Mark AgnewThe best motivational speakers in the UK include Mark Agnew, Brendan Hall, Matt Hampson, Dame Kelly Holmes, Ben Hunt-Davis, Penny Mallory, Bonita Norris, Jo Salter, Alex Staniforth and Levison Wood. The best motivational speaker for your event depends on what you want your audience to do afterwards. A conference opener needs energy. A team facing a restructure needs a reason to get excited about change, not just survive it. Here are ten UK speakers, each matched to the event they suit best.
Which speaker suits your event?
- Getting teams excited about change: Mark Agnew
- Leadership and high-performance teams: Brendan Hall, Ben Hunt-Davis
- A big-name conference opener: Dame Kelly Holmes
- Resilience and mental toughness: Bonita Norris, Penny Mallory
- Wellbeing and perspective: Alex Staniforth, Matt Hampson
- Courage, curiosity and risk: Jo Salter, Levison Wood
The 10 speakers
1. Mark Agnew: for teams that need to get excited about change
His keynote, Find Your Polar Bear, builds resilience, adaptability and teamwork by teaching people to reframe change as an exciting challenge, not an obstacle to endure. Mark kayaked almost 2,000 miles of the Northwest Passage over 103 days as part of a four-person team, and woke one night to a polar bear trying to get into his tent. Clients include Google, the NHS and John Lewis.
2. Brendan Hall: for leadership and team events
Brendan was the youngest and least experienced skipper in his Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, and his team won. He is the author of Team Spirit and speaks on leadership, resilience and risk.
3. Matt Hampson: for perspective and purpose
A scrum collapsed during England U21 training in 2005 and left Matt paralysed from the neck down. He went on to set up the Matt Hampson Foundation and the Get Busy Living Centre, which supports people with life-changing injuries.
4. Dame Kelly Holmes: for a big-name conference opener
Dame Kelly won the 800m and 1500m at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She speaks on performance, overcoming adversity and mental health in the workplace.
5. Ben Hunt-Davis: for high-performance teams
Ben's rowing eight won Olympic gold at Sydney 2000, Great Britain's first in the event since 1912. His book and company share one question: Will It Make The Boat Go Faster?
6. Penny Mallory: for mental toughness
Penny left home at 14 and spent about three years homeless in London before reaching the top of rallying, where she drove a World Rally Car for Ford. She speaks on building mental toughness under pressure.
7. Bonita Norris: for resilience under pressure
Bonita reached the summit of Everest at 22, two years after her first mountain, and has also skied to the North Pole. Her keynotes cover confidence, fear and learning from failure.
8. Jo Salter: for events about courage and breaking new ground
Dr Jo Salter MBE was the RAF's first female fast jet pilot, and her story suits audiences being asked to go first.
9. Alex Staniforth: for mental fitness and wellbeing
Alex survived the 2014 Everest avalanche and the 2015 Nepal earthquake, and founded the charity Mind Over Mountains. In 2025 he became the first person to run and cycle all 446 mountains in England and Wales.
10. Levison Wood: for an offsite on curiosity and risk
Levison is an explorer, author and former Army officer, best known for Walking the Nile on Channel 4. He speaks on decision-making, teamwork and the explorer's mindset.
How to choose a motivational speaker
- Start with what you want people to do afterwards. Energy for the day, a new way of handling change, or a stronger team all call for different speakers.
- 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.
If you need your people to embrace change
Most change programmes ask people to cope. I think that sets the bar too low. If you can reframe change as an exciting challenge you'll enjoy it. And if you enjoy it, you'll out perform everyone else who only sees an obstacle to endure.
Find Your Polar Bear, built with leading psychologists, turns that into a framework your audience can use the next morning:
- Adaptability: On the Northwest Passage the plan changed every day. We got good at adapting with it.
- Ownership and accountability: People get behind change they feel is theirs.
- Teamwork: Four of us, 103 days, one tent. The team is what gets you through. Camaraderie is crucial in change.
- Growth mindset: Mistakes create experience. Experience avoids mistakes.
- Reframing change: Accept the challenge. The moment change stops being a threat and becomes an adventure, you embrace change.
- Resilience that lasts: Love the challenge, be the best at basics, and make the process repeatable and consistent.
Find out more about my change management keynote and the Find Your Polar Bear framework, or check my availability.
Speakers are listed alphabetically by surname, not ranked. I've included myself.