In a world where you can be anything, be kind.
As we look back on a new year of Brilliant Minds and the celebration of our ten-year anniversary, we are proud of our special theme: HumanKIND. At the heart of every moment of brilliance, there is humanity and there is kindness. If ever there was a time when human kindness was needed, it is now. Kindness is the backbone of our shared humanity, a simple yet universal quality. It is also a quality that is seldom mentioned in discussions about thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and pioneers, and yet it is something that should underpin all collaborative enterprises, and all our activities in everyday life.
Our humanity and kindness are powerful forces that have the ability to bring us together and transform lives. These qualities help us build resilience, overcome hardship, and develop a stronger sense of purpose and meaning. The commitment to ethical values, the capacity for empathy, to see the world through somebody else’s eyes, and to recognise the need for compromise, is the very essence of cooperation. And from cooperation comes progress.
At Brilliant Minds we have always recognised that our first obligation is to each other. Everything grows from this.
Our world needs us to be more human, to embrace our unique abilities and the behaviours and connections that define our existence and move us forward. In the last 10 extraordinary years at Brilliant Minds, we have made it our mission to bring together diverse perspectives, foster creativity and collaboration, and celebrate our shared humanity. We aim to inspire a sense of belonging and interconnectedness, allowing us all to recognise that our differences are not obstacles.
In our shared human experience a simple act of kindness is one that is never forgotten. It is something that is carried forward. Kindness is contagious.
In a world where you can be anything, be kind.
Speakers 2025
Moderator Adam Grant – Organizational Psychologist and Bestselling Author
Moderator Alex Norström – Co-President and Chief Business Officer, Spotify
Moderator Alexander Gilkes – Co-Founder, Squared Circles
Moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin – Journalist, Author and Producer
Moderator Annastasia Seebohm Giacomini – CEO, Brilliant Minds Foundation
Speaker Arthur C. Brooks – Harvard Professor and Best-selling Author
Bjarke Ingels – Architect & Founding Partner, Bjarke Ingels Group
Speaker Bryan Adams – Grammy Award Winning Artist
Speaker Bryan Johnson – Leading expert on longevity and biohacking, Founder of Blueprint and Don’t Die
Speaker Bryan Stevenson – Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative
Speaker Carl Bildt – Co-Chair of ECFR, Former Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden
Speaker Carsten Höller – Artist
Speaker Christiane Amanpour – Chief International Anchor, CNN
Moderator Darnell Strom – Partner and Head of Culture & Commerce, UTA
Speaker David Fajgenbaum – Co-Founder and President of Every Cure
Moderator Gayle King – Co-Host, CBS Mornings
Speaker Gracie Abrams – Grammy-nominated Artist
Speaker Hamdi Ulukaya – Founder of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, Founder & CEO of Chobani
Moderator Hans Vestberg – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Verizon
Moderator Jenny Strömstedt – Senior Anchor, TV4 News Sweden
Moderator Joanna Grant – Founder, Thumbs Up Concepts
Speaker Johanna Sjöberg – CEO of Toteme
John Legend – EGOT-Winning and Multiplatinum Musician
Moderator Judith Wolst – Partner SusTechable, Angel investor and Author
Moderator Kristina O’Neill – Head of Media and Editor in Chief, Sotheby’s Magazine
Speaker Lillie & Ben Wright – Purchasing Specialist & Co-Founder, Bitty & Beau’s Coffee
Moderator Lionel Barber – Author, Broadcaster and Editor of the Financial Times (2005-2020)
Speaker Lucy Guo – Founder & CEO of Passes
Moderator Malala Yousafzai – Founder, Malala Fund, Extracurricular and Reces
Speaker Maria Veerasamy – CEO of Svenskt Tenn
Speaker Mark Hyman – Co-founder and the Chief Medical Officer, Function Health
Speaker Matt Mullenweg – Co-Founder, WordPress; Founder and CEO, Automattic
Speaker Michael Eisenberg – Professor of Urology and Director of Men’s Health at Stanford University
Speaker Ralph Nauta – Artist and co-founder, DRIFT
Speaker Rutger Bregman – Historian, author, and co-founder of The School for Moral Ambition
Innovators Winner Sandra Challma – CEO and co-founder of Cognes Medical Solutions
Speaker Simon Sinek – Optimist & Best Selling Author
Speaker Sir Lucian Grainge CBE – Chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group
Speaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy – Academy Award-winning filmmaker
Speaker Tom Brady – 7X Super Bowl Champion, NFL Broadcast Analyst & Entrepreneur
Speaker Trevor Noah – Comedian, Producer and Best-Selling Author
Speaker Yeonmi Park – North Korean defector & Human Rights Activist
Speaker Yusra Mardini – Olympic swimmer & humanitarian
Artists 2025
