Belongs to these categories
Keynote Topics
Ambassador Tony Leon Leon’s best-selling new book “Future Tense – Reflections on my Troubled Land ” (Jonathan Ball Publishers, South Africa; Icon Books, London) contains rich data, telling anecdotes and the backstories which have led South Africa to the edge-of-the-cliff in 2021.
Will the country recover?
Will the economy collapse?
Could the ANC lose power and who will replace it?
Are we en route to a failed state by the end of the decade?
Can the Rainbow Nation be rediscovered?
Tony Leon tells all in this riveting address.
Tony Leon led and grew the official opposition party in South Africa from the brink of extinction in 1994 to the second largest party and government in the Western Cape in a period of 13 years.
His close-up encounters with some of the leading figures in the country -from Mandela to Ramaphosa -and in the wider world give him unique access and authority to ask how to lead in the toughest times. The future, in our Covid-cratered world,’ is not what it used to be’.
Ambassador Tony Leon offers key lessons in resilience from business to the battlefields in how strong and empathetic leaders meet the challenges of change.
The two largest economies and military forces in the world – the United States and China are on a collision course in the Pacific with global implications for the whole world.
Tony Leon, who served as an ambassador and diplomat and was awarded a Fellowship at the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, weighs the odds on whether the cold war between these superpowers can engulf us in escalating conflicts or be resolved or tempered.
Videos
Ambassador Tony Leon is an award-winning author, noted speaker and consultant, and has had two highly successful careers in both front line South African politics and international diplomacy.
Currently the Chairman of Resolve Communications (Pty) Ltd., he also consults to business in South America and South Africa, writes columns for South Africa’s leading newspapers, and speaks to various audiences.
For nearly twenty years Tony Leon was a Member of Parliament in South Africa, and for thirteen years he led the Democratic Alliance. He is the longest serving Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, since the advent of democracy in April 1994.
A trained lawyer, Leon actively participated in the critical constitutional negotiations that led to the birth of a democratic South Africa. He has been at the forefront of national and international events, both as a front-ranking parliamentarian and renowned orator and writer and as a Vice- President of Liberal International. He has addressed many international conferences, institutes and think tanks from the Council on Foreign
Relations (Washington DC, and New York City) and the Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House), London, to the German Council on Foreign Relations, Berlin, the European Parliament in Brussels and to the World Economic Forum, Oxford Union and Yale Political Union.
Ambassador Tony Leon has been widely published in academic journals and in the media and has authored articles for inter alia, Time Magazine, The Spectator, Harvard International Review, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Financial Times, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Daily Telegraph, and the New Statesman.
He has published five books: “Hope and Fear: Reflections of a Democrat” (Jonathan Ball 1998), the SA bestsellers “On the Contrary: Leading the Opposition in a Democratic South Africa” (Jonathan Ball 2008), which won the prestigious Recht Malan Prize for nonfiction that year.
Pan MacMillan published “The Accidental Ambassador”, in April 2013. In May 2014, he launched his new book “Opposite Mandela – Encounters with South Africa’s Icon”, to critical acclaim. In 2021, his latest book “Future Tense -Reflections on my Troubled Land” was published in both South Africa and in the United Kingdom. Historian Niall Ferguson wrote, “Anyone who wants to understand South Africa today…simply has to read this book.”
After standing down from the leadership of the opposition in 2007, Ambassador Tony Leon was awarded a Fellowship at the Institute of Politics, John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He led a study group and seminar series on Development and Democracy in Africa”. In 2008 he was invited as a fellow to the Cato Institute in Washington DC, where he published a paper on liberal democracy in Africa:
On the nomination of the President of South Africa, he served as South African Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, based in Buenos Aires, from 2009 to 2012.
In 2016 and 2017, Ambassador Tony Leon was visiting professor of political practice at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, IDC, Herzliya, Israel.
In February 2015, on the occasion of its 90th anniversary, Rotary Club of Durban awarded Ambassador Tony Leon the Paul Harris Fellowship “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.”
Nelson Mandela said of Ambassador Tony Leon on his retirement from political leadership
(2007):”Your contribution to democracy is enormous, you have more support for all you have done than you might ever read about.”
Contact us at Speakers Inc and subscribe to our YouTube channel
Ambassador Tony Leon is an award-winning author, noted speaker and consultant, and has had two highly successful careers in both front line South African politics and international diplomacy.
Currently the Chairman of Resolve Communications (Pty) Ltd., he also consults to business in South America and South Africa, writes columns for South Africa’s leading newspapers, and speaks to various audiences.
For nearly twenty years Tony Leon was a Member of Parliament in South Africa, and for thirteen years he led the Democratic Alliance. He is the longest serving Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, since the advent of democracy in April 1994.
A trained lawyer, Leon actively participated in the critical constitutional negotiations that led to the birth of a democratic South Africa. He has been at the forefront of national and international events, both as a front-ranking parliamentarian and renowned orator and writer and as a Vice- President of Liberal International. He has addressed many international conferences, institutes and think tanks from the Council on Foreign
Relations (Washington DC, and New York City) and the Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House), London, to the German Council on Foreign Relations, Berlin, the European Parliament in Brussels and to the World Economic Forum, Oxford Union and Yale Political Union.
Ambassador Tony Leon has been widely published in academic journals and in the media and has authored articles for inter alia, Time Magazine, The Spectator, Harvard International Review, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Financial Times, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Daily Telegraph, and the New Statesman.
He has published five books: “Hope and Fear: Reflections of a Democrat” (Jonathan Ball 1998), the SA bestsellers “On the Contrary: Leading the Opposition in a Democratic South Africa” (Jonathan Ball 2008), which won the prestigious Recht Malan Prize for nonfiction that year.
Pan MacMillan published “The Accidental Ambassador”, in April 2013. In May 2014, he launched his new book “Opposite Mandela – Encounters with South Africa’s Icon”, to critical acclaim. In 2021, his latest book “Future Tense -Reflections on my Troubled Land” was published in both South Africa and in the United Kingdom. Historian Niall Ferguson wrote, “Anyone who wants to understand South Africa today…simply has to read this book.”
After standing down from the leadership of the opposition in 2007, Ambassador Tony Leon was awarded a Fellowship at the Institute of Politics, John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He led a study group and seminar series on Development and Democracy in Africa”. In 2008 he was invited as a fellow to the Cato Institute in Washington DC, where he published a paper on liberal democracy in Africa:
On the nomination of the President of South Africa, he served as South African Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, based in Buenos Aires, from 2009 to 2012.
In 2016 and 2017, Ambassador Tony Leon was visiting professor of political practice at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, IDC, Herzliya, Israel.
In February 2015, on the occasion of its 90th anniversary, Rotary Club of Durban awarded Ambassador Tony Leon the Paul Harris Fellowship “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.”
Nelson Mandela said of Ambassador Tony Leon on his retirement from political leadership
(2007):”Your contribution to democracy is enormous, you have more support for all you have done than you might ever read about.”
Contact us at Speakers Inc and subscribe to our YouTube channel
Richard Poplak is an award-winning author, journalist, and filmmaker. He has become one of the most widely read and controversial political journalists in South Africa, editing at large for the Daily Maverick. Poplak has reported from over 25 developing countries, for the Financial Times, Atlantic Monthly, The Guardian, among others. He was recently part of a team that won the prestigious […]
Judith February is a lawyer, governance specialist and columnist. She is based at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) as a Senior Research Associate and is a Visiting Fellow at the WITS School of Governance. Prior to that she was executive director of the Human Sciences Research Council’s Democracy and Governance unit and also head […]
Tim Cohen, a seasoned business editor and journalist, has profoundly shaped South Africa’s economic reporting landscape with his incisive analysis and commitment to truth. Before joining the highly respected Daily Maverick as Business Editor, Cohen served as the editor of Business Day, one of South Africa’s premier financial newspapers. His career began on the pages […]
Leanne Manas is a household name in South African broadcasting, renowned for her role as the anchor of Morning Live, the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s flagship morning show. With a career that spans over two decades, she has garnered widespread respect for her eloquence, professionalism, and unflappable demeanor in front of the camera. Her ability […]
Jonathan Shapiro, famously known as Zapiro, stands as one of South Africa’s most influential and fearless voices in political satire. For over three decades, Zapiro’s cartoons have served as a powerful commentary on the nation’s evolving social and political landscape, from the end of apartheid to today’s pressing issues. With a background that combines fine […]
Bruce Whitfield is a name synonymous with excellence in financial journalism. Renowned for his insightful analysis and captivating storytelling, Bruce has garnered widespread acclaim throughout his career. With a string of prestigious awards to his name, including being named Sanlam Financial Journalist of the Year twice and winning the Citadel Words on Money Overall Winner […]
Stephen Grootes is an Award-winning journalist and political commentator, is the host of the Afternoon Drive show and former host of the Midday Report. Stephen Grootes is also a regular contributor to Daily Maverick, is very active on Twitter and has published a book, S.A. Politics Unspun which offers a roadmap to guide the reader through […]
Prof Richard Calland teaches constitutional and human rights law, and some administrative law. He specializes in the law and practice of the right to access to information and whistleblowing protection; in administrative justice; in public ethics; and in constitutional design – largely derived from his work as programme manager of the Political Information & Monitoring […]
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Speakers Inc.
We are actively working to have our profiles current with Keynote Speech titles, and Summaries.
Some Speakers do not have a set title or summary for their topic lists. Instead they customize for each. Other speakers only do moderated conversations.
If you do not see content here, please contact us.
We also have ample information off line that we can share as some do not want to have visible profiles and as such these are hidden pages. Or in the event we do not have the information, we can contact the speaker to provide and share.
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2024. Designed using Voxel
