Kirsty Wark is a trailblazing female news journalist. She presented BBC’s Newsnight for 30 years, holding politicians and public figures to account with her formidable
interviewing skills. With an award-winning broadcast career spanning arts and current
affairs, she has had memorable encounters with everyone from Margaret Thatcher to Madonna.

Mike Bates is a human intelligence specialist, covert counter-terrorism operations
leader within the MOD, entrepreneur, and adventurer. Leading in the aftermath of the
9/11 and 7/7 attacks, Mike is the first officer in the MOD to pass all courses required to
serve at the front of the UK’s counter-terror response.

Tom Burgis is an award-winning investigative journalist, a bestselling author, and a
captivating speaker. He has reported from over 40 countries, exposed corruption
scandals, covered terrorist attacks, coups and forgotten conflicts, and traced dirty
money globally. After many years with the Financial Times, Tom joined The Guardian in 2023.

Sam McAlister is a bestselling writer, TEDx speaker, and BAFTA-nominated producer. She has negotiated with powerful institutions, including Buckingham Palace, Tesla, and Facebook. Exclusives include the infamous HRH Prince Andrew interview, and President Clinton to Elon Musk. Sam is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics.

Matthew Syed is an award-winning writer, journalist, broadcaster, and acclaimed public speaker. After a long career as England’s number one table tennis player, Matthew has since written seven best-selling books on mindset and high performance. He uses his extensive knowledge to support diverse organisations to tap into continuous improvement.