Speaker fees:
Topics:
Alex Atherton is an award-winning speaker, Gen Z expert, experienced educator and leadership coach.
He worked in education for 25 years, mostly as a secondary school headteacher in large inner-London comprehensives.
He is the ex-headteacher who heard the word ‘snowflake’ once too often to describe his former students. His book, The Snowflake Myth: Explaining Gen Z in the workplace and beyond, was published in 2025.
Alex spent over a decade immersed in the mindset of this misunderstood generation, getting to the core of what makes them tick.
He blends his experiences, research and a hefty dose of reality to shatter the myths around Gen Z. He equips leaders and managers with proven strategies to overcome generational divides and effectively recruit, develop and retain top young talent.
As an award winner speaker, most recently winning the 2025 Speaker Awards, Alex specialises in working with senior leaders, supporting them to think big, shatter glass ceilings, achieve beyond their wildest expectations and work together with impact they did not think possible.
A talk about the key characteristics of Gen Z and the solutions organisations can use to recruit, retain, motivate and engage the youngest generation in the workplace. It works best with senior leaders and HR specialists who are in a position to make decisions. In short, I’m a former secondary school headteacher who heard the word ‘snowflake’ one time too many!
In today’s rapidly evolving job market, attracting and keeping top talent from Generation Z has become a critical challenge for organisations across all industries and the future of work in general.
Gen Z is the most significant generational shift so far. Many organisations are struggling to recruit and retain the best of this generation. Traditional methods of recruitment no longer work, and problems with retention are more acute than ever.
Senior leaders, including those in Human Resources and Learning and Development, often find themselves behind in the race to secure the services of the best young staff.
For those they do recruit, a generational disconnect can open up as motivation and engagement become issues which hold organisations back. This has a further impact on succession planning.
This talk identifies their key characteristics and the solutions organisations can use to recruit and retain the best of this generation in any industry.
In this talk I focus on the increasingly intergenerational workplace. As retirement ages go up, and apprenticeships become increasingly popular, an age range of over half a century within a workplace is now the norm. I look at how age and generation gaps can be the elephant in the room in any organisation and how these issues can be overcome. It works best with senior leaders and HR specialists.
Alex was fantastic – he helped us understand what tangible steps we can take to be a great
employer for Gen Z. His passion also really shone through which made him a very engaging
speaker.
Invaluable insights, an excellent opportunity for our attendees to learn about Gen Z and Gen Alpha. A great contribution to the success of the conference!
