Mark AgnewThe best change management keynote speakers in the UK include Mark Agnew, John Amaechi OBE, Dame Inga Beale, Bruce Daisley, Lynda Gratton, Margaret Heffernan, Chris Hirst, Professor Damian Hughes, Campbell Macpherson and Jo Salter MBE. The right choice depends on the change you are facing, so this guide matches each speaker to a type of change, from restructures and AI adoption to culture shifts and uncertainty.
Which speaker suits the change you're facing?
- Change fatigue or uncertainty: Mark Agnew, Margaret Heffernan
- A restructure or formal change programme: Campbell Macpherson, Chris Hirst
- AI adoption or new technology: Jo Salter, Dame Inga Beale
- A culture shift: John Amaechi OBE, Professor Damian Hughes
- New ways of working: Lynda Gratton, Bruce Daisley
What does a change management keynote speaker do?
A keynote speaker sets the tone for how people respond to a merger, a restructure, a digital transformation or a shift in the market. Change often stalls because people aren't brought along with it. A good speaker works on that human side, giving people a reason to engage and a practical way to handle uncertainty when they get back to work.
The 10 speakers
1. Mark Agnew: Making change feel like an adventure
Best for: Change fatigue, uncertainty, and teams who see change as a threat
Ideal for: Conferences, leadership offsites, transformation kick-offs
Mark kayaked the Arctic's Northwest Passage with three teammates over 103 days, setting two world firsts and earning the title European Adventurer of the Year. His Find Your Polar Bear keynote, built with leading psychologists, helps teams treat change as an exciting challenge, not a threat. Clients include Google, the NHS and John Lewis.
2. John Amaechi OBE: Culture and behaviour from the top down
Best for: Change that depends on how senior leaders behave
Ideal for: Boards, senior leadership teams
John is an organisational psychologist, Professor of Leadership (HC) at the University of Exeter Business School and founder of APS Intelligence. A former NBA player, he now advises boards and FTSE 100 organisations. He is direct about what leaders actually do, as opposed to what they say, which suits organisations whose change depends on shifting behaviour.
3. Dame Inga Beale: Modernising long-established institutions
Best for: Change inside organisations where tradition runs deep
Ideal for: Financial services, professional services, established institutions
Inga was the first female CEO of Lloyd's of London, where she led a period of modernisation that included opening the Lloyd's Innovation Lab and launching the Dive In diversity festival. She speaks on leading cultural change and steering a company through technological transition while keeping its core identity.
4. Bruce Daisley: How work itself is changing
Best for: Workplace culture, belonging and new ways of working
Ideal for: HR conferences, all-hands meetings
Bruce led Twitter across Europe, the Middle East and Africa for eight years and is the author of two Sunday Times bestsellers, The Joy of Work and Fortitude. He also hosts the Eat Sleep Work Repeat podcast. His case that resilience comes from connection and belonging, not individual grit, suits organisations rethinking how people work together.
5. Lynda Gratton: The future of work
Best for: Hybrid working and long-term workforce change
Ideal for: Strategy days, HR leadership events
Lynda is Professor of Management Practice at London Business School and founder of Hot Spots Movement. Her books include Redesigning Work and The 100-Year Life, written with Andrew Scott. She has led a Future of Work research consortium since 2008, which makes her a strong choice when the change is structural and long term.
6. Margaret Heffernan: Leading when the future is unclear
Best for: Uncertainty, strategy and decision-making
Ideal for: Executive teams, strategy conferences
Margaret is Professor of Practice at the University of Bath, a former CEO and a former BBC producer. Her books include Uncharted and Wilful Blindness, and she joined the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame in 2023. Her TED talks have been viewed more than 17 million times. She suits leaders who need to think clearly when forecasts stop working.
7. Chris Hirst: A CEO's view of making change happen
Best for: Leaders who want a straight, practical account of delivering change
Ideal for: Leadership conferences, senior management events
Chris is the former Global CEO of Havas Creative and former CEO of Grey London. He is the author of No Bullsh*t Leadership and No Bullsh*t Change, and trained as an engineer before moving into advertising. He speaks from the position of someone who has had to run the change himself.
8. Professor Damian Hughes: The psychology of culture change
Best for: Evidence-based change, illustrated with elite sport
Ideal for: Leadership teams, performance-focused organisations
Damian is Visiting Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Change at Manchester Metropolitan University and co-host of The High Performance Podcast. His books include How to Change Absolutely Anything. He pairs organisational psychology with stories from elite sport, which suits leaders who want research they can use.
9. Campbell Macpherson: Structured business change
Best for: Leaders running a formal change programme
Ideal for: Change and transformation teams, leadership development events
Campbell is a leadership and change adviser and an Executive Fellow at Henley Business School. His book The Change Catalyst won the inaugural UK Business Book of the Year in 2018, and he was previously a strategy director at Zurich. He focuses on the practical work of leading business change and influencing people through it.
10. Jo Salter MBE: Performing under pressure through large-scale change
Best for: Global transformation and technology programmes
Ideal for: Global leadership teams, technology and consulting audiences
Jo was the first female fast jet pilot in the RAF. She went on to senior roles at PwC, including Director of Global Transformative Leadership, where she led consulting for a Workday implementation affecting more than 240,000 people. She connects decision-making in the cockpit with the reality of corporate transformation.
How to choose a change management keynote speaker
- Start with the change, not the name. A speaker who suits an AI rollout may not suit a merger.
- Look for story and tools. Stories make the message memorable. A framework gives people something to use on Monday morning.
- Ask how they'll tailor it. A good speaker will want to know your goals, your language and what your people are worried about.
- Watch a full talk if you can. A showreel shows the highlights. A longer clip shows how they hold a room.
For budgets, see this guide to how much a keynote speaker costs in the UK.
Looking for a change management keynote?
Find out more about Mark's change management keynote or the Find Your Polar Bear framework.
Speakers are listed alphabetically by surname, not ranked. I've included myself.