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
Having originally trained as a carpenter, nobody outside of the sport of cycling would have known who Chris Boardman was until 1992, when he took Great Britain’s opening Gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics astride the infamous Lotus bike. Incredibly it was Britain’s first cycling Gold medal in 72 years.
The iconic image of the Lotus machine and pointy helmet made the name of Chris Boardman synonymous with cutting edge technology. It was a fascination with innovation and performance that has featured in nearly every aspect of his life since.
Caspar Berry is a professional motivational and keynote speaker who started his career as the lead in the first series of Byker Grove (1989-1997) on BBC One alongside Ant and Dec. He went on to read Economics and Anthropology at Cambridge and, after aiming to become a professional film writer, he had his first screenplay produced by Film Four in his final year. By the age of 23 he was writing for companies Columbia TriStar and Miramax.
Just two years later, he decided he needed a change in his life, which led him to Las Vegas where he became a professional poker player. He spent three years playing professionally and using his wits against some of the world’s best-known players.
After his time in Vegas, he moved back to the UK in 2002. Here he co-founded Twenty-First Century Media and built it into the fastest-growing audio-visual media company in the North East of England. Whilst here, he began his career as a speaker and catalyst for new thinking within business about risk-taking and decision-making. In 2008, he sold the company to Bob Geldof’s media giant, Ten Alps.
Caspar Berry’s eye-opening comparisons between playing poker and running a business incorporate risk-taking, innovating and communicating. His keynote speeches deliver a unique, insightful and refreshing take on business.
Elle Mace is a Master Practitioner and therapeutic coach in eating disorders, body dysmorphia, nutrition, obesity, and clinical weight loss.
She is also a qualified ILM Level 5 Coach & Mentor, and CPD accredited online course creator. Elle Mace is also an in-demand keynote speaker on the topics of eating disorders, body dysmorphia, mental health, positive psychology, and relationships with food.
Brendan Hall is a renowned figure in the fields of speaking, coaching, and consulting, with a focus on fostering high-performance cultures within teams and organisations. His expertise lies in unlocking the untapped potential of teams, cultivating resilience, fostering connections, promoting collaboration, and enhancing leadership qualities.
As a sought-after speaker, Brendan has earned recognition for his ability to inspire audiences and deliver tangible outcomes.
He has been trusted by esteemed organisations such as PwC, Toyota, GSK, Nestle, Financial Times, Tesco, and Lloyds Banking Group.
He also holds positions as an adjunct lecturer at Ashridge Executive Education and Cranfield Business Schools, where he imparts his knowledge and experience to aspiring leaders.
Brad Burton is a force to be reckoned with in the world of motivational speaking and team building.
Known for his infectious enthusiasm, humour and high-energy dynamic approach twinned with street-smart wisdom, Brad has carved a unique niche in the industry, speaking globally at the highest level blending his background as a multi-million-pound business owner with his no-nonsense, motivational style.
At 50, he’s not just a speaker; he’s a doer, embodying the very essence of motivation and action. Brad’s journey is one of transformation and tenacity.
Blaire Palmer is the authority on disrupting the future of leadership, and wants to provoke senior leaders to think more critically about the idea of work and leadership itself.
After starting her career as producer of the BBC’s Today programme, she took the leap from this safe and respected job to train as one of Europe’s first corporate coaches and start her own company. Since then, she has worked with many multinational corporations and organisations such as Mattel, Airbus, Roche Pharmaceuticals and the FA.
Blaire can help make sense of the perfect organisational storm of generative AI, hybrid working and the long tail of the pandemic, growing understanding of mental health, the rising cost of living and cost of supply, and global unrest.
Bianca Miller-Cole is an award-winning Entrepreneur and personal brand expert; having founded the ‘go-to’ business for harnessing workforce potential.
The business has an impressive list of clients including HSBC, Accenture, AMEX, CMS LLP, PWC, Barclays, EY, Google, LSE, UAL, BT, KPMG to name a few. Bianca was honoured as a ‘Forbes 30 under 30’ for her commitment to e-commerce and retail via her diverse hosiery brand, which she pitched in the final of The Apprentice in 2014.
Bianca Miller-Cole ’s business influence also resulted in her being awarded a Top 10 ‘Power Profile Leader’ via LinkedIn out of 20 million members, alongside Richard Branson. She appears in the Top 50 Future Leaders lists for the Financial Times HERoes (women only) and EMpower (ethnic minority) lists for her success in business. She is the co-author of the bestselling book Self Made: The Definitive Guide to Business Startup Success and uses her spare time to mentor a growing community of budding entrepreneurs.
Bev Jones is an award-winning transformational speaker, author and panel host who shares her expertise on preventing and dealing with burnout. Her expertise comes from her lived experience, having battled burnout during a 30-year senior management career.
Bev’s battle with burnout saw her crash through self-harm, paranoia, anger, loneliness, and even suicidal thoughts. While it was the saddest and darkest part of Beverley’s life, she now sees it as one of life’s greatest gifts.
During her transformation and recovery, Bev decided it was her life mission to not only help others avoid what she had gone through but also support others to achieve calm in their lives. Her personable character shines through in her thought-provoking talks. Her honest, authentic account about the dark days of burnout are delivered with humour and her audience receives practical tips to take away.
Bev Jones has spoken at many events of all sizes for organisations such as Welsh and Southeast Water, NHS, HSBC and Mars Ltd. She is also regular panel host and member for organisations such as the Welsh Assembly and Lloyds Bank.
Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD, is an extraordinary polymath – a medical doctor and PhD, a world-class dancer, and later a C-Suite corporate leader with global retailers Mothercare and Selfridges Group.
Now he is a sought-after executive and strengths coach in the UK, Us and Europe, award-winning author, and inspiring leadership speaker. He is also the host of the hit leadership podcast ‘The Unlock Moment’, where he interviews many of the leading thinkers on finding purpose, achieving peak performance, and building leadership effectiveness from around the world.
Dr Gary Crotaz has featured in Forbes, the Telegraph, the Sunday Times and on TalkTV, and has spoken at events including CarFest, alongside Dr Rangan Chatterjee, Clive Branson, and Simon Ong. His innovative self-coaching book The IDEA Mindset by Dr Gary Crotaz was awarded Coaching Book of the Year by Henley Business School in 2022.
Dr Paul Redmond is one of the UK’s leading experts on generational change and the future of work. He is a popular keynote speaker, employment guru, and bestselling author.
His reached into Generation Z and their impact on organisations has seen him receive high praise and respect from national and international organisations. As an in-demand speaker, Paul presents at numerous conferences and events around the world, helping organisations and professionals acquire the skills and knowledge to thrive in today’s multi-generational workplace.
Benjamin Schnau is a TV Presenter, public speaker, actor, entrepreneur and author based in London.
He is an expert on sales/personal development in tech industry and on how to establish yourself as an actor and creative person in the Hollywood film entertainment industry.
He speaks English and German fluently plus conversational French with work permits in the UK, US and the European market.
Dr Michelle P King is an international expert on inequality and organisational culture, a bestselling author and award-winning speaker.
She is a senior advisor to the UN Foundation’s Girl Up Campaign and previously held the position of Director of Inclusion for Netflix, and Head of UN’s Women’s Global Innovation Coalition, working to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Dr King holds a PhD in Organisations and Management and has been named a Top 100 Woman at Davos, a LinkedIn Top Voice for Workplace Equity, and shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Talent Award. She currently leads Performance, Culture, Learning and Talent at HSF Kramer, having previously held roles at Netflix and UN Women. Her work has featured in Harvard Business Review, The Economist, and CNBC.
She regularly provides keynotes, fireside chats and masterclasses with leading companies like Fifa, Guardian, Amazon, Dior, FedEx and Morgan Stanley. In 2020, Michelle founded The Culture Practice, a global consultancy which provides organisational leaders with inclusion coaching needed to create cultures that value difference.
Dr Lynda Shaw is a cognitive neuroscientist and business psychologist who works with senior leaders and wider teams to better understand the emotional responses of clients.
Together with her clients, Dr Lynda aims to harness this knowledge to improve business culture, unite managerial teams, ensure employee job satisfaction and turn fear and stress into profit and loyalty. Together this is achieved through consultation, workshops, coaching, group mentoring and keynote presentations.
She is an experienced entrepreneur having owned three businesses including a health club with 2000 members and 20 staff. She is also a business psychologist and holds a doctorate in neuroscience, specialising in the unconscious processing of emotion and communication. She works with senior leaders and their teams who want to better understand the emotional responses of clients and colleagues and harness this power to increase business growth and dramatically improve communication and long term business relationships.
Dr Kate Allatt (D Litt) astonishingly recovered from most people’s worst nightmare, like waking up in the middle of an operation unable to move, after a faulty anaesthetic. To think, feel, see and hear, and yet be unable to move anything below her eyelids.
Kate was suffering from Locked-In Syndrome. Three months after leaving the hospital she founded Fighting Strokes her registered charity and astonishingly ran again on her first stroke anniversary.
Anthony Stears, AKA The Telephone Assassin, is on a mission to get businesses talking again and stop people from hiding behind their emails and social media. From small business owners to global corporations, Anthony helps teams connect with more of their ideal customers, win more repeat business, and build relationships that last.
Helping clients to get in front of more of their ideal customers and getting more business from their existing customers. Anthony has made calls for a huge range of business and when he found himself as the sales or marketing manager for 5 different companies all at the same time, he realised that his growing waiting list of clients needed to be serviced too.
After working closely with an NLP master trainer he was able to teach people to “fish for themselves” as he started to really understand the power of his communication style, so combined with the structure he had developed, Anthony began to run a Telemarketing Masterclass.
If you want your audience fired up, inspired, and equipped with practical tools they can use immediately, Anthony Stears is your speaker.
Dr Ant Webb – otherwise known as The Brain Whisperer – is a CEO, entrepreneur, author, mindset expert, and keynote speaker.
With over 25 years of experience in founding, running, and supporting businesses, Dr Ant is passionate about helping leaders overcome mental challenges that come with running a business.
Dr Alex George first came to prominence when he took part in the 2018 series of Love Island, becoming a popular figure for his looks as well as his personality.
Before his first brush with fame, Alex was working as an A&E Doctor, a career he initially went back to before also working as a GP. He now has a particular passion for mental health issues, following the sad suicide of his brother. Determined to use his newfound public platform for good, he left his job as an A&E doctor in early 2022 to focus more on the mental health and wellbeing side to medicine.
In 2021, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson named Dr Alex George the UK Government’s Youth Ambassador for Mental Health thanks to his years of campaigning for greater mental health support. From reality TV to Instagram to the British government, Alex now advises corporate clients on how to support their employees’ mental health.
Anita Brightley-Hodges is a family business advisor, mentor, exceptional mediator, coach, keynote speaker, and champion of women.
With over 35 years of experience in working with families, Anita has the experience and passion to ensure your event goes without a hitch.
Anita Brightley-Hodges has spoken at events all around the world, appearing at leadership conferences, award ceremonies, university courses, networking events, on radio shows, and podcasts, and has worked for clients including the University of Oxford, EY, Campden Wealth, Saïd Business School, and KPMG.
Dr Aaron Balick, PhD. is a psychotherapist as well as a popular consultant, speaker and author.
He is recognised globally for his work in the understanding of psychology and how it can be used to support and benefit individuals, businesses and society as a whole. Aaron draws on more than twenty years of clinical and academic experience and is skilled at making psychology accessible to his varied audiences, in ways that are both engaging and entertaining.
He has appeared in a number of media organisations writing in the area of mental health with contributions in BBC Online, The Guardian, Newsweek and Wired Magazine. Aaron has offered his expertise across a variety of radio and television productions, including being the longest-running mental health contributor for BBC Radio 1’s phone-in Surgery programme for young people and appearing on BBC Radio 4’s The Moral Maze, and The Digital Human.
“Made a genuine difference to the team – gave them the tools to understand their own blockers and how to overcome them.” – Landmark Geodata
How do you sell if you hate selling?
An experienced sales person & mindful sales speaker, and agile mindset expert, Anis Qizilbash knows cognitive tricks to make you stop procrastinating, overcome fears, and appreciate your value. Her tools help leaders and teams unlock growth to achieve predictable, consistent, and powerful results in all areas of their professional or personal lives.
Anis Qizilbash helps leaders and teams from around the world create value for their clients, grow their businesses, and – most importantly – achieve their goals. individuals and companies alike have grown their sales, boosted performance, and gained renewed self-belief and motivation after a talk or workshop with Anis.
An expert on building, nurturing, and leveraging professional relationships, Andy Lopata was once called ‘one of Europe’s leading business networking strategists’ by The Financial Times, and ‘a true master of networking’ by Forbes.com.
He believes that networking and communication is one of the most important tools in business, from generating sales to developing your career. He believes that knowing the reasons why you are networking and what you want to achieve, it is possible to improve and gain tangible results.
As well as his networking strategies, Andy Lopata is also a podcast host, and successful business author. In 2017, he was awarded the PSA Award of Excellence.
He is a two-time board member and former President of the Fellows Community of the Professional Speaking Association UK and Ireland, a member of the Association of Business Mentors and the Meetings Industry Association, and a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute.
Andy Halliday is a former international hockey player and manager of England and Great Britain men’s hockey teams, as well as a former Specialist Firearms Officer at the Met Police. Andy now applies his skills as a coach, facilitator and keynote speaker.
Andy joined the Metropolitan Police when he was 18 years old. Here he developed his policing skills in a pressurised environment of 1980s London. After an initial period on the beat in Tottenham, he became a riot training instructor for seven years before transferring to the tactical Firearms Unit.
Spending more than three decades in pursuit of best practice in high performance environments, Andy understands what it takes to thrive and succeed, as well as the challenges faced by individuals and organisations from teenagers all the way up to executives in large businesses. Andy has been interviewed on many podcasts, talking about topics including growth mindset, stress reframing, learning from mistakes and his experience managing GB men’s hockey team and 30 years policing in London.
Dean Leak is a mindset coach, consultant, and leader within the British high-performance sports system, with over a decade of experience leading teams to deliver sustainable systems and programmes to support world-leading athletes.
A sports enthusiast and fascinated by all things psychology and understanding what drives us as a species, Dean has developed a skill for mentoring people in order to reach their full potential.
Since moving into senior leadership roles, his experience has seen him launch creative recruitment strategies, create business plans to governments, and implement complex talent pathways.
A creative, action-orientated, big-picture thinker, Dean Leak cares deeply about the people he works with, and is passionate about helping them create the best environment possible for them to succeed, both personally and professionally.
David Thomas is a speaker with an unbelievable and inspirational story who will show your audience how to manage change and challenge.
David suffered a deeply abusive childhood at the hands of his alcoholic mother and aged stepfather. He went off the rails at 16. He started burgling shops, attempted suicide twice, nearly killed a police officer one night, received a criminal conviction and was expelled from school.
He turned his life around and after a series of dead-end jobs, joined the Fire Service at 20.
