Speakers
Trevor Faure
Global General Counsel & Partner, Ernst and Young Global
Faure leads the global network of 400 lawyers for Ernst & Young, a global business employing 144,000 people in 140 countries with revenue of over $21BN last year.
Faure is "The Lawyer" magazine's In-House Counsel of the Year 2008, the BSN Lawyer of the Year 2007 and was ranked as one of the world's top 25 Corporate Counsel on the "Legal Business" Global Power List 2007.He recently joined the influential Law Panel of "The Times", the hand-picked advisory body of 100 of the most prominent barristers and solicitors.
Faure created the Smarter Legal Model which received "the Financial Times" 2007 Innovative Lawyer of the Year "Stand Out" citation. The Smarter Legal Model is being taught at Harvard Law School, where he lectured in 2008 and 2009.
During his 22 year career, Faure was Vice-President and General Counsel of Tyco International, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Prior to Tyco, Faure was Legal Director, Dell Computer EMEA and Senior Counsel, Apple Computer EMEA.
These achievements are even more noteworthy considering Trevor was raised on a council estate in Luton by a single mother and was the first member of his family to attend University. His self-funded education and subsequent meteoric rise are testaments to his hard work and determination and part of why he is such an inspirational character.
Faure attended Queen Mary College, University of London, earned an Honours Degree in Law and is a Barrister of the Supreme Court of England and Wales; he speaks fluent French having lived in Paris for 10 years, returning to his London home in 2006.
“..one of the most creative and systematic thinkers about contemporary business law.” Ben W. Heineman, Jr , Former GE Senior Vice President for Law
Chuka Umunna
Member of Parliament for Streatham
Aged only 31, Chuka Umunna has accomplished within his field what others may only dream of; his passion, determination and hard work has lead him to become one of the country's youngest MPs, representing Streatham, London.
Umunna attended the University of Manchester where he graduated with a BA Honours in English and French law, 2:1. After a brief period of study at the University of Burgundy, followed by Nottingham Law School, he began his career as solicitor at the London based international law firm Herbert Smith.
Since then, he has immersed himself in a number of worthy and charitable causes. He has been a trustee of various charities including The Anthony Bourne Foundation and the Next Generation Foundation.
In November 2007 Umunna was identified as one of the ten young, gifted and black people in British politics by The Independent on Sunday. Furthermore, in January 2009 the New Statesman labelled him as one of the ten people who could change the world.
It is this success, along with his continuous striving to improve communities and inspire the youth of today, which lead the African Caribbean Company to invite him to speak at its annual Leadership Summit this September.
David McQueen
Motivational Speaker, Trainer and Coach
David is an international speaker with a mission to empower both young people and adults alike on topics such as leadership. His audience are connected though David’s ability to tell engaging stories which express his fiery opinions with humour and warmth.
He is also a social entrepreneur and the founder of Magnificent Minds, an organisation dedicated to helping professionals communicate with impact.
He has delivered programmes on leadership, presentation skills and power networking. He also has a wealth of expertise in career management, effective communication and motivation.
Obum Ekeke
Sales Technical Operations, Google, London
Obum joined Google in February 2007 and works with Global Sales Technical Operations to provide scalable product solutions to the Sales team. He currently works as a technical project manager for building internal support tools within the Sales organization. Obum is very passionate about helping Google launch products and discover talents in Africa. Amongst other projects, Obum has contributed to launching Google News Nigeria edition and translating google.com.ng to his native Ibo dialect.
Obum was born in Nigeria, where he grew up and attended primary, secondary and university education. He worked for over 5 years in Nigeria before moving to Europe in 2005. Obum holds a Masters degree in eBusiness Systems.
Outside work, Obum spends most of his time working with young people and helping organize events in his local church. He is also an avid football fan.
Lydie Tekadiomona
Technical Account Manager, Google, London
Lydie is originally from France and grew up in Limoges where she got her university degree in Business and Marketing. After graduating from university, she moved to London to work as a French assistant in a community school in East London and a few years after moved to Dublin to join Google Ireland in November 2005.
During 4 years, her role within the Consumer Operations team was to advocate for top users' issues to get fixed, represent the user in product development and worked on various projects to improve users' help experience. She also acted as an online community manager in the French-speaking forum.
She is now based in London and recently joined the DoubleClick Search team as a Technical Account Manager and supports top UK and Irish advertising agencies.
Simon Vandi
Programme Manager Finance Transformation, Deutsche Bank
Simon is a Programme Manager with over 11 years experience working within the Investment Banking/Asset Management Sector on global remits.
Simon has worked for some of the Top 5 banks in the world including UBS, JPMorgan, HSBC and RBS. He has also sat on several committees for business architecture, governance and strategic change.
He is also a Financier and Entrepreneur with developing interest in Entertainment and Media, positioned to support a Youth Enterprising Culture. He has given extensive lectures on new business development and sponsors a wide range of youth events.
In 2007 Simon was selected to the Reach programme which aims to improve visibility of positive Black male role models at Regional and National Level.
Simon graduated with an Honours Degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1993 and a Masters in Business System Analysis & Design in 1997 from City University. He is also a qualified Derivatives specialist.
He believes effective management is at its best when well prepared cross-cultural teams are focussed through shared vision. He has an aptitude for inspiring and motivating based on a personal philosophy of positive self-advertising.
“Simon says we all have a shared responsibility of aspiring to inspire; of developing individual talents and fostering mentorship in the next generation.”
