Who We Are
Board of Directors, Intelligence Squared Group
Yana Peel
Yana is a venture philanthropist who co-founded and ran Outset Contemporary Art Fund after leaving the trading floor of Goldman Sachs in 2003. From her Hong Kong base, she sits on the boards of Tate International Council (London), Victoria Foundation (Moscow), Para/Site Art Space (Hong Kong), British Fashion Council and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). She is the author of best-selling children’s series ‘Art for Baby’ and a ‘Young Global Leader’ as selected by the World Economic Forum. In 2009, Yana co-founded Intelligence Squared Asia with Amelie von Wedel.
Amelie von Wedel
Before setting up Wedel Art Advisory in 2006 Amelie von Wedel headed the education and exhibition programme at The Red Mansion Foundation. The former Bertelsman executive advises corporate and private clients on collecting, philanthropy, the implementation of foundations and educational outreach programmes. Amelie serves as a director of Give A Future Foundation with the goal of mitigating the effects of poverty through education and economic development. She is a member of the American Council on Germany and in 2009 she co-founded Intelligence Squared Asia with Yana Peel.
David Legg
David is the Managing Director of Europe and Asia for Gerson Lehrman Group, an international financial research consultancy. Previously, he was at McKinsey & Company in Toronto and London. David received his undergraduate degree from the University of Lethbridge in Canada, a law degree from Oxford University and a PhD from Yale University. He is involved with educational charities like Civitas, The Harvey Fellows Program, the Rivendell Institute at Yale and the Pan-Asia Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization, where he serves as Finance Chair.
Managing Director
Sara Sjölund
Sara Sjölund is the Managing Director of Intelligence Squared’s global headquarters in the UK. Sara started her career as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, before spending a number of years working in the music industry at EMI. Here her responsibilities included driving strategic partnership deals, acquisitions, new revenue streams and digital development opportunities. Originally from Sweden, Sara began her university studies in China at the Beijing Language and Culture University before moving to the US where she received degrees in Political Science and Comparative Literature from the University of Pennsylvania.
Editorial Team
John Gordon Co-founder and Advisor
For 25 years John was the Chief Executive of Xtreme Information – a global media intelligence company valued at over £20m and recently sold to Ebiquity PLC. He is also a director of Contagious which he launched four years ago. With annual revenues of over £2m it is the leading monitor of and consultant on innovative non-traditional advertising.
Jeremy O’Grady Co-founder and Advisor
Jeremy is the founding Editor and now Editor-in-Chief of The Week, which has been a runaway success in the intelligent information market.The secret of Jeremy’s success has been to recognise that, in the face of information overload, the most valuable work is to be done through sifting, selecting and, most importantly, framing the issues of the day. The Week has grown every year since inception and now has a total worldwide subscription base of 665,000.
Hannah Kaye Head of Programming
Hannah has been part of the team programming live events for Intelligence Squared in London since 2006. Before joining Intelligence Squared, Hannah worked in the art world, researching and coordinating exhibitions in Europe. She read Classics at the University of Oxford.
Team
Kit Cockburn Marketing and Press
Laura La Frenais Director of Operations
Mark Roberts Technology and Syndication
Caroline Wells Production Manager
Kit Withnail Technical Production Manager