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Matt was the talent most people overlooked.
With just a single qualification in a family of academics, he was written off by all the conventional measures. That was until someone gave him a ‘Second Look’.
He went on to build two technology companies, including one that achieved a successful private equity exit, row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, and swim the English Channel. His story is proof of what can happen when people are seen for their potential rather than their credentials.
Most organisations are sitting on untapped potential because they struggle to look beyond the first impression of CVs, qualifications and job titles. Through his keynote, Matt introduces The Second Look, a practical framework that helps uncover the enthusiasm, trust, resilience and leadership potential that often remains hidden in plain sight. Leaders can use it to identify future talent, managers can use it to develop their teams, and everyone in the audience finds themselves reflecting on their own potential. By investing in people from within, organisations create stronger leaders, improve belonging, retain more talent and become more attractive employers. As AI continues to reshape the workplace, developing human potential becomes the true competitive advantage.
‘The Second Look’ gives organisations a practical, structured way to see their people differently. It is built on real experiences rather than theory, encouraging the honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations that lead to meaningful change.
Matt’s keynotes are personal, practical and deliberately vulnerable. Through powerful storytelling and relatable experiences, he helps audiences recognise where leadership already exists and what has been preventing it from flourishing. He is a regular podcast guest and the author of three books: An Unconventional Journey Into Leadership, Learning the Ropes, and Why So Many Sales Hires Fail.
Everyone has leadership credentials that go far beyond their job title and formal qualifications. What they’ve actually done with their lives, the real pressure they’ve navigated, the unconventional learning they’ve picked up along the way – his is where the real capability sits. Most organisations look only at the formal side and they miss this critical connection with their people.
Matt’s keynote walks audiences through the simple but powerful framework of The Second Look — how to notice the leadership potential already inside your organisation, name it clearly, and back it so
it can grow. Matt shows that the most valuable leaders often come from the places organisations aren’t looking. By the end, audiences have a clear framework they can apply immediately to their own teams and the conversation shifts: who in your organisation do you risk losing because you haven’t given them a Second Look?
Available as: 45-minute keynote and an optional 3-hour interactive workshop
Ideal for: Leadership Events and Leadership Groups
Most organisations say their people are their greatest asset. Then they go shopping for strangers. The new external hire becomes an internal announcement that says “We looked beyond you.” People stop offering ideas, then their engagement starts draining away. This is the cost of overlooking the leadership that’s already inside.
This keynote challenges organisations to see their existing people through a Second Look — to recognise the leadership they’ve already forged through real decisions, real pressure, real stakes. Matt shows how giving people this recognition transforms engagement, develops stronger internal leaders, and builds the kind of loyalty that external hires can’t buy. Teams leave understanding that the colleague they haven’t properly looked at yet might be the leader who keeps the organisation thriving.
Available as: 45-minute keynote and an optional 3-hour interactive workshop
Ideal for: Internal Company Conferences
Maybe it a map you can’t fully read, a team member you have not tested yet or a destination you’re not sure about – sound familiar? That’s the feeling every entrepreneur and founder has on day one. The difference is, most business leaders forget they’re on an adventure. The map gets buried under spreadsheets and the relentless noise of running a company.
Matt takes audiences on a quest to find Treasure Island. Identifying the map, choosing the crew, addressing a potential mutiny. Finally, you sight land and ask whether the treasure was what you thought it was. Every stage is brought to life through unconventional leadership lessons from building and selling two businesses and rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. But the power of this talk is that your audience starts mapping their own journey alongside it. They see where they have drifted, where the crew needs attention, and what the treasure actually looks like for them.
Available as: 45-minute keynote
Ideal Audiences: Entrepreneur and Business Founder Groups
Matt was so fun and easy to talk to in the lead up to the event and then captivating from the very start of his presentation, with everyone listening intently and completely engaged. He blew us all away with his recap of “The Toughest Row in the World”. It was inspiring to hear the highs, lows and lessons learnt from his challenging 49 day row across the Atlantic Ocean I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Matt if you are considering him to speak at your event
After listening to Matt speak at an event, I knew we wanted him to speak at our annual summer lunch. Delivered in his unique and engaging style, he hit the spot perfectly with our guests. We all felt like we were in the boat with him
