Northern Ireland’s Premium Leadership Event

Rory has long been recognised as one of the planet’s most original and influential thinkers on human behaviour. A prolific writer and speaker, Sutherland is the author of the acclaimed ‘Alchemy’, a book that challenges leaders to embrace unconventional solutions and recognise that human choices rarely follow the neat, rational paths executives assume. His work has influenced governments, global brands, public-sector organisations, and fast-growth start-ups. Through his writing, his TED talks, and his accidental TikTok fame, he has made behavioural insights accessible, practical, and unexpectedly entertaining. Rory will explore the idea that understanding how people actually think, decide, and act is more powerful than any amount of conventional logic, data modelling, or managerial frameworks.

Caroline’s passion and drive are rooted in a very unique personal story of trying to fit in with a secret. Born with ocular albinism, she spent years concealing her visual impairment (she is legally blind). A multi-award-winning social entrepreneur, she launched The Valuable 500 at the World Economic Forum’s Davos Summit in 2019 to drive global disability inclusion. Since then, she has secured commitments from 500 multinational companies, collectively generated $8 trillion in revenue and employed 20 million people. Caroline is President of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and a board member at L’Oréal, Sanofi, and Sky. Her efforts have earned her an honorary doctorate and numerous awards including the Young Global Leader award. Caroline will explore the relationship between authentic leadership and self-acceptance.

Sam served 7 years as an officer in the Royal Marines, with deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq and was awarded the UK’s highest medal for gallantry, The George Cross, following a tragic diving incident involving a good friend. After leaving the military, he became Chief of Staff at a London-based hedge fund, where he operated at the sharp end of decision-making around multi-billion-pound pools of capital. Returning to Belfast Sam founded ‘Juice Jar’ scaling it from a startup idea into a fast-growing consumer brand with multiple locations (8 venues across the UK & Ireland). Reflecting on a journey that has spanned combat zones, high-finance and hands-on business building, Sam will share his insights on discipline, adaptability and values-led leadership, building teams and bold decisions.

Bill has been a paediatric surgeon for over three decades, a job that requires passion, compassion, precision and the resilience to bounce back in the face of extreme adversity. Bill has developed fascinating insights into the traits that identify successful leaders, particularly where the stakes are high and when the outcome, on many occasions, is the difference between life and death. An author and acclaimed public speaker, he has won several national and international awards for his research in children’s surgery. Reflecting on over 30 years as a surgeon, Bill will explore the neuroscience of team cohesion, the “art” of storytelling and the importance of enjoyment, humour and fulfilment at work aka the ‘joy factor’.