Sales and retail speakers offer actionable strategies to improve customer experiences, foster brand loyalty, and accelerate sales growth. With deep knowledge of retail trends and consumer behaviour, these speakers equip your team with the tools to connect more effectively with customers, deliver personalised experiences, and build lasting relationships that drive conversions. Whether you’re seeking practical strategies or innovative team approaches to customer engagement, a professional sales speaker will inspire your team to elevate their customer service.
At Great Business Speakers, we specialise in curating tailored shortlists of exceptional speakers who understand the intricacies of retail and customer engagement. Our expertise ensures you choose the perfect speaker to deliver impactful, relevant content for your event. Whether you want to empower your team with fresh customer interaction strategies or boost your retail sales, we’ll help you select a speaker whose insights align with your business goals. Let us help you create a memorable event that inspires your team and equips them to engage customers more effectively, driving success in the retail industry.
Looking for a speaker to elevate your marketing efforts? Our expert marketing speakers can help promote your business from behind the scenes, offering strategies that range from online advertising to TV campaigns and live events.
Discover our Sales Speakers below, or contact the team at Great Business Speakers to enquire or book. +44 1753 439 289
Rory Sutherland is an advertising executive, Vice Chairman of the Ogilvy & Mather group of companies, The Spectator columnist, and writer of three bestselling books.
He joined Ogilvy in 1988 as a graduate, going on to work as copywriter, Creative Director, and now Vice Chairman. He has also been President of the IPA, Chair of the Judges for the Direct Jury at Cannes, and has given several TED talks. He is also a trustee of the Benjamin Franklin House in London and a Patron of Rochester Cathedral.
Rory is a globally sought-after keynote speaker. His inimitable flair and curiosity have made him a TED talk superstar, with his talks gaining over 6.5 million views. He is also a regular voice on Radio 4.
Mary Portas is one of the most influential voices shaping the future of retail, branding, and customer experience. Known for her bold thinking, deep commercial insight, and passion for transforming businesses, Mary Portas is a highly sought-after keynote speaker for conferences, leadership events, and corporate gatherings worldwide.
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With more than three decades of experience advising global brands and helping organisations navigate changing consumer behaviour, Mary delivers keynote presentations that challenge audiences to rethink how businesses operate in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
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As a broadcaster, bestselling author, and founder of the consultancy Portas Agency, she combines strategic business insight with an inspiring belief that companies must reconnect with customers, communities, and purpose.
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Event organisers looking to book Mary Portas as a keynote speaker can expect a presentation that is energetic, thought-provoking, and packed with practical insights for modern organisations.
David Abbott – Keynote & Main Stage Conference Speaker
David Abbott is an international keynote and main stage conference speaker, pricing expert, and author of How To Price Your Platypus. He helps organisations and leaders around the world unlock higher profitability by understanding the psychology behind pricing — why customers decide to pay what they do, and how to set and communicate prices that stick.
His clients include EweMove, Fine & Country, The Guild, EA Masters, IPG conference, Venues of Excellence and NFAN.
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Jenny Millar: Pricing expert, author and CEO of Untapped Pricing
Renowned for revealing the human psychology that sits behind every price tag, Jenny Millar is a pricing expert, author and CEO of Untapped Pricing. She brings audiences into the quirks of human behaviour from our obsession with “free” to the surprising premiums people will pay when emotion takes over. Jenny has led major pricing transformations at eBay, teaches at the London School of Economics and Warwick Business School, and advises global corporates, private equity firms and high-growth businesses. Co-author of The Pricing Sprint (Bloomsbury, 2026), Jenny is a dynamic keynote speaker who combines behavioural science and commercial strategy to demonstrate to leaders how pricing can become their most powerful lever for growth.
Audiences describe Jenny as “high-energy, relatable and razor-sharp” — a speaker who turns the often-intimidating world of pricing into an inspiring, human, and practical conversation about value, growth and confidence.
Geoff Burch is one of the most sought-after business speakers and thought leaders in the world, renowned for his electrifying presentations that inspire real change in organisations. He is also a bestselling author and TV personality.
Once dubbed by the press as ‘The Hell’s Angel of Management Consultancy’, Geoff combines his sense of humour with practical strategies, sharp wit, business insights, and charisma to drive real results.
With experience working with a range of national and international brands, his entertaining style guarantees to engage, inspire, and entertain teams.
Described as a visionary leadership expert, Silvia Garcia is the founder of Feel Logic and Happiest Places to Work, and the former Global Director for Marketing and Happiness for the Coca-Cola Company.
After a 15 year career in senior communication roles, she made history as the first Global Director of Happiness for Coca-Cola, and under her leadership collaboration thrived, innovation grew, and engagement soared.
She is now a highly sought-after speaker on leadership, inspirational, and happiness; she takes her audiences beyond strategy and tactics, creating a shift of perspective and building a better future for your business. She combines science-based insights and strategies with audiences, transforming the way we understand people and empowers the audience to deal with them on a higher level, maximising their skills and creativity to become superior strategists at work and life.
With over 30 years of hands-on experience, Vinay Parmar helps businesses to transform their everyday interactions into unforgettable moments – moments that turn one-time buyers into lifelong fans.
He has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands, including Aldi UK and National Express, and he knows that no matter the size, every business can unlock the commercial power of customer experience.
Andrew McMillan started Engaging Service over ten years ago. Prior to that he spent 28 years working for the John Lewis Partnership, starting as a management trainee to becoming responsible for customer experience across the department store division.
He wants to make individuals and organisations happier and more fulfilled through a sense of collective purpose, so they engender trust, loyalty and advocacy from their customers while becoming more productive and, as a consequence, more profitable.
Dominic Colenso is a motivational sales and leadership speaker, actor, director, storyteller, communication coach, and author.
By the time he was 26, Dominic had flown a spaceship, lost a million dollars, and been fired by Simon Cowell. A former Hollywood actor turned communication expert, Dominic has spent the last decade helping leaders, teams, and sales professionals unlock their performance and communicate with confidence under pressure.
Drawing on his varied professions, Dominic reveals the secret tools used by the world’s best performers to engage, inspire, and influence.
Dominic is an author of two best selling books, IMPACT and Cut-Through, offering practical frameworks for storytelling, message distillation and confident delivery.
Gordon Glenister is a highly experienced marketing and sales professional, who has worked with a number of recognised businesses over the years. His main focus is on influencer marketing, membership, and promotional merchandise.
His journey started when he was just 15 years old. Always the entrepreneurial type, he made his first £1,000 selling plants and serving gardens in Essex. A few years later, Gordon was thrust into the world of business, working for companies including Bryant and May.
He then moved on to a bigger role, working for Grants of James, where he consistently beat his sales incentives and was one of the top salesmen in the team. From there, he moved to HP Bulmer as one of the youngest ever regional sales managers, and by the time he was 26, he was managing a £21 million Whitbread account.
Gordon Glenister has also made over 160 episodes of the Influence Global Podcast interviewing all sorts of well-known individuals. As an international speaker and moderator of over 300 events, Gordon specialises in helping audiences unlock their influence and build a strong personal brand. As a professional journalist, Gordon is able to moderate on panel discussions getting the very best from his guests.
He also presented the BPMA awards for over 10 years with an audience in excess of 900. Gordon also sits on various boards including a metaverse company.
Gordon is also the director of the development board of the Arcola Theatre, is a board member for VERCHOOL HOLDINGS, and is a brand ambassador for Home Grown Club, and 1 Club.
With over a decade of experience at the intersection of entrepreneurship, fashion, and sustainability, Zoe Bayliss Wong is a strategic force behind some of the most recognisable names in purpose-led consumer business.
Now working as a freelance CFO and COO, Zoe partners with leaders to bring high-growth expertise to businesses creating positive change for people and the planet.
As a SME advisor, board director, and strategist, Zoe speaks around two key themes: sustainable fashion and the future of retail, and women in business and driving diversity in senior leadership.
Tony Morris is an award-winning sales expert, global communication and motivational speaker, founder of a Global Sales Training company, and bestselling author. His high-energy messages lead individuals and organisations to incredible success.
Tony Morris won’t just help your sales team to win new clients; he will help them win raving fans who will keep on buying for years to come. He and his team can help your business grow, become more profitable, and achieve all the goals you set out when you started your business.
Sales Leader Tony Morris consistently delivers over 100 talks a year in his unique, energetic style to corporations and events globally; he has spoken in over 30 countries. He has helped a host of well-known brands, including IHG, Oakley Sunglasses, Thomas Cook, and Villeroy & Boch.
Charlie Whyman knows that facing redundancy, navigating career changes, and starting new ventures can be daunting, but she also knows they can be opportunities for growth. As the Manging Director of TGIS Aviation, Charlies specialises in solving complex, time-critical challenges. She is passionate about helping others to take control of their careers and to build the courage to take action, no matter the obstacles.
With a background in engineering, marketing, and business, Charlie has built her career across male-dominated industries, including automotive, aviation, mining, and shipping. In 2006, Charlie founded and award-winning Sardinian Olive Oil business Palmavera, and after facing redundancy twice, she launched her own consultancy business in 2017.
As a university dropout with no formal qualifications, Charlie is open and honest about the twists and turns in her career, and uses her story to show that fear doesn’t need to hold you back. Through her experiences as a speaker, business leader, entrepreneur, and parent, she demonstrates that with the right support and courage, it’s possible to take control and create your own path to success.
Brand specialist Sarah Brason invites audiences to do the one thing most people avoid: turn and face it. Whether it’s challenge, change, fear, or truth, her keynote of the same name is a rallying cry for courage over comfort.
Known for her quiet strength and piercing clarity, Sarah doesn’t offer hype or surface-level motivation. She offers something deeper – a moment of shift. With emotional precision, warmth, and wit, she helps audiences see what’s really holding them back and what’s possible when they stop running and start facing forward.
She brings a fresh voice to the stage, unafraid to sit with discomfort, and skills at guiding others through it. Her talks stay with you long after the applause, sparking reflection, realignment, and bold new steps.
Jo Fairley is a serial entrepreneur, best known for co-founding the luxury chocolate brand Green & Black’s. Leaving school with just six O Levels, Jo became the UK’s youngest-ever magazine editor at Look Now.
Today, Jo continues to make influential contributions to Green & Black’s, as well as to the wider industry. She has founded several businesses across industries, but always themed around the senses.
Jo is a highly sought-after speaker, sharing her experiences, invaluable expertise, and advice for fellow entrepreneurs. Jo was once awarded the World Aware Award for her influential entrepreneurship, a testament to her dedication to ensuring all she works on is environmentally friendly.
James Hardy is a leading authority on ecommerce, online growth strategies, and retail globalisation, and works with a range of brands to futureproof their online expansion.
He is currently the Head of Global Retail and Marketing Development at Flutterwave, Africa’s largest Fintech. He has previously worked in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, co-founded the UK’s largest China-ecommerce exporter, and as an expert consultant.
He is now a regular contributor to the press, appearing in publications including The Financial Times, and on the BBC. He is a prominent keynote speaker and consultant, advising companies of all sizes in a range of industries.
Ken Hughes is one of the world’s leading authorities on customer experience (CX) and modern consumer culture, renowned for helping some of the biggest global brands better connect with their customers and employees.
Recognized as The King of Customer Experience, Ken Hughes has worked with industry giants such as Starbucks, Google, Coca-Cola, Verizon Media, and the NFL, offering expert insights into consumer behavior, digital anthropology, and the future of customer engagement.
With over 20 years experience as CEO of a consumer insight agency, Ken is best described as a social science Frankenstein – his interests made up of part anthropologist, part sociologist, part psychologist and part cyber behavioralist.
As an accomplished author, TED speaker, actor and university lecturer, Ken Hughes keynote presentations are high-energy, thought-provoking, and packed with his signature Irish wit, navigating the needs of the modern consumer and predicting what is to come.
Sedge Beswick is an entrepreneur, business founder, consultant, advisor, and speaker, helping brands and people grow without losing their edge. Sedge has built a career at the intersection of brand, culture, and real life.
Sedge Beswick has built her career by challenging convention, pushing boundaries, and breaking new ground. From pioneering social at ASOS to growing SEEN Connects into a £24 million global agency, she knows how to scale businesses and grow audiences.
Whether it’s start-ups or global giants, Sedge brings a no-nonsense, sharp approach to navigating the chaos of scaling in today’s world. She’s a go-to expert on marketing, influence, and brand-building, backing up her opinions with experience, no buzzwords.
She is regularly featured on BBC News, Sky, and The Financial Times, is a two-time author, lecturer, and has led workshops for No. 10 Downing Street and Google.
Amit Bhalla is a transformational strategist, coach, and inspirational speaker.
With over 20 years of coaching, M&A, and strategy experience, his unique approach focuses on activating businesses, individuals, and teams to fully operate from their authentic selves. His focus is always on bespoke and tailored services, reflecting the differences between businesses and individuals and the patterns they face in life and in business.
He has spent of 20 years working with CEOs, founders, and high-level executives to help them through the transformative journey to unlock their full potential.
Matt Swain is the founder and CEO of Triangle, working with an exclusive group of UK and US leading founders, CEOs and entrepreneurs, helping to build their digital reputation to drive commercial outcomes.
He is also the founder of SOCIAL CLUB, an exclusive social media communications company where influencers and brands manage a following of over 328 million.
Matt is also a published author, and a popular inspirational speaker.
Martin Newman, known as the Consumer Champion, is a world-renowned expert in customer centricity and customer experience.
Over a career spanning four decades, Martin has been a catalyst for positive change in consumer-facing industries. His work has revolutionised multichannel operations for brands like Burberry, Ted Baker, and Harrods, and he has successfully scaled and sold global ecommerce agency Practicology.
As the founder of The Customer First Group and Customer Service Action, Martin has been instrumental in shaping a customer-centric landscape.
With his extensive experience, Martin has been a trusted advisor and board member for a range of brands, including The Scout Store, The Mayborn Group, In Kind Direct, Clearpay, Tern, Afterpay and Marketplacer.
Martin’s insights are not just confined to boardrooms. He appears regularly on BBC TV and BBC Radio, Sky, ITV, Channel 5, and a host of other media channels, such as LBC, The Times, and FT, to discuss consumer issues related to the retail, travel, CPG, hospitality, automotive, and financial services sectors.
His expertise is widely sought after, and he has delivered captivating keynotes for prestigious global events and strategic sessions for top-tier companies like Toyota, Haleon, Specsavers, Pandora, Adobe and Meta. He not only entertains, inspires and educates, but also delivers actionable insight that can empower any business audience.
Lee Warren is an award-winning author, professional business speaker, and sales mentor.
With experience in sales for Hertz, Eurotunnel, and News International, Lee was also a professional magician and member of the Magic Circle for over two decades.
His background in sales, theatre, and magic gives him an unique insight into persuasive communication, and often provides keynote talks on sales, communication, presenting, and networking.
In 2018, Lee published the book, The Busy Person’s Guide to Great Presenting. In the book, Lee shares a simple and reliable way to give compelling presentations and pitches. It would go on to be a finalist at the 2019 Business Book Awards.
In 2022, Lee was awarded the Professional Speaking Award of Excellence, the UK’s highest accolade for professional public speaking.
Hayley Mulenda is one of the most inspiring young voices in the UK currently. An established keynote speaker, consultant, and change agent, Hayley has worked all over the world, from the Middle East to North America and Africa.
With over 180,000 social media followers, Hayley has her finger firmly on the pulse when it comes to helping Gen Z and millennials with their mental health and well-being.
Named as one of Black Business Show X HSBC’s ‘Top 25 Black Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2024’, Hayley’s story is not short of difficulties.
After nearly taking her life when she was 18 years old, she had a profound realisation about the growing impact that mental health issues are having on millennials. This experience ignited her passion to make a difference to others. Her personal journey and insights have made her a credible advocate and speaker for mental health and wellbeing, diversity, and inclusion.
Hayley has spoken on stages such as Wembley Arena, and counts KFC, KPMG, META, Microsoft, Unilever, Wagamama amongst her clients. On top of this, she serves on the board of Wagamama to help the company engage young people from diverse backgrounds and is a Governor at St Angela’s Ursuline School.
“If you follow conventional thinking, all you’ll ever be is conventional.”
Chris Arnold is a Dr of Business, a former Board Director of Saatchi & Saatchi and DMA, and former chair of both the DMA Agencies Council and the Creative Council. He is also a seasoned entrepreneur having founded a number of creative agencies over the years.
Chris Arnold is also a prominent author, having written a number of business books, including Ethical Marketing and the New Consumer.
He is now a popular keynote speaker and workshop facilitator.
