ADAMS, JOHN

John is the CEO of the Thinking Network (New Zealand), a specialist provider of communication skills, innovation and business consultancy services and training. John has a wide range of both business and education sector work experiences, including teaching communication skills at under-graduate and post-graduate level. He has a BEd degree along with a MBA. Previous roles have included 7 years as Managing Director of an educational supplies company and 5 years as a business development manager for one of New Zealand's leading tertiary education institutions. He has extensive experience with corporate training, tertiary teaching and high level consulting throughout the Asia Pacific region. He specialises in business communication and innovation and has designed and delivered training programs throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region. John has a strong interest in business development and is a past-president of the Manawatu Chamber of Commerce. He has been contracted by the New Zealand Ministry of Commerce to design and deliver business development workshops as part of a national business growth assistance program.

ALEINIKOV, ANDREI

Dr Andrei Aleinikov (a.k.a. "Dr Andy", "Mega-Creator" and "Crazy Russian") is a world-renowned keynote speaker, scientific pioneer, consultant and educational leader who has changed lives of thousands of people across the globe. He is the 2001 Dr E Paul Torrance Lecturer and the holder of the Guinness world record (last year Conference). He is the founder of two new sciences, including Novology, the science of newness. Dr Aleinikov is "the world's leading expert on Mega-Creativity", the author and editor of over 100 books and articles on innovation, creativity, and language, including his latest book Mega-Creator (1999) and Mega Creativity: Five Steps to Genius (2002). His articles are featured in World Education Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia of Creativity. He is the editor of The Future of Creativity - a monograph published by Dr E Paul; Torrance Annual Lecture Series. His projects are unique: he unites famous researchers and kids in the book Creating Creativity: 101 Definitions; he makes the entire student body (over 400 children) of Franklin Junior High School (Franklin, Ohio) "instant authors" of the book And the world would be a better place.
Dr Aleinikov is the founding president of the Mega-Innovative Mind International Institute and School of Geniuses, which implemented his unique educational system Genius.I This system, proving that there is a genius in every child, is now being implemented in Singapore. Dr Aleinikov received the 2003 Outstanding Educator Award for Innovative and Creative Teaching from the Academy of Educational Leadership, Allied Academies. He has also recently been nominated for two top awards in the USA: The President's National Medal of Science and for the 2003 US Professor of the Year.

BAUM, BRUCE

Dr R Bruce Baum, a legend in his own mind, is a Professor in the Exceptional Education Department at Buffalo State College and the "Head Honcho" of HumorCreativity.Com. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Cincinnati, and his doctorate from Indiana University. Dr Baum is the author or How to Motivate Audiences: 121 Energizers, Icebreakers, and Activities for Promoting Creative Problem Solving, Teamwork and Laughter (Bates-Jackson, 2003). Dr Baum is a Colleague in the Creative Education Foundation, a leader in the Annual Creative Problem Solving Institute, a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, an Associate with the Center for Development of Human Services, a certified Laughter Leader and a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. He has conducted numerous programs on humor, creativity, team building, educating individuals with disabilities, coping with difficult people, communication, self-esteem and managing stress. In his spare time, Dr Baum is a Rocket Scientist, Bronco Rider, Taxidermist, Explorer, Gourmet and Brain Surgeon.

BIEBUYCK, EVA

Eva Biebuyck is a catalyst for change. Educated locally and abroad she holds the following qualifications: BSc (Natal), BEd (Witwatersrand), MA (Conn), UED (Natal). Initially Eva taught the sciences and mathematics in the conventional school system. After completion of her master's degree in the United States, her specialisation in the education of talented and gifted children led to an appointment as Director of the Schmerenbeck Educational Centre for Gifted Children. The Centre operated in association with the University of the Witwatersrand. Subsequently Eva became involved in the training of adults. In her own right she has held numerous workshops but has also worked extensively with Kobus Neethling, an acknowledged expert in the use of creative thinking in the workplace. In this context she worked with parastatals and companies with the objective of empowering staff to better handle change in a period of transition. More recently, she started a business, Maths Made Easy. Eva has been a presenter for the last six years at the Annual International Creativity Conference held in South Africa.

BLACK, ALAN - Ph.D, CSP.

Alan is an international creative thinking consultant. In the past few years he has traveled completely around the world twice plus to 46+ countries to speak, consulting and gather data on S.P.R.E.A.D.ng creative thinking throughout entire organisations. He has written 15 books, published over 250 articles and given over 2500 speeches, workshops and training programs on creative thinking, leading, communicating and team building in the workplace. One of his books: BROKEN CRAYONS, is in its 3rd printing in English and has been sold to readers around the world plus has been published in Turkish in Istanbul and soon will be published in Slovakia and Japan.
Alan's primary mission is to help people around the world to enhance and expand creative thinking throughout their orgaisations in ALL their people through their deliberate efforts and actions in S.P.R.E.A.D.ng (Supporting, Promoting, Recognising, Encouraging, Applying and Developing) creative thinking and C.r.e.8.n.g. to generate limitless creative solutions.

ANNALIE BOTHA

Annalie Botha is a lecturer at the University of Pretoria . She specializes in Early Childhood Education, Creative Thinking, Life Skills, Original Classroom Practices and Paradigm Shifts. She is also the organizer of Tuks Creative Student Society on campus. Tuks Creative offers opportunities to students to participate in street theatre, children theatre, art festivals, educational excursions, etc. Tuks Creative wants to thank Kobus Neethling for the sponsorship to the Annual International Creativity Conference in Africa . This is where we are having fun with creative thinking to develop the skills to make serious changes and to build creative environments. Kobus, you empower the youth with Creative Problem Solving Skills to change the world. I believe that these future teachers will be able to link the theory of the academic world and the practice of the real world, and that they will be able to use their critical creative thinking skills to bring magic and fun back into the classroom and touch the hearts of our children.