Kip Stephen Thorne is known for his contributions in gravitational physics and astrophysics. A longtime friend and colleague of late Stephen Hawking and late Carl Sagan. He was the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) until 2009 and is one of the world's leading experts on the astrophysical implications of Einstein's general theory of relativity. He continues to do scientific research and scientific consulting, most notably for the Christopher Nolan film Interstellar.
In 2017, Thorne was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Barry C. Barish "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves".
Thorne is known for his ability to convey the excitement and significance of discoveries in gravitation and astrophysics to both professional and lay audiences. In 1999, Thorne made some speculations on what the 21st century will find as the answers to the following questions:
- Is there a "dark side of the universe" populated by objects such as black holes?
- Can we observe the birth of the universe and its dark side using radiation made from space-time warpage, or so-called "gravitational waves"?
- Will 21st century technology reveal quantum behavior in the realm of human-size objects?
His presentations on subjects such as black holes, gravitational radiation, relativity, time travel, and wormholes have been included in PBS shows in the U.S. and on the BBC in the United Kingdom.
Matt Fisher is a versatile and dynamic presenter, with a natural, relaxed style that engages the audience and brings out the best in other speakers. During 5 years as EFQM’s Chief Operating Officer, he’s facilitated events in practically every country in Europe, working with leading companies like BMW, Volvo, Bosch, Ricoh and British Gas.
His business background enables him to quickly digest information, facilitate panel discussions and give additional insights that summarise complex concepts into digestible, takeaway nuggets.
After a Masters from Edinburgh, Matt joined British Gas during their transition from nationalised industry to the competitive market place. So began a 20 year journey into helping organisations ensure they are fit for the future. He subsequently joined Ricoh to lead their European Business Excellence and Sustainability programmes before joining EFQM as Chief Operating Officer in 2010.
During this time, he led the review of the EFQM Excellence Model in 2010 and 2013. Matt revitalised both the Foundation and the business excellence community in Europe and beyond with his pragmatic and practical approach. One of the keys to rekindling interest was the annual EFQM Forum and Excellence Awards, both moderated by Matt in an engaging, often humorous style, which facilitated the development of a learning environment for the delegates to share their own experience.
Matt has developed global management training programmes for BMW and Grundfos, led global assessments for Bosch and La Poste and worked with the United Nations Global Compact to develop the EFQM Framework for Sustainability.
Recent speaking and conference moderating invitations have taken him to practically every country in Europe.
Matt describes himself as ‘someone who believes that the simple solutions are the best’.
Matt is a respected business leader, consultant and conference speaker.
One of the world’s authorities on customer experience, customer centricity and transformation, Lior Arussy delivers results. His strategic framework converts organizations from product- to customer-centricity. It is drawn from his work with some of the world’s leading brands: Mercedes-Benz, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Thomson Reuters, HSBC, E.ON, FedEx, SAP, University of Pennsylvania and Johnson and Johnson. His methodology enabled a Mercedes Benz to take the number 1 position in customer satisfaction in 2 years. Another client, a European logistics corporation leaped from 3% annual organic growth to 44% annual organic growth in just two years.
Mr. Arussy, described by Fast Company Founding Editor, William C. Taylor, “as one of the most provocative business thinkers I know” has also had his achievements recognized by Consulting Magazine which named his company among the Top 7 consulting companies to watch in 2015 and one of the fastest growing Consulting Firms of 2015. He received the 2015 SmartCEO Circle of Excellence Award and in 2015 was honored by CRM Magazine who presented Lior with their “Influential Leaders" award. Arussy was named the #2 Top Global Guru in Customer Service by Global Gurus.
Prior to establishing Strativity Group, Mr. Arussy held executive positions at Hewlett-Packard among other companies.
Arussy is also the author of six books including the recently released book Exceptionalize it! (2015) and Customer Experience Strategy (2010). In addition, he has published over 250 articles in publications around the world including the Harvard Business Review.
His accomplishments have been recognized by leading press and analysts such as ABC, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Times of London and MSNBC. Mr. Arussy completed his undergraduate degree at Case Western Reserve University and received his MBA from Weatherhead School of Management.
