Topic: Teamwork

Simone Biles

Simone Arianne Biles is an American artistic gymnast, the most decorated gymnast of all time. Biles is a six-time United States national all-around champion and five-time World all-around champion. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Biles won individual gold medals in all-around, vault and floor. She was also part of the gold medal winning team dubbed the “final five” at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Simone Biles has a total of 25 medals, 19 of them Olympic medals, and she is the most decorated gymnast in the history of the United States and in the history of the sport. Among her many records, Simone Biles has been the first gymnast to win every major all-around title in an Olympic cycle. She is also the first American gymnast ever to win the grand slam of all-around titles: U.S. National Championships, World Championships, World Cup (American Cup).

Additionally, Simone Biles has been the first gymnast to win four Olympic gold medals since 1984. She has set the U.S. mark for most gold medals in women’s gymnastics at a single Games.

In 2016, she was awarded with the BBC Foreign Sports Personality. She has also won Laureus Sportswoman of the Year three times (2016, 2019, 2020).

Diego Pablo Simeone

Diego Pablo Simeone, otherwise called El Cholo, is an Argentine football star, with endless of accomplishments as a manager and former football player. He used to play as a midfielder.
At the point when his club vocation began in 1987, Simeone played for Vélez Sarsfield, Pisa, Sevilla, Atlético Madrid, Internazionale, Lazio and Racing Club. He won a local twofold with Atlético Madrid in 1996, and the UEFA Cup with Inter in 1998. As though this wasn't enough, he also won another residential twofold with Lazio in 2000, just as the 1999 UEFA Super Cup and the 2000 Supercoppa Italiana.

Diego Pablo Simeone played more than 100 times for the Argentina national group and represented the country at the 1994, 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups. He represented Copa América, in four releases winning the competition in 1991 and 1993. He additionally won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1992, and a silver award at the 1996 Summer Olympic games.

Simeone also coached Racing Club, Estudiantes de La Plata, River Plate, San Lorenzo and Catania before joining Atlético Madrid in 2011. He won the Argentine Primera División both with Estudiantes and River Plate, an has won five titles since joining Atletico Madrid, including the Liga title, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Europa League. He also arrived to two UEFA Champions League finals with the club.

Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti is the manager of soccer giants Real Madrid. He is only one of two managers to have won the UEFA Champions League three times and reach four finals (three finals and two victories with Milan and one victory with Real Madrid). He is also the first manager to have won the FIFA Club World Cup with two European Clubs. As a manager, he has worked for Reggiana, Parma, Juventus, Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli and Everton. He is widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football having won domestic titles in Italy, England, France, Spain and Germany.

He has earned a number of prestigious awards for his accomplishments, including the 2014 Globe Soccer Award, IFFHS Best World Manager (2007 and 2014), UEFA Best Manager (2002 and 2003), World Soccer Magazine Best Manager in 2003, Serie A Best Manager (2001 and 2004), Ligue 1 Best Manager (2012 and 2013), Enzo Bearzot National Award in 2014, Inspiring Leaser Award in 2015 and four-time Premier League Manager of the Month. FourFourTwo voted him the 18th Greatest Manager of All Time in 2020.

Ancelotti played as a midfielder and began his career with Italian club Parma, helping the club to Serie B promotion in 1979. He moved to Roma the following season, where he won a Serie A title and four Coppa Italia titles, and also played for the late 1980s Milan team, with which he won two league titles and two European Cups, among other titles. At international level he played for the Italian national team on 26 occasions, scoring once, and appeared in two FIFA World Cups, finishing in third-place in the 1990 edition of the tournament, as well as UEFA Euro 1988, where he helped his nation to reach the semi-finals.

Ancelotti is the author of the 2016 book, Quiet Leadership. In Quiet Leadership, Ancelotti reveals the full, riveting story of his managerial career - his methods, mentors, mistakes and triumphs - and takes us inside the dressing room to trace the characters, challenges and decisions that have shaped him. The result is both a scintillating memoir and a rare insight into the business of leadership.

Having led Everton in the Premier League since 2019, Carlo re-joined Real Madrid in June 2021.

Juan Pablo Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya is a Colombian Formula 1 driver and the only motor racing professional to win a CART Serie title, the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 24 hours, all in his first attempt.

He inherited the love of his father for cars and from the age of five he began his passion for speed. From an early age, he began to demostrate his skills in this sport, becoming a young promise of Formula 1.

Montoya competed in three different categories at the same time, achieving good results, until he decided to move from Colombia to Europe to follow his dream of racing in Formula 1. He is an example of personal growth and how working with perseverance will help you to achieve everything you need.

Although Formula 1 may seems an individual sport, the key to success is teamwork. Juan Pablo Montoya stands out by exploiting the capabilities of each person and looking into available resources within themselves, creating efficient, committed and united teams that will be able to work under pressure.

Just like he did with his working teams in professional motorsports, Montoya is a speaker sending a contagious and powerful positive message of motivation and improvement to his audience. In his conferences he gives, through his personal and professional experience in motorsport, the keys of leadership to manage a team with success.

Juan Pablo Montoya won CART series in 1999 and achieved ten victories in two seasons with Ganassii. Afterwards, he began to race in Formula 1, stage when he won 7 victories, 30 pódiums and 13 poles. 2003 was his stelar season: he won the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the most important and prestigious races in the world. It was also in 2003 when he beat the world record racing, the latest lap in Formula 1, at 250,844 Kilometers/hour in Italy Grand Prix.

Since 2017, he is part of the Team Penske 2017, one of the most prestigious teams of motorsport and he is considered by many the best driver of Colombia.

Marc Priestley

Today he co-presents the widely acclaimed Wheeler Dealers television show, well known to car enthusiasts world-wide, and is an expert commentator and pundit on Formula 1, Formula E and the wider motorsport industry. He also hosts his own podcast Pitlane Life Lessons detailing the lessons to be learned from the elite world of Formula 1.

His first book ‘The Mechanic – The Secret World of the F1 Pitlane’ was published in 2017, revealing his experiences of working in the high pressure, high performance environment of a Formula 1 team. This included being part of the pit crew responsible for seamlessly delivering the high speed pit stops which form a key part of F1’s spectacle, their split second timing making the difference between winning and losing.

Working directly with drivers including World Champions Lewis Hamilton, Mika Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button, Marc experienced the highs and lows of working in the most technically sophisticated sport in the world. One in which the very best human qualities and examples of leadership and team work come to the fore.

Marc is ideally placed to speak about the values and behaviours which enable successful Formula 1 teams to achieve and sustain peak performance. He also speaks about the fully connected, data-driven environment of the sport and the way in which teams use marginal gains to help ensure continuous improvement day to day, race to race.

His insights into how high quality decisions are made in this intensely competitive environment are combined with an explanation as to how Formula 1 teams operate, with clear lines of communication supported by well defined roles and responsibilities.

As part of ITV’s commentary team covering Formula E, commencing in 2014, Marc can also speak about the rise of electric vehicle technology in motorsport, the disruptive nature of Formula E helping the industry to move away from its reliance on fossil fuels. With Formula 1 targeting net zero carbon emissions by 2030, Marc can explain the ways in which the industry is set to undergo a radical shift during the current decade.

Mark Gallagher

Mark Gallagher has held senior roles in the high performance environment of Formula 1 motor racing during a 30 year career. Today he is an author, broadcaster and industry analyst who continues to work with drivers and teams at the forefront of this global sport. He is also a renowned public speaker and since 1998 has provided compelling keynote presentations and insights to organisations worldwide.

Mark’s executive management career in Formula 1 included more than a decade on the management board of the successful Jordan Grand Prix team, running the world-famous Cosworth engine business and helping establish the commercial arm of Red Bull Racing.

Mark has been a member of the technical working groups within the sport’s governing body, the FIA, tasked with tackling challenges including environmental sustainability and safety, the latter being central to the sport’s regulatory environment. He spent two years working on the energy efficiency regulations adopted by Formula 1 in 2014.

His expertise covers the commercial and operational management of Formula 1 teams, and includes the sport’s regulatory, business and technology landscape. Since 1994 he has introduced some of the world’s leading technology companies to the sport, playing a key role in the digital transformation of Formula 1.

Mark’s career in Formula One commenced in 1983, working in media and communications before joining the start-up Jordan Grand Prix team in 1990. Mark joined the management board of Jordan in 1998, the team challenging for the World Championship in 1999.

In 2004 he was invited to join the Jaguar Racing organisation as it transitioned into becoming Red Bull Racing. In 2010 Mark was appointed head of the world-famous Cosworth Formula 1 engine company, supplying one-third of the teams in Formula 1 with engines and associated technologies.

Beyond Formula 1 Mark was the co-founder and owner of Status Grand Prix, competing in lower formulae and international sports cars racing.

Since 2012 Mark has focused on his Formula 1 consulting business, Performance Insights, working with a range of clients across the sport. He is also a columnist, feature writer and broadcaster for GP Racing Magazine and Autosport, part of the global Motorsport Network.

He has written three books, Grand Prix - The Last 25 Years (WH Smith, 1999) and two editions of The Business of Winning (Kogan Page, 2014) with a fully revised, 2nd edition published on 3rd October 2021. Mark also collaborated with David Coulthard on his Sunday Times Best Seller The Winning Formula (Blink Publishing, 2018). Between 2005 and 2010 Mark was a consultant to Pixar on its CARS and CARS 2 movies.

David Coulthard

David Coulthard dominated Britain's junior Formula Ford categories in 1989 and became the first ever recipient of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award for young drivers. In 1991 he fought a titanic battle with future F1 rival Rubens Barrichello for the first British Formula 3 Championship, and won the prestigious Macau F3 Grand Prix.

He joined the Williams F1 team as a test driver in 1993, and after competing in eight Grands Prix for the team in the 1994 season he became a full-time F1 driver in 1995. That year he won the Portuguese Grand Prix and finished third in the championship.

Moving to McLaren, David took his new team's first win in three seasons at the 1997 Austrian Grand Prix. In all, he scored 12 of his 13 Grand Prix wins and 51 of his 62 podium finishes with McLaren. After supporting team-mate Mika Hakkinen in the drivers; championship in 1998 and '99, he finished runner-up to Michael Schumacher in 2001.

In 2005 David moved to the newly formed Red Bull Racing team. By the time he retired from driving, in 2008, he had notched up 535 points, making him the highest scoring British driver of all time. David stayed on as a consultant to Red Bull, acts as an ambassador for Mercedes-Benz and still drives for AMG Mercedes Benz in DTM – the German Touring Car Championship. He is also a key member of the award winning BBC TV F1 commentary team.

He returned to active motorsports in 2010 joining Mücke Motorsport in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and retired at the end of 2012. Coulthard has also participated in the Race of Champions, finishing runner-up in the Drivers' Cup in 2008, and winning the competition in 2014.

Bertrand Piccard

The first surprising thing about Bertrand Piccard is the extreme diversity of his interests and abilities.

An explorer unconstrained by certitude and stereotypes, a pioneer of the human spirit more than an adventurer; he rejects all dogmas other than the need for all-embracing curiosity.

As an enthusiastic balloonist and aviator, Bertrand tackles challenges that others consider impossible. He made the first ever non-stop round-the-world flight in a balloon and launched the «Solar Impulse» project for a solar airplane, in which he flew from Europe to Africa without a single drop of fuel.

A doctor and psychiatrist, he derives from his training in hypnosis and his interest in oriental philosophies a different focus putting human beings and their quality of life in the foreground.

A real visionary, he formulates his projects’ pioneering philosophies and sketches out their symbolic significance and relevance for the public. The stratosphere and ocean depths attracted his forefathers, but the issues of today fascinate him: sustainable development, responsibility, the fight against poverty, technologies for environmental protection.

A persuasive communicator, he has a striking way of always trying to build bridges between the extremes in order to develop synergies instead of oppositions.

Through his books, lectures and interviews as well as in political encounters he tries to promote a human-oriented vision that leaves ample room for pioneering spirit and innovation in everyday life.

He is the president of the humanitarian foundation Winds of Hope and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.

Michelle Mone

Michelle Mone OBE, born 1971, is the co-owner of MJM International and founder of Ultimo, the UK’s leading designer lingerie brand. Honoured by the Queen with an OBE for her contribution to business, Michelle is regularly listed as one of the UK’s top female entrepreneurs and has built a hugely successful career on an incredibly simple concept: giving today’s women what they want.

Entrepreneurial spirit was prevalent from an early age in Michelle, who grew up in the east end of Glasgow. Michelle left school at 15 with no qualifications to find full-time employment, after her father was struck down by an illness leaving him confined to a wheelchair. To support her family Michelle took on a job at Labatt Brewers’ and quickly climbed the ranks from office junior; at just 22years old Michelle was appointed as Head of Sales and Marketing for Scotland.

But it was in 1996 when her idea for Ultimo was born. Whilst attending a dinner dance with her husband Michael, Michelle was wearing a very uncomfortable cleavage enhancing bra and, as a result, had a ‘light bulb’ moment; Michelle decided to invent a bra that was more comfortable, more innovative, more attractive and more cleavage enhancing than any other bra on the market. MJM International was set up in November 1996.

Since launching the business Michelle has established herself as one of Scotland’s biggest exports; in 2000 Ultimo was catapulted into the media limelight when Hollywood actress Julia Roberts wore an Ultimo plunge-bra to enhance her cleavage in Erin Brockovich. Later that year Michelle won the coveted ‘World Young Business Achiever Award’ at the Epcot Centre, Florida, and then ‘Business Woman of the Year’ at the Corporate Elite Awards in London.

In 2001 Prince Charles invited Michelle to join the Board of Directors for The Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust and more recently his Board of Main Council, confirming her status as one of the UK’s leading female entrepreneurs. Michelle also won ‘Best Newcomer’ at the British Apparel Export Awards, presented by HRH the Princess Royal, adding to her long list of awards, accolades and recognitions.

In October 2005 Michelle attended a speaking engagement with former US president Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev, and went on to support the Sultan of Oman in setting up women’s enterprise in the Middle East. Michelle has since become a high-profile guest at speaking engagements and corporate events all over the world.

Over the years Michelle’s business has gone from strength-to-strength, developing beyond the original umbrella of Ultimo to encompass Ultimo D-G Cup, Ultimo Black Label, Ultimo Shapewear, Ultimo Swimwear and partner lines including Diamond Boutique for Tesco, Adore Moi for Debenhams.

As well as designing fashion lingerie, Ultimo boasts eight worldwide patented inventions including the Ultimo ‘Miracle’ backless body. In addition to its jointly owned brands, MJM International currently supplies Tesco, Debenhams, ASDA, Next, Figleaves and Asos.com, along with a number of independent lingerie stores throughout Europe.

In 2012, after 3 years of intensive research Michelle expanded her portfolio and launched into the world of beauty with a range of tanning products – Utan.

Michelle is divorced and lives on the outskirts of Glasgow with her three children. Michelle has achieved a remarkable level of success to date, juggling the demands of her business, together with motherhood, but – in her own words – ‘this is only the beginning’.