Adversity, Resilience, and Perseverance speakers

Flashback to his early presenting days and some of you may remember Ade Adepitan from the CBBC series X-Change and the BBC ‘dancing wheelchairs’ idents. An instantly recognisable face, Ade has travelled the world for his work including the BBC’s internationally known Travel Show exploring the history and cultures behind the globe’s most enticing countries.

Alain is famous in hundreds of countries for managing to climb 141 of the world's tallest buildings with his bare hands. Alain is a legendary free-climber, referred to as the hymn Spiderman. He has thousands of YouTube hits that have amassed millions of hits each. Alain has achieved global success in free-climbing despite a career ending injury at 19, leaving him 66% disabled. Alain also, shockingly, suffers from vertigo, yet he preserves on with his passion.

All it took was a cup of coffee to change Alex’s life forever and set in motion the indomitable will and desire that lead him to realise an astonishing adventure that Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE has described as “seriously hard”. An experienced speaker, whether for a keynote address, conference, school or community events, Alex’s presentations have brought humor, insight and adventure to audiences around the world.

Andrew Marr is one of the most familiar reporters, journalists, presenters and interviewers on television. He was the host of weekly BBC ‘The Andrew Marr Show’ up to December 2021, during which Andrew conducted live interviews with a host of high profile guests on topical issues and he also current presents the Radio 4 programme, ‘Start the Week’, on a regular basis. Prior to this, Andrew spent five years as Political Editor at BBC News.

Anthony Bennett is an inspirational speaker who was given the nickname ‘Miracle man’ from his shocking twelve times of infectious near-death experience. He shares his personal journey of teamwork, self-motivation, resilience, saying yes to opportunities and dealing with setbacks. Anthony played a major role in securing a £7.5m charity partnership between Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and Whitbread PLC in 2012. He was named one of the happiest people in the UK, by the Independent on Sunday in their Happy List in 2015.

Sir Anthony 'AP' McCoy OBE, MBE is a Northern Irish Champion horse racing jockey legend. AP McCoy OBE retired from racing in April 2015 having dominated his sport for over 2 decades, making him not only the world's greatest ever jump jockey, but also one of the UK's most talented sportsmen. In April 2015, AP was crowned Champion Jockey for the 20th consecutive year, and ended his truly phenomenal career on 4348 wins (which includes the 2010 Grand National, the prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase & King George VI Chase). This incredible man and BBC Sports Personality of the Year spent his career setting records we will not see broken in our lifetimes. We have had champions, we have had legends, but we will never have another AP McCoy. AP's achievements were acknowledged by the Queen with a Knighthood in the 2016 New Years Honours.

Avril is an embracing combination of business adviser, occasional interim for step-change and serial Non Exec and Chairman. She is a regular columnist for Management Today 'Madame Guillotine', December 2012 achieved her first TEDx and in June 2013 published The Kama Sutra of Work which is both cheeky and will open your eyes to the possibilities of great work that you have never thought of!

For almost 20 years, Barry McGuigan has been commentating and writing on boxing and has developed into one of the leading figures of the sport.

Jimmy Mizen was killed in a random act of violence in a southeast London bakery the day after his 16th birthday in 2008. Barry and his wife, Margaret, have become prominent and vocal campaigners for peace within our communities. Barry and Margaret were recognised in the New Year Honours list for the charitable work they have done since their son was killed in 2008.

Bear Grylls OBE has become known around the world as one of the most recognized faces of survival and outdoor adventure. His journey to this acclaim started in the UK, where his late father taught him to climb and sail.

Ben Cryan achieved the unachievable. After falling from his surfboard onto a coral reef, he overcame all adversity to survive over 30 operations. His incredible story will inspire and motivate all who have the opportunity to hear it.

Ben Fogle has rowed the Atlantic Ocean, crossed Antarctica on foot, run across the Sahara and crossed the Empty Quarter on camel. He has presented numerous hit programmes on the BBC, ITV and Channel 5 including, New Lives in the Wild, Extreme Dreams, Countrywise, Harbour Lives, Through Hell and High Water and Crufts. He writes regularly for the Sunday Telegraph and has written six Sunday Times bestseller books. He is an ambassador for WWF, Medecins Sans Frontier and Tusk, Centrepoint and the Princes Trust, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and patron of The Royal Parks Foundation. Ben is a special correspondent for NBC News in the United States, reporting from all over the world for Today, Dateline and MSNBC Nightly News.

Zoo Director, journalist, and author Benjamin Mee is the man behind bestselling book and Hollywood movie "We Bought A Zoo". His inspirational story is of one man's leap of faith, triumphing over personal tragedy, and the battle to succeed, whatever obstacles stand in the way.

Brendan Hall's keynote presentation, 'Life and leadership on the world's most demanding yacht race' is a gripping narrative of an ocean yacht race on the edge, and a young skipper's determined journey to victory. At the age of 27, Brendan was selected to lead one of the ten teams competing in the 2009-10 Clipper Round the World race. He had no input on the selection of his 44 crew, but was tasked with turning them into a cohesive, competitive unit, able to take on the ultimate sailing challenge, a gruelling ten-month race around the globe. He knew that the key to success would be creating and sustaining a culture of high performance, autonomy, motivation and support- A race winning formula.

Bryony Gordon is the bestselling author of The Wrong Knickers on living with depression and OCD and a Sunday Times bestseller.

Captain Richard Phillips was the Captain of the Maersk Alabama, Hijacked by Somali Pirates.

Caroline Goode retired as a Detective Superintendent in the Counter Terrorism Command, prior to which she spent ten years leading in excess of 100 complex murder investigations. 



Chemmy is Britain’s number one female alpine skier. She started skiing as a toddler aged 18 months and began competing seriously at the age of 8. From this committed early start to her career, Chemmy has progressed in every discipline and has worked her way up to be ranked 8th in the world. She was the first British woman to qualify for the World Cup Finals, the first British skier to win a run in a World Cup race and the first British skier to win the British Land National Ski Championships six times in a row. Chemmy has competed in three consecutive Olympic Games, in Salt Lake City, Turin and then Vancouver, where at both Turin and Vancouver she finished an impressive 11th place. Despite a horrific accident in Lake Louise in 2010, Chemmy has embarked on a remarkable road to recovery to head for her fourth Olympics: Sochi 2014. As well as being ranked in the top 30 in the world for Super G, Giant Slalom and Combined, she is an excellent ambassador for British sport, encouraging younger athletes to pursue their dreams.

Chris Bertish takes on extreme stand-up paddle-boarding challenges, crossing channels and oceans around the world. The reason why, is a beautiful story.

Chris Gooder received his Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Manchester. He then spent a year of coaching for Arsenal Football Club in Singapore. Following this he went on to obtain a MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Brunel University.

Chris Wilkinson has a wide-ranging CV from a commercial pilot, to financial sales to setting up his own recruitment company. These achievements are born from a desire to overcome the challenges and difficulties of dyslexia.

Christian Fraser also works as an anchor presenting on BBC1 News, BBC Breakfast and Radio 4’s PM Programme and has specialised in programmes on the Trump Presidency and Brexit. Christian began his career as a trainee reporter with the UK’s Mirror Group, later becoming a staff reporter with the Daily Mirror.

Colin Jackson CBE is ranked as being one of most successful British athletes of all time. His athletic prowess gained him World, Commonwealth, and European champion. His world record 110m time was unbroken for an astonishing 13 years, but still remains the World Championship record time. Colin still holds the 60m hurdle record time, which has now been unbeaten for nearly 20 years. Since retiring from athletics, Colin was a natural choice to become one of the key members of the BBC's sports production team and he continues to cover all of their Athletics output as a BBC pundit and presenter.

The author of the Sunday Times best seller "Danger Close – Commanding 3 PARA in Afghanistan", Stuart Tootal was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his outstanding leadership of the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) in Afghanistan.

Conrad Humphreys is an award-winning, triple round-the-world yachtsman, author and the founder of Sport Environment, a sports marketing consultancy that specialises in sailing and outdoor sports.

Daniel Tammet is an English writer who has linguistic, numerical and visual synesthesia — meaning that his perception of words, numbers and colors are woven together into a new way of perceiving and understanding the world.

Best Selling author of PATHFINDER: David’s first hand account of fighting deep behind enemy lines on a Black Ops Mission he lead in Iraq. It is a story of Triumph Over Adversity and details how his team of elite operators were abandoned by higher command and ambushed, alone and surrounded had to fight to survive - 9 men against 2,000 enemy.

David Flatman was a prop for Bath and the England national rugby union team and the former head of communications at Bath rugby.

David Millar is former British National Road Champion and Time Trial Champion, the only British Rider to have worn all the Leaders Jerseys from the Tour de France and one of only six British riders to have worn the Yellow Jersey. He was also the first of only two British riders ever to have worn the Leader’s Jersey in all three Grand Tours. Millar was banned for two years in 2004 after admitting taking banned performance enhancing drugs. During his ban and on his return to cycling in 2006 he worked with WADA and UKAD on various anti-doping initiatives and has become a voice for anti-doping within the sport. His final chapter in cycling saw him win Silver in the World Championships, stages of all three Grand Tours and write a best selling Autobiography. David retired from cycling at the end of 2014 season but remains actively involved in the sport.

Dumi Oburota is the Nigerian-British entrepreneur credited for engineering Patrick Okogwu AKA Tinie Tempah's rise to stardom. He is also attributed to being behind strong acts like WizKid and asides music, he boasts a clothing label under his "Disturbing London" company. Now he is on a mission to make Disturbing London "a stamp of coolness for millennial, urban culture".

Duncan Bannatyne OBE is a successful businessman and is one of the stars of the popular BBC TV series Dragon’s Den. He has a chain of well-known health clubs and is involved in multiple other businesses, with his main areas of business interest being property, hotels, media, transport and stage schools. Despite the fact Duncan is now a successful multimillionaire, he came from humble beginnings and is a true example of entrepreneurial spirit overcoming adversity.

Best selling author of an autobiography describing life in the Special Boat Service and 3 years as an undercover operative in the highly secretive 14th intelligence detachment where he was Mentioned In Despatches. Falconer was the youngest member of Britain’s modern Special Forces. Author of 9 novels, 8 of them on his fictional hero, John Stratton. Falconer is a Maritime Security Specialist and a Crisis Manager and Responder to high profile organisations, and has worked as a specialist security advisor to international news, the UK government and others, the FBI, major airlines, NGOs and charity organisations. His first novel is being filmed soon.

Former military sergeant who broke almost every bone in his body and lost both legs in 2009 when the armoured vehicle he was travelling in was struck by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. After spending five months in hospital he undertook several gruelling challenges including Lands End to John O'Groats, London Marathon, South Pole and Marathon de Sables. Named Overall Champion Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons 2021.

Ed Buckingham is a truly inspirational and a motivational man. Working for the Royal Mail for 28 years, an adventurer and author from his native origin of Cornwall. Coming from a background of hill and coastal walkers Ed has through sheer hard work and determination turned himself into a world class athlete. At the culmination of his quest, he emerges as a capable climber, fit and strong, competing in triathlons running full and ultra marathons, climbing mountains and delivering the post.

Ed is a doctor in Nottingham with degrees in Medicine, Extreme Human Physiology and Medical Law. In 2009 he took a break from Medicine to join James Cracknell and Ben Fogle on the first ever race of its kind to the South Pole. Ed completed a two-day selection course beating over 650 applicants to win his place on the team. The expedition and selection process was filmed for a 5-part TV series for BBC2 called ‘On Thin Ice’.

After building his own successful coaching practice, he now shows others how to plan and scale their businesses for success. Elliot has directly assisted hundreds of coaches, speakers, consultants and entrepreneurs around the world and continues to speak at many events, conferences and seminars. He has featured on various radio shows, podcasts and online summits and is one of the top ‘go to’ people for advice on Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship.

Fleur Sexton is an inspirational Businesswoman who is the founder of PET-Xi Training, a high-energy training specialist whose multi-award-winning training teams have, since 1995, worked to help over 150,000 people identify training goals and unlock their potential. Starting from humble beginnings, Fleur has built up a company from her bedroom into a multi award-winning company and is now dedicated to motivating women to find their voice and fulfill their potential.

Gareth is an engaging speaker on his experiences as both an international sports star and his personal story of coming out, as a member of the LGBT community and on living with HIV.

Geoffrey Holt is an English sailor from Portsmouth, Hampshire. Paralysed in an accident at the age of eighteen, in 2007 he became the first quadriplegic yachtsman to sail solo around Great Britain.

George Gregan is a retired Australian Rugby Union player who held the record number of international caps for any rugby union player.

Gerald Ratner is a British Businessman who took over the family business of Ratners Jewellery, becoming one of Britain's most high-profile businessmen. He took the company from 130 stores to one with over 2,500, and increased its revenue by over tenfold. Despite losing his business, he has been immensely successful with his string health clubs and new jewellery store, 'Gerald Online', which is the largest in its sector.

Gethin Jones is best known for his children’s television career presenting popular shows such as Popty and Blue Peter.

Giles is a motivational speaker who energises organisations large and small with his speech Changing to Win across the world. Each organisation faces a unique set of challenges and Giles works to ensure he reflects these to illustrate a way forward.

Hardeep Singh Kohli was born in Glasgow in 1969. A BAFTA-winning broadcaster, he was the writer of the Channel 4 hit Meet the Magoons, a presenter of Radio 4's Saturday Live, Midweek and The Food Programme, as well as contributor to numerous radio programmes such as Radio 4's Front Row and Radio 3's Nightwaves, and a movie reviewer on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Helen Glover MBE was one of the most prominent sporting stars to emerge from the 2012 Olympic Games, typifying the ideal that hard work breeds success. Alongside her rowing partner, Heather Stanning, Helen wrote herself into the British history books by not only winning Team GB’s first Gold of the Games but claiming British Rowing’s first ever female Gold medal.

A superb speaker, Helen Sharman OBE enthuses her audience about Space, STEM and the wonders of science. She describes the meticulous training and preparation, learning Russian, the launch and landing, how weightlessness feels, her science experiments, the team spirit, and adjusting to life back on Earth. Awarded the OBE in 1993, Helen Sharman is a full-time scientist, a pioneer, a role model for young people (of all ages!) and an inspiration.

Ian Robertson is a Scottish broadcaster, writer and former international rugby player. He is best known as a rugby union commentator for BBC Radio.

Dr Imran Awan is an author, academic and researcher who is exploring the role of crime and its impact on society.

As Founder of Plant for Peace, James has overseen its strategy since early 2007. James passionate journey determining the Plant for Peace strategy involves farmers, Taliban and Government of Afghanistan. James’ drive and motivation stem from the environment and nature and understanding people and a natural food chain.

In January 1999, Jamie and a climbing partner were trapped for five nights on the storm bound icy summit of a French mountain. Despite surviving, both hands and feet were amputated. Since this he has learned to walk again, take up skiing, run marathons and iron man triathlons and remarkably returned to climb once more in the mountains that he loves so much.

Janice Meek is an unlikely adventurer who can proudly claim to be the only woman on the planet to have rowed across an ocean and walked to two poles. Janice now dedicates her life to public speaking, motivating others to achieve goals they never dreamed of, inspiring people regardless of their age, gender or size and fundraising for charity.

Jason Lewis is an award-winning adventurer, author, and sustainability advocate specializing in human-powered expeditions. He is recognized by Guinness World Records as being the first person to circumnavigate the Earth without using motors or sails: walking, cycling, and inline skating five continents, and kayaking, swimming, rowing, and pedaling a boat across the rivers, seas, and oceans. Taking thirteen years to complete, the 46,505-mile journey was hailed “the last great first for circumnavigation” by the London Sunday Times.

Jason Vale, aka ‘Juice Master’, is the best-selling author of eleven books on health, addiction and juicing. His books have now sold over 3 million copies and have been translated into many languages. His most well known book - 7lbs In 7 days: The Juice Master Diet - went to number one of all books on Amazon and on Play.com it even knocked the Da Vinci Code from the top spot.

Jim McNeill is a British polar explorer, presenter and keynote speaker, with over 30 years of experience travelling in the polar regions.

Joanna Rowsell Shand MBE is a GB Cyclist, Olympian and 5x World Champion.

Joff Sharpe is one of Britain’s more colourful businessmen. Unusual entries on his CV include: a year living amongst the Iban headhunters of Borneo, running an internet company for Rupert Murdoch and being Piers Morgan’s HR director.

John McCarthy CBE was one of the hostages in the Lebanon hostage crisis. McCarthy was the UK’s longest-held hostage in Lebanon, being held for more than five years.

To become a Tornado pilot, you have to be a part of the creme de la creme, with very few being able to withstand the immense levels of G-force needed to control and pilot successfully. John Peters was drafted into the Gulf War as a fighter pilot in 1991, where his story becomes macabre. John, and fellow navigator John Nicol, were shot down and captured by the military of Iraq. Their bruised and battered faces were broadcasted to the world as a symbol of Saddam Hussein's tyranny and ruthlessness. John now runs his successful company, Monkey Business, advising, coaching, and consulting major companies on leadership issues including uncertainty, organisational learning, and trust and failure.

Jonathan Ball’s story tells of the extraordinary events, which were part of the evolution of the Eden Project and the passion and commitment he has to ensure that no harm can come to this project, which does so much for Cornwall.

Considered the man who won England their famous World Cup victory under the leadership of Sir Clive Woodward. Becoming one of the most famous rugby players alive when his drop goal in the dying seconds of the game won the tournament for England. One of the most decorated players in the game, becoming the highest international points scorer and a role model of professionalism and sportsmanship. The public success was only part of the story, however, and Jonny speaks frankly and inspiringly about the pressure of expectation and the mental health implications of leading a life defined by others.

Josh Littlejohn MBE is the co-founder of Scottish social enterprise Social Bite, a national chain of sandwich and coffee shops, which shot to global fame when Holywood A-lister George Clooney visited an outlet in 2015. Another Oscar winner Leonardo Di Caprio then visited the social enterprise in 2016.

Justin gives an extraordinary insight into the behaviours, processes and leadership issues which make for a world class team. With breathtaking cockpit footage, he shows how to reproduce performance year after year, in spite of manifold risks and a constantly changing team.

Justin Osmond offers his audience an extraordinary experience by sharing life lessons and translating his life experiences into an entertaining and motivational keynote that is relevant to his audiences from academic and government to corporations worldwide.

Kanya King CBE is the founder and CEO of the MOBO Organisation, launched in 1996 to celebrate and celebrate urban music. She now employs hundreds of people and The MOBO Awards is Europe's largest urban music awards show, attracting the largest primetime multicultural audience of over 250 million people around the world.

Lord Karan founded Cobra Beer in 1990 when he was £20,000 in debt and up against all odds. Since that time, Cobra has grown into an operation with offices on four continents and exports to over 45 countries, with brewing operations in five countries. Cobra Beer is now one of the fastest growing beer brands in the UK and one of the most innovative young companies in the country. Karan is widely respected for his entrepreneurial spirit. He is one of the first two Visiting Entrepreneurs ever appointed at Cambridge University and serves as National Champion of the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship.

Karen has the philosophy that to have the most impact in life we should challenge our constraints, adopt a positive mindset and support each other to be the best we can be.

Katie is one of the most inspirational women in the UK. Having rebuilt her life following and acid attack in 2008, model and now successful TV presenter decided to share her story in a remarkable film for the Cutting Edge strand on Channel 4 called ‘Katie: My Beautiful Face’ which was watched by over 3.5 million viewers and nominated for Best Single Documentary at the BAFTA Television Awards in 2010.

Lawrence Dallaglio is a retired English Rugby Union player and former captain of the English national team.

Lord Sebastian Coe is now known for his successful political career and his crucial role in bringing the Olympic Games to London in 2012 but he first came to the attention of the world as the fastest middle-distance runner of his generation. Using his political skills, his strategic know-how and a true passion for sport, Lord Coe won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics in London. Seven years later the Prime Minister thanked him for "lifting the hearts of the nation" after organising the most successful Games of modern times. By talking about the setbacks as well as victories, he shows his audience how he beat the competition by facing down everything in training: "You don't become a champion by turning up and hoping to get lucky."

Lorraine is a British former model and television cook and is very supportive of the charities Barnardos and Tact which both deal with fostered and adopted children. She is also an ambassador for Rays of Sunshine, The Prince’s Trust and Sutton Community Farm. At the end of last year, Lorraine was also named as the government’s first Fostering Ambassador.

Maggie Alphonsi MBE is an English women's rugby player who plays as a flanker for Saracens W.R.F.C. and England. She is of African-Caribbean descent. She was Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year in 2010.

In presentations Major General Jonathan Shaw CBE separates threats from hype, shows how human error is the main area of weakness and explains how to embed the necessary behavioural changes. He also explores the part cyber plays in the politics of power and describes an armed forces model of leadership that’s far more progressive than many imagine.

Majora Carter is responsible for the creation & successful implementation of numerous green-infrastructure projects, policies, and job training & placement systems.

Marc competed internationally as a swimmer for 17 years, winning 12 Paralympic medals from 5 Games and a further 21 from either World or European Championships. In the past he has held world records for 200m, 400m, 1500m Freestyle and as well as being part of the team that held the world record for 4 x 100m Freestyle. Marc Woods was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 17 and had his left leg amputated below the knee. Not knowing whether he had 6 months or 60 years left to live, he was determined to make the most of whatever time he had.

Margaret Mizen came to national attention in 2008 when her 16-year-old son Jimmy was murdered in south-east London. In the immediate aftermath, Margaret spoke of compassion for his killer rather than revenge and promised not to be beaten by Jimmy’s death, believing that something good would come from it.

Since Mark burst onto the International swimming scene, at the age of 16, representing England at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, he has gone on to represent his country more times and been decorated more than any other male swimmer. Throughout his impressive three decade career he has won 47 international medals; competed in 5 Olympics, been 8 times Commonwealth champion, 10 times European champion and 8 times World record holder.

Nine times Grand Prix winner Mark Webber’s fairytale journey from Queanbeyan kid to world-class athlete is an enthralling and entertaining story full of inspiration and amusing anecdotes. Mark retired from Formula 1 in 2013, currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Porsche.

In 1997, Martin Bell OBE broke the trend and became an Independent MP; the first in 50 years. Martin Bell, a widely respected former BBC reporter and a tireless campaigner for trust in politics. Martin Bell was the BBC's War Correspondent and has covered some of the worlds most difficult and dangerous news stories. Martin is currently the British ambassador for UNICEF. He is also a author, with multiple successful books being published.

Martine Wright lost both legs in the 7/7 terrorist attacks on the London underground. She has since rebuilt her life, skydived, learned to fly, and become a member of the British 2012 Paralympic volleyball team.

Marty’s keynotes and workshops are rammed full of scientific knowledge and takeaway tips and strategies, but they are delivered with countless hilarious stories that can keep even the most cynical audience on side.

Michael Finkel is the author of the New York Times bestseller “The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit,” about a highly intelligent man who lived alone in the forest of Maine for 27 years, as well as the book “True Story,” about Finkel’s bizarre and unhealthy friendship with a murderer, which was adapted into a 2015 major motion picture produced by Brad Pitt and starring James Franco and Jonah Hill.

Michael Lynagh is a former Australian Rugby Union player who played as a Fly-half.

Michelle Mone is the creator of Ultimo, the UK's leading designer lingerie brand. Listed as one of the top 3 female entrepreneurs in the UK, Michelle has built a hugely successful career on an incredibly simple concept: giving today's women what they want. 2009 was a giant milestone for Michelle professionally; not only was Ultimo the first UK lingerie brand to debut on the catwalk at New York Fashion Week, but she opened 20 'shop in shops' within Debenhams in key cities throughout the UK and landed a mammoth deal with Tesco clothing to develop, design and manufacture 'Diamond Boutique' lingerie.

Professor Mike Stroud OBE, MD, DSci is an expert on human health under extreme conditions, seeing him joining Sir Ranulph Fiennes on his adventures across the world. Stroud, together with Fiennes, is a supporter of rigorous exercise to help slow down the aging process. He points out that historically the human body is pre-tuned to undergo bouts of hard work and in particular can cope remarkably well with endurance events in hot climates. As a leading authority of survival, nutrition and endurance Mike is asked frequently to appear on television and radio. He presented his own BBC1 series, ‘The Challenge’ and was the endurance and medical expert on all three series of BBC TV’s, ‘Are You Tough Enough for the SAS’.

Blind Adventurer and international Motivational Speaker Miles Hilton-Barber is one of the most widely sought-after motivational speakers on the world circuit today, having had the privilege of speaking at over 1,000 corporate events in 69 countries around the world to date.

As Chief Business Officer for Google [X], the search giant’s very much-envied R&D division, Mo led some of the tech world’s most innovative projects at a time that was becoming the climax of a successful career in technology. Whilst on paper he was doing well, he often felt unfulfilled. He applied his engineering skills to the problem and after almost a decade developed a model which placed happiness in overall context of the experiences and expectations of life. His work became the international bestseller, Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy.

Nadiya Hussain won the sixth series of BBC's The Great British Bake Off in October 2015 and subsequently wrote for The Times Magazine, and signed a publishing deal with Penguin Random House.

Following the success of the Call Centre TV show and his other media appearances Nev has become a highly sought after business, motivational and after dinner speaker. Whether its informed opinion for a key-note address or a burst of energy and a song to start a conference that you need, Nev is guaranteed to make an impact.

Nick's passion for running is clear, but his meaningful topics are the basis of some truly inspirational messages too. He covers areas such as understanding potential; embracing failure; perseverance and determination, and how to value the time we have on our planet. His personal stories bring these issues to life with enthusiasm and character. Nick may be a runner first and foremost, but his messages reach further. He’s not on a crusade to get everyone into lycra, but simply to spread the message that everyone, regardless of age, background, and commitments can excel at anything they put their minds to.

Long before it became fashionable, the original ‘rogue trader’ lost £860m of Barings’ money - and spent four years in a Singapore jail. Nick tells his compelling and still cautionary tale without making any excuses for his wrong-doing.

Nicola Adams OBE was the first woman to win an Olympic boxing title, she is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist in the women's flyweight division.

Championing dyslexia through a dynamic and diverse career that encompasses the world of the agile entrepreneur, international exploration, high altitude elite adventures, and innovation in aerospace and humanitarian aid. Mentor for the UK charity Heropreneurs.

Norma is an ultra-marathon runner, and a woman who is determined to make and break records, whilst being a single Mum. Norma started out her mission to fight blindness, but now realises that she is here to show her kids to live life with passion. In 2014 Norma is setting a Guinness World Record triathlon; swim 80 miles, biking 3700 miles, and running 865 miles from Cancun to Washington DC.

Paul has won 5 championships belts in 3 different weight categories from light-middleweight, middleweight and super-middleweight but actually fought in a incredible 5 different weight.

Paula Radcliffe is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds.

Paula Reid is an inspirational speaker, adventurer, and best-selling author. Paula, with two months notice and no sailing experience, became a core crew member of the Global Challenge 2004-5: the ‘World’s Toughest Yacht Race’, Paula raced 35,000 miles the ‘wrong way’ around the world. Paula has completed 91 things on her list of things to do before she dies – including walking on hot coals, paddling down the Mekong, walking across the country, running the marathon and kayaking the length of the Thames. Paula combines extreme sailing stories and analogies with business expertise to create leadership and performance development that is unique, powerful and deep rooted. She influences and inspires at conferences, meetings and events as a keynote speaker and through interactive workshops. She has also been a shareholder and director of three businesses, and understands about Leadership, Strategy, Motivation & Mental Toughness from both an extreme adventure and a business-leader point of view.

World Class Explorer Pen, is an inspirational speaker, bestselling author of ‘Solo’, and pioneering founder of Geo Mission, the environmental sponsorship organisation, and The Polar Travel Company, the first specialist Polar guide service. Pen is an established and talented speaker, executive coach and business mentor, and has worked with Coutts Bank, Team GB, British Airways and Savills to name a few.

Pervez Hussain is a truly inspirational speaker who believes that like him, you can achieve your full potential with the right knowledge, skills, attitude and behaviour.

Stephen Manderson A.K.A Professor Green is an English rapper, singer song-writer and presenter with significant presence on BBC Three and increasingly on Channel 4. Stephen is an advocate for several campaigns on mental health awareness including depression, male suicide, poverty, working class white men and other challenges facing the vulnerable in society.

His TV appearances cover bushcraft and survival techniques. He is best known for the TV series Ray Mears’ Bushcraft, Survival with Ray Mears and Wild Britain with Ray Mears.

Listed amongst the world’s top 20 most seasoned travellers, Reza Pakravan is an explorer, filmmaker and author. His documentaries and books combine epic journeys with social and environmental issues, and they have taken him to some of the most beautiful, dangerous and remote regions of the world.

Following their successful pitch in the BBC’s Dragons Den, Richard decided to turn down the deal and move on to bigger missions. 6 years World travel focused on researching and interviewing World experts for Enrichd.org has grown into the book he is co-authoring with fellow celeb trainer in Hollywood. Just before pitching in the BBC’s Dragons' Den, Rich was on the operating table having a tumor removed from his left shoulder - oh and the BBC said ’no’ for a week before they did the shoot - overcoming adversity, motivation and making it happen is this mans' game!

Winner of the T42 200m Gold at the London 2012 Paralympics, Richard is the current world record holder for leg amputees in both the half and Olympic marathon distances. He is also the first ever leg amputee to complete the marathon in under 3 hours. Richard recently completed a mammoth challenge of 40 marathons in 40 days in Britain, seeing him run from John O'Groats to Land's End.

Richie Contartesi is former Ole Miss football walk-on and through hard work earned a full football scholarship. Richie has written a number 1 best seller about his journey and has been speaking at conferences and leadership oragnisations all over the world motivating and inspiring people to achieve the dreams they think are impossible.

Over the last decade Rick O'Shea has established himself as integral part of BBC Wales’ Rugby Flagship Scrum V & also hosts the weekly rugby show on BBC Radio Wales.

Rob Franks tells the unique and inspirational story of how he overcame adversity to realise his childhood dream.

Robbie’s passion is to help others to understand the human mind as a manageable machine; supporting them to develop the insight and practical skills conducive to achieving self-fulfilment in life.

Sir Robin was the first person to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world between 14 June 1968 and 22 April 1969.

Roger Black is one of the country's most successful sportsmen having represented Great Britain for fourteen years at the highest level in the world of athletics. Roger won fifteen major Championship Medals including European, Commonwealth and World Championship Gold Medals. His greatest achievements were winning the Olympic 400 metres Silver Medal in 1996 and being part of the Gold Medal winning 4 x 400 metres relay team at the 1991 World Championships. Still one of the UK's most popular speakers, Roger inspires and motivates audiences throughout the UK and Europe – he understands the dynamics of becoming a champion, how to live a dream, set goals and fulfil ones potential. Roger's presentations are designed to motivate people to become more successful both as individuals and as members of a team. All world-class teams are comprised of world-class individuals. Roger shares strategies to develop the mindset of a champion by applying his "Five Fundamentals" for success.

Overnight, Ronan Harrington went from senior leadership positions at the British Foreign Office and Extinction Rebellion to being diagnosed with a debilitating lifetime chronic illness. He’s learned the hard way how to lead under pressure and stay strong in the face of adversity. Ronan now teaches on the KPMG Executive Leadership Programme and is a resilience specialist at Tough Cookie, advising leading organisations including Sky, Meta and Accenture on how to create healthy, high performing cultures.

BBC Presenter, illustrator and public speaker, Rosie King has achieved great things at the young age of 23. She diagnosed her own autism at the age of nine (a diagnosis that was later confirmed by specialists) and dedicates her considerable talents to raising positive awareness about autism. With a younger brother and sister severely affected by the condition, this has always been a subject close to Rosie's heart. She is an ambassador for the National Autistic Society, and has worked closely with professionals to improve the quality of education for young people with additional needs in mainstream school. After speaking about her condition and the way that it effects her at the TEDMED convention in Washington DC 2014, Rosie received a standing ovation. Graduating with first class honours in Creative Writing from Roehampton, Rosie enjoys being part of the BBC Pablo writing team and voice actor.

The UK's longest serving Deputy Prime Minister, since leaving the Commons John has acted as EU ‘rapporteur’ on climate change, and as himself in an ad for an online comparison site. With Pauline he’s also made films on the class system and the north/south divide.

A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and member of the World Explorer’s Bureau, Sarah Begum is an Immersive Investigative Journalist and an Anthropologist-Explorer. In 2010, Sarah’s curiosity led to the greatest achievement of her life, becoming the youngest female Documentarian at 21 years of age to produce her first film in the Amazon Rainforest.

Down to earth, honest and full of life Scarlett is your perfect Presenter, Host and superb Fireside Chat speaker. Scarlett’s rise to fame started with C4 series Gogglebox where she won the hearts of the nations. As the winner of 2016’s I’m a Celebrity..Get Me Out of Here, she went on to present on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and many more. Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author she faced size bullying criticism widely on social media and the press. Scarlett worked alongside Dermot O’Leary at the National Television Awards with a plethora of recent television credits and hugely successful podcast series in 2020 and 2021.

Former Scotland and British and Irish Lions rugby player now commentating on rugby sevens and Sky Sports.

Sean Fitzpatrick is a former Rugby Union player who represented New Zealand and is widely regarded as one of the finest players ever to come from that country.

Sharon King is a keynote speaker who is passionate about opening up a line of communication on the topic of Autism, and giving out the right information in a positive way.

Simon is the presenter of the BBC TV series Indian Ocean and has been around the world three times for the BBC series Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, and Tropic of Cancer. He has travelled extensively in more than 110 countries.

In 1982 Simon Weston CBE was aboard HMS Sir Galahad with his regiment of Welsh Guards when it was bombed by Argentinian planes. The horrific burns he suffered required a series of operations that continue to this day. Despite his injuries, as well as the physical and mental suffering, Simon's life is an example of great personal triumph and courage. After the Falklands campaign, Simon co-founded The Weston Spirit, dedicated to helping young people play an active role in their own communities. Until it ceased in 2008, he spent much of his time fundraising - enabling the charity to set up regional projects in Liverpool, Cardiff and Newcastle.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes is an adventurer whose dedication and passion have led him to reach both poles, circumnavigate the world’s Polar Axis and to reach the summit of Everest at the age of 65. He also made it into the record books by completing seven marathons on seven continents (including Antarctica) in seven days. To date, Sir Ranulph has, through his expeditions, raised over £14.2 million for UK charities. He has led 22 major expeditions to remote parts of the world including both Poles. He is also the author of 18 books including The Feather Men, a UK No 1 Best Seller and which in 2011 was released as a major motion picture called Killer Elite.

Sir Trevor Soar KCB OBE achieved the fastest promotion of any Admiral in recent history and his career path gave him not only leadership experience at sea but also across the highest levels of defence, change management and procurement and acquisition, chairing or being a member of the most senior defence boards.

Somi is a LinkedIn Top Voice giving talks and workshops internationally on the impact of technology on society, the business landscape, the future of work, developing thought leadership, and digital transformation both in marketing and in HR.

Sophie Walker is the current leader of the UK’s Women’s Equality Party, and was the party’s candidate in the London mayoral election held in May 2016.

Former Paralympic long jumper and sprinter Stef has had a lifelong passion for sport. She is a five-time world record holder, but away from the track she also has a degree in biochemistry, was a finalist on Celebrity MasterChef, and made her modelling debut fronting Debenhams’ Diversity Campaign, which aimed to challenge the perceived norms of the fashion industry.

Steve Brown is a British Wheelchair Rugby athlete and Captain of the Great Britain National Wheelchair Rugby Team. He led the team in Wheelchair rugby at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Brown broke his neck in a fall from a balcony in Cologne in 2005.

Steve Davies had had a lifetime of experiences operating in complex and challenging environments. He has held senior positions in the private and third sectors, and in the military, and has an incredible record of achievement in each.

11 Paralympic Gold Medals, 6 times winner of London Wheelchair Marathon Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson is Britain's greatest Paralympic athlete. She competed in five Paralympic Games, winning 11 Gold Medals, and is acknowledged as one of the most gifted and courageous sportswomen of her generation. In addition to her outstanding Paralympic achievements, between 1992 and 2002 she won the London Wheelchair Marathon a total of six times. Now retired, Tanni still plays an active role in the administration of sport.

Tanya Byron is best known for her work as a child therapist and specialises in emotional resilience in both young people and adults.

The author of Neuroscience for Leadership: Harnessing the Brain Gain Advantage and The Source. Tara examines the science behind leadership as well as offering fascinating insights in to resilience, performance, bias, stress and change. She considers what individuals and teams can achieve once they understand why they think, feel and act the way they do.

Tarka has a wealth of polar experience and since 1999 has led multiple expeditions across the globe. Highlights include eight marathons in eight days in 2000; a 4,500km trek through the Taklimakan Desert and over the Qiling Mountain range to walk the entire length of the Great Wall of China in 2007; and the longest crossing of the Southern Patagonian Icecap by a British team in 2009.

Terry spent 1760 days in captivity in Beirut. Twenty years later he has travelled back to meet his jihadist captors. With spirit and humour intact, Terry shows that hardship can often be a source of strength; he also recalls how one guard unwittingly gave him a copy of The Great Escape.

Tim Peake was the first British European Space Agency astronaut to visit the International Space Station for Expedition 46/47, where his work captured the hearts and minds of millions. He has a background as a test pilot and a British Army Air Corps officer and he is also a STEM ambassador and best-selling author. Tim shares all the unique insights on leadership, fear and risk management, motivation and collaboration that his incredible career as a test pilot and astronaut has afforded him. He draws on his own out-of-this-world experiences to inspire audiences with his recipe for mission success and Peak(e) performance. Tim is a champion for science, innovation, exploration and adventure and delights audiences with his fascinating stories of life in space, breath-taking photographs and his unique perspective of planet earth.

One of the top 20 most influential HR thinkers, Professor Hope-Hailey is a leading researcher in the fields of business strategy, HR, and change.

No ordinary speaker, Vikie tells her story and experiences from the heart. From living with Autism and mental health issues, and the horrific suicide of her husband, Vikie has been there and lived through it all. Despite all that life has thrown at her, Vikie continues to bounce back. Despite all that life has thrown at her, Vikie continues to bounce back… In fact her inspiring journey has lead her to become an author, an expert in the field of Autism and a motivational speaker. If you need an engaging, inspiring and truly awe-inspiring person to speak on anything from Autism to communication or to tell her shocking but motivational story then you’ve just found her.