Paul Hargreaves

Leading voice that encourages & inspires businesses to be forces for good, p...

Speaker fees:

In-person: £3k-£5k
Virtual: £3k-£5k

Topics:

Growth Mindset
2
Environmental & Sustainability
2
Leadership
2
Entreapenuer

Paul Hargreaves has been one of the leading voices for many years encouraging and inspiring businesses to be forces for good putting people and planet before profits.

For years, Paul Hargreaves has been a leading advocate for businesses that prioritise people and the planet over profits. Through his compassionate leadership of two award-winning ventures—Cotswold Fayre, a pioneering B Corp food wholesaler, and Flourish, a vibrant retail and restaurant business in the South West—Paul inspires others to embrace a purpose-driven approach.

Starting Cotswold Fayre from his home in inner-city London 25 years ago, Paul combined his entrepreneurial spirit with a commitment to community engagement, transforming the company into the UK’s leading speciality food wholesaler. In 2021, he launched Flourish, a 9,000 sq. ft. food hall and lifestyle store, further embodying his values and dedication to social and environmental sustainability.

As a founding B Corp, Paul’s success stems from fostering a workplace that prioritises well-being and drives positive change. Since 2018, he has shared his journey with thousands of business leaders across the UK and Europe, encouraging them to infuse compassion and heart into their work. His message is clear: businesses can thrive while doing good, benefiting not just profits but also society and the environment.

Paul is also a published author, with his first book, Forces for Good (2019), detailing the evolution of ethical businesses, and his second, The Fourth Bottom Line (2021), focusing on the traits of compassionate leadership.

Why Book Paul?
Unlike many speakers who have moved on from the business world, Paul is actively engaged in transforming his companies. His talks are rich with personal stories that resonate deeply, inspiring audiences to take meaningful action. Paul speaks to both the heart and the mind, often evoking strong emotions, and leaving audiences motivated to create real change.

Book Paul Hargreaves

Featured topics include

In this keynote Paul will tell you are series of stories. Stories, from his own business and others across the UK, that will demonstrate to you how prioritising positive social and environmental impact can deliver faster growth and higher profitability, when compared to those that focus purely on profit.

In other words, “put down the spreadsheets and give me a hug.” Paul will show how today’s successful leaders are learning to lead with love and compassion and sometimes tears. Your people will hear how vulnerability in leadership creates more empowered people and better organisations and companies. Your delegates will go away inspired and energised to lead with compassion.

Business for too long has treated people and planet as resources to be extracted from to fuel growth, but there is a better way. Paul will inspire your people and those at your events to act with extraordinary generosity and focus on being extravagantly generous to their workers, communities, and the environment. He will help those attending to change their mindset to one of abundance from scarcity.

For far too long masculine qualities have been seen as better for leadership roles. And look where that has taken us! A planet that is degrading and more social inequality than at any other time in history. Through his own journey from an overly masculine leadership to a more balanced one embracing femininity, Paul will show you how to lead with more femininity – and that applies to all genders.

Despite being digitally connected more than ever; we live in an increasingly disconnected world. As a community mammal we are ‘designed’ to connect to each other and to nature and ourselves. Paul will show you how to work on these three connections and help them improve their mental health, their fulfilment, happiness, and their success.

Starting with how business has had a negative impact on our world over the past 200 years, Paul will tell your group through stories how his discovery of B Corp has transformed his businesses to greater success, award-winning impact, and greater personal happiness. The five breakout sessions during the workshop will help your group think about what changes they can implement in their own businesses and leadership. Paul often receives feedback after these workshops telling of the changes the leaders have made to their organisations.

What people say

A truly heartwarming story on your passion for placing people, planet and purpose at the core of your business, it certainly left a lasting impact on me and everyone fortunate enough to listen. Your narrative was not just a story; it was a powerful reminder of the transformative potential when business is driven by a genuine commitment to positive impact.

Emma-Jane Kerr – at CISI Annual Conference

Just wanted to reach out personally and on behalf of the team and say thank you for speaking at Elite Business Live. The audience were really engaged, and the content and delivery were fantastic.

Scott English – Elite Business Live

Similar speakers