedian" THE INDEPENDENT
Click
here to see Alex Horne'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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