Focusing on key themes such as resilience, teamwork, and mental health, these speakers help audiences develop the mindset and skills necessary to overcome challenges and achieve personal and professional success. Our Personal Development speakers empower individuals to bounce back from setbacks while promoting the importance of teamwork to drive collaboration, innovation, and collective growth. Additionally, by addressing mental health, they emphasise the significance of maintaining emotional well-being, creating a balanced approach to both personal and professional development.
Our Great Business Speakers provide actionable tools and techniques that foster a positive mindset, enhance interpersonal skills, and encourage self-care. They motivate individuals to embrace change, develop a strong sense of purpose, and work together to overcome obstacles. Our Personal Development Speakers create a transformative experience through real-life, motivational examples and engaging stories, equipping audiences with the tools to build a healthier, more productive, and successful future.
Discover our Personal Development Speakers below, or contact the team at Great Business Speakers to enquire or book. +44 1753 439 289
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”.
Sam Jones combines his unique tools with his years of experience to coach the UK’s brightest public figures and influencers to create more productivity, better performances and improved wellbeing within young people.
He looks at the culture of instant-access information on our phones and devices and how it is affecting our own psychology, as well as how a fast-paced world can impact on our thoughts and feelings.
The topics he focuses on include Generation Z, wellbeing and mental health, retention and resilience of Gen Z, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) from a Gen Z perspective.
Sally Bee is an international motivational speaker, an author, broadcaster and survivor of five heart attacks.
Sally was only 36 years old when she experienced her first heart attack, an episode that started at a children’s birthday party where she suddenly felt extreme pain in her chest. Thinking she was too young to have a heart attack, the hospital sent her home with indigestion tablets.
Sadly, she had a further two heart attacks in the coming weeks and her family were advised to say their goodbyes due to the extensive damage caused to her heart. Having made a full recovery and worked hard on her mental wellbeing, Sally’s world was rocked again 12 years later in 2016, when she suffered two further heart attacks.
Having fought for her life five times, Sally knows the true meaning and importance of resilience and inner strength. What became patently clear to Sally was the need to strip away all the noise and meaningless distractions to gain clarity on what is really important in life, and this is something Sally shares in her inspiring talks.
An Oxford-trained lawyer, Roz Savage spent the first eleven years of her career working as a management consultant, braving nothing more intrepid than rush hour on the London Underground before an environmental epiphany led to a radical personal transformation into a world-class adventurer.
During the seven years of her ocean rowing career, Roz Savage had more chance than most to explore the far horizons of courage. Spending up to five months alone at sea on a 23-foot rowboat, thousands of miles from land and humanity, at the mercy of winds, waves and currents, she evolved from a nervous novice adventurer into the world’s foremost female ocean rower, having rowed – solo – across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
While crossing those 15,000 miles of the ocean she had to redefine her comfort zone on a daily basis and reach deep into her inner sources of strength, self-discipline, and commitment to her goal.
Roz Savage discovered the vital importance of keeping a cool head in life-endangering situations, to optimise her capacity for smart decision-making, accurate risk assessment and creative problem-solving.
In 2024, she was elected a Liberal Democrat MP for the new South Cotswolds constituency.
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.
Richard McCann is a motivational speaker, coach, workshop facilitator and author of three bestselling books that tell his personal story of surviving after extreme adversity.
At the age of just five, Richard experienced the loss of his mother in horrific circumstances, her death at the hands of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe. After his mother’s murder, he was then brought up by his often drunk and violent father, living on a tough council estate in Leeds, England.
This led to turbulent times in foster care and an unsettled school life, which he left with no qualifications. Richard found himself with no prospects, making mistake after mistake, and landing himself in prison, ironically the same prison as his mother’s killer.
On his release from prison, he hit rock bottom, feeling he had zero prospects and no reason to live; he shared a suicide pact with his sister.
Ralf Schumacher is a former racing driver from Germany and younger brother of Michael Schumacher, the seven-times Formula One World Champion. Ralf and Michael Schumacher are the only siblings to each win Formula One races.
Ralf first drove in Formula One with Jordan Grand Prix for the 1997 season, winning his first Grand Prix in 2001. In a racing career that lasted 11 years, Ralf drove for Jordan, Williams and Toyota teams wining a total of six grand prix races.
After leaving Formula One, Ralf joined the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) in 2008 and later retired from motorsport at the end of 2012 to enter a managerial role within DTM, mentoring young drivers.
After his retirement from racing, Ralf went on to become a commentator for Sky Sports Germany, open a restaurant and make his own wine brand.
A celebrated authority in brand management and innovation, Rafe Offer has held senior positions with the some of the world’s largest companies.
As Global Marketing Director for Disney, he pioneered the now infamous “having fun never goes out of style” campaign and, during his tenure, Disney’s sales of adult merchandise grew from $50m to $800m.
Following a further highly successful spell as Global Marketing Director at Coca Cola, where he was responsible for a staggering $1.2 billion of global sales, he was appointed Director of Innovation at Diageo.
Tasked with creating their entrepreneurial business unit, his core responsibility lay in finding new revenue sources while strengthening the core drinks business and brands.
Rachel Watkyn is an award-winning entrepreneur, businesswoman, keynote speaker, and sustainability advocate.
She started Tiny Box Company from a bedroom in her parent’s home, and went on to receive investment on Dragons’ Den. She is the winner of the 2010 National Small Business Recycler of the Year, the 2020 NatWest Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the 2020 Rural Business Award, and the 2021 Entrepreneurial Business of the Year Award.
Now a popular keynote speaker, Rachel’s mission is to encourage female entrepreneurs to follow their passions and fulfil their dreams.
R. Michael Anderson’s unique combination of real-life experience of founding, scaling and exiting three software enterprises, matched with his masters degree in psychology, is the reason he’s trained leaders at some of the most successful companies in the world including Microsoft, PwC and Salesforce.
In addition, he’s authored a number of best-selling leadership books, contributes to entrepreneur.com and was once named Social Entrepreneur of the Year.
His popular book Leading the Next Normal: A Guide to Building an Engaged, Resilient and Agile Virtual Workforce (2021) teaches managers and executives how to successfully navigate the chaotic world we currently live in.
Given he’s 6′ 8″ tall, you can’t possibly miss Michael, and it also explains why, in a former life, he was a professional basketball player!
Perry McCarthy is quite simply unique. He is an ex-Formula One driver, a bestselling author, and he was the original secret racing driver from BBC’s Top Gear – The Stig.
He is now a popular keynote speaker, and has carried out over 1,500 appearances, combining his famous sense of humour with his experiences in motor sport.
His attitude and his story has been inspirational; the 1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill once said of Perry, “I have constant admiration for how he turns a no hope situation in to some sort of triumph”.
International motivational speaker Penny Mallory is an expert in psychological performance and works within, and alongside, world-class teams to overcome obstacles and improve their performances.
Her experience ranges from world championship rally drivers to young offenders, and focusses on improving their mental performance, orchestrating change and building outstanding individuals and teams.
She works with organisations, teams (including Formula 1) and individuals on mental performance and also hosts development programmes and workshops. Penny was also the first woman in the world to compete in a world rally car – the Formula 1 of rallying.
Penny is an inspirational motivational speaker thanks to her life and career experiences and her ability to make the impossible seem possible.
Paul McGee is one of the UK’s leading speakers in self-help, particularly in the subjects of change, workplace relationships, customer service, leadership, wellbeing, resilience, communication and motivation. He educates companies on how to survive and thrive in challenging times, how to work under pressure and how to inspire others in the workplace.
His daringly titled book SUMO (Shut Up, Move On) became an instant bestseller, and his book on self-confidence reached number one in the WH Smith business book charts, where it remained for a further 24 weeks. The radio host Chris Evans has described Paul’s books as “a gift to the world”.
He has appeared on BBC Breakfast television, and Question Time alongside David Dimbleby, and is a regular contributor on radio shows for the BBC and Radio 5live.
Building on his psychology background, Paul’s aim is to deliver practical, relevant messages that can make an immediate and long-lasting impact on people’s professional and personal lives. He brings a sense of fun to his sessions, seeking to deliver a memorable and humorous experience that equips people with insights and ideas to increase their personal effectiveness and impact.
Nicola Cook specialises in helping business leaders create accelerated growth and scalability in their sales function.
Nicola is constantly invited to speak at international conferences and her firm, Company Shortcuts was a finalist in two categories at the prestigious BESMA (British Excellence in Sales & Marketing Awards) in 2016, making the finals in the ‘Best sales trainer in the UK’ category, and ‘Best Training centre’.
Nicola herself is a past winner at the North East Women Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in 2012, is a Fellow of the ISM (Institute of Sales Managers) and most recently has been added to the Smith & Williamson Power 100, which celebrates the top 100 individuals who help shape policy, champion, mentor, support and promote entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in the UK.
Nick Saunders is a motivational keynote speaker and training consultant with a 25 year track record of experience. He’s been lucky enough to have a career doing what he loves – helping many, many people enjoy what they do a little more by giving them the tools to make their working lives (and home lives) more productive and gratifying.
This includes helping improve relationships in all sorts of organisations, in all sorts of industries, in all sorts of countries – including the corporate/business sector, many charities and not-for profit organisations and in education (from numerous primary schools to Oxford University).
Nevil Tynemouth is a successful author, international speaker, and executive coach.
The founder of New Results, the professional development company focussed on supporting you and your teams’ development journey. He has a 30 year career with global brands and professionals, helping them all achieve their own “new results”. In his corporate career, Nevil was involved in launching two of the UK’s most familiar brands in BlackBerry and Dyson. His blend of real world examples and well researched tools help professionals achieve their goals.
Nevil is also the author of Sales Success on LinkedIn, and is recognised as an excellent speaker and facilitator, bringing new ideas, methods and approaches to life for those he works with. Inspiring business owners, directors and their teams with the real world practical tools while getting individuals and businesses fired up, focussed and understanding the behavioural shifts to achieve success.
He helps you identify and overcome the things that you are avoiding. You know, those little things that hold you back from achieving your true potential.
Nathalie Nahai’s expertise in human behaviour, web design, and the arts provides a distinctive perspective for analysing the intricate contemporary challenges.
Her highly successful publication, Webs Of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion, has become the authoritative guide for both corporate leaders and educational institutions. Her latest work, Business Unusual: Values, Uncertainty, and the Psychology of Brand Resilience, has been hailed as a fundamental text in the field of business.
Serving as a behavioural science advisor and the host of The Hive Podcast, Nathalie assists notable clients such as Google, Accenture, Unilever, and Harvard Business Review in conscientiously employing behavioral science principles to amplify their business strategies.
Natasha Saunders is a testament to the strength and mental power inside all of us; overcoming eight years of domestic abuse, she has gone on to change laws, raise millions in funds and train various police forces and government departments on their awareness, response and wellbeing throughout the workforce.
Alongside extensive media and live tv work, Natasha delivers motivational and keynote speeches for various sectors.
Natasha also has an innovative and engaging training session to educate, support and develop both executives and staff in their approach to business and life challenges. In a progressive business landscape, Natasha can be the element to raise mental well-being and thus, productivity and motivation levels.
Michael McGrath made history in 2004 by becoming the first disabled person to lead expeditions to both the north and south poles – what makes this achievement all the more remarkable is that in 1984, aged just 18yrs, Michael was diagnosed with the muscle wasting disease muscular dystrophy (MD).
The journey gave rise to a new life plan, inspiring Michael to embark on a career as an internationally recognised motivational business speaker. He has built an enviable list of clients, providing carefully tailored speeches for organisations including HMRC, PwC, Shell, Hilton Hotels and the NHS.
Leadership, courage, and trust combined with resolute self-belief, confidence, teamwork and a singularly focused obsession towards achieving desired outcomes were critical success factors – Michael McGrath draws on these experiences, giving wider business and life lessons.
Michael was made an MBE in the King’s first Birthday Honours List in 2023.
Matthew Syed is one of the world’s most influential thinkers in the field of high performance and cultural change. He is an author and highly acclaimed speaker in the field of high performance.
He has written six best-selling books on the subject of mindset and high performance – Bounce, Black Box Thinking, Rebel Ideas, The Greatest, and his celebrated children’s books, You Are Awesome and The You Are Awesome Journal – and has worked with many leading organisations to build a mindset of continuous improvement.
He is also a multi-award-winning journalist for The Times and a regular contributor to television and radio.
Matt Sims is a presenter, host, speaker, coach, consultant, and transformation leader, with a proven track record of engaging and inspiring audiences. His immense passion for continuous improvement, and his diverse skill set make him the ideal choice to elevate your event.
With a career spanning over 20 years, Matt Sims has worked with some of the world’s largest organisations including Amazon and The Royal mail to educate and inspire their employees.
Liz Johnson is one of the UK’s most well-known Paralympic swimmers, winning an impressive 13 medals at various events over her career.
Since retiring in 2016, Liz has become a popular contributor to sporting broadcasting on Channel 4 and the BBC and a familiar face on entertainment shows, including Celebrity Masterchef (2016) and The Last Leg (2021).
She is the Managing Director and Client Ambassador of The Ability People, a specialist employment company which aims to encourage employment for those with disabilities.
She is also a popular motivational and sports speaker, offering an insight into her competitive past, her broadcasting experience and her disability, aiming to inspire the next generation of sporting stars.
