I never planned on a career in the world of public speaking.
Who does?!
But on making a mess of my leaving drinks speech in my first job back in May 2001, I vowed to improve. After joining a public speaking club, I went on to represent the UK & Ireland in Washington DC in the Semi-Final of the 2006 World Championship of Public Speaking.
This experience in 2006 was a game-changer.
(Later, I placed Second in the 2017 World Championship of Public Speaking out of over 30,000 contestants.)
Turning full-time professional in August 2008(!) as an international speaker, coach and facilitator, I've had the good fortune to help extraordinary people from all walks of life...
- FTSE 100 & Fortune 100 executives
- Entrepreneurs
- Politicians
- MBAs and Executive MBAs
- Academics
- Leaders in the not-for-profit sector
My career background spans executive head-hunting, blue-chip corporate brand strategy consulting plus a stint working in the British Parliament.
I feel fortunate to have experienced a world-class education - at Oxford University and at the London School of Oriental & African Studies, taking a Master's in Chinese Studies there in 1999.
Today, alongside my client work, I'm an Adjunct Faculty Member at Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government and a Visiting Fellow in Professional Skills at Cambridge University and London's New College of the Humanities.
It was a huge honour to be granted the Freedom of the City of London in 2013 and, more recently, to be the opening speaker for TEDxLondon at Royal Festival Hall on the need for public speaking to be taught in schools.
Based in London, UK (but travelling extensively) I'm proud to be an Ambassador for the children's communication charity, I CAN.
If you'd like to connect with me, please do get in touch using the contact link at the top of this page.
I'm posting additional tips, videos and ideas daily on LinkedIn so let's connect there if we haven't already!
If you're not on LinkedIn do take a look at my regularly updated Blog page - October 2024
Speak soon...
Giving a talk to THE YOUNG MCA in London 2022 (and no, it's not staged!)
Speaking at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre
As well as drawing on more than a decade of experience helping tens of thousands of professionals across the world, I've enjoyed the opportunity to deliver sessions in 27 countries, including...
Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, and across the United Kingdom.
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Relevant experience in a nutshell
- TEDxLondon Speaker 2018
- 2nd Place in the 2017 World Championship of Public Speaking
- Degrees from Oxford University and the London School of Oriental & African Studies
- Past President for the London Junior Chamber of Commerce (JCI)
- Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce (RSA)
- Visiting Fellow in Professional Skills at the New College of the Humanities (NCH)
- Visiting Fellow in Professional Skills at the Laing O'Rourke Centre, University of Cambridge
- Adjunct Faculty Member at Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
- Awarded the Freedom of the City of London
- Author: FREE eBook: Are YOU making any of these critical mistakes?
- Author: The Best Man Speaker - The Definitive Guide - a 5 star best seller on Amazon
- Author: The Bride Speaker - The Definitive Guide to the Bride Speech
- Author: The Groom Speaker - The Definitive Guide to the Wedding Groom Speech
- Founder: High Impact Speaking - The Executive's Online System
'Public Speaking Coaching' on camera
High Impact Speaking
The Executive's Online System
is a comprehensive Public Speaking Programme for busy executives and anyone who needs to improve their skills...
"Working through this video program has made a huge difference to my speaking. After my conference presentation, I had so many executives telling me, 'I want you to come and work for my organization'. It just goes to show the power of impactful speech... I can't count how many people told me my presentation was THE best."
