SPEAKER: DR. EDWARD DE BONO

Dr. Edward de Bono is widely regarded as the world's leading authority in the field of creative and conceptual thinking, and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill

He has authored 60 books translated into 35 languages on the topic of thinking. His sessions, invariably sellouts, are sought after by business, government and education globally.

Edward de Bono was born in Malta and graduated from the University of Malta. He proceeded as a Rhodes Scholar to Oxford, where he earned his MD, and two Ph.D.'s. He has held faculty appointments at the University of Oxford, Cambridge, London and Harvard. He is the originator of the term "Lateral Thinking" which has an official entry in the Oxford English Dictionary, and the extremely popular "Six Thinking Hats" concept. Dr. de Bono has made to TV series: "De Bono's Thinking Course" for the BBC, and "The Greatest Thinkers" for WDR, Germany. Peter Veberroth, who organized the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and for the first time ever turned a profit, attributed his success to the use of De Bono's Lateral thinking tools. So did John Bertrand, skipper of the successful challenge for the America's Cup.

Ron Barbaro, past president of Prudential Insurance (USA) also attributed his invention of "living needs benefits" package, which revolutionized the insurance industry, to the power of the de Bono tools.

His corporate clients include: IBM, DuPont, Prudential, Siemens, Electrolux, Shell, Exxon, NTT, Motorola, Nokia, Ericsson, Ford, Microsoft, AT&T, and Saatchi, and many more. A few recent highlights include: The international Astronomical Union named a planet after Dr. de Bono in recognition of his contribution to humanity. A group of South African University professors compiled a list of the 250 most influential people in the history of humanity and included Dr. de Bono. At an International Thinking Conference in Boston, Dr. de Bono was given an award as a pioneer in the field of "teaching thinking". There are 4 million references to Dr. de Bono on the Internet.

Dr. Edward de Bono is regarded as the worlds leading authority in the field of creative and conceptual thinking. A Rhodes Scholar, MD, and PHD in Philosophy, he has held faculty appointments at Oxford, Cambridge, London and Harvard. He has spent the last 35 years working with business, government and education to bring about dramatic change using creative thinking tools.

He is the originator of Lateral Thinking, which is concerned with changing concepts and perceptions. He is also the creator of the very popular "Six Thinking Hats" process, revolutionising the way we organise and communicate our thinking. These formal techniques can be used deliberately in order to generate new ideas.

In his book The Mechanism of Mind (1969) Dr. de Bono first described how the nerve networks in the brain behave as a self organising system. Although Dr. de Bono's methods are based on a technical understanding of the brain, the methods are very simple and practical. "Powerful simplicity" is the key. He believes that the traditional emphasis on analysis, critical thinking and argument is inadequate. He puts equal emphasis on constructive and creative thinking.

He has written 60 books with translations into 38 languages, and has made two television series: "de Bono's Thinking Course" for the BBC, and "The Greatest Thinkers" (for WDR, Germany). There are 4,000,000 references to his work on the Internet. A planet has been named after him by the official International Astronomical Union. A group of South African university professors included Dr. de Bono in a list of 250 most influential people in the history of humanity. At the International Thinking Conference in Boston Dr. de Bono was recognized as a pioneer in he field of "teaching thinking".