George Clooney, Robin Sharma, Duncan Wardle, Pascal Coppens, Therese Huston and Mihnea Gheorghiu are among the speakers taking the stage at BRAND MINDS 2027, on September 21–22 in Bucharest.
The 13th edition of BRAND MINDS brings together six perspectives on the questions directly shaping the future of organizations: how to build ideas that transform industries, how to lead without formal authority, how China’s rise is reshaping global competition and what we can learn from this, how to make better decisions, and how creativity can transform business culture and performance.
George Clooney, Award-Winning Actor, Filmmaker and World-Renowned Humanitarian, will bring to the BRAND MINDS stage a rare perspective on the responsibility of using your influence and public visibility to help create change in the world. Clooney’s achievements as a performer and filmmaker have earned him two Academy Awards, five Golden Globes including the Cecil B. DeMille Award, four SAG Awards, one BAFTA Award, two Critics’ Choice Awards, an Emmy, and four National Board of Review Awards. When Clooney received his eighth Academy Award nomination, he earned a special spot in the Oscar record books; now been nominated in more categories than anyone else in Oscar history.
Beyond filmmaking, Clooney is a strong First Amendment advocate with a deep commitment to humanitarian causes. He founded The Sentry in 2015, to use forensic accountants to follow the money stolen from citizens of Sudan and South Sudan by their governments. In 2016, along with his wife Amal, he launched the Clooney Foundation for Justice, which helps provide free legal aid in defense of free speech & women’s rights in over 40 countries.
Joining him at BRAND MINDS 2027 are influential voices who have transformed how organizations understand leadership, innovation, competition and human performance:
Robin Sharma, one of the world’s best-known experts on leadership and personal mastery, will explore the discipline required for high performance and the practices that enable people to lead regardless of their role or title. The author of the international bestsellers “The 5AM Club,” “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” and “The Wealth Money Can’t Buy,” Sharma has sold more than 25 million books translated into 92 languages. Throughout a career spanning more than 30 years, he has delivered programs and presentations for organizations including NASA, Microsoft, Nike, Unilever, GE, FedEx and Starbucks.
Duncan Wardle, former Head of Innovation & Creativity at The Walt Disney Company, will demonstrate how creativity can be transformed from a talent associated with a select few into a capability practiced across an entire organization. During his nearly 30 years at Disney, Wardle and his team collaborated with Disney Imagineering, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, and Disney Parks to develop new stories and experiences. Today, his Design Thinking tools help organizations remove the barriers that inhibit creative thinking and turn original ideas into practical solutions. He is a TEDx speaker and teaches innovation masterclasses at Yale, Harvard and the University of Edinburgh.
Pascal Coppens, sinologist, technology entrepreneur and author, will explain what European companies can learn from China’s innovation model and the speed at which it is transforming global competition. He spent more than 20 years living and working across China and Silicon Valley, building companies and leading teams in the technology industry. He is the author of “China’s New Normal,” “Can We Trust China?” and “China’s Next Miracle” and advises boards and management teams seeking to understand China beyond clichés and superficial interpretations.
Therese Huston, PhD, a cognitive scientist with a doctorate in cognitive psychology, will translate research from neuroscience and psychology into practical strategies for focus, decision-making and performance under pressure. The author of “Sharp,” “Let’s Talk” and “How Women Decide,” Huston explores how feedback, stress, gender and unconscious bias influence professional performance and decision-making. Her work has appeared in Harvard Business Review and The New York Times.
Mihnea Gheorghiu, Global Chief Creative Officer of Le Pub Network, will bring the perspective of one of Romania’s most internationally awarded creative leaders on how ideas can achieve both cultural relevance and business impact. Campaigns created and led by Gheorghiu have won 186 Cannes Lions, including four Grand Prix and one Titanium Lion. In 2026, he was ranked the sixth most-awarded Chief Creative Officer in the world, while Le Pub Milan was named Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions.
Together, the six speakers define an edition dedicated to the advantages technology cannot create on its own: judgment, imagination, trust, discipline and the ability to transform an idea into lasting change.
BRAND MINDS 2027 will bring together CEOs, executives and teams from leading companies, investors and business leaders from more than 50 countries in Bucharest. The event will provide a setting dedicated to applied learning, the exchange of ideas and meaningful connections with globally recognized leaders and experts. Event and ticket information is available at brandminds.com.
BRAND MINDS is Central and Eastern Europe’s leading business summit, held annually in Bucharest. The event brings global leaders, experts and visionaries together on one stage, giving participants access to cutting-edge knowledge, inspiration and high-level networking opportunities.
