Humanitarian,
pop star, broadcaster and businessman
Bob
Geldof is incredibly well informed,
not just about African famines and aid organizations,
but also about London and Washington politics,
global communications and business. His
presentations are highly provocative and
he uplifts and inspires audiences as he
motivates through his own personal experiences
and the lessons learned from Live Aid. Sir
Bob Geldof is one of the highest ranked
and most authorative corporate speakers,
conference keynote producers and after dinner
speakers currently available.
Bob Geldof was born in Dublin on
5 October 1954. Geldof entered the music
scene as a journalist on Canada's premier
underground rock journal Georgia Straight.
Further experience with the New Musical
Express and Melody Maker sharpened his prose
and upon returning to Dublin, he formed
the band The Boomtown Rats, one of the first
acts to emerge during the punk/new wave
explosion of 1976/77.
After a series of hits, including two UK
number 1 singles, Geldof emerged as one
of the most well known pop personalities
of his era. Bob Geldof had always
had an acerbic wit and provided excellent
interviews with an energy and enthusiasm
that matched any of his articulate rivals.
After starring in the film of Pink Floyd's
The Wall, he turned his attention to the
dreadful famine that was plaguing Ethiopia
in 1984.
After receiving a knighthood in June 1986
and publishing his autobiography, Bob Geldof
recorded the solo album, “Deep In
The Heart Of Nowhere”, which spawned
the minor hit "This Is The World Calling'.
His second album, “1990’s The
Vegetarians Of Love”, was recorded
in only five days and proved a hit with
critics and fans alike. Complete with folk
and Cajun flavorings and an irreverent stab
at apathy in the hit single "The Great
Song Of Indifference", the album undeniably
proved that Bob Geldof should continue his
recording career.
By 1992 Bob Geldof had established himself
as a highly astute businessman with his
co-ownership of the television production
house Planet 24, which began life as Planet
Pictures back in the mid-80s. The company
broke into the big time by launching the
pioneering early morning television series
The Big Breakfast in 1992. Planet 24 was
sold to Carlton TV.
In the late 90s, when Bob encountered problems
booking a family holiday over the Internet
for his children and his French actress
girlfriend Jeanne Marine, Geldof founded
online travel agent Deckchair.com. Geldof
did it in conjunction with James Page, the
successful creator of the Eidos software
company, responsible for Lara Croft. Deckchair
was purchased by OTC (Online TRavel Corporation)
in June 2003.
Ten Alps Communications was founded by Bob
Geldof and Alex Connock in 1999 and sprouted
from what was left of Planet 24, their previous
TV venture. The name Ten Alps comes from
a backwards, misspelling of Planet. Ten
Alps has been hugely successful and, of
recent, productions have included High profile
documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, Five,
Sky One and Discovery Events that Changed
our World (with Michael Buerk), Jeremy Vine
Meets, To Kill and Kill Again, and Manchester
United's Top 50 Goals / The Top 50 Goals
Scored Against Manchester United. Thirty-five
productions are currently underway fueled
by the growth in broadcasters' appetite
for factual TV.
Bob Geldof returned to the music scene in
September 2001 with his first new recording
in over eight years. A raw and brutally
frank album dealing in unflinching detail
with the recent emotional upheavals of Geldof's
personal life, Sex, Age & Death was
in marked contrast to his previous studio
set, the relatively upbeat The Happy Club.
Bob
completed a TV series for BBC1 – “Geldof
In Africa” (click
for preview) where he traveled
through West Africa (Ghana, Benin and Mali);
Central Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo
and Uganda); and East Africa (Ethiopia,
Tanzania and Somalia), and explored the
continent that the rest of the world seems
to be leaving behind. The series commenced
flightings on 20th June 2005 and a DVD of
the entire series is being released in late
2005.
Bob
has produced a fabulous book, under the
same name’ as an accompaniment to
the TV series and which was launched in
‘hard back’ in May 2005.
Recently
at the forefront of Geldof’s public
activities were the Live 8 concerts which
took place in London, Paris, Philadelphia,
Rome and Berlin on July 2 2005. A sixth
concert was organized on Edinburgh’s
Murrayfield Stadium four days later. The
Live8 DVD, featuring excerpts of most of
the performances, was released in November
2005.
Just
released is the CD set of the complete collection
of Geldof’s solo work “Great
Songs Of Indifference”. Although much
of his solo work was overshadowed by his
tireless work for charity, the tracks on
this album serve as a timely reminder of
just how potent lyrically and musically
Geldof can be, swaying from tribal electronica
to Dylan-esque folk. Includes the singles
'One
For Me' (click
for preview), 'This Is the World
Calling' and 'Love Or Something'.
Amongst
a number of recent recognitions, Bob received
an honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Laws) from
the National University of Ireland, was
awarded the MTV "Free Your Mind Award"
(Lisbon 4/11/05), the EPM Marketer of the
Year Award (Los Angeles), The North-South
Council Award (Lisbon 21/11/05) and the
Nobel Man of Peace Award which was presented
to him by Mikael Gorbachev at a ceremony
in Rome on 24 November 2005.
Bob
was recognized by Time Magazine as one of
the 2005 European Hero's and made the front
cover of their European Edition on 10th
October 2005. In January 2007 Bob Geldof
was honoured by Newcastle University who
awarded him a Doctorate of Civil Law at
a ceremony with Gordon Brown MP, HE William
Mpaka, Susan George and Dr David Golding.
Kruger Cowne congratulate Bob for his recognition
in and international contribution to the
Anti Poverty Movement.
Bob
has now been nominated for the Nobel Peace
Award 2007. This is Bob's sixth nomination
and follows the Nobel Man of Peace Award
that he received in 2005.
On
5 May 2007 Bob was invited to meet with
Tony Blair at Downing Street to look back
at the Gleneagles agreements and progress
in Africa since, and what the future may
hold. The meeting was recorded and put on
the Prime Minister's website. We have managed
to obtain a copy and to listen just click
here.
The
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)
conferred Bob with an honorary
Fellowship on 24th May 2007 in recognition
of his outstanding achievements and contribution
to tackling the poverty of his fellow man.
In
June 2007 Bob played a rather fitting role
in an Australian TV commercial for Telstra,
the leading Australian cellular network.
To see the commercial click
here.
On
June 8th 2007 Bob demonstrated his passion
as a leading international keynote speaker
when the YIBC conference delegates rated
him with highest positive feedback ever
recorded! "He's the first YIBC speaker
to receive full marks, but his speech had
everything: passion, humour, humanity, realism,
dreams and urgency. He showed a grasp of
economics and politics and an ability to
make his blunt diplomacy work. Bill Clinton
has probably been the most popular YIBC
performer in recent years but many delegates
felt the man behind Live Aid and Live8 topped
it. Having flown in from the G8 Summit,
Geldof commanded attention and respect despite
the tousled hair, unshaven face, scruffy
clothes and gum-chewing, and received a
standing ovation." Kathryn Moore, David
Parkin and Ian Briggs - The Yorkshire Post.
To see article click
here.
Bob
is the recipient of the 2007 M100 Sanssouci
Media Award. The prize giving ceremony took
place on 7 September at the Schloss Theatre
in the Neue Palais in Potsdam, Germany.
Jann Jakobs, Lord Mayor of Potsdam, says:
”We are very happy that within the
context of this year’s International
Media Gathering M100 we had the opportunity
to thank and honour Sir Bob Geldof for his
indefatigable world-wide engagement”.
In February 2008 Bob traveled with President George W. Bush to Africa on the President's farewell tour of the troubled continent and writes a major feature article for TIME Magazine. To view the article 'click' here.
Cameron Diaz joined Bob and Dave Stewart to record a song that the musical duo wrote for Pangea Day (10th May 2008) when Bob spoke at the TED Conference in Monterey, USA in March 2008.
Bob
Geldof is an influential and inspiring speaker.
He is highly entertaining and has great
insight into the socio-political and upliftment
arenas as well as leadership, communications,
marketing in the global village, motivation
and self-development. His unique presentations,
views and insights are highly sought after
by companies who wish to benefit from his
sensational presentations and which always
leave a lasting and powerful impression.
Reviews:
"We ask our delegates to complete evaluation forms on the speakers etc. Bob received the best marks in the history of our event (higher than Bill Clinton!). The top mark is 5 but people were crossing that out and putting a 6 or even a 10! Great message , great delivery , fully deserved his standing ovation ! Thanks to you for making sure it worked and to Bob for taking time out from G8. Awesome !" - Mike Firth, Chairman, Yorkshire Forward
"Bob Geldof was by far the most incredible presenter we have had for a very long time" - Michael Mass, HSBC
"Sir Bob Geldof was nothing less than absolutely outstanding. Three standing ovations says a lot" - David Munro, MD, Standard Bank of South Africa
"Brilliant, coherent, incisive, intuitive. A natural born leader" - Philip Pritchard, CEO, CLSA
"You truly inspired and challenged the audience - young, high potentials from all over the world - in a way they will not forget easily. You provoked not only the audience, but also ING leadership to reconsider its commitment to society" - Eli Leenars, Managing Director, ING Group N.V.
"The best speaker we have ever had in 25 years of holding event" - Denis Hevey, MD, Insurance Institute of Ireland
"An outstanding speaker. The most powerful messaging I have ever heard" - Paul Seymour, Senior Partner, Lloyds of London
"Bob Geldof stole the show at the 12th Yorkshire International Business Convention . . . . . Rock star and acclaimed humanitarian Sir Bob Geldof bought the crowd to its feet for a standing ovation after passionately delivering a speech about the issues facing the 21st century, including poverty in Africa and climate change." The Yorkshire Post
"Everyone I spoke to (and I've spoken to a lot of people) found your speech inspiring, thought-provoking and challenging . . . one of the best keynotes we have ever had" - Peter Murphy, Group Marketing Director, Accenture
"It goes without saying that our event would not have been the astounding success that it was without the heightened profile added by your presence . . . " - Michael Geoghegan, Group Chief Executive, HSBC
"The feedback I received from both my own team and the wider audience was incredibly positive and highly complimentary in terms of both content and delivery. I think that the standing ovation you received on the day probably says it all . . . " - Cormac McCarthy, Group Chief Executive, Ulster Bank
"Sir Geldof's keynote was the best received keynote in the history of our Civil Discourse Series. Not only did the attendees enjoy his entertaining commentary, but they were truly inspired by him. President Nirschel was bombarded by phone calls and notes the following day praising Sir Geldof's speech . . . ." - Allison Chase Padula, Senior Director of Events, Roger Williams University, USA
"Many thanks for the really engaging, down-to-earth and inspirational talk. Looking around the room, I could see the audience was totally absorbed in what you had to say. Even if only a few of us take up your advice you will have done our profession a great service . . . " - James Sutherland, Head of Development and Operations, Lloyd's
For
Bob Geldof or Boomtown Rats products or
information please visit:
Bob
Geldof DVD's
Bob
Geldof Books
Bob
Geldof Music
The
Boomtown Rats DVD's
The
Boomtown Rats Books
The
Boomtown Rats Music
For the latest
news on Bob Geldof please visit the official
Bob Geldof website (click
here). |
