These speakers are at the forefront of their fields, whether in technology, leadership, sustainability, or strategy, and they bring a deep
understanding of trends shaping the future of business.
Unlike traditional motivational speakers, thought leaders challenge conventional thinking, inspiring organizations to innovate and adapt. They provide audiences with practical frameworks to navigate complexities, fostering creativity and problem-solving. By addressing real-world challenges and opportunities, thought leaders equip businesses with the tools to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Their influence extends beyond the event, sparking ongoing conversations and driving meaningful organisational change. Thought leaders can also enhance an event’s credibility, drawing in larger audiences and ensuring lasting impact. Businesses can inspire their teams, connect with industry trends, and unlock growth potential by engaging a thought leader.
Whether for virtual or in-person events, our Great Business Speakers bring a unique ability to inspire, educate, and engage audiences. They adapt their messaging to resonate across various platforms, ensuring maximum impact regardless of the setting. These speakers often possess exceptional storytelling skills, using real-world examples and compelling narratives to convey complex ideas simply and effectively.
Discover our Thought Leaders below, or contact the team at Great Business Speakers to enquire or book. +44 1753 439 289
Shazam founder Dhiraj Mukherjee is an international keynote speaker on AI, leadership, and adapting to emerging technologies.
He helped grow Shazam from the original idea to over 100 billion uses, and was also named one of Europe’s Top 50 technology entrepreneurs by The Financial Times. Since Shazma’s sale to Apple, he has invested in over 250 leading AI and technology startups, including OpenAI (creators of ChatGPT).
He has also held senior roles in financial services, technology, media, and entertainment. Dhiraj’s expertise is in helping leaders to build adaptable organisations, combining practical experiences building and iconic company with first-hand foresight of a technology-driven future.
Dhiraj has a degree in Mathematical Economics from Dartmouth College, USA and an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He advises corporate leaders to build organisations that embrace adaptability as a core competency. He guides executives to systematically create companies that learn, evolve, and reinvent themselves, rather than reacting to disruption after it occurs.
“Transformation requires leaders skilled in operating far beyond the familiar, and an organisation that can trust, take ownership and adapt.”
Jim Lawless is a pioneering thought leader and world-class C-suite advisor on strategy execution and high-stakes transformation.
A record-breaking freediver, Jim stands as a global top 10 keynote speaker who has transformed the mindsets of over one million people in 400 countries on five continents.
Daniel Traça is a Professor of Economics at Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE) in London. He is also a Visiting Professor at INSEAD in France and Singapore.
He has previously been an Assistant Professor at INSEAD, and held the Marie et Alain Philippson Chair in Managing for Sustainable Human Development at the Solvay Business School in Brussels, where he was also Vice-President and Director of the MBA program.
Daniel was a Visiting Professor in the KDI School of Management and Policy in Seoul, and in the Graduate Institute of International Economics in Geneva. He worked as a consultant for the World Bank and the European Commission and has published his scientific research in several leading international academic journals in the field of globalisation and economic development.
“My journey as a ceramic artist and writer, and my work on television and stage converge here: to show how to leave what’s familiar and step into what’s possible.”
Jez Rose is a bestselling writer, ceramic artist, presenter, and top 10 keynote speaker leading a global movement for reinvention.
Most of us don’t need more change. But we do need the tools to meet it. That’s why Jez created RESET, a framework, philosophy, and global movement for when the old story stops serving us and when questions start to rise.
Rohit Bhargava is an expert in marketing, innovation, trends, and the future. He believes the world needs more non-obvious thinking and his mission is to help people see what others miss.
For more than a decade, Rohit has been inspiring audiences at Coca-Cola, Disney, Microsoft, NASA, Schwab, SXSW and hundreds of other clients with his signature keynote presentations. He is a master at weaving stories into his talks in a way that helps audiences better understand the world today, while also preparing for the future.
He is a three-time Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 10 books on marketing, innovation, and trends; has been invited to be a non-boring speaker to events across 32 countries; and is a frequent contributor to publications including Entrepreneur and GQ magazines.
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.
“I help CEOs, senior executives, and association leaders achieve their strategic objectives by aligning them with a disruptive, accelerating future. It’s actionable, powerful leadership insight based on detailed, specific industry trends.”
Jim Carroll is a futurist, author, trends and innovation expert, and keynote speaker, who aims to help organisations understand how to align to tomorrow, today. As the world’s leading global futurist, Jim is recognised worldwide for his compelling motivational style. In a career lasting over 30 years, he has shared his insights with over 2 million people around the world, guiding many of the world’s biggest organisations into the future over 2,000+ keynote sessions.
His clients have included everyone from Disney to NASA, Mercedez Benz to the PGA, the World Bank to Pfizer, Microsoft and Cisco, plus CEOs, senior executives, and government leaders.
Nikki Greenberg is a world-leading futurist and multi-award-winning keynote speaker, focused on preparing organisations and leaders for a tech-enabled future. Nikki helps leaders to reimagine their businesses to bring them into alignment with the increasingly digitised way that people live, work, and communicate today.
She has held leadership positions with Fortune 500s, most recently serving as Head of Technology Strategy for Real Estate at Australian investment manager QIC. She is the founder of Women in PropTech and co-chair of the Technology and Innovation Council for ULI in NYC.
Nikki Greenberg is a highly respected and highly sought-after thought leader, speaker and commentator. She is the recipient of a vast number of awards, including being recognised as one of the Top 15 Most Popular Future Trends Keynote Speakers, CIO View’s Five Most Influential Women in Real Estate to Watch, and as a finalist at MIPIM Global PropTech Awards.
Binod Shankar is not your average keynote speaker. Binod’s keynotes are sharp, practical, and packed with hard truth your audience needs to hear.
He mixes his real-world experience with his non-nonsense advice and a dash of humour and adventure. Whether he’s tackling career pivots, leadership, or personal growth, Binod delivers insights that sick and push people to act.
He has held leadership roles at EU, KPMG, and Nakheel, where he helped raise the world’s largest convertible Islamic bond. Later, he founded Genesis, a financial training firm that he sold on to Kaplan, a $2 billion global powerhouse.
He is also a chartered accountant, a CFA charter holder, and holds a level 7 coaching and mentoring qualification from ILM; he is the author of bestselling book Let’s Get Real, and is a regular guest on CNBC and Bloomberg.
Binod doesn’t just give talks – he provokes, he challenges, he moves people to action. A former CEO and finance expert, he distils hard-won leadership and business insights into unforgettable messages that audiences will carry with them long after the applause has died down.
Matthew Griffin is one of the world’s most renowned futurists and leadership coaches. Once referred to as a “walking encyclopaedia of the future”, he helps build tomorrow’s high-performance companies.
Matthew Griffin is the founder of the Futures Advisory firm, 311 Institute, and is a 15-time author of the hit Codex of the Future series.
Matthew has a reputation for identifying, tracking, and explaining the impacts of emerging technologies and trends on global business, society, and culture. He has worked for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, and his client list includes royalty, world leaders, and global investors.
Jim Steele is the founder of Holistic Performance Lab. A disruptor, thought leader, and catalyst for transformational behavioural change, Jim’s expertise is highly sought after by global organisations.
Jim’s focus and expertise lies in the interaction between productivity and sustainability, for business leaders, executives, and next-generation teams. Through highly engaging talks and events, he helps individuals and organisations to cultivate thriving, resilient workforces.
His approach is based on achieving three things: make you and your teams better, smarter, and stronger together.
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.
Allyson Stewart-Allen is an expert in leadership, development, and internationalisation. Allyson helps leaders, brands, and businesses successfully expand internationally by giving them the tools to be more effective globally.
Sky News once dubbed her the “Muse of Marketing”. She has collaborated with companies, media channels, and publications worldwide, including BBC News, CNN, and The Financial Times. She has also appeared on BBC1’s The Apprentice, and has created one of LinkedIn Learning’s most popular courses on leading international growth.
She has worked with over 260 organisations across 26 countries, including Burberry, Cadbury, Chanel, HSBC, and Shell. She is also one of the original mentors for the Mayor of London’s International Business Programme.
Recognised as a leading voice in the field of Artificial Intelligence, Toju Duke is an influential speaker, author, thought leader, and advisor on Responsible AI.
With an extensive career spanning over 18 years across advertising, retail, non-profit, and tech industries, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience.
For 10 years, Toju worked at Google where she played a pivotal role as a Programme Manager for Responsible AI and spearheaded various initiatives focusing on the integration of Responsible AI practices across Google’s product and research teams.
Toju offers expert consultation on Responsible AI practices to organisations seeking to implement ethical AI frameworks.
Her insights have been featured in prominent media outlets such as the BBC, Sky News, El País, La Nación, and Sifted.
Toju has been recognised as one of the top women in AI by several notable publications, including Daily AI and Xantage. She actively participates in high-level AI policy discussions and contributes to major governmental events.
Peter Stojanovic is a leading business and technology thought leader, journalist, panel moderator, and keynote speaker with extensive experience in the field.
He has particular experience interviewing Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 C-level executives as Editor of HotTopics, covering themes across innovation, business strategy, and technology, including AI, within its award-winning industry events.
Peter is recognised as a rising star among executive and board-level leaders, regularly hosting international events, private lunches, and panels to address their main concerns, challenges, and opportunities within their industries.
As a result, Peter enjoys high-quality debates on topics ranging from AI applications and ethics to business transformation, ESG and purpose, the future of work, inside the minds of Gen Z, and cloud computing and cybersecurity measures for the C-suite.
Peter has worked with organisations such as Costa Coffee, Uber, Telefonica, Zoom, Wellcome Trust, Channel 4, IKEA, Generali, Bupa and The Financial Times. He has led virtual and in-person business and technology events at iconic venues such as Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Abbey Road Studios.
Jessica Matthias is the Global Director of Sustainability at Sabre Corporation, a global technology company in the travel sector. With a 17-year track record of transformative ESG initiatives, impactful policy advocacy, and compelling communications, Jessica is a globally recognized leader in sustainable travel. She’s the visionary behind numerous high-profile sustainability campaigns, and her thought leadership consistently shapes the industry’s agenda.
Jessica Matthias is a compelling speaker known for her ability to inspire and engage audiences – with previous engagements at events like the Global Travel & Tourism –resilience & Innovation Summit, The Travel Tech Summit, and the Travalyst Convention.
Jessica Matthias discusses eco-conscious practices, overcoming personal challenges, and building a sustainable future for travel– with her insights into decarbonising industries and empowering the next generation in the ESG landscape being particularly impactful.
Jessica’s personal journey is one of resilience, from being a teenage single mother of a child with severe disabilities to a leading global sustainability expert. This adds a distinctly personal depth to her talks. Her unwavering commitment to sustainability and social equity has made her a prominent voice in the field, sought after for her expertise and inspiring presentations.
For the last year, she has been the Vice Chair of the GBTA Foundation’s Sustainability Leadership Council.
Jessica Matthias’ clients include Arival, Choice Hotels, FairFly, Gett, the United Nations, the Vienna Tourist Board, and Voyage Privé.
Chris Barton is the visionary founder and creator of Shazam, an entrepreneur, inventor, and tech investor.
Chris wanted a way to identify songs anywhere he heard them using a mobile phone. There wasn’t one – so he invented the application called Shazam, a creation that is nothing short of pure magic.
When he first had the idea in 1999, no technology existed to achieve his goal. He was told by professors at MIT and Stanford that it was impossible. He then embarked on a journey to make it possible. This was seven years before the invention of the iPhone and eight years before anyone had heard of an App Store.
Shazam first worked by calling 2580 and holding the mobile phone to the music. The database would recognise the song and send an SMS with the details.
In 2018, Shazam was acquired by Apple for a reported $400 million, making it Apple’s 6th largest acquisition of all-time. Shazam has been downloaded over 2 billion times and is used each month by over 300 million people, making it one of the world’s most popular apps.
Holding 12 patents, Chris Barton has made significant contributions to the tech industry. He is currently involved in a third startup company, Guard, an artificial intelligence system that detects drowning in swimming pools – a never-before accomplished effort. He also advises and invests in early stage companies that are changing the world.
Chris Barton is an inspirational speaker who is full of enthusiasm and energy, as well as valuable insights on innovation, creativity, resilience and adaptability and achieving the impossible. He is a sought-after keynote speaker who has spoken across five continents with a range of organisations and businesses. Past clients include L’Oréal, Accenture, American Express, YMCA, Coca-Cola and Verizon.
Bruce Dickinson, the charismatic frontman of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden, is more than just a musician, with his accomplishments including being a commercial airline pilot, businessman, novelist, international fencer, solo artist, public speaker, broadcaster, and brewer.
Bruce started his musical career with Samson, joining Iron Maiden in 1981, which marked the beginning of a new era for the band. Bruce’s contributions throughout the 1980s and beyond were pivotal in shaping Iron Maiden’s identity and cementing the band’s status as a heavy metal icons. Known for his powerful vocals and energetic performances, he became synonymous with Iron Maiden’s epic live shows and elaborate stage setups.
Leaving the band in 1993, Bruce focused on solo work and other projects before rejoining in 1999.
Drive, perseverance and focus are the keys to Bruce’s success both within the music industry and in his other creative and business endeavours.
Bruce is an engaging and charismatic speaker who explains how the challenges in the rock music industry and commercial aviation world mirror those of everyday businesses and organisations. Bruce shares how dealing with setbacks, adapting and changing course, perseverance, good teamwork, and communication are keys to success in all organisations.
PY Gerbeau is a business leader and transformation expert who has a formidable track record in turning around failing businesses. During his highly diverse career, he has earned a reputation for tackling major corporate challenges and successfully turning around struggling organisations.
His unique approach has always placed customer experience at the forefront while also navigating profit, reputation, regulatory issues, and government involvement. Many of PY’s projects have been high-profile, often under intense public and media scrutiny, with some seemingly destined to fail—but PY consistently proved otherwise.
Currently, PY is the President of the French Ice Hockey Federation and a member of the French Olympic Committee. His most recent achievement was playing a pivotal role in securing the Winter Olympics for France in 2030, a monumental task that was completed in record time and hailed by the international sports media as a “sports miracle.”
Before his corporate career, PY was a professional ice hockey player, representing France in multiple European and World Championships and earning a spot to compete in the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary.
His promising career, however, was tragically cut short due to a severe accident, which left him confined to a wheelchair for 18 months. Despite the devastating setback, this marked the beginning of his remarkable transition from sports to the corporate world.
Paul Johnson is Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the UK’s leading economic research Institute. He has held this position since 2011, during which time the IFS has won Economic and Financial Think Tank of the Year four years in succession.
As well as working at the IFS, Paul has also worked at the FSA, was chief economist at the Department for Education, and director of public spending at HM Treasury as well as deputy head of the Government Economic Service. In addition, Paul was a board member of the Climate Change Committee for over ten years.
He writes a weekly column for The Times and is a Visiting Professor in the UCL Policy Lab and at the UCL Department of Economics.
Paul Johnson is not just a figure in the economic world, but also a captivating speaker. He is a popular choice for keynote addresses, panel discussions, and after-dinner speeches, engaging audiences with his insights and perspectives.
Vladimer Botsvadze is a globally renowned marketing thought leader, speaker, and influencer with over 130,000 followers on social media.
He has been recognised by numerous prestigious organisations and magazines, receiving over 100 global awards for his contributions to marketing and business and was named No. 1 Global Thought Leader in these domains by Thinkers360.
His impactful presence extends to his social media platforms, where he commands a follower base of 130,000 individuals. A prominent figure in the industry, Vladimer Botsvadze has elevated his status to become a revered keynote speaker, advisor, and thought leader, earning accolades and recognition from Exeleon Magazine and various prestigious global awards.
Vladimer Botsvadze is known for his keynote speeches, advisory board positions, and mentorship roles. His areas of expertise include personal branding, the future of marketing, digital transformation, storytelling, and the impact of emerging technologies like AI and AR. He emphasises the importance of customer-centric strategies and engagement through social media. He draws lessons from successful brands like Amazon and offers insights into leveraging technologies such as AI and 5G for business growth. With a track record of driving change and delivering impactful speeches worldwide, Vladimer is a sought-after figure in the marketing industry.
As Founder and Director of L30 Relational Systems, Mark Finnis has over twenty years’ experience of working with national and international businesses and voluntary services.
He provides training sessions, consultancy, and is an in-demand keynote speaker, particularly on the national development of restorative practices.
Restorative practice describes a way of being, an underpinning ethos, which enables us to build and maintain healthy relationships, resolve difficulties, and repair harm when relationships breakdown.
L30 aims to help develop practical training and support for organisations – from corporate to charity to education. They provide all participants with an understanding of what restorative practice is, within a practical framework that can be implemented immediately.
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.
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.
