Speakers

Matthew Syed is one of the world’s most influential thinkers in the field of high performance and cultural change.

Matthew explores a thought provoking approach to high performance in the context of a complex and fast-changing world. He draws on a vast array of case studies and real-world examples across sport, business, education and politics. Matthew looks at the inside story of how success really happens – and how we cannot grow unless we are prepared to learn from our mistakes.

He is the author of two bestselling books – Bounce and Black Box Thinking – having just released his latest book, The Greatest. He is a multiple award-winning journalist for The Times and a highly-acclaimed speaker, regularly contributing to radio and television.

Before becoming a writer, journalist and broadcaster, Matthew was the England table tennis number one for almost a decade, three-times Commonwealth Champion, and twice competed for Great Britain in the Olympic Games (in Barcelona in 1992 and Sydney in 2000). His style was unusually defensive, playing strokes from the back of the court described as “spectacular roof threatening parabolas”.

Matthew has worked with some of the world’s leading organisations to build a mindset of continuous improvement. He has now designed a cutting-edge thought leadership programme which is proving to be a catalyst for real and lasting change within business and the public sector. Here is a snapshot of what people are saying:

Matthew Syed’s Black Box Thinking

“It highlights the need for a growth mindset in life…It advocates for changing attitudes towards failure, and understanding that the only way we learn is by trying things and altering our behaviour based on the results.” Richard Branson, Virgin Group

Matthew Syed Speaking

“Matthew has focused our minds on the importance of re-evaluating our approach to development and progress, which has given us an insight and understanding as to how we can better succeed as a business. His time with us was a genuinely enlightening, entertaining and informative experience – Matthew is thought-provoking, challenging, insightful, fun and relevant to the most and the least experienced team member. The fact that “Black Box Thinking” and Matthew Syed anecdotes have become part of the everyday vocabulary of our team is a testament to the impact he has made.”
Andrew Masraf, Pinsent Masons LLP

Matthew Syed’s Thought Leadership Programme

“Fantastic, new approaches and techniques to transform our mindset.”
Matt Byrom, Siemens, reviewing Matthew’s Thought Leadership Programme