Kevin Gaskell: Business Leadership
Kevin Gaskell is a leadership and business transformation keynote speaker driving high-growth performance through proven turnaround strategies, inspired leadership frameworks, and extreme expedition insights.
- Highlights:
- Former Managing Director of Porsche, Lamborghini, and BMW
- Achieved record profit growth and major brand revitalisations
- Entrepreneur with multiple international business successes
- Known for rescuing companies in one hundred days and transforming them in one thousand
- Formats:
Transformational business leader, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker.
- Audiences:
Executive teams, corporate leaders, growth-focused organisations, and events seeking proven strategies for transformation, leadership, and sustained performance.
- Outcomes:
- Practical leadership tools for rapid turnaround and long-term organisational success
- Increased team alignment, accountability, and confidence in achieving ambitious goals
- Clear strategies for navigating complexity, driving innovation, and building resilient cultures
- Travels from: London, UK
- **Fee range: $20,001 - $35,000
Keynote Topics
Inspired Leadership
The attributes of a successful leader include passion, honesty, tenacity, determination, resilience, commitment, clarity of thought, intelligence – and a big dose of common sense!
In the optimum situation these attributes are supported by effective business processes and enhanced by personal communication skills.
Achieving a high level of personal leadership and influence is not easy.
These skills can be learned through experience or, more efficiently, can be developed through highly effective programmes designed to support senior teams through periods of challenge or uncertainty.
INSPIRATION AND ENERGY FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAMS
- Stimulate the team to seek world class
- Turn off the autopilot, dare to dream, be better then bigger
- Motivate genius thinking, prioritise, focus and implement
- Encourage a culture of innovation, recognition and engagement
- Achieve extraordinary results, sustain long term success
Talent Short Bio
Kevin Gaskell is an internationally respected business leader, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker celebrated for turning around iconic brands and building high-performing teams. Beginning his career in civil engineering before transitioning into management accounting, Kevin developed a rare blend of operational insight and financial discipline.
A chance job advertisement led him to Porsche, where his strategic clarity and dynamic leadership propelled him to Managing Director at just thirty-two. He later applied his turnaround expertise at Lamborghini and BMW, consistently delivering record-breaking performance and global brand revitalisation.
With more than three decades of hands-on leadership across corporate and entrepreneurial environments, Kevin has founded and guided multiple successful international ventures. His leadership philosophy centres on practical tools, clear communication, and empowering teams to embrace ambitious objectives. Known for his belief that a struggling company can be rescued in one hundred days and transformed in one thousand, Kevin’s methodology has inspired leaders across industries.
Beyond the boardroom, Kevin applies the same high-performance principles to extreme expeditions, including traversing the Arctic and Antarctic, summiting formidable mountains, and rowing across the Atlantic.
Read Full Bio
Kevin Gaskell is recognised as one of the UK’s most accomplished entrepreneurs and business leaders. He has built an international reputation for leading and revitalising global brands including Porsche and BMW. With a career defined by transforming ambitious ideas into global success stories, his professional journey combines rare experience across start-ups, scale-ups, and some of the world’s most respected brands.
At Porsche, he led the UK business from last to first place in customer service by strengthening the brand positioning and revitalising the organisation. As Managing Director of BMW GB, he expanded the brand presence and reinforced BMW’s premium identity through a strong people, commercial and operational strategy which saw the business grow by 80%, and operating profit improve by 500%, in 5 years.
Most recently, Gaskell has been instrumental as an entrepreneur in the creation and growth of a number of new companies. One of his current interests is the fibre infrastructure builder ITS Technology, which he has led from a standing start to a billion dollar enterprise in just 9 years. This achievement reflects his ability to spot emerging opportunities, build high-performing leadership teams, and scale businesses at exceptional speed while maintaining strategic clarity and commercial discipline.
Across every chapter of his career, Kevin Gaskell’s success has been driven by bold decision-making, strategic vision, and a relentless focus on execution, making him a standout figure in global entrepreneurship and brand building.
Outside the office Kevin Gaskell holds world records for the fastest row across the Atlantic ocean (2020) and Pacific ocean (2025).
He is the author of 2 international best selling books.
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Talent Videos
Kevin Gaskell Showreel What Inspires Us to Achieve Greatness
A powerful 2m53 showcase of Kevin Gaskell’s leadership philosophy, illustrating how extraordinary results emerge when leaders create environments where people can excel and inspire one another.
Read Summary & Key Moments
Summary
This 2 minute 53 second showreel presents Kevin Gaskell’s central message that greatness is achieved not by focusing on what we pursue, but by recognising who inspires and drives us. The video opens with reflective questions about what moves people to become champions and what enables them to reach and sustain peak performance. Kevin states that the answer lies in people, not tasks or systems, and in the leaders who create environments where individuals can express themselves, contribute meaningfully, and elevate the world around them.
He explains that every person has the capacity to lead others toward exceptional outcomes. By encouraging ambition, supporting belief, and providing the conditions for growth, leaders help teams reach extraordinary heights while fulfilling personal aspirations. Kevin emphasises that success multiplies when leadership is distributed. A single powerful leader can drive major progress, but organisations become transformative when dozens of leaders emerge at every level.
Gaskell describes his role as developing leaders across a team, turning ordinary individuals into champions by aligning them behind shared passion and purpose. He reinforces that extraordinary accomplishments arise from collective effort and that even the person standing at the summit never arrives alone. Behind every achievement is a team inspired by leadership that sets clear direction and cultivates belief.
The showreel closes by underscoring that greatness comes from leaders who inspire confidence, unlock potential, and guide organisations to their next level of success. The message returns to its starting point: the key to achievement is not what drives us, but who.
Key Moments
- 00:15 Kevin states that the true driver of achievement is people, not circumstances.
- 00:35 Leaders create environments where individuals can do special work and make meaningful contributions.
- 01:05 Emphasis on building leaders at every level to transform teams into champions who deliver extraordinary results.
- 01:40 Reflection on shared belief, collective ambition, and team alignment as the foundation for exceptional performance.
Interest to Book? Send us your enquiry
Overview:
The leadership conference received high praise from attendees, with users highlighting the exceptional quality of the event. The speaker was described as "world-class" yet humble, creating an inspiring atmosphere that encouraged participants to believe in their potential. The positive engagement from the audience was noted as a significant strength of the event, contributing to its overall success.
Strengths:
- Inspiring and motivational speaker
- High audience engagement and response
- Ability to relate to attendees and foster a sense of achievement
Weaknesses:
- No specific weaknesses mentioned in the review.
Overall, the event was deemed a remarkable success, leaving a lasting impression on the participants.
Talent FAQ's
Do speakers charge a flat fee or by the hour?
Speaker fees can vary depending on factors such as expertise, demand, and event specifics. While some speakers may charge a flat fee for their services, others may have hourly rates. It’s best to discuss fee structures directly with the speaker or their representative to understand the pricing model.
What is the typical duration of a keynote speech and what is included?
Keynote speeches typically range from 30 to 90 minutes, with the duration determined by the speaker’s expertise, the event’s agenda, and audience preferences. Keynote speeches often include a combination of inspirational stories, practical insights, and actionable advice tailored to the event’s theme or objectives.
Does the scale of the event and audience size affect a speaker’s fee?
The scale of the event and audience size can indeed impact a speaker’s fee. Larger events with a broader reach or higher attendance may command higher fees due to increased exposure and demand. Conversely, smaller events or niche audiences may offer opportunities for more flexible pricing arrangements.
Travel expenses and other costs
Travel expenses such as transportation, accommodation, and meals are typically negotiated separately from the speaker’s fee. These costs vary depending on the speaker’s location, travel distance, and event duration. It’s important to clarify travel arrangements and expenses during the booking process to avoid misunderstandings.
Deposits and securing a booking
Many speakers require a deposit to secure a booking, with the remaining balance due closer to the event date. Deposits are often non-refundable and serve as a commitment from both parties. It’s advisable to discuss deposit requirements and payment terms with the speaker or their representative when finalizing the booking.
Additional tips and takeaways
- Virtual speaking appearances are a cost-effective alternative to high speaking fees, often 10-50% cheaper than in-person rates.
- There is typically no difference in fee for a 15-minute speech versus a 60-minute speech.
- Some motivational speakers are open to discounting their fee if hired for more than one event by the same organization.
- When browsing speakers, consider their location to keep travel costs down.
- Personal connections to your organization or event location can increase your chances of securing a renowned speaker.
- Be upfront about your needs and expectations to ensure a successful partnership.
- Speaker bureaus like Speakers Inc help guide you through the booking process to negotiate the best deal with favorable terms.
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