Leslie Shannon

“I’ve had a pleasure to work w Leslie more than a decade with my customers from all continents and she is great with CEOs and other executives with her enthusiastic presentation style and though provoking views of the future. It is very easy to work with her and she always bring new ideas to the table and makes even unhappy customer to lighten up while looking forward to the brighter future. I can always trust her to find the right balance of exciting future innovation and practical actions that can be taken today. Leslie is outstanding external speaker and regular key note speaker for our Nokia events.”

“Leslie is very knowledgeable of all emerging technologies is they relate to the progression of the telecom industry. It’s always a pleasure speaking with and collaborating within her. Always learning something new from her vast knowledge and network in the tech industry! She is definitely one to look to for forward thinking on the future of mobile technology and more! Looking forward to witnessing more of her incredible accomplishments!”

“Leslie is a futurist, trend scouter and go to expert to understand the future of AI, ML, XR and other leading edge technology. Her relentless enthusiasm and energy has made her one of the company's most sought-after speakers. Her differentiation is her passionate delivery and connection with any audience. She is the “Who” that guides you to a better understanding of future business and technology or connects you with the best people or resources in the industry. ”

“I have known Leslie from my early days in Nokia as a marketer 15 years back. She was a one person show researching a topic called Operator Business Strategies which was Nokia's way of sharing ideas across operators to generate more traffic on their networks which would then lead to more uptake and therefore build up a trusted partnership. Already then, she was a highly resourceful individual. She had no support whether internal or from agencies and depended purely on her own research capabilities to pull together content. She would then spin a remarkable story around the content that mesmerised audiences. Often, she would get invitations to return and present to senior management and partners, participate in roadshows and more. Fast forward to today, Leslie remains the most resourceful and mesmerising presenter I have seen in action. Operators have evolved, networks have transformed, and along the way, Leslie has developed from being an individual contributor to a team leader fronting a team of experts. Her personal brand represents the Nokia flag of being a true expert in developing a variety of operator strategies as Nokia marches into the 5g era. Leslie is a true master of the art of binding operator management together in a common vision. She is an outgoing, goal oriented, consensus seeking leader with a wealth of knowledge that enables conversations starting from the top levels of an operator. Her personality crosses cultures and societies making her the easiest person to work with on any given day. I would be honoured to work for or alongside Leslie and would highly recommend her for any leadership role especially those that require consultation, analysis and collaboration to open the mind of leaders who are developing strategies and tactics for their companies in any part of the world.”

“Leslie understands how leading web/Internet companies operate to increase profitable revenues. She lives in the Silicon Valley where she pays attention to the beat of cloud innovations. Her way of thinking is holistic and ecosystem-oriented. Leslie elucidates market dynamics to detect growth opportunities. Leslie always keeps a strong focus, while remaining flexible to cope with changing requirements. She formulates grounded business recommendations and delivers results on time. Moreover, Leslie makes presentations, that are clear, pleasant and persuasive, even on complex and disruptive topics. Leslie was my Manager at Nokia Corporate Strategy in 2016~2017. I noticed that she openly listens and subtlety guides individuals to create synergies that maximize team’s outputs. From my 35-year experience at work, I can state that Leslie’s management strongly motivates people in a team.”

“I have enjoyed working with Leslie for several years but I've come to appreciate how unique and talented she is only when we had the chance to join our forces and establish a new team together. She is a true force of nature and her passion and competence are able to move mountains. I've seen her single-handedly create a space where she could thrive in a company with tens of thousands of employees; she leads by example, challenging the environment and never giving up even when most of us would; she sets a benchmark of excellence that empowers anyone around her, starting with me. All of this, with grace, empathy and a contagious smile that alway puts everyone at ease. This is leadership in action and Leslie is a true leader. After spending almost 20 years at Nokia, I inevitably ended up with a very personal list of people who have inspired, coached, mentored me and allowed me to achieve remarkable professional results. Leslie tops this list.”

“Leslie Shannon and I worked occasionally together when she did research on mobile operators’ mobile broadband (MBB) service offering, marketing and packaging. We have been together in numerous customer meetings, events, fairs and workshops where she has presented her research findings to operators and facilitated workshops and discussion with them. I participated in those meetings as her colleague in my role of leading mobile broadband network sales. Many of those meetings and events are among the best I have had with operators in terms of customers’ interest and engagement, as well as our company’s ability to demonstrate we understand our customers’ business beyond supplying hardware, software, services and solutions. Leslie is loved by the customers who have met her - they truly appreciate her sharp and valuable conclusions and take-aways, lively and engaging presentation style, smarts, and challenging of traditional wisdoms. Not surprisingly, she has been very popular among our account teams organizing executive review meetings, workshops and marketing events with customers. In addition to being highly educated and cultured, she is one of the most intelligent people that I have ever met. Her winning of Jeopardy quiz competition - the famous TV game show - is just one proof of that.”

“Leslie Shannon is a living legend at Nokia. Her relentless enthusiasm and energy has made her one of the company's most sought-after speakers both internally and with customers. Her research and recommendations regarding data monetization trends has been very useful as such, but the true differentiation is in her passionate delivery. She commands attention and can energize any audience.”

“How to describe Leslie's many talents? Leslie is a star. A brilliant star that captivates and inspires all the people around. She has a powerful way of understanding things: users and business. She predicts trends so clearly that it seems magic. And she captivates any CxO audience with her vibrant style. Thanks Leslie for the opportunity of working together!”

“Do you remember a famour Duracell professional bunny? Now, multiply this by 10 and you get Leslie´s energy and pro-activity. Leslie is able to support in many ways - with vast business knowledge, excellent customer understanding, or just as a relationsip builder or door opener if you need to revitalize your business. She can always find a new angle to get your customer interest. ”

“Leslie is the most positive, lively and pro-active person that has been my pleasure to know. She single headedly created the Operator Business Strategies business development initiative and set the very high standard for all other to follow. Look forward to working with Leslie again!”

“Leslie brings incredible energy to any engagement or conversation that she carries, an ability to speak on a keen business level and positively effect business performance. I admire the level of enthusiasm and know-how that enabled her to marshal the strategic marketing team, the first of its kind in Nokia. Leslie is able to synthesize complicated information and make it clear to any audience across the globe through the judicious use of inexhaustible passion – simply put, she knows what she is talking about and is able to leave others enlightened. Leslie is collaborative and extremely easy to work with, in many ways a mentor to whomever she works with. ”

“Leslie is fireworks when she presents, smart and fast in discussions, and great to work with. She has built the concept and content of Operator Business Strategies (proven as highly relevant content to engage with top management) from scratch. She is known by name among operator top management, who want -not only to learn about it- but to share and discuss their strategies. Personally, I have to say Leslie is one of the people who inspires me the most through her energy and example. ”

“I am enormously thankful for Leslie’s contribution to the team targets during the years of working together with her as a line manager. The impactful and remarkable contribution in leading the different marketing and sales driven projects but also the activities with sales organization and customers brought great results and positive impact. This lead to closer relationships with customers especially on CxO level and can be described as one key success factor for driving company business. Her professionalism and positive way of working (together) is impressing people internally and externally and made her an outstanding colleague. ”

“"Wow" is the simple phrase that comes to mind when I think about Leslie. Based on the two years I was privileged to work with Leslie in the same team on multiple projects, I love to give a strong recommendation to work and learn from Leslie. This is why: When it comes to charisma, drive and passion for customer needs I can't think of hardly anyone who can match Leslie. Her passion for detail in research and to go the extra mile to exceed customers’ expectations have been legendary in our team. During the time I was working with Leslie she was constantly on the move the meet our most challenging executive customers and to work out strategic insights that changed the industry. Leslie's outstanding public speaking skills match her evangelistic personality and her intelligence, passion and approachability make her a huge asset in any venture she is pursuing. Her performance was truly inspiring to me. As I was the most junior person in the team and she'd been a great mentor to me and I am truly grateful that I had the chance to learn from her. That's why I strongly recommend Leslie and wish her very well for her future. ”

“Leslie is one of the most passionate and personable marketing professionals I've ever worked with. Her enthusiasm, radiant personality and infectious attitude are second only to the keen insight she brings to every project table. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Leslie at Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks and warmly recommend her.”