Growth Strategy

Meet David Brownlee David Brownlee is a customer experience, communication, and leadership expert. He is the CEO of The Brownlee Group, LLC and founder of the Rockstar Customer Service Training Program. He is a two-time, number one, best-selling author of Rockstar Service, Rockstar Profits and Customer Service Success and has been featured in Time Magazine, People Magazine and others. He is a former business coach and seminar leader for Tony Robbins and has conducted over 5,000 one-on-one coaching sessions with business owners and executives. He has trained over 2M businesses and individuals from his online courses, keynotes, live events and coaching programs. His clients range from small businesses to large companies – from Harley-Davidson, and Oakley to Google and LinkedIn. David is a serial entrepreneur and sold his first company in 2005. He then moved to Central America with his wife to take a break and learn his 3 s’s…Spanish, Salsa and Surfing. One night when coming home from dinner in a taxicab, David and his wife were kidnapped at gunpoint. David was robbed, beaten and stabbed in the leg. After making it through that horrific experience, David decided in that moment, that life is short and dedicated himself to helping others. He looks at this life event as a “blessing” because it has led him down the path to be here with you on your journey. David believes that we all deserve to be successful in life and business. He also believes that each one of us has the power to create a positive ripple effect of kindness and respect for one another through our interactions. We make this impact, one person at a time. He currently lives in San Diego, CA with his wife and two children. Fun fact: David is the biggest winner in the history of the Hollywood Squares Game Show on CBS with Whoopi Goldberg.

Why organisations work with Eloïne Barry She runs the infrastructure, not just the advice. African Media Agency’s wire service was the first of its kind built for the continent, and it gives any organisation she works with direct distribution into hundreds of African newsrooms rather than a slide deck about how to reach them. Her client record is the proof point buyers care about: campaigns delivered for the African Development Bank, IFC, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mastercard, Western Union and Merck, not a pitch deck of hypothetical case studies. She translates between the European and North American boardroom and the African newsroom. That crossover, learned at PR Newswire across France, Germany and the EMEA region before she moved the operation south, is rare at a senior level. She has been recognised by the industry on its own terms: SABRE Africa, ASCOM Grand Prix Excellence, New African Magazine’s 100 Most Influential, and Bizcommunity’s PR personalities to watch list for 2026. Biography highlights Founder and CEO, African Media Agency (AMA), Abidjan, with operations across 30+ African countries and hubs in Abidjan, Johannesburg and Durban. Built the first pan-African press-release wire distribution service. Clients include the African Development Bank, IFC, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mastercard, Western Union and Merck. Winner, SABRE Africa Western Africa award 2026 (Bluemind Foundation “Heal by Hair” campaign); African SABRE Certificate of Excellence in Media Relations 2021; Grand Prix Excellence, ASCOM Abidjan 2019. Named in New African Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Africans 2022; recognised by MIPAD (Most Influential People of African Descent) in 2018. Tony Elumelu Foundation mentor; board member, Africa Communications Week and Africa No Filter. Biography Most multinationals that try to reach African audiences at scale run into the same problem. A campaign built for London or New York lands in Lagos, Nairobi or Abidjan and does not move. The media maps are different, the gatekeepers are different, and the ground truth changes by country. African Media Agency was built to close that gap, and Eloine Barry built African Media Agency. AMA is the Abidjan-headquartered firm behind the first pan-African press-release wire distribution service. It now reaches hundreds of newsrooms across more than 30 African countries, with operational hubs in Abidjan, Johannesburg and Durban. Clients include the African Development Bank, IFC, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mastercard, Western Union and Merck, alongside governments and African-founded organisations. The agency’s work sits across three arms: AMA Wire for distribution, AMA PR for campaigns and advisory, and AMA Academy for journalist and communications training. Her own route into the work matters. Born in Lyon to a Senegalese mother and a Guinea-Bissauan father, she began her career at PR Newswire, running media relations across France, Germany, and later the wider EMEA and India region. That trajectory is why she is effective with European and American boards and with African newsrooms in the same week; she has sat on both sides of the brief. The industry has recognised the operating record. AMA won a SABRE Africa Western Africa award in 2026 for its Bluemind Foundation “Heal by Hair” mental health campaign, which scaled a Cameroonian-founded initiative into a partnership network spanning health ministries in Togo and Cote d’Ivoire and research groups at Paris Saclay and Santa Clara. Barry herself sits on the boards of Africa Communications Week and Africa No Filter, mentors on the Tony Elumelu Foundation programme, and was named by Bizcommunity among the ten PR personalities to watch in 2026. Key speaking topics Growth strategy for African markets Pan-African media and communications Government and public-sector communications in Africa African diaspora and return-to-Africa strategy Cross-cultural leadership between European, North American and African organisations Building and scaling media infrastructure in emerging markets Ideal for CMOs and heads of corporate affairs at multinationals planning or expanding African operations. CEOs and country leads of development institutions, foundations and NGOs running continent-wide campaigns. Government communications directors and ministries engaging African diaspora audiences. Founders and boards of African-built companies preparing for international visibility. Audience outcomes A clear read on why standard global PR playbooks fail in African markets and what replaces them. A grounded view of the African media landscape across anglophone, francophone and lusophone regions. Practical starting points for building credibility with African newsrooms, diaspora audiences and local regulators. A sharper sense of how communications strategy sits inside a broader market-entry or growth plan for the continent.

About Ruggero Schleicher-Tappeser Ruggero Schleicher-Tappeser is writing on the changing relationships between technology, society and nature. He combines his natural science and social science background with public policy and business experience across various European cultures. A strategic thinker – with special expertise in energy, transport and spatial development policies – he aims to give practically useful orientation in navigating the present poly-crisis. Ruggero has been following and inspiring the energy, transport, and sustainability debates in various roles for decades. He was an activist and a journalist, established his own think tank and played key roles in setting-up research institutes and foundations. As a consultant, he supported the development of the International Renewable Energy Agency and coordinated one of the last efforts to set up a large European PV factory before the collapse of the industry. He acted as a diplomat, co-founded multiple technical start-ups and is the author of many influential reports, books and articles in his areas of expertise. In combining practical experience and theoretical reflection, Ruggero Schleicher-Tappeser is convinced that a historical perspective on the interdependence of society, technology, and nature is urgently needed. He aims to promote global cooperation and mutual learning to avoid the impending catastrophic deterioration of natural conditions for human life on Earth.

Zoe Harrison’s Early Life and Passion for Rugby Zoe Harrison’s love for rugby was sparked by her family’s strong connection to the sport. With her father, John, a former Wales Schools representative, and her brothers, Alex and Eddie, both affiliated with Wasps, Zoe was inspired to pursue her rugby dreams from a young age. She joined a talent development group at 14, showcasing her potential early on. Rise to Prominence Zoe made her senior debut with Saracens in the 2016-17 season, earning the title of players’ player of the year. She played pivotal roles in both the 2018 and 2019 Tyrrells Premier 15s finals, scoring two tries and contributing 18 points in the 2019 final to secure back-to-back titles for Saracens. National Team Career Her national debut for England came in 2017 against Canada. In 2019, she received a full-time England contract, reflecting her consistent excellence on the field. Zoe was instrumental in England’s Grand Slam victories in the Women’s Six Nations, participating in every match of the 2019 and 2020 tournaments. Her skill and leadership were evident as she also competed in the Super Series and autumn internationals, further solidifying her reputation as a key player for the Red Roses.