SPEAKERS AND HOST

Sting

Fireside Chat and Unplugged Music Performance

Composer, singer-songwriter, actor, author, and activist, Sting is one of the world’s most renowned and distinctive artists. Throughout his illustrious career, he has received 17 Grammy Awards, two BRITs, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, four Oscar nominations, a TONY nomination, Billboard Magazine’s Century Award, and MusiCares 2004 Person of the Year. Also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, he has received the Kennedy Center Honors, The American Music Award of Merit and The Polar Music Prize. Sting has been awarded Honorary Doctorates of Music by the University of Northumbria (1992), Berklee College of Music (1994), University of Newcastle upon Tyne (2006) and Brown University at its 250th Commencement ceremony (2018). He has sold 100 million albums from his combined work with The Police and as a solo artist.

Sting, managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, is once again shaking things up with his “STING 3.0″ World Tour. Joined by longtime collaborator, guitarist Dominic Miller, and drummer Chris Maas (Mumford & Sons, Maggie Rogers), the power trio perform the most electrifying hits and rarities from Sting’s timeless discography, showcased through the urgent lens of a tight three-piece combo. Full “STING 3.0” Tour itinerary here.

He has appeared in more than 15 films, and in 1989 starred in The Threepenny Opera on Broadway. His most recent theatre project was the TONY-nominated musical The Last Ship, inspired by his memories of the shipbuilding community of Wallsend in the Northeast of England where he was born and raised. The show, with music and lyrics by Sting, ran on Broadway in 2014/2015.

Sting’s support for human rights organizations such as the Rainforest Fund, Amnesty International, and Live Aid mirrors his art in its universal outreach. Along with wife Trudie Styler, Sting founded the Rainforest Fund in 1989 to protect both the world’s rainforests and the indigenous people living there. Together they have held 18 benefit concerts to raise funds and awareness for our planet’s endangered resources. Since its inception, the Rainforest Fund has expanded to a network of interconnected organizations working in more than 20 countries over three continents.

As well as a fireside chat, Sting will be giving a rare and exclusive unplugged music performance.

Sir Bob Geldof

Keynote Address and Patron

Born in 1951, Sir Bob Geldof is one of Ireland’s most successful exports and is known throughout the world for his many talents and passions. Shooting to fame as the lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, Bob Geldof was a major player in the 70s punk rock movement and enjoyed over a decade of hits between 1975 and 1986.

In 1984 Geldof was watching the news one night when he was horrified by a report on the famine in Ethiopia. As we all now know he got on the phone. The result was Live Aid – “the biggest and greatest event in pop history”. $200 million was raised for the starving and the dying in Ethiopia. Geldof established and continues to be the chairman of the Band Aid trust, which operates in eight African countries.

Bob Geldof has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 8 times, more than any living nominee, and was honoured with a knighthood by HM Queen Elizabeth II; received the Nobel Man of Peace award from Mikhail Gorbachev; was awarded The North-South human rights award in Portugal; and awarded the medal of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France and received numerous TV and music awards as well as The Royal Society, Peabody and Royal Geographical Society awards.

Rob Brydon MBE

Our Host

Rob Brydon MBE is an award-winning actor, comedian, presenter and producer, having appeared in Human Remains, and Gavin and Stacey, for which he received a BAFTA nomination. Rob has also appeared as a panelist on some of Britain’s most critically aclaimed entertainment shows, including Have I Got News For You and QI, and is the host of Would I Lie To You?

Rob’s accolades include four BAFTA nominations, two British Comedy Awards and a Royal Television Society award, making him well-versed in award ceremonies and a natural fit for the role of host of the British Business Awards.