Alastair Campbell is a writer, communicator and strategist best known for his role as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy. He became Editor at Large of The New European in 2019 and continues as a consultant strategist and Ambassador for Time to Change.
[show_more more=”Read more” less=”Read less” align=”left” color=”#003f5e”]
Alastair Campbell read modern languages at Cambridge. By the age of 29 he had moved a long way from his roots as the son of a Pennine vet to become the news editor of a newspaper called Sunday Today. He went on to became political editor of the Daily Mirror. During this time, he was also one of then Labour leader Neil Kinnock’s closest advisers. It was from that post which Alastair Campbell resigned to become spokesman for Tony Blair, then leader of the opposition. After the 1997 election he became the Prime Minister’s Chief Press Secretary and Official Spokesman, which entailed the co-ordination of Government communications and twice daily briefings of the press. He did this job for Labour’s first term but after helping Mr Blair win a second landslide election victory, he became Director of Communications and Strategy
His main hobbies are running, cycling, bagpipes and following Burnley FC. He took up running at the instigation of his sons and he has since run the London Marathon, the Great North Run, and the Great Ethiopian Run, and completed several full triathlons, all for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research Fund, his best friend having been killed by leukaemia. He is the charity¹s chairman of fundraising, currently focused on seeking fifty donations of 50,000 pounds for the charity’s fiftieth anniversary. He returned to the Labour Party for six months prior to the 2005 general election and continued to advise the party informally under Gordon Brown, including during the 2010 campaign, in which he ‘played’ David Cameron in rehearsals for the historic TV debates. He has been one of the most in-demand speakers at fundraising and motivational events and was a founder of the Go Fourth campaign aimed at focusing Party activists and the public on the need to understand the real choices facing Britain. Together with former sports minister Richard Caborn, he pulled together two of the most successful fundraising dinners in Labour¹s history, both on the theme of sport at Wembley stadium.
Passionate about sport, he was written about different sports for The Times, the Irish Times and Esquire magazine. He was communications adviser to the British and Irish Lions rugby tour of New Zealand in 2005. He has raised funds for Burnley FC, a team he has supported since the age of four. His charity projects have involved him playing football with both Diego Maradona and Pele and appearing in a one- off version of the popular TV programme, The Apprentice. He has also appeared as a mentor in the BBC Two series, The Speaker, advising on persuasive speaking. Other TV appearances include BBC One’s Question Time, C4’s Jamie’s Dream School, BBC’s Top Gear and a Panorama documentary
His publications include, The Blair Years (an instant Sunday Times Number 1 bestseller), also Prelude to Power, Power & the People, Power & Responsibility, the Happy Depressive and Winners and How They Succeed. He has also written two novels, All in the Mind and Maya. In 2019 Alastair launched a joint podcast with his daughter Grace which went into iTunes top ten with their first interview.
Alastair Campbell is a highly sought after speaker at conferences and events around the world, specialising in strategic communications, leadership and change.
“He set out to carefully tailor his insights to a largely creative audience, and his anecdotes were told with the ease of a master storyteller.” Charlie Mawer, Executive Creative Director, Red Bee Media
“Controversial, thought-provoking and highly entertaining, Alastair gave a refreshingly candid insight into past and present political leaders and events that captivated our guests” Ernst & Young
“This forthright journalist, broadcaster and author has provided my clients with fascinating, entertaining and memorable insights into the world of politics and journalism at the very highest level” Paul Smith, Managing Director, Paul Smith Associates
“Alastair was spot on” Chartered Institute of Housing
[/show_more]
James Kerr- Bestselling Author and High Performance Expert
James Kerr, the author of global best-seller Legacy, reveals the simple secrets of success behind some of the world’s elite business, 
sports and military organisations. He explores what drives the best teams to extraordinary results; a relentless focus on excellence, a collective commitment to an ‘uncommon cause’, a high degree of autonomy, trust and individual initiative, clear, candid and compelling communication, an emphasis on individual accountability, integrity and genuine humility, underpinned by a climate in which ‘leaders create leaders’.
[show_more more=”Read more” less=”Read less” align=”left” color=”#003f5e”]
James Kerr is a superb presenter and a natural storyteller who speaks on a mixture of topics including sports psychology, leadership practice and organisational science, with a compelling narrative. Kerr is the author behind the global best-seller Legacy, revealing the simple secrets of success behind some of the world’s elite business, sports and military organisations. In Legacy, Kerr unpicks the secrets of the world’s most successful sporting team, the All Blacks. The book has been described as ‘seminal’ by the Independent newspaper and ‘unputdownable’ by Bloomberg. The Daily Telegraph newspaper called it the ‘modern version of Vince Lombardi’s guides to coaching’ and says ‘for those searching for genuine keys to team culture, it is manna from heaven.
Through his background in psychology, Kerr explores the driving forces behind best teams to extraordinary results including a focus on excellence, a collective commitment, a high degree of autonomy, trust and individual initiative, compelling communication, individual accountability, integrity and humility, all underpinned by a climate in which ‘leaders create leaders’. There is an impressive list of teams and corporations that have sought Kerr’s expertise including, US and UK Special Forces, Formula 1 teams, America’s Cup crews, Premier League football managers, Olympic Performance Directors, Google, PayPal, Dyson, Red Bull, Shell and Boeing.
As well as small, elite teams, Kerr addresses the specific challenges faced by larger, more diverse organisations today: including the impact that female leaders can have in previously male dominated environments, the challenges of engaging millennials, the shift from a transactional towards a transformative leadership style, personal leadership, ethics and integrity, marginal gains and incrementalimprovement, values and vision-setting, and resilience in adversity. [/show_more]
