Rick Kelsey is a presenter for Times Radio, BBC Business and Spotify, focussing on sport, finance and energy. He has also covered breaking stories including UK and US elections, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout the pandemic, Rick was involved in editing the BBC’s podcast Newscast and increased its audience by over 30%.
With a professional working proficiency in French, Rick is a popular keynote speaker and event moderator on an international level.
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.
Challenger, Entrepreneur, Record Breaker, Motivational Speaker & TV Presenter Richard Noble is a British entrepreneur who has achieved six world speed records, including breaking the Sound barrier on land which has never been equalled or beaten.
Specialising in high technology engineering startups, Richard is perhaps best known as The Project Director of ThrustSSC, the first-ever supersonic land speed record programme producing the vehicle which holds the current land speed record, set at the Black Rock Desert, Nevada in 1997.
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.
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.
Richard Askam spent 30 years working in the Wine Business, which turned out to be an apprenticeship for public speaking, as the Wine Business is the story telling industry!
You can’t possibly sell someone a bottle of wine without giving them a 30 minute keynote on the provenance. A career turn in 2010 saw Richard launch the first personalised champagne gifts in the UK as an antidote to the commoditization of the wine market in the UK.
Reece Donnelly is a Scottish Actor, Entrepreneur, and Business owner.
In 2017, Reece founded the highly successful Theatre School of Scotland, and the Theatre College of Scotland not long after. In doing so, he became the youngest college owner in the UK, at the time. Students of his college have gone on to land roles at Disney, Netflix, and the BBC.
A familiar face to some, Reece appeared on the 2023 series of The Apprentice, becoming the first Scottish candidate in over a decade.
In 2018, he made The Sunday Mail’s Young Scot Awards final.
“The World’s Greatest Living Explorer” – Guinness World Records
Sir Ranulph Feinnes is one of the most famous explorers and adventurers in the world, having led more than 20 expeditions to all corners of the globe. He reached the summit of Mount Everest in 2009 – becoming the oldest person at the time to do so – was the first man to cross both polar ice caps and climbed the North Face of the Eiger, a mountain in Switzerland.
His expeditions have raised vast sums of money for various charities, so not surprisingly, he was awarded an OBE in 1993 for human endeavour and charitable services. Thanks to the money he has raised, in 2010 he was named as the UK’s top online fundraiser by JustGiving.
Extreme dedication and determination have enabled him to become one of the most prolific explorers in the world, qualities he hopes to share with his audiences. He is inspirational, educational and humorous, and always manages to motivate delegates to achieve their goals.
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.
With over 30 years of experience in event management, Raj Somaiya helps plan, design, and executive events such as weddings.
As the CEO of Silverfox Events, Raj has organised events all over the world, from Monaco to Italy, to Majorca to India, and Dubai to Canada.
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!
Professor Sue Black is the Professor of Computer Science and Technology Evangelist at Durham University, a digital skills expert, social entrepreneur, consultant and internationally popular keynote speaker.
She holds a PhD in computer science, management experience, and is passionate about sharing her knowledge about the opportunities being in a STEM industry offers.
Prof Sue Black is a successful social media campaigner heading up the campaign to save Bletchley Park, with expertise in leadership and the equality challenges faced by the tech industry.
Professor Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe, a Chartered organisational Psychologist, has an international reputation in the field of leadership studies – an area of interest for over 30 years. She has a passionate interest in translating rigorous applied academic research into a form that is practical and accessible to organisations. She supports Boards and Executive Teams of organisations to embed the ethical application of leadership, increase valuing diversity, and strengthening their capacity for engagement, collaboration, innovation and effectiveness.
While Chair of Leadership Studies at the University of Leeds, as a result of ground-breaking research into the nature of engaging leadership, involving over 6,000 managers and professionals in the NHS, wider public sector, and FTSE100 companies, Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe established a Leeds University spin-out company, Real World Group.
The company undertakes research into leadership, culture, governance, diversity and inclusion, creates robust diagnostic instruments that are utilised worldwide, and undertakes major cultural transformation projects across the public and private sectors.
An experienced British TV/Radio Presenter, Polly Middlehurst is best recognised as a familiar face on the leading rolling news channel Sky News, where she anchored live news from London for 20 years, covering major breaking news events from royal weddings and the deaths of Hollywood stars to political uprisings and the latest international business/market news.
Now Polly divides her time between being an Event Moderator, Chair and Media Resilience Coach while still working as a TV Presenter.
Pixie Turner is a registered nutritionist (RNutr) and science communicator. She graduated with a First Class degree in Biochemistry, and went on to complete a Masters in Nutrition with Distinction.
She is the brains behind the ‘Pixie Nutrition’ social media accounts, which aims to encourage a healthy relationship with food and debunk nutrition misinformation online.
Pip Tomson is an award-winning, highly-experienced and versatile live TV presenter, correspondent, journalist, and event host, with over 20 years experience in live television.
Most recently, Pip has been a presenter on Good Morning Britain and GB News. She has worked alongside the likes of Eamonn Holmes, Michael Portillo and Richard Madeley or fronted shows solo.
Pip has twice received a Best Presenter award from the Royal Television Society for outstanding live outside broadcasts and studio presenting. She has interviewed some of the world’s biggest stars including George Clooney and Hugh Jackman and is known for not being afraid to ask the tough questions of politicians.
She is an accomplished host of corporate and charity events where clients have included MasterCard, You Magazine, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Power of One animal welfare charity.
Pietro Polidori is fluent in English, German, Italian, Spanish, and French.
Clients and audiences alike appreciate his combination of professionalism, quick wit, language skills, humour, and charm. Experience with many major European broadcast TV channels means a reliable safe pair of hands.
Piers Linney is an entrepreneur best known for his appearance as one of the ‘dragons’ on the popular television programme, Dragons’ Den (2013-2015). He is also an investor with experience across a range of sectors, including additive manufacturing, media converged communications, and technology.
As the founder and CEO of Moblox, a next generation technology and business tools platform for small business owners in the UK, Piers is a keen champion of entrepreneurship and SMEs. He has first-hand experience of the challenges and obstacles that face businesses as a founder, advisor, director, and investor.
In 2018, Piers was named in the top 20 of the Financial Times list of the Top 100 Minority Ethnic Leaders in Technology, and named one of the Top 100 BAME Leaders in Business.
In 2023, Piers founded Implement AI, a next-generation technology partner that aims to support SMEs in understanding and implementing AI strategies.
Pia Heidenmark Cook is an in-demand business advisor and speaker, specialising in how to develop and operationalise sustainability strategies.
Pia Heidenmark Cook has 25+ years of corporate ESG and sustainability experience with some of the biggest global organisations.
So successful in her line of work, in 2018 Pia Heidenmark Cook was named one of the top 10 female leaders in sustainability by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, named one of the top five climate change influencers by the Climate Group, and listed in the top 100 climate influencers on Twitter in 2020.
As of 2023, Pia is working as an advisor for a range of global companies, including IKEA, THE DO GROUP LTD, MAX Burgers, the Boards Impact Forum, Origin Materials, BUPA, Teneo, and Decathlon. Her experience ranges across industries, including retail, travel and tourism, health, innovation, and food.
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.
Phil Holdcroft is a former combat pilot whose 20-year career saw him dodge bullets on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan and extend to executive senior leadership of Defence, shaping Britain’s future on the global stage.
With an inspiring story like no other, Phil Holdcroft triumphed over adversity in every chapter of his remarkable life. He has made it his mission to share his powerful and transformative lessons, equipping others with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to achieve extraordinary results.
Phil is committed to pushing the limits of what is possible; he has tested his mind and body through record-breaking feats, as an elite endurance athlete and extreme adventurer, including rowing unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean.
The most daunting challenges have been thrown at him by life itself. Phil talks openly about ‘unravelling’ when his youngest daughter was diagnosed with leukaemia. An event he describes as “more harrowing than the terrors of battle or the fiercest of ocean storms”.
Phil Hesketh is a professional speaker on ‘The Psychology of Persuasion and Influence’. He combines a powerful mix of well-researched and persuasive techniques with his unique sense of humour. He inspires, entertains and informs audiences on how buying, selling and persuading can influence work. He is an inspiration, motivational and thought-provoking and all his techniques can be implemented instantly.
Phil Hesketh read psychology at Newcastle University before becoming a sales graduate from Procter & Gamble. In 1986, he started his own advertising agency – Advertising Principles – where he was also the business director and managing partner. Over 17 years of continuous growth, Philip had grown it from a business with zero clients to one bringing in £48 million with 150 employees, working alongside clients such as the BBC, General Accident, HSBC, Nestle and Walt Disney. He then sold the company with the aim of becoming a full-time professional speaker.
There was no denying Phil’s intentions; he set out to become the best speaker on the planet, and after speaking for more than 1,000 events in over 20 countries from the UK to Australia, it’s clear he has achieved his aim.
Wanting to reach people that couldn’t attend his events, Phil put pen to paper and has written a number of critically successful books including How to Persuade and Influence People, Persuade, The Seven Golden Rules for a Happy and Successful Life, and Life’s a Game so Fix the Odds.
