As editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, Chris Anderson is one of the most knowledgeable, insightful and articulate voices at the center of the new economy. In a series of groundbreaking articles and books, he has identified important new trends in the economy and described new business models for seizing the business opportunities they represent.

With his New York Times bestseller The Long Tail, he named the rise of the niche as a powerful new force in our economy—why the future of business is selling small quantities of more things to the few people who want those things; how all of those small communities together make up a vast market potential, and how the efficiencies of digital and web technology make it possible.

Now Chris has published Free: The Past and Future of a Radical Price, originally as an article in Wired magazine, and as a book that has generated incredible interest, buzz and debate. In his presentations based on this research, Chris explains why FREE is the future of business and how to thrive through freeconomics—what business models look like when free has emerged as a full-fledge economy.

Chris Anderson is the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine. He worked at The Economist for seven years in various positions and served as an editor at the two premier science journals, Science and Nature. Education background in physics, including research at Los Alamos.

Ian Clifford is the founder and CEO of ZENN Motor Company, a Toronto-based manufacturer of fully electric vehicles.

Ian began his career as a photographer. Mentored by Ansel Adams, he quickly became one of Canada's leading corporate photographers.

In 1995, Ian co-founded digIT Interactive, a full-service Internet marketing company. After selling digIT Interactive in 2000, Ian sought a more meaningful endeavour and in 2001 founded Feel Good Cars, an electric car company (now ZENN Motor Company). ZENN Motor Company is currently developing highway capable vehicles, the cityZENN, and their ZENNergy™ drive powertrains. ZMC’s exclusive relationship with EEStor, a Texas-based energy storage company ensures that they are well-positioned to be the global leader in developing zero emission transportation solutions for markets around the world.

Thomas Homer-Dixon holds the CIGI Chair of Global Systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, and is a Professor in the Centre for Environment and Business in the Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo. Prior to this, Dr. Homer-Dixon led several research projects at the University of Toronto, studying the links between environmental stress and violence in developing countries. Recently, his research has focused on threats to global security in the 21st century and on how societies adapt to complex economic, ecological, and technological change.

Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Dr. Homer-Dixon received a BA from Carleton University in Ottawa and a PhD from MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts – where he studied international relations, defense and arms control policy, cognitive science, and conflict theory.

Dr. Homer-Dixon’s most recent book, The Upside of Down has received numerous literary awards. Ranked as the #1 Non-Fiction Best Seller in Canada by Maclean’s magazine, it has also made The Globe and Mail Top 100 List in 2006, and received the 2006 National Business Book Award.

Dr. Homer-Dixon frequently offers expert commentary to national and international news media outlets including The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, and Chicago Public Radio. In May 2008, American science journalist John Horgan interviewed Thomas Homer-Dixon on BloggingheadsTV on The Upside of Down and the energy and climate challenges facing humankind.

Rahaf Harfoush is an expert on technology’s impact on business, education, and government. In 2008, she was a part of the Obama campaign's social media team, at its headquarters in Chicago. Recently, Harfoush was announced as the Associate Director of the Global Cooperation Initiative at the World Economic Forum, a post that begins [began] in March 2009. A new media specialist, she has worked with InnoSpa-Unilever, British Telecom Wholesale, and The Web Foundation, among others, and is actively involved in organizations such as The Overlap, which combines cross-disciplinary expertise to tackle the challenges of sustainable innovation. She was the research coordinator for the international bestseller Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, and is a contributor to Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World. Her book, Yes We Did: An Inside Look at How Social Media Built the Obama Brand, was released in May 2009.

Mr. Rosenberg is Chief Economist & Strategist at Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc. with a focus on providing a top-down perspective to the Firm's investment process. Mr. Rosenberg has earned both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Economics from the University of Toronto. Prior to joining Gluskin Sheff, David was Chief North American Economist at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch in New York and prior thereto, he was a Senior Economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns and Bank of Nova Scotia. Mr. Rosenberg has ranked first in economics in the Brendan Wood International Survey for Canada for the past seven years and was on the U.S. Institutional Investor All American All Star Team for the last four years. He ranked second overall in the 2008 survey.

Belinda currently serves as Executive Vice-Chairman of Magna International, a company she had led as CEO earlier in the decade. After years of being active in a variety of philanthropic efforts, she founded The Belinda Stronach Foundation, which aims to advance human potential and achievement through individual empowerment and social change.

Belinda has long been a prominent public figure in Canada and beyond. In 2002, Belinda was ranked #2 by Fortune magazine in its list of the world’s most powerful women in business – and was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40”. In 2004, TIME magazine ranked Belinda as one of the world’s 100 most influential people – and in 2005 the World Economic Forum named her a member of its network of global young leaders.

Moving from business success and community involvement, Belinda entered public life to represent the community where she has lived most of her life. First elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2004 general election (and subsequently re-elected in 2006), she served as Member of Parliament for Newmarket-Aurora.

At the invitation of the Prime Minister, she joined the federal Cabinet in 2005 and assumed responsibility for three separate portfolios: Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development; Minister Responsible for Democratic Renewal; and Minister responsible for Service Canada. She declined to seek a third term in office in the 2008 election.

As Executive Vice-Chairman of Magna International Inc., Belinda continues to play a key management role at one of the largest global suppliers of automotive systems and components in the world. During her time as former President and CEO of Magna, the company had record sales and profits and its stock price nearly doubled in value.

In 2006, together with Canadian television personality Rick Mercer, Belinda co-founded Spread the Net, a national grassroots fundraising campaign aimed at combating malaria in Africa.

Following her personal experience with breast cancer in the spring 2007, she became patron of the Belinda Stronach Chair in Breast Cancer Reconstructive Surgery at the Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation.

In 2008, Belinda received the Paul Harris Award – one of the highest honours that Rotary can bestow on an individual – in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the ideals of the Rotary service club organization.