Speakers
Our speakers have been hand-selected to ensure presentations and panels that provide you with the insights you need for a successful 2026 and beyond.
From topics covering marketing, motivating teams, finance and more, explore our full range of speakers below.
Joe Nellis CBE
Professor of Global Economy & Deputy Dean Cranfield School of Management
Joe is Professor of Global Economy at Cranfield School of Management, where he also serves as Deputy Dean and a long-standing Executive Board member. A former Director of the School and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University, he has held visiting professorships across Europe, the US, and Africa. Internationally recognised, Joe has received awards for teaching excellence from institutions including Purdue (USA) and TIAS (the Netherlands) and was named Cranfield’s Distinguished Alumnus in 2025. He has authored 20 books and over 200 business and academic articles. A frequent speaker and consultant in economic strategy and business environment analysis, he currently advises MHA, a leading accounting and advisory firm. Joe’s passions include golf and Ghana—his “second home” following a two-year posting there early in his career as a Voluntary Service Overseas teacher. In the 2024 New Year Honours, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to education, economics, business, and charity.
Nigel Risner
Motivational Speaker
Nigel Risner is one of today's leading high performance enhancing, motivational and communication speakers. He is the only speaker in Europe to have been awarded Speaker of the Year by all major CEO groups including Vistage Academy for Chief Executives and YPO. Nigel is an expert in coaching high performing teams and CEO’s and has enjoyed working with a rich diversity of the most talented business and sports coaches as well as teams around the world. These include a Deputy Prime Minister, England’s national football coach and the UK's top Olympic Coaches. Nigel has worked successfully with more than half the FTSE 100 companies, as well as numerous pharmaceutical companies across the globe. In business and industry. Some of his clients include: Pepsi Cola, Compaq, British Airways, Pfizer, Marks and Spencer and Royal Bank of Scotland. Nigel has created a unique communication programme and has licenced trainers around the world, sharing the message of 'How To Be An Effective Zookeeper'. He is better known as the Chief Zookeeper due to his programme of dealing with the different animals in the workplace.
Robbie Bargh
Founder of Gorgeous Group
Robbie Bargh is founder and partner of Gorgeous Group, a group focused on consolidating the business of providing emotional stories for luxury and lifestyle hotels, luxury retail, travel, arts, education and work institutions. He cites his purpose as making experiences better through world-class hospitality through his work with Gorgeous Group. With a background in Michelin Star restaurants, five star luxury and boutique hotels, Robbie and Gorgeous Group work across five continents, bringing their unique approach to hospitality for well known names in the industry, including the likes of Four Seasons, Six Senses, Belmond and many more. Robbie’s other areas of expertise include F&B strategy, concept creation, hospitality design, branding and F&B trend forecasting.
Kate Nicholls OBE
Chair of UKHospitality
Kate Nicholls is the Chair of UKHospitality, the powerful voice representing the broad hospitality sector, since its inception in 2018. Kate previously worked as CEO and Strategic Affairs Director of the Association of Licenced Multiple Retailers (ALMR). Kate sits on the Government’s Tourism, Hospitality, and Food & Drink Sector Councils, where she represents the wider hospitality and tourism sector. As a passionate advocate for inclusivity in hospitality, Kate is also the Government’s first Disability Ambassador for hospitality. Kate is the Chair of the Institute of Licensing, a board member of Best Bar None, and a trustee of Hospitality Action and Springboard. She has previously chaired the Tourism Alliance, London Night-time Commission, and London Tourism Recovery Board. Kate initially worked as a researcher in the House of Commons and European Parliament on food, employment and environmental policy before joining Whitbread to work in Strategic Affairs. She has extensive experience as a political and strategic communications consultant and is a graduate of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and Kings College London.
Sir Clive Woodward
English Former Rugby Union Player & Coach
Clive is renowned for his exceptional achievements in both sport and business. As Head Coach, he led England to their historic 2003 Rugby World Cup win. A former England Rugby International and British & Irish Lion, he transformed the national team from sixth in the world to number one, winning every major trophy. Beyond rugby, Clive spent a year as Director of Football at Southampton FC and is a qualified UEFA coach. In 2006, he joined the British Olympic Association as Team GB’s Director of Sport, playing a key role in their success at the Beijing, Vancouver, and London 2012 Olympics. He remains the longest-serving member of the IOC Entourage Committee. Today, Clive is Director of Sport at Apex 2100, a leading international ski academy in the French Alps. A successful businessman, his career reflects a deep commitment to high performance, leadership, and innovation.
Caspar Berry
Entrepreneur and Motivational Speaker
Caspar started his working life at the age of 16 as an actor in the first two series of BBC drama Byker Grove with “Ant and Dec”. He went on to write and direct in the film and television industry for much of the next four years before deciding that he was heading towards the age of 30 without having lived much of life outside of that crazy and unreal world. So aged 26, he decided to take a risk and move to Las Vegas with his life savings in his pocket, taking up professional poker while out there. After three years, however, he decided that his future lay away from the poker table and he returned to the UK and set up Twenty First Century Media which he built to a team of 40 before selling to Bob Geldof’s Ten Alps plc. In the last 14 years Caspar has delivered over 2,000 speeches and and training sessions in more than 30 countries for nearly 500 organisations including the biggest companies in the world. He now mentors young speakers and brings together all the otherwise disparate skills he’s learnt over his career, focused on helping people and businesses make profound changes in all manner of ways.
Dr Helena Boschi
Psychologist, Speaker and Educator
Dr. Helena Boschi is a psychologist who focuses on applied neuroscience in the work place. She brings the fascinating world of brain science to life in way that is understandable and relatable for all people who are interested in improving their ability to think, make decisions, drive change and interact with others. Helena has held senior positions with global organisations and has worked across a range of disciplines, from sales and marketing to international relations, organisation design and leadership development. She is uniquely placed to bridge neuroscience with corporate life, applying insights to the workplace in a way that is practical, relevant and compelling. A member of the British Psychological Society, Helena delivers compelling messages that are backed by science, grounded in the real world and communicated in a style that engages all of her audiences.