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Itay Talgam is a world renowned orchestra conductor, author, keynote speaker, and leadership expert.
Itay is a protégé and disciple of the great Leonard Bernstein, has conducted many prominent orchestras and ensembles worldwide, including the Orchestre de Paris, the St Petersburg Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic and the Leipzig Opera House.
He was awarded the âBest Performance of the Yearâ by the National Council for the Arts for his role as music director at the Tel Aviv Symphony Orchestra and of Musica Nova Consort Talgam.
In 2015 he published his book The Ignorant Maestro, which explores leadership nuances through renowned conductorsâ diverse styles.
Itay has presented his inspirational keynote speeches across the world, from the UK and the US, to Germany, France, Switzerland, Greece, and The Netherlands.
Born in Tel Aviv, Itay did not study music; instead he gained a degree in philosophy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His love for music started with the piano, but he switched to conducting after his military service in the Israel Defense Forces. He was even taught by the great late Leonard Bernstein.
He made his international debut in 1987, where he was chosen by Bernstein himself to appear in a special concert with Orchestre de Paris. He has since conducted the likes of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Leipzig Opera, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, New Israeli Opera, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion, Haifa Symphony Orchestra, and the Israel Chamber Orchestra.
He uses his love and talent for music to help business leaders in a range of industries. He started presenting classical music to bank managers, before delving into leadership studies, using orchestra dynamics as metaphors for organisational behaviours.
He offers workshops which the aim of instilling musiciansâ collaboration and conductorsâ leadership in everyday people. In 2009 he presented a TED talk entitled âLead Like the Great Conductorsâ which has since had over 4 million views, and is lauded as essential viewing for aspiring leaders.

âOver my lifetime…the nature of organisations, teams and the work environment has changed beyond recognition. The new world demands a different approach to leadership; authentic, empathetic, responsible, adaptable, exceptional.â
Itay has used the lessons he has learned over his 30+ year career to advise leaders in all fields, from politics to business, science to soldiers, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Through his experience, he aims to draw inspiration from historyâs greatest conductors in order to motivate and inspire audiences.

– Team Building, Interdependence, Whole-System Thinking
– Change Initiatives
– Leadership Development
– Promoting Creativity and Innovation
– What Makes a Great Leader
– History, Art, Literature
Itay has a very unique perspective on leadership. His ability to decode the act of conducting and relate it to leadership styles is insightful, inspirational, and captivating. His knack for storytelling keeps audiences engaged; he doesnât just talk about leadership, but instead weaves stories of famous conductorsâ successes and challenges to convey lessons in leadership and management.
Itay has spoken at many of the worldâs leading conferences, including DLD, Googleâs ZeitGeist, LeWeb, NEXT, Nokiaâs IdeasCamp, PICNIC, TED Global, The World EconomicForum, and WPPâs STREAM.
Clients: Apple, Credit Swiss, Google, Hilton, HP, HSBC, IBM, Intel, Knowmads School Microsoft, Orange, Standford, Swiss Re, Universal, WPP
As we make our way up the ranks, we become less connected to the front lines and may often know less than we feel comfortable admitting. Itay Talgam encourages us to open our minds and shows us that our ignorance can be our greatest advantage.
Simon Sinek
I learned more about leadership in that half an hour, than in my entire career.
Al Gore, Former Vice President of the United States
Will get you thinking, regardless of what you know about conducting or leadership.
Management Today
Talgam inspires us to think beyond leadership dogma and for the first time learn to truly listen.
Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
Itay uses his knowledge of leading an orchestra to provide unique insight into business leadership. When Itay speaks of the orchestra–conductors, players, and orchestral dynamics–his perspectives translate beautifully to the business world.
Anne Loehr, Huffington Post