Conor Cunneen is an Irishman happily exiled in Naperville, Illinois, where he says the Guinness is drinkable (thankfully), the natives are friendly and he is only 30 minutes from Chicago's O'Hare airport. (Though Illinois State Troopers might disagree slightly with that!)

Conor was often told he had the Gift of GAB, but it was after he left his position as VP Marketing Unilever that he truly honed his skills becoming an in-demand business keynote speaker and motivational humorist. Conor's inventive, customized keynotes on strategy, marketing, leadership and motivation have been likened to "An Irish Dilbert" and "James Joyce meets Tom Peters."

He is a deadly serious student of the communication process and how to connect effectively with his audience. He has developed a Brand Promise unique amongst keynote business speakers which is "E4" -- Energize, Educate, Entertain and Easy to work with. His clients include Harley-Davidson, Siemens, Abbott Laboratories, Navigant Consulting, Spanish Food & Drink Federation, Atria Finland, Ace Hardware and Marketing Week UK.

He is the author of Why Ireland Never Invaded America - An Insightful Unique Look at Corporate Strategy which has been described as, "An enchanting mélange of good business sense wrapped in a mixture of Irish situation comedy and straightforward whimsy." The book title (and contents) provide material for one of Conor's most in-demand keynotes where he provides great business lessons interspersed with a little Irish blarney.

Conor's latest book, SHEIFGAB the World : 8 Building Blocks to Successful Job Transition, is a must-read for job seekers, keeping them energized and focused on the job search, ensuring that they can and will succeed in this tough, frustrating challenge.

Conor is a two-time cancer survivor who says that having had "a thyroidectomy and a prostatectomy, I now have a unique Irish condition known as there's-not-much-left-o-me!" Conor is an award winning humorist and a winner of the coveted Chicago Toastmasters Humorous Speaker of the Year title. His winning speech was "Customer Service in San Quentin Jail."

Conor is co-host on JobTalk, a Chicago local radio station, and is a board member of the Community Career Center at Naperville. He is a former VP Marketing Unilever and has worked in Ireland, UK and USA on blue chip brands such as Hellmann's, Knorr, Lipton and Thomas' English Muffins. He was marketing manager with Nokia when that high-tech company primarily manufactured disposable paper products. He well remembers the early team that worked on cell-phone development as being perceived as "strange."

Conor uses powerful evocative imagery and an impish sense of humor in his keynotes. Combine this with well-researched customized content and you have compelling keynotes which are demanding of action. Recent engagements outside the United States include Finland, Scotland, Ireland, England, Canada and Spain. He has been published over forty times in USA, Ireland, Australia, UK.

• It's Just a Flesh Wound - Conor Cunneen was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 2007. Prostate cancer develops slowly so he had time to consider his options. "I did a lot of research on the topic, spoke to a lot of people and ultimately opted for the prostatectomy. My information systems, i.e., my wife, advised me I had to purchase new pajamas for the hospital. That is why I entered Northwestern Memorial Hospital with pajamas bearing the Monty Python legend 'It's Just a Flesh Wound.' I've been blessed with a great attitude, and I believe every cloud does have a silver lining." As a result, he created the It's Just a Flesh Wound keynote which is perfect for all conferences and events where an uplifting feel-good message is appropriate -- basically everywhere.
  
  
• Why Ireland Never Invaded America and Other Lessons to BEAT the Recession - This compelling, fun-packed, thought-provoking presentation provides business lessons in a memorable, humorous and implementable manner. Conor combines his experience as a former VP of Marketing with his award winning humorous material to present a keynote that will have your audience laughing and learning. Business case studies woven through mystical Irish imagery, humorous impish anecdotes and just plain common sense ensures a memorable and implementable learning experience. Conor's material ranges from current business case studies to relevant historical material.
  
  
• The ER Factor - Drivers of Corporate Health™ - E (Execution) of a R (Relevant) strategy - the ER Factor is critical for business growth and health. This well-researched, lively presentation shows there is little plain sailing in the business world. Learn from the pains and successes of McDonald's, Wendy's, JetBlue, Dell, Ryanair, Toyota and many others. Maybe not the material you might expect from a humorous, keynote business speaker, but you will leave this program thinking about how you can improve your corporate health. Conor will leave you with a feeling that maybe, just maybe, there is more you can do to ensure the health of your business.
  
  
• The Gift of GAB - The 7 P's of GREAT Communication and Presentation - As an award winning keynote speaker and business humorist, Conor is a keen student of the communication process. In this program, Conor will take you through the 7 P's of Great Communication and Presentation: Payoff, Preparation, EmPathy, Practice, Passion, Pacing and Performance. Featuring material presented during Conor's award winning speeches, you will see that even communication superstars had to work at their craft. Learn from Martin Luther King, Kris Kristofferson, Winston Churchill, Bruce Springsteen, Howard Schultz and George W. Bush. Good solid substance interspersed with great humor.
  
  
• Adden Humur Two You're Presentashun - (The program is much better than the spelling - honust!) As an award winning motivational humorist, Chicago based keynote speaker Conor Cunneen has had audiences Learning and Laughing, Laughing and Learning from Memphis to Malaga and for clients as diverse as Harley-Davidson, Siemens, Abbott, Finland Food & Drink Federation and many more. This invigorating, energetic presentation will show you how to add greater impact to your presentation by adding humur (oops sorry, humor) and levity to even the most difficult of topics.
  
  
• SHEIFGAB™ the World: Eight Building Blocks to Better Teamwork, Motivation and Productivity - Conor tells his audience that SHEIFGAB is the Irish word* for "Do It" or "Make it Happen," hence SHEIFGAB the World. This is a highly relevant, commonsense program featuring substance and humor. Each building block reinforced by a 'dumb' country song title and self-deprecatory anecdotes. Very strong motivational and emotional material which has lasting impact. You will hear SHEIFGAB the World consistently around your offices after this fun-packed program with a great message.
  * Conor also tells his audience that SHEIFGAB is an Irish word because he - a good living honest Irishman who endeavors to earn his living as a humorous keynote speaker - created the word as an acronym. Thus it is an Irish word! Gaelic scholars forgive him!
  
  
• The "Motspirational" Man - In a wonderful spoof on motivational speakers, Conor uses every worn out and overused cliché in the motivational speaker's book. As many marketing gurus (Conor included) suggest you should create your own niche, here Conor positions himself as a unique combination of motivation and inspirational speaker - The "Motspirational" Man. Despite (or maybe because of) the humor, this program also contains very strong motivational messaging.