Leadership Speakers

Natalie Campbell

The co-CEO of ethical water company Belu Water has a portfolio career ranging from setting up a company to a global social innovation consultancy and encouraging insight and innovation within The Royal Foundation, to hosting her own show on Badass Women's Hour on TalkRadio. Natalie shares how to disrupt business practices for the better.

Alex Mahon

Alex is the first woman to serve as Chief Executive of a major UK broadcaster. After a career embracing TV production and technology, she leads a company that is as respected for its creativity and independent spirit as it is for its pioneering commitment to diversity and social issues. She explores how to be a values-led, authentic leader, even in tough times, how technology disrupts established models, and the myths and realities of managing and catering for Gen Z.

Ellis Watson

Ellis has headed a national newspaper business, turned around the Greyhound Bus operation in the US and ran Simon Cowell’s Syco Corporation before he took charge of Scottish media group DC Thompson, steering them into the digital age with interests from local newspapers to cloud computing. In barn-storming speeches, brimming with humour and original thinking, Ellis shows how to deal with disruptive forces, create a positive culture, and inspire enthusiasm throughout the organisation and move from mission statement to fighting spirit: “There’s no point in waiting and hoping for a wave; go and create one yourself.”

Tim Harford

The BBC presenter, Oxford Fellow, data detective and million-selling author is a compelling storyteller on economics, psychology and the unexpected bits in between. Tim explores innovation and how ideas spread, what disasters teach us about ourselves, the power of price, and the use of uncertainty as a competitive weapon. He also reveals truths and myths in data – whether public information, misinformation or deliberate disinformation.

Tim Campbell

Tim is a social enterprise entrepreneur whose work focuses on supporting the unemployed, and disadvantaged to get into business and championing education and apprenticeships. He is also Lord Sugar’s right-hand man on The Apprentice, over a decade after winning the show himself. In presentations, he shares his own journey, what it means to have the mindset of an entrepreneur and the importance of inclusion.

Baroness Manningham-Buller

As Head of the Security Service, Eliza dealt with the wake of 9/11 and a growing threat from Al-Qaeda. As Chair of the Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest charitable funders of medical research, she oversaw an organisation that both predicted and led work tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and its long-term effects. With insights and lessons on leadership from throughout her career, Eliza explains that leaders' priorities must change in order to keep pace with the constant emergence of new, often unimagined challenges, from existential threats such as climate change and pandemics, to urgent demands to address diversity and fairness.

Matthew Syed

Matthew Syed is an author, award-winning journalist and acclaimed speaker in the field of high performance, who has worked with leading organisations to build a mindset of continuous improvement. In his keynotes he talks about the power of growth mindset, and the profound impact it can have on individual, team and organisation performance. He also discusses cognitive diversity and how it can boost collaboration, creativity and innovation. Using examples from healthcare, aviation, business, education, sport and the criminal justice system, he explores some of the best-kept secrets of the world's most successful teams and how leaders play a critical role in creating a culture that dr...

Jamil Qureshi

Jamil is an internationally acclaimed performance coach who specialises in maximising the talent of individuals and teams. He’s helped sportspeople like David Coulthard and Darren Clarke enhance their performance and has helped six sportspeople to reach number one rankings in their fields. Believing that in order to do differently we must first think differently, Jamil considers how to create mindsets and attitudes that truly drive performance in business and sport, and how to challenge beliefs and shift perceptions.

Mandy Hickson

Mandy was one of the first female pilots to serve in a front line Tornado GR4 squadron, taking an active role in the Iraq conflict. In presentations she reveals the lessons learned, and how she had to react in the most high pressure environment of all - “I slammed my throttles forward, rolled the aircraft 120 degrees and pulled 4G towards the ground. That’s four times your bodyweight. The reason: a surface to air missile had been fired and we were its target.”

Margaret Heffernan

Having run a range of digital and internet businesses in the US, Margaret has turned to analysing where leadership in organisations so often goes wrong. Ignoring potential problems, failing to encourage or develop talent, building a culture of isolation and internal competition; all are commonplace issues that could easily be addressed. As in her bestseller Wilful Blindness and her acclaimed TED speeches, Margaret simply and effectively considers what makes a great leader.

Kate Richardson-Walsh

The most capped woman player in British hockey and the international captain for over a decade, Kate guided the team through tough times, a revolution of personnel and culture, and on to Olympic glory. With lessons in leadership, teambuilding and vision, Kate reveals how a group of competitive individuals can come together to defy expectations.

Priya Lakhani

Priya is the founder and CEO of CENTURY Tech, the award-winning education company that aids the implementation of AI and machine learning in classrooms. She is part of the AIDecoded team on the flagship BBC programme The Context, sharing her insights into tech and business. 

Cally Beaton

After joining the board of ITV, setting up her own company and serving as SVP in charge of International Sales at media giant Viacom, Cally has also started a parallel career in comedy. She brings humour and energy to workplace insights ranging from how to foster a creative, positive environment to how to inspire and lead through change.

Scotty Mills

As Britain's highest-ranking black Royal Marine, Scotty passes on his wisdom to some of the world's most elite performers, both as a team-leadership coach and as a motivational speaker. He was a driving force behind the success of the England football team at the 2018 World Cup and continues to work in the world of elite sport and business to develop innovative leadership, team cohesion and peak performance.

Prof Sir Jonathan Van-Tam

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam was Deputy Chief Medical Officer. He led on health protection and played a significant part in the UK's response to the covid pandemic.