I went to university to study Human Biology. But in reality I wanted to be a comedian/comedy writer so when I left university that is what I did. My working life has been in and around creativity and problem solving. I ran a theatre company for five years before going into television for fifteen years. Originally I worked in TV as a writer and then ended up Head of Entertainment Development at the BBC. Then I set up my own training company, which specialised in team building and leadership development.

I was then asked to speak at a conference in 1997, and because of my background as a comedy writer it just made sense to me to make the talk as entertaining as it was informative.

People would describe the talk as very motivational.  As a consequence, I became best known as a motivational speaker.  Although if I am meeting people socially I tend to say I work in business education, because whenever you say ‘motivational speaker’, there is a puzzled look on the face and they start listening very intently, waiting for you to motivate them

As a person who is passionate about helping individuals break through limiting beliefs; giving them the tools and support to make huge step-changes in their lives both professionally and personally. In sport and in business the biggest challenge we face is not the ever-changing world in which we live and work, but our ability to (at a personal level) manage this change with the confidence that we not simply adapt and survive, but that we will grow and do great things.

How long you got?! 25 years ago I came across this adage “When all is said and done, there is too much said and not enough done”.   Two and a half decades later nothing has changed. There’s way too much talk and not enough action, which I believe is based on our fear of failure. Consequently we end up seeing companies imitating each other and not being innovative thought leaders.

There is never just the one, however in reality the challenges have not really changed as dramatically as some may believe. It is the increased speed of business, the constant need to somehow ‘do more with less’ and the relentless uncertainty of the future. These challenges have always been a part of business life.  In the current commercial landscape the biggest challenge I believe is increased competition and price wars. It is not sustainable, so every company needs to create their own ‘irresistible offering’. Creating a brand of such perceived value that it becomes the supplier/partner of choice.

Learn from your failures but don’t identify with them. If you fail, learn the lesson and move forward.  Don’t embrace the ‘I’m a failure’ mindset. Secondly be willing to be unconventional in your approach to marketing, delivery and offering. Stand out from the pack!

I always have a thorough briefing with a client, to ascertain what are their current challenges, and then ask them what they would wish to be the major takeaway from my presentation. I know when I have sat in an audience myself, I don’t want to anyone to preach to me or to tell me what to do. What I want – and I believe almost every delegate in the audience wants – is to be informed (to be given information they did not have or have forgotten they knew), to be inspired (to be emotionally engaged and inspired to take action on the information) and finally to be entertained, to enjoy the presentation to feel wholly engaged and pleased to have attended, with a positive memory of the event afterwards.

To continue helping organisations and individuals be their best version of themselves. By helping them effect dramatic, achievable and continuous successful change.

To keep Informing, Inspiring and Entertaining audiences worldwide.