Inspirational Speakers
Driving social change through business
Fernanda Lopes-Larsen mesmerised us with her wisdom, humanity, passion and great storytelling. She shared with us her career story and her passion to create a more inclusive working place; in her own words “My purpose as a leader is to bring openness to corporations and drive social change through business, in particular for ethnic women and men. The leadership narrative in organisations needs to change!” A magnificent example of successful, authentic, and inspired leadership, a mum and an international career woman, Fernanda is relentless in her determination and an amazing example of contagious enthusiasm. She is EVP of Yara’s Africa & Asia operations (annual revenue of USD 3 billion) and serves as a key sponsor for the company’s Women in Agronomy program, which encourages female and ethnic minority talents at Yara and across the global agricultural sector. Originally from Brazil, she is currently based in Singapore.
Sustainability, ambition, collaboration, and trust
Tove Andersen inspired us with her authenticity; making no mystery of the challenges faced by ambitious women in a male environment, she shared how she learnt to trust herself and pursue her “teams trumps individuals, have fun, and show vulnerability” guiding principles, which earned her a stellar reputation and landed her the position of President and CEO of TOMRA, after a successful career at Yara International, an MBA from the Norwegian School of Management, and a MSc degree in Physics and Mathematics from the Norwegian Institute of Technology. Also a member of the board of directors of Equinor and Borregaard, she shared with us the belief that businesses have the power and responsibility to help manage our planet’s precious resources—today and tomorrow. She discussed the strategy she adopted when she accepted the invitation to head TOMRA, a great example of inspired and engaging leadership.
Courageous enthusiasm with confidence
Maria Persson Gulda: clearly showcased what we hope to bring to all our Fabulous LIS WOMAN Ladies: the assertive confidence of leveraging on professional partnerships, the unapologetic enthusiasm for wanting to engage in a new business adventure (even at the same time as having a baby!), and the joyful mindfulness of living intensely, grabbing every moment, like talking to us just before a key meeting with government while sitting on the sunny balcony at a Bostonian hotel. She tackled the complex subject of “green steel” (a truly disruptive technology set to revolutionise a major portion of our industrial ecosystem) with a simplified and engaging explanation. Maria is the CTO at H2 Green Steel. Prior to joining H2GS, she was a partner at McKinsey, and has a doctorate in Applied Physics from Harvard University.
David Ek: David Ek (a Swedish nutritionist, author, health coach and innovator, and former Olympic athlete coach) brought us valuable perspective on the holistic approach to health of body and mind, including how to spark motivation — the art of going from wanting to doing and how to squeeze health into your busy lifestyle, answering the many questions that this topic sparked.
Chris Bridges-Taylor: Chris Bridges-Taylor (at the helm of Australian-based B&R Enclosures for over 40 years, first as General Manager and currently as Chairman of the Board. MBA and various executive degrees from i.e., Harvard) shared much wisdom with us, not only about her decades-long dedication to running a private enterprise of Australia’s largest manufacturer of enclosures, racks, cabinets and switchboard building systems, with clients including BHP Billiton, Telstra, Rio Tinto and the Federal government, but also about continually growing as a person, staying young and agile with curiosity, passion, and a constant desire to learn.
Anne-Mieke Martyn: Anne-Mieke Martyn (Global Executive Talent Acquisition Specialist at Rabobank, an accomplished Career Strategist, speaker and author, former Founder and Director of a Boutique Executive Search and Career Coaching company in Africa) brought many sound examples and stories about being true to yourself, being present, clear and firm. Underscoring that ‘Agility’ means asking and listening in order to understand the organisation’s needs and adapt, also means finding out what you can do to address those organisation’s needs, while setting limits keeps us effective, and that agility also means accepting to make mistakes along the way, and not being afraid to learn; including taking responsibility for what we can control without wasting energy worrying over what we cannot control.
Get in touch
info@grooa.comWe are always happy to hear from you, feel free to send us your comments, suggestions, or feedback.If you would like to receive some more information, we are also happy to share some of our additional examples, or arrange for an informal free and non-binding online chat.