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
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.
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.
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.
Richard Gerver came to prominence when, as a headteacher, he turned around a failing school in the UK in under two years and is now one of the most influential experts on change and human leadership, helping those struggling with uncertainty and change caused by rapid and dramatic shifts in technological, economic, political, health and environmental developments.
Now a prominent expert in the industry, Richard has been named the UK Business Speaker of the Year at least three times, contributes courses to LinkedIn Learning, and has published several books on key themes to great acclaim.
His compelling insights into the nature of leadership, adaptability, and innovation have earned him standing ovations on the world’s most respected stages, including TED, the RSA, and BBC Radio. He works with organisations at the forefront of global innovation and excellence including Visa, Microsoft, Deloitte, Google, TUI and Morgan Stanley and has worked with some of the world’s most iconic retail organisations including Harrods in London.
From his years building up a failing school to working alongside Google and Microsoft, Richard has a rare ability to connect his experiences to each client. His speeches are informative, humorous and entertaining, with delegates inspired to expand their own thinking and increase their potential.
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.
Phil Jones MBE is Managing Director of Brother UK, an Information, Communication and Technology business supplying products and services to hundreds of thousands of UK enterprises.
Starting as a fax salesperson at Brother UK in 1994, he worked his way up through the business to be appointed its leader in 2013. What makes him unique is that he is leading a large business and can share relevant insights for B2B audiences based on the very latest insights and experiences as a leader.
Appearing at over fifty business conferences, sharing his views around Leadership, Effective Thinking, The Winning Patterns of Successful people and Workplace Culture, he describes himself as a ‘practivational’ speaker, keen to provide practical insights and actionable outcomes for a keynote audience or as MC for a conference.
Awarded an MBE in the June 2016 Birthday Honours List for Services to Business, he is a fellow of the IoD and a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute, among a list of other business accolades.
Nigel Barlow is an internationally acclaimed Keynote Speaker on Disruption, Innovation, Changing Mindsets and Inventing the Future.
He has spoken at major events for many of the world’s leading organisations, and his special skill is to wake up and inspire business leaders to see new and exciting possibilities in their own lives, and in the enterprises they run.
Jeff Dewing is not your typical speaker. He’s an International Energiser, Founder and CEO of Cloud and author of the bestselling business book Doing the Opposite, where he underpins his philosophy that the best solution is often not the obvious one. By doing the opposite of the expected, you can generate astounding results.
His journey to success is a testament to this belief. Jeff’s first business went bankrupt, leaving only £7.60 in his bank account, while also relying on benefits.
Jeff refused to give up. Instead, he turned his life around, learnt to code and started Cloud from his garden shed. He built it from the ground up to a £70M turnover without a penny of investment.
Jeff has since worked with some of the world’s biggest brands, including Tui, Pizza Express, Chiltern Railways and The Rank Group.
In a landscape where businesses seek a catalyst for change, Jeff uses his decades of lived leadership experience to shake things up, reignite passion and challenge leaders to rethink their ways of working. Jeff does things differently.
For instance, he gives his team two paid hours per week for reflection – a simple yet powerful practice that has improved employee wellbeing and doubled Cloud’s engagement levels compared to industry standards.
Jamie Crummie is an award-winning social entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and changemaker, known for empowering individuals, teams, and organisations to create positive impact and drive meaningful change. His work focuses on sustainability, social innovation, and tackling global challenges through purpose-driven action.
Originally trained as a lawyer, Jamie redirected his career to address the environmental and ethical crisis of food waste. He went on to co-found Too Good To Go, the world’s largest platform for surplus food. The popular mobile app connects consumers with restaurants, bakeries, cafés, and supermarkets offering unsold food at reduced prices—food that would otherwise go to waste.
The platform supports businesses in reducing waste while helping consumers make more sustainable choices, and has grown into a leading force in the global fight against food waste.
Jamie is widely recognised for his thought leadership in sustainability, food systems, and environmental innovation. He is a sought-after public speaker at conferences, corporate events, and academic institutions. His accolades include being named in Forbes 30 Under 30 and other international honours for his entrepreneurial impact.
James “JP” Poulter is a leading AI strategist, keynote speaker, and founder of ThreePoint Labs, an AI transformation consultancy helping organisations navigate the shift to intelligent working with clarity, ethics and purpose.
Former CEO of Vixen Labs – a voice AI company he founded and sold to House 337 in 2023 – and previously Head of Emerging Platforms at The LEGO Group, JP brings rare depth across both start-up and enterprise scale. He has advised organisations including Amazon, Verizon, Bosch and Universal Music, delivered more than 250 keynotes worldwide, and is a committed advocate for ethical AI implementation, serving on the board of Christian Aid.
James is a popular speaker on technology and innovation. From the future of work and emerging technologies to creating innovation culture within organisations and how they can adapt to new ways of working – especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2025, James delivered his first TEDx talk for TedX Tamworth, entitled Double Edged – Learning to Live With AI; in the walk, he unpacked the consequences of the coming AI age for each of us to ensure our communities thrive and survive.
Inge Woudstra is an expert in equity, diversity and inclusion, with a specialism in gender inclusion.
She is also the author of Be Gender Smart – The Key to Career Success for Women, a book that received feedback such as “men and women bring a great deal of value to the table. The sweet spot is in appreciating the need for both” – Helena Morrissey, founder of the 30% club.
She is an inspiring speaker, with a message that resonates with women, men and senior managers: “stop changing women, start changing organisations”.
Inga has a unique take on gender diversity. She has reviewed bio-psychological and brain research to find those gender differences that are relevant in the workplace. She applies those to solve the enigma of the lack of women in senior positions and in the pipeline, and gives real examples on how to move forward and not just keep women in but also leverage what they bring.
She is a highly qualified speaker, facilitator and tutor, and experienced panel moderator, researcher and consultant.
Global transformation director Gina Buckney is a two-time TEDx global speaker, former head of UK customer services for BT, author, and keynote speaker.
Qualified in a range of subjects from neuroscience to emotional intelligence to business management, Gina is the founder of YOUR PEOPLE POWER, a company built to revolutionise industries and redefine work cultures through scientifically backed education.
With over two decades worth of experience, Gina is a passionate female leader on organisational change and cultural transformation. She is also a meditation and mindfulness champion, a published author, and in-demand corporate speaker.
Current most requested speaking topics are: The Power To TAP (Transform At Pace), Power Skills For A Players, Building Winning Teams With D&I, Emotionally Intelligent Leaders, Beating Burnout.
Gerd Leonhard is a global citizen of the future who spends his life travelling to worldwide meetings, workshops, and conferences on transformational change.
A star speaker on topics of major strategic importance – from digital disruption to business remodelling to specific vertical scenarios across public and private sectors, Gerd Leonhard is a rare hybrid of artist and researcher/scientist, with a pioneering background in digital music ecosystems and a head start in the disruption game. For the last fifteen years, he has been the first choice in business leaders’ minds for inspirational and paradigm-shifting advice.
Listed by Wired Magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people in Europe, Gerd Leonhard’s work focusses on the future of humanity and technology, digital transformation, the mega-shifts, artificial intelligence and robotics, media, content, marketing and advertising, telecommunications, culture and tourism, banking and financial services, government and leadership.
In his keynotes, presentations, workshops and advisory sessions, Gerd Leonhard addresses what it means to be human in a world of machines and algorithms, the coming redefinition of human-machine relationships, the future of work and jobs and many more. His presentations are renowned for a hard-hitting and provocative yet inspiring, humorous and motivating style.
Renowned as ‘the Billy Connolly of marketing’ Geoff Ramm is the creator of Celebrity Service and OMG Marketing. He is an expert on customer attraction, marketing and sales techniques that help generate profit and secure repeat business.
Working with clients such as Balfour Beatty, The Co-operative Travel, Crowne Place and Mumsnet, Geoff can adapt the way he works to suit a range of consumers.
He is an interactive and inspirational keynote speaker, having helped large corporate clients as well as small entrepreneurial audiences across six continents achieve their potential and outperform their competitors. He is an expert on everything to do with customer service, customer experience and business marketing, advising companies on the best practices to ensure that their business thrives.
Gabby Jahanshahi-Edlin is a creative consultant, social entrepreneur, female business leader, and speaker on social and cultural change, specialising in bold branding and business growth. She helps inspire teams to be bolder and braver, to work with compassion, be daring and be fun. Gabby works with founders to nurture their brands for extraordinary and sustainable growth.
In 2016, she founded the first-of-its-kind charity, Bloody Good Period, and worked as CEO until 2022. Through her charity, she changed the way we talk about periods at home, in the workplace, and on a wider national level. Her entrepreneurial skills and charitable nature has seen her named one of London’s Most Influential People by The Evening Standard, a Top 50 Trailblazer in Gender Equality by We Are The City, and one of the 100 trailblazers redefining the creative art industry by recruitment website The Dots.
She has appeared on television shows, including The Last Leg, Sky News and BBC News. She has been featured in several written publications, including The Metro, The Sunday Times, Third Sector Magazine, Vogue, Stylist, The Evening Standard, and Glamour.
She is a much sought-after keynote speaker, having worked with brands such as Adidas, Apple, Disney, The Guardian, and the University of the Arts London.
Fredrik Haren, known as The Creativity Explorer, is a world-renowned conference speaker and author on business, creativity, and change. He has been invited to speak in over 75 countries on 6 continents and has delivered more than 2,000 speeches in a speaking career spanning more than 25 years.
During the past 25 years he has travelled the world to learn about human creativity. As The Creativity Explorer, he aims to discover more about human creativity, be it from innovators in Silicon Valley or nomads in the desert of Mongolia, with the aim of helping more people discover their full creative potential.
He is the author of 10 books – including The Idea Book which was included in The 100 Best Business Books of All Time.
Fredrik is a truly global conference speaker, knowing how to craft a speech so that audiences from all parts of the world will be inspired and laugh at the same time, walking away from the speech with meaningful takeaways relevant to them.
Fehinti Balogun is a British-Nigerian actor, writer, performer and climate advocate whose work blends powerful storytelling with urgent social themes.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he uses theatre, film and public speaking as platforms to explore issues such as environmental justice, diversity, and identity, with the aim of engaging audiences and prompting meaningful dialogue and change.
On screen, Fehinti has appeared across major global platforms including BBC, HBO, Netflix, ITV and Paramount+, with standout roles in productions like I May Destroy You (2020) and the sci-fi epic Dune: Part One (2021). His range spans television drama, major cinema, and experimental theatre, establishing him as a versatile and compelling talent.
Beyond acting, Fehinti is a leading voice in climate activism and a sought-after public speaker. His groundbreaking multimedia theatre piece Can I Live?, created with Complicité, brought together spoken word, rap and documentary to explore the connections between climate breakdown, race, and inequality.
He has since spoken at major events and institutions including the United Nations COP26 Climate Summit, the Scottish Parliament, Cambridge University, the Greater London Authority, the English National Opera, TED Countdown, NBC Universal, and YouTube’s Creator Summit.
Damian Hughes expertly combines his practical experience and academic background in sports, organisational development, and change psychology to assist organisations and teams in cultivating a culture of high performance.
With eight bestselling business books under his belt – such as Liquid Thinking, Liquid Leadership, How to Change Absolutely Anything, How to Think Like Sir Alex Ferguson, and The Five STEPS to a Winning Mindset – Damian has demonstrated his profound knowledge and insights.
His 2023 books, How Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming Your Best, and How to Change Your Life, have both been number one Sunday Times bestsellers. His books have already been translated into a dozen languages.
He is also the co-host with Jake Humphrey of The High-Performance Podcast, which has featured some of the leading figures in business and sports spheres with over 100 million downloads and counting.
Claire Williams OBE is a British former motorsport executive who led the Williams Formula 1 racing team. She is one of only two women to have ever lead a Formula 1 team.
Under her leadership Williams finished 3rd in the World Championship for Constructors in 2014 and 2015, representing the team’s best performance since 2003.
After taking over the running of the team, Claire replaced drivers, switched to a Mercedes engine and increased the team’s racing budget by securing profitable corporate sponsorships, factors that helped the team’s renaissance between 2014 and 2017.
Today Claire is a global Brand Ambassador for WAE Technologies, formerly known as Williams Advanced Engineering, which is involved in the decarbonisation of heavy transport through the development of advanced, green and sustainable technologies.
Her late father, Sir Frank Williams, was the founder of the Williams Grand Prix Engineering F1 team, winning nine Constructors’ Championships and seven Drivers’ Championship.
Chuka Umunna is a sought-after keynote speaker and strategic corporate advisor to companies on business-critical issues that impact on long term value, reputation and narrative – environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors in particular.
Christopher TS Harvey has spent the past two decades mastering the complexity of change and how to manage change successfully.
Since studying alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales at the University of St Andrews, Chris has been busy in the change space. Unaware at the time, he was somewhat of a trailblazer in the Change Management domain, obsessed with the human-centric, psychological nature of change. Pushing himself ever since to operate at the ‘bleeding edge’ of the change sphere.
What makes him a standout as a speaker is his ability to convert extensive academic understanding and hands on experience of complex change, into meaningful learnings and tangible takeaways for the audience to better manage through change. All done against a captivating backdrop of 80s/90s soundtracks, balloon metaphors and ‘tongue in cheek’ British humour.
Chris has been published extensively in GQ Magazine around the world, on change subjects ranging from natural disasters to workplace burnout. He’s also written for the Daily Mail, The Telegraph, HR Magazine, Business Insider, been interviewed by BBC, TalkRadio and many more. His proudest achievement will be publishing the book he continues to work on, whilst educating the next generation of change leaders through his guest lecturing.
Christine Armstrong is a researcher, author and vlogger on the future of work, and founder of Armstrong & Partners.
By exploring current working trends, workplace culture, workplace communication, work/life balance, remote working and all the data that comes with it, she examines the challenges present in using old business practices. These include being overloaded with communication, the challenges between professional/personal boundaries and burnout. She also explores how these working practices can impact different groups such as carers and parents.
Christine is a much sought-after keynote speaker on the future of work and has worked for companies including the BBC and NHS to help them use more up-to-date working trends to ensure employee health, happiness and productivity.
Chris Sanderson is the CEO and co-founder of The Future Laboratory, where he is responsible for delivering the company’s extensive global roster of conferences, media events, in-house briefings, consumer insight, trend forecasting and brand strategy.
Clients include Louis Vuitton, Design Hotels, the Ministry for Tourism, Australia, and Women’s Wear Daily’s CEO Summits.
Chris Roebuck has a unique experience and approach that helps leaders, teams, and organisations understand how they can reach their full potential and be successful in just a few steps.
His innovative and inspiring manner shows everyone that they already know what delivers success, but just don’t recognise it. Once they do, they can quickly transform their performance by using a few simple actions. This adds investor value, serves customers better, builds the brands, boosts the bottom line by 10% at no additional cost, and supports effective risk management and cost-efficiency.
For over 30 years he has led global teams growing C Suite and other leaders as high-performance human leaders to accelerate success by meeting their key objectives and beating challenges. Chris Roebuck has delivered award-winning major transformations and culture change, grown new talent to build entrepreneurial future focussed organisations, and shown how people power can boost profits. His experience, supported by over 250 real-life studies, has helped him develop his successful approach, focussing predominantly on:
Corporate Leadership: How to develop leadership in major global corporations and SMEs to enable both personal and organisational success.
Governmental Leader: Talks around his own experience working with the UK Government and public sectors on major change and leadership projects.
