Leadership speakers offer valuable insights into team dynamics, essential leadership skills, and creating a positive, growth-focused workplace culture. They help leaders understand and connect with their teams, enhancing communication, decision-making, and collaboration. Through keynote talks and interactive workshops, both employees and managers can develop vital leadership qualities such as empathy, resilience, and strategic thinking. These attributes are key to building a united, motivated team that drives business success. By focusing on the importance of positive leadership and teamwork, businesses can maintain competitiveness and adaptability in an ever-changing market.
Our exceptional Leadership speakers play a transformative role in shaping teams and organisations, whether at live or virtual events. They motivate, educate, and inspire attendees to rethink their approach to leadership and teamwork. In live sessions, speakers create engaging environments where employees can interact, ask questions, and practice new skills. Virtual events provide the flexibility to connect with remote teams and global audiences, extending the reach of valuable insights. Both settings ensure leaders and teams gain practical tools and strategies to improve performance, strengthen relationships, and lead with confidence.
Discover our Leadership Speakers below, or contact the team at Great Business Speakers to enquire or book. +44 1753 439 289
Marc Priestley is the host of Discovery Channel’s Driving Wild; Gears, Grease and Glory and co-host of The F1 Report on Sky Sports F1 HD, presently he works as a technical pundit alongside another of our speakers and hosts Jennie Gow covering ITV4’s FIA Formula E series.
He began his petrolhead career in motor racing and was ultimately in the McLaren Racing f1 team as #1 mechanic and pit lane manager, working alongside driving legends such as Kimi Raikkönen, Jenson Button, Mika Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton.
Mandy Hickson stands as a beacon of determination and excellence in aviation, having carved a path where few women had ventured before. As the second female pilot to fly the Tornado GR4 on the front line with the Royal Air Force (RAF), her journey is both inspiring and instructive for audiences across the UK.
She was awarded an RAF flying scholarship aged just 17 but initially failed the computer-based tests taken by all RAF pilots. Undeterred, her self-belief and determination persuaded the RAF to take her on a test case, thereby overcoming insurmountable hurdles.
Since hanging up her flying goggles in 2019, she now shares her experiences of working within an elite team with audiences of all sizes, including her online following of over 24,000. Her keynote speeches often cover risk taking, decision making under pressure, and the critical role of the human in the system.
In today’s high-pressure business world, companies can often struggle to maintain resilience, teamwork, and peak performance; they can struggle with decision-making in times of uncertainty, while teams can break down due to bad communication and distrust.
Mandy Hickson brings unmatched expertise from one of the most critical environments imaginable—the cockpit of a fast jet. Her insights are particularly valuable to corporate audiences, where parallels between the cockpit and the boardroom offer fresh perspectives on leadership and crisis management.
Aged 13, Tim Peake had a dream of becoming a pilot. This dream became a reality when he took control of an aircraft for the first time. By the time he was 18, he had already flown numerous solo sorties and been awarded a coveted position to join the British Army Air Corps.
Tim served as an army officer in Northern Ireland before gaining his Army Flying Wings in 1994. He trained as a combat search and rescue instructor, and flew operations to enforce the peace and provide humanitarian support in the aftermath of the Bosnian War.
Sir Nick Clegg served as Deputy Prime Minister in Britain’s first post-war coalition government from 2010 to 2015. He was leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015, and was a Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam for 12 years before the 2017 general election in which he lost his seat and subsequently resigned.
In 2018 he was appointed Facebook Head of Global Affairs and Communications, and presently resides in California with his wife and children.
His experience both as an MP and MEP sees him well equipped to deal with an industry that is increasingly under the regulators’ microscope, especially in Europe.
In 2018, he received a Knighthood in honour of his political and public service.
Sir Clive Woodward is the World Cup winning Head Coach who led England’s rugby players to World Cup glory in Australia in 2003.
A former England International and British & Irish Lion himself, during Clive’s tenure as Head Coach England moved from 6th in the world to being the number one ranked team, winning every trophy an England team can win.
Mads Faurholt-Jorgensen is a serial entrepreneur and bestselling author.
He has started over 20 companies across technology, financial services, marketing, HR, food and education, with thousands of employees, and investors such as Goldman Sachs, Alibaba, Peter Thiel and the World Bank.
Sina Kahen hails from the AI and Medical Tech industries, with experiencing spanning strategy, design, and innovation in over 50 countries. He is also a successful author, having published a number of books – including Brief Insights on Medical Robotics – and is a qualified Biomedical Scientist with an MBA from Imperial College Business School.
He is a thought-leader in Conversational AI, and a keynote speaker on artificial intelligence, the Pursuit of Meaning, the future of healthcare, and the links between emotions and technology. With a professional journey spanning over a decade, Sina has built an impressive portfolio across product management, international sales, and R&D, and has consulted both established, and start-up companies.
When Sina takes the podium as a speaker, or as a workshop leader, he brings his extensive knowledge and insight to topics like AI, healthcare, intrapreneurship, and the pursuit of meaning. He helps companies innovate and start-ups break out, and has worked with companies including Amazon, the BBC, Imperial College, O2, Shell, and Novateur Ventures.
Simon Alexander Ong is a personal development entrepreneur, coach, and public speaker.
His work has seen him appear on television channels including Sky News and the BBC, and on BBC Radio London and LBC Radio. He has also featured in Forbes, The Guardian, and Women’s Health.
Simon is also a bestselling author; his debut book Energize was published in 2022 and received positive endorsements frrom the likes of authors Simon Sinek and Dr Marshall Goldsmith.
Everything that Simon does is built around inspiring people to see their world differently, and igniting their imagination of what is truly possible so that they can lead purposeful lives, careers, and businesses.
As a personal development coach and speaker, his clients are from all walks of life but they all share one trait: they all believe that the greatest investment you can make is in yourself. He has spoken at the Peter Jones Foundation, the LSE, and The World Business and Executive Coach Summit (WBECS), and even appeared in a nationwide campaign for Barclays.
Simon Jordan is a serial entrepreneur and made his fortunes in the mobile phone industry, building his company from scratch. He sold The Pocket Phone Shop in 2000 for £75 million, aged 32.
In the same year, he bought Crystal Palace FC, becoming the youngest-ever owner of a Football League club – the club his father played for and the team he had supported as a child.
Simon is also a restaurant owner and founder of Octane Magazine.
Simon Hazeldine is best-selling author, and a sales and negotiation expert.
A hard-hitting speaker who will give your people a wake-up call that they will never forget! Through his powerful speeches and seminars, Simon inspires and enables exceptional performance. His powerful, practical and proven strategies will drive and deliver improved bottom line results.
He is the bestselling author of five books that have been endorsed by a host of business leaders including multi-billionaire business legend Michael Dell. He has a Master’s Degree in Psychology and is a Fellow of the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management.
Sian Gabbidon is a renowned British businesswoman, motivational speaker, business consultant, and the first black female winner of BBC’s The Apprentice, following her series 14 success.
She started her business, Sian Marie, from her bedroom and built it into a global brand with seven-figure retail partnerships, demonstrating her ability to turn a vision into a thriving business. She also co-founded Twenty Twenty Digital, one of the UK’s fastest growing e-commerce agencies.
She now shares her story as an in-demand speaker and presenter on all aspects of business stat-ups to a wide range of audiences. Sian is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners, sharing her journey and expertise to help others achieve their business goals.
Shona Hirons is an award-winning resilience coach and motivational speaker with years of experience in law, physical wellbeing, mental health, and business coaching. She was awarded the Future Fit Training Inspired Award in 2019 for her achievements in fitness and nutrition and was named the Best Mental Health Provider in Somerset just two years later.
Working in law for two decades ended suddenly when she had a work-related breakdown. This stressful period led to a life-changing accident, leaving her with brain damage and needing major facial reconstructive surgery. This was shortly followed by a cancer diagnosis. The combination of these terrible things gave her the wake-up call she needed.
Feeling low, Shona used her recovery period to rebuild her resilience and self-belief, consider what she valued in life, and think about what she wanted to do with her career. First developing strategies to help herself, she now runs Mindset in Motion Ltd and has helped clients in over 55 countries.
Her aim? “To improve the wellbeing of people and businesses throughout the world”.
Shola Kaye is a communication, inclusive leadership and empathy at work expert, author, and award-winning diversity speaker on a mission to create happy, engaged and productive workplaces. She also speaks about emotional audacity, empathy, emotional intelligence, belonging with boldness and heart, brave communication, and bold action.
In today’s tech-enabled workplaces, she focusses on the human element, helping organisations prepare for the future by putting people first and sometimes, doing and saying things that others are afraid to. This is known as: EMOTIONAL AUDACITY™.
EMOTIONAL AUDACITY™ = Empathy + Brave Communication + Bold Action.
When workplaces are bold and inclusive, people thrive, teams soar, and lasting change happens. Shola is a LinkedIn Learning instructor, and her clients include The United Nations and Deloitte. Her work has been featured in a range of industry journals.
Shola’s keynotes are frequently described as engagingly practical, easily implementable and inspiring. She shares moving stories, accessible case studies and actionable insights gained from working with international corporations across a wide range of industries, and sessions may be modified for leaders or for broader audiences.
Sarah Furness is a former RAF Combat Helicopter Pilot, motivational keynote speaker, and inspirational trainer.
After graduating from Cambridge University with a degree in Natural Sciences and Theology, Sarah joined the Royal Air Force, first as an air safety trainer and then as a helicopter pilot. During her two decades there, she worked on tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, commanded a 120-man team across Kabul, and planned special forces operations.
Her experience in such hostile and challenging environments led to her transition into an inspirational and motivational keynote speaker. But she still has her mission: “To share the secret to outstanding resilience, performance and courage under fire”.
Liz McKeon is the Beauty Business Expert. Empowering women in business, many of her clients are small to medium enterprises, and as a business expert she often helps them to double their turnover and exceed their targets. She also works with large chains and CEOs of international distributors, mentoring and supporting women to excel in business.
She is also a fully qualified expert witness and regularly attends legal cases, offering her expert insight into the cosmetics and beauty industry in a legal capacity. She is also an ambassador for Shear Haven anti-domestic violence salon training in the UK and Ireland.
She is also a renowned public speaker, and her unique gift for storytelling sees her speak at many of the industry’s top events, trade shows, and Women In Business events. Her expertise regarding business has resulted her in being a panellist and keynote speaker for some of the beauty industry’s biggest brands, delivering on a spectrum of business topics, keeping attendees entertained whilst being incredibly inspiring and motivating.
Russell Beck’s drive is inspired by the belief that people are the only USP of any organisation. He helps empower leaders and organisations to navigate the evolving world of work to be future ready.
An author, consultant, and keynote speaker, Russell Beck is widely acknowledged as a thought leader in people and leadership. He blends an engineer’s desire for knowledge, an inquisitive need for evidence, and a belief that things can be better with an inspirational, charismatic, and thought-provoking style.
Russell Beck connects dots in an informative way to help organisations take tangible actions to unlock the potential and productivity of their most expensive asset, their people. Often acting as a catalyst, he captivates people, motivating them to think differently, providing the impetus to change and transform, and enabling them to move quicker and further than they previously thought possible.
He provides inspirational and analytical insight into moving any organisation forward with giant steps.
Ruby Malik leaves us in no doubt that to be a more inspirational leader or team, you need to achieve three key elements: to think more deliberately, connect more effectively and command an executive presence more successfully.
She helps them achieve just that as a leadership coach and speaker, with her winning methodologies and direct but engaging style and humour.
She also believes, in a world of constant change, challenge, and cultural diversity, that people can achieve a portfolio of life ambitions if they wish. This is proven in her own diverse and successful guises over twenty+ years in business.
Rosalyn Palmer is an award-winning transformational coach and therapist combining clinical hypnotherapy, Rapid Transformational Therapy and NLP-based coaching to create deep change.
She is also an acclaimed author with a remarkable ability to inspire positive change and foster wellbeing.
Rosalyn Palmer has a wellbeing column in local newspaper The Newark Advertiser and was formerly the wellbeing expert on radio show Girls Around Town – a weekly radio programme billed as Radio Newark’s answer to Loose Women, providing news, gossip, opinions, and interviews; made by women, for women, as well as the host of the Monkey Business podcast, exploring the mindset secrets of top business leaders.
She is also the award-winning self-help author of Reset! A Blueprint for a Better Life (2018), and contributor to Ignite Your Life For Women (2019), Ignite Your Female Leadership (2019), and Ignite For Female Changemakers (2020).
“Ronan is a world-class resilience teacher” – John Waterfield, Head of Strategic Relationships, KPMG.
Ronan Harrington is an advisor to some of the world’s leading companies on how to create sustainable, high performance cultures.
Using his own experience in burnout, he delights audiences with a fresh take on resilience. His innovative approach helps audiences understand how to boost their wellbeing and their productivity, driving company growth even during times of uncertainty.
Also known as The Corporate Philosopher, Roger Steare is a keynote speaker, published author, and expert on leadership, development, culture, ethics, and diversity, inclusion, and equality.
Over a career spanning 45 years, 26 of those within his own business, he has worked closely with CEOs, leadership teams, and colleagues to help navigate multi-billion-dollar ethical challenges and opportunities.
He has worked with regulators, governments, and professional bodies, including the CIPD, SWP, FCA, FRC, ICAEW, IIA, and IOSCO. He has also drawn on a range of peer-reviewed research in philosophy, psychology, religion, science, popular culture, professional integrity, and organisational culture to develop an approach that can transform individuals, teams, and organisations in just a few months.
Roderic Yapp is an accredited coach and a specialist in developing resilience and leadership skills. He is a former Royal Marines Officer, who led Marines on combat operations including Afghanistan in 2007 and the evacuation of civilians from Libya during the Arab Spring.
Roderic also led the recapture of the 55,000-tonne MV Montecristo from pirate control in 2011, as part of a NATO counter-piracy task force off the Somali coast.
In 2012, Roderic left the Royal Marines to embark on a new career with the aim of using his experience to develop leaders in the corporate world. He joined the Urenco Group where he was responsible for assessing the level of leadership capability within the organisation and coaching leaders to create high performing teams with a focus on delivery and execution.
Given his background Roderic is well suited to developing people in sectors and situations where leadership failure can pose considerable systemic risk. He also works with clients across the world helping them to establish a more resilient human system as a driver to individual and organisational performance.
Rita Clifton is in demand as a speaker all over the world, both as a brand practitioner and as a business leader. She regularly speaks and runs workshops on a wide variety of topics including leadership, innovation and disruption, corporate reputation, women in business and sustainability. She covers all aspects of branding, including personal and nation branding, branding in the digital age and how to build a world class brand.
Rita Clifton started her career in advertising and quickly progressed to become Vice Chairman and Strategy Director at Saatchi & Saatchi during its most successful period. She then moved into brand strategy when she became London CEO, then Chairman, of leading global brand consultancy Interbrand, and led a highly diverse and talented team.
Trendwatcher, futurist and international keynote speaker Richard van Hooijdonk takes you to an inspiring future that will dramatically change the way we live, work and do business.
As a futurist, keynote speaker, and trendwatcher, Richard van Hooijdonk is an authority on new technology. He has several chip implants because he wants to physically experience the future.
His inspiration sessions have been attended by over 550,000 people at 1900 talks in 35 countries.
Richard is a regular guest at radio and television programs.
Challenger, Entrepreneur, Record Breaker, Motivational Speaker & TV Presenter Richard Noble is a British entrepreneur who has achieved six world speed records, including breaking the Sound barrier on land which has never been equalled or beaten.
Specialising in high technology engineering startups, Richard is perhaps best known as The Project Director of ThrustSSC, the first-ever supersonic land speed record programme producing the vehicle which holds the current land speed record, set at the Black Rock Desert, Nevada in 1997.
