Speakers
Nathan Hodge
Chief of CNN bureau in Moscow
Nathan Hodge has joined CNN Moscow bureau in the beginning of 2018. He has been covering national security and military affairs for over a decade, including coverage of the Soviet Union collapse, developments in the Middle East, heading WSJ bureau in Afghanistan and service in many other hot spots. The Tipping Point 2018 starts with a session on geopolitical tendencies and Nathan Hodge will open the session about the shift of major political powers. He will also moderate a discussion about the presidency of Donald Trump and distinctive features of his management style.
Julian Lindley-French
A British historian currently working on his new book 21st Century Strategy for Declining Powers
The TIPPING POINT 2018 starts with opening remarks by Julian Lindley French, a British historian and writer, currently working on his new book 21st Century Strategy for Declining Powers. Is global change accelerating and seemingly changing in ways uncomfortable for the free West? It is fashionable to suggest that the free West is in decline, the transatlantic relationship weakening. Historian thinks that the free West tends to exaggerate both the strengths of the illiberal 'Other' and what are perceived as our own weaknesses. What strategic directions business shall follow in the era of geopolitical disruption?
Mark Buchanan
An American physicist, writer, journalist
Mark Buchanan, a US based physicist, has a gift of applying modern physics for explaining social, economic and political
developments in the world. His book Ubiquity: Why Catastrophes Happen and the theory of sand piles has become the backbone theme of the TIPPING POINT 2018.
Danas Tvarijonavičius
Founder of Roquette Amilina, Head, R&D Global Business Unit Foundation Products at Roquette Freres S.A
In a traditional hot seat session, the Tipping Point 2018 presents a person who has witnessed all possible ups and downs and despite anything has been leading his business to success, often relying on his curiosity driven scientific mind-set. Danas Tvarijonavičius, a holder of doctoral degrees both in biochemistry and medicine could be referred to as an alchemist of agriculture. He has succeeded in growing a grain of ordinary wheat into an innovative product and world-level company. What lessons Lithuanian business could learn from the merger of Lithuanian company Amilina with Roquette, the second largest starch producer in Europe?
Neringa Bliūdžiūtė
Communications consultant, former speechwriter to the President and advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Neringa Bliūdžiūtė, a seasoned expert in communications with an international career ranging from NATO to coordination of nation-wide celebrations of the centeniary of Restored Lithuania is strongly convinced: most powerful speakers are the ones, who dare to be themselves. Social media unveils authenticity and unmasks the speeches made to please the audience and based on opinion polls only. Fear to miss the target makes most of public speeches similar and ineffective. More often than not speeches with mistakes, speeches breaking prevailing rules leave much better impression than well-polished leadership speeches. Where does the magic of a good speech lie?
Max Kalbfell
Brand Management Director BMW Northern Europe
The TIPPING POINT presents lessons from BMW, a company which despite being a well established veteran still is a trendsetter in the market. Max Kalbfell will speak about business transformations in times of speedy and everchanging economy, when even the very name of the company - Bayerische Motoren Werke - seems outdated and is not in line with technological code of today. The BMW Brand Management Director for Northern Europe will share his experience about a transition from an old economy to a new one; technological revolution requiring restart of a mindset and consequent challenges that the well-recognised brands have to deal with.
Alexander Bard
A cyber philosopher from Sweden, founder of a music band Army of Lovers
Alexander Bard, a popular musician, founder of a music band Army of Lovers in the past, is still in great demand. Now he is more than welcome on the stages of international conferences, where he analyses media revolution. As a co-author of The Futurica Trilogy he reflects on media evolution and history of humankind to forecast the future of our and next generations and the role of technology in it.
Ben Hunt
Chief Investment Officer at Second Foundation Partners, author of "Epsilon Theory"
Ben Hunt is the Chief Investment Officer at Second Foundation Partners, a consultant for large institutional investors, and the author of Epsilon Theory, a newsletter and website that examines markets through the lenses of game theory, history and nature. Over 100,000 professional investors and allocators across 180 countries read Epsilon Theory for its fresh perspective and novel insights into market dynamics. In prior positions, Ben has managed a billion dollar hedge fund and served as Chief Strategist for a $13 billion dollar asset manager. Ben spends lots of time in a family owned farm, which inspires many original ideas from parallels between human and animal behavior.
Elijus Čivilis
Vice-Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania in charge of the national digital agenda
Elijus Čivilis could easily qualify as a motivational speaker as he is a world champion in mountain bike race. But he is also a part of the leadership team at the Ministry of Economy keen on digitalising Lithuania, both public and private sector. What are those corner stones to be built in by a small team of movers and shakers into the fundamentals of statehood so firmly that stagnating and often corrupt bureaucracy could not break them down anymore?
Saku Tuominen
Founder of HundrED, an organisation sharing inspiring education innovations across the world
What could other countries less successful in providing education for children learn from Finland? Saku Tuominen, the founder of HundrED, an organisation sharing best K12 education practices, describes himself very briefly – an idealist. However, modest characteristics combines much more than idealism: he is also a successful businessman, innovator, writer, great admirer of olive oil and ice hockey. In the meantime, he is developing a database of best and most innovative education initiatives that will be accessible for teachers all over the world free of charge.
Ramūnas Rauktys
Soldier of French Foreign Legion
Over 15 years Ramūnas Rauktys has been protecting French values in Central Africa. Three terms of service included military operations in the most distant locations in Africa, ensuring border control between Muslim dominated East and Christian West. There his experiences ranged from encountering with well organised armies of the world super powers to shocking life-style of locals, often close to stone age. The Tipping Point 2018 presents an authentic experience of the true warrior and his insights about the fights for African resources. A life-story worth of being transferred into a script for a blockbuster.
Dalia Ibelhauptaitė
Vilnius City Opera, Founder and Creative Director
Every new performance directed by Dalia Ibelhauptaitė is like a new business project. In addition to all staging related issues, she has to ensure private sponsorship and to design mind-blowing promotional campaigns, usually lacking resources to implement them.
The world-famous theatre director knows how to stage a stylish drama in public for the most noble cause – attracting to the theatre the audiences that usually are not interested in it.
Don‘t miss your chance to meet Dalia Ibelhauptaitė, a sparkling creative theatre director and business manager.
Robertas Badaras
Head of Toxicology Centre at Vilnius University Hospital
A practicing toxicologist sends us a warning: consumption of synthetic drugs among teenagers is uncontrollable and Lithuania is not an exception. Prevention systems do not exist anymore: distribution network of small Chinese pills is huge and their price is low. In the meantime, 670 types of new psychoactive substances have been registered in the EU. We all tend to think that drug abuse does not concern our children. If so, who are these 25 per cent of 15-16 years old teenagers, who have already tried synthetic drugs at least once?
Kristupas Sabolius
Professor at Vilnius University, philosopher, author of 4 books about imagination and creativity
Traditionally imagination is defined as an exclusive human skill. However, nowadays we also speak about alternative forms of intellect of other species: internet of trees, intelligence of prokaryotes or imagination of robots. It has been noticed, that calamari may merge into creative unions with bacteria, slime modes may form smart structures and swamps may offer strategies for overcoming high tides. Is a human being indeed the one and only intelligent and creative species? Or may be on the contrary, a human being is nothing more than a phantasy-driven narcissist, who spent too much time imagining only the handy and the useful? If so, is imagination of non-human nature possible?
Kamyar Hedayat
President of American Society of Endobiogenic Medicine and Integrative Physiology
Kamyar Hedayat, American physician of Persian origin has a popular medical practice in Chicago. He is an ardent
advocate of endobiogenic medicine based on principles of balance and he strongly believes that these principles will
dominate in the medicine of the future. As good as he is in medicine, he is a powerful and convincing speaker. His
presentations have solid academic background but simultaneously they are mind blowing - our bodies are far more
subtle organisms than blood tests may reveal.
Žydrūnas Grudzinskas
Former player of the Lithuanian national football team, commentator, youth coach
For Žydrūnas Gruzinskas football is much more than a game, therefore the current state of Lithuanian football breaks his heart. Here in Lithuania we have it all: motivated kids, motivated coaches and even money. According to the coach, there is more money in the national football system than in basketball. However, no money hits the football ground and situation in Lithuanian football is rapidly deteriorating. Could the Icelandic football phenomenon be replicated in Lithuania? If so, what do we need for this to happen?
Ronald Kessler
US journalist and author of the book The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game
Vygaudas Ušackas
Former Foreign Minister of Lithuania, ambassador to the USA, Mexico and UK as well as former EU ambassador to Afghanistan and Russia
Ronald Kessler is the author of bestsellers about the US centers of power and he has been privileged
to watch many of the US presidents within close range. Donald Trump reminds him of Ronald Reagan
in his first years of presidency - also initially misunderstood by the political elite and media. Today
Ronald Reagan is remembered as one of the most influential presidents of the USA. Kessler casts a
close look on the current hierarchy of the White House and calls not to draw conclusions from
controversial Donald Trump’s tweets only. Ronald Kessler will be interviewed by Vygaudas Ušackas - a former Foreign Minister of Lithuania, well familiar with the author and the backstage of decision making on the highest level.
Aidas Puklevičius
Creative Director at Fabula Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Marijonas Mikutavičius
A singer-songwriter
A couple of years ago a famous Lithuanian songwriter and performer regretted him being only part of the evening programme at our conference in Palanga. This year he joins the TIPPING POINT 2018 as a speaker. It is an open secret that the song-writer is also a very deep and interesting personality to talk with. We do hope you will enjoy a conversation between two masters of talk - Marijonas Mikutavičius and his friend Aidas Puklevičius, who already is a regular host of the Tipping Point. They will focus their conversation on Lithuania - the good and the bad happening here.
Jurgita Verbickienė
Professor at Vilnius University, historian researching history and culture of Lithuanian Jews
Vadim Altskan
Historian at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Vadim Altskan, a US based historian, prefers facts to interpretations when analysing specifics of collaboration with Nazi across different countries. Jurgita Verbickienė, a Lithuania based historian studies history and culture of Lithuanian Jews. We do hope that rational academic approach of two historians from two different countries might be a better guide to understanding and recognizing Lithuania’s engagement in Holocaust than self-reproach or denial. In this discussion by two historians a portrait of Jacob Gens, head of Vilnius ghetto and ultimate patriot of Lithuania, will serve as basis for debunking most common myths about hostility between Jews and Lithuanians.