English is the official language of the 2025 MDRT Top of the Table Annual Meeting.
Vernice Armour is a trailblazer with a collection of firsts on her resume. As America’s first Black woman combat pilot, she served two tours of duty in Iraq as a Marine and was also a diversity liaison officer to the Pentagon for Headquarters Marine Corps. After her military service, Armour became an entrepreneur, business consultant and author. Her advice and anecdotes from her adventures on the battlefield and in business help individuals and organizations accomplish significant goals through inner force and conviction. She has two honorary doctorates, is an award-winning pioneering pilot, and was featured on CNN, MSNBC, The View, Fox News and Oprah Winfrey.
In high-stakes environments — combat zones, hospital floors, sales territories — success isn’t about waiting for the perfect plan. It’s about bold execution, fast decisions and teams who are locked in and ready to move. Armour delivers the framework your people need to flip pressure into purpose, make bold decisions with limited information and stop circling the mission — and start crushing it.
Peter Baines is the founder of Hands Across the Water, an organization dedicated to connecting disadvantaged children in Thailand with homes, food and education. Though his career began as a forensic investigator leading international teams into scenes of crisis and disaster, he transitioned to business consultant and global keynote speaker. Almost 20 years after starting the charity through his fundraising efforts in Australia, he now spends much of his time educating other charity and business leaders on how they can benefit from their engagement with their community partners through corporate social responsibility programs. David C. Blake is the founder and president of an insurance enrollment firm that creates and supports voluntary benefit offerings for dozens of health care organizations across the U.S. Blake has sold more than 20,000 individual disability insurance policies to health care professionals. He credits his success to having built a national network of affiliated producers who can provide local service to policyholders as well as seek out educational resources to support his growing network while he focuses on his unique skill sets.
MDRT Foundation Check Reveal
Ryan Stramrood has established himself over the past 12+ years as one of the world’s top inspirational and performance keynote speakers. A master of the performance mindset, he has undertaken some of the toughest and deadliest swimming challenges, setting the bar of human endurance a notch higher often in the most hostile of environments. Through his frequent exposure to deadly ice water situations, Stramrood unlocked a unique understanding of the mind, believing that we are all subject to certain default settings and reactions of this most powerful tool in the world.
Stramrood takes you on a fascinating journey to some of the planet’s most hostile environments, where physical and mental boundaries have been severely challenged and surpassed. This inspirational and deep showcase on the power of the human mind and personal performances reminds us how we are able to override some of its most overzealous defense mechanisms governing our daily decisions.
Stacey Hanke inspires individuals to persuade, sell, influence and communicate clear messages face to face by eliminating the static that plagues effective delivery. With more than 20 years of experience studying influence across cultures and industries, Hanke’s implementable strategies help leaders communicate with confidence and credibility, build trust and deliver messages that drive action. The CEO of a highly sought-after consulting and training company, Hanke has been a frequent contributor to media outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes and The Economist, and some of her clients include FedEx, American Express and Google.
Influence isn’t about what you do some of the time — it’s about how you show up all the time. Hanke uncovers the hidden barriers that weaken your ability to connect, earn trust and drive action while also providing actionable strategies to project confidence, gain credibility and communicate a compelling message that keeps your listeners engaged.
Cameron Herold is the mastermind behind the exponential growth of hundreds of companies. As the founder of the COO Alliance, he has coached some of the biggest names in business. His entrepreneurial journey began at a young age, and by 35, he had helped build his first two USD 100 million companies. Known as the "CEO whisperer," Herold has a reputation for guiding his clients to double their profits and revenue in just three years or less. He is the host of the podcast “Second in Command,” a bestselling author of six books and has spoken in 29 countries.
Companies and leaders think business is way more complicated than it is, Herold says. Discover 12 leadership skills every manager needs and how better understanding adult learning can increase revenue, employee retention and the confidence of your leaders
Amanda Stevens has been wowing audiences in 14 countries for more than a decade and is widely regarded as one of the best female speakers in Australia. Stevens’ specialty is the client experience — she’s passionate about it, blogs about it and writes books about it. Delivering powerful messages that provoke, stick and inspire action, her content is based on powerful, proven and practical strategies for how to turn clients into advocates. With a double degree in marketing and consumer psychology, Stevens has authored five books and is a highly regarded marketing consultant, having worked with Microsoft, Westpac, Foxtel, Lendlease and Priceline.
Discover the new economic, social and tech trends that are impacting the expectations, motivations and priorities of your clients. Stevens shares how strengthening and deepening those relationships can help you future-proof your business.
Scott Bloom is a professional comedian, author, podcast host and TV personality who has built a reputation as the go-to choice for business humor. As the son of a successful salesman, Bloom was exposed to the principles of building a business at an early age. And as a self-taught student of psychology, he’s explored what makes people tick and has written a book (albeit a farce) on how to get through life. Bloom has hosted hundreds of events over two decades and is uniquely positioned to deliver significant concepts on connecting people, building relationships and making business seriously funny.
Emcee for Main Platform
