Guest Speakers
Christian Gansch

Presidential Guest Speaker: Christian Gansch

Thursday, September 26
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Christian Gansch is a internationally-renowned Grammy winning conductor, music producer and author. Gansch will present a unique coaching concept, which demonstrates the similarities between orchestras and company structures. He compares these similarities and demonstrates what companies can learn from the complex structures in orchestras, which outwardly look like a perfect unit to the audience.

Orchestras with their high potential for human conflicts, leadership issues and complex integrated communications are a perfect example of how to bring a huge variety of specialists and instruments together to form one integrated harmonious unit.

From 1981 to 1990, Christian was leader of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. He then moved into the music industry and produced over 190 CDs worldwide. Since 2003, Gansch has worked as a consultant for a number of major companies with direct reference to communication and "orchestral consciousness". He has also published two books on this subject.

David Axelrod

Guest Speaker: David Axelrod

Friday, September 27
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

David Axelrod is a preeminent American political strategist, founding director of the University of Chicago's non-partisan Institute of Politics and a senior political commentator for CNN. He will share leadership lessons as former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Barack Obama then answer questions from the audience.

Axelrod is the host of The Axe Files, a top-rated podcast featuring in depth conversations with public figures across the political spectrum.

A former political writer for the Chicago Tribune, Axelrod produced media strategy and advertising for 150 campaigns across the U.S., culminating in President Obama’s historic elections. Axelrod is also the author of The New York Times best-selling memoir, Believer: My Forty Years in Politics.