Champions Speakers

What Champions Speakers does

Champions Speakers (legal entity: Champions After Dinner Speakers Agency) is a UK-headquartered speaker bureau and entertainment agency that intermediates bookings between corporate clients and a curated roster of keynote speakers, motivational speakers, after dinner speakers, awards hosts, and corporate entertainment acts. The company was founded circa 2004 by the Hayes family as a two-person operation and has grown to a team of 100+ agents and support staff, organised around offices in Costock (Loughborough), London Mayfair, Dubai, Beijing, and New York. Its core "product" is access to a proprietary database of 8,000+ speakers spanning sport, business, technology, diversity and inclusion, entertainment, and TV/celebrity categories, matched to client event briefs through 100+ in-house booking agents.

The business model is a classic agency intermediation model: revenue is earned via transaction fees/commissions on each speaker booking, with pricing handled via bespoke quotations rather than published rate cards. Go-to-market is sales-led, with direct enquiry via phone (0207 1010 553), online contact forms, and an SEO-driven content website covering ~80+ topic verticals. The company has no disclosed proprietary software platform, no API, no patents, and no app; its competitive differentiation rests on curation depth (8,000+ roster), 22-year operating history, agent expertise, brand reputation (ranked UK's No.1 keynote speakers agency in 2024, consecutive Booking Agency of the Year 2025 and 2026), and the institutional status conferred by being a founding member of the European Association of Speakers Bureaux (EASB) since 2013.

Customer mix is dominated by enterprise and government accounts across financial services (J.P. Morgan, HSBC, Credit Suisse, American Express, Aviva), technology (IBM, Apple, Google, Snapchat), professional services (KPMG, Deloitte), energy (Shell, BP), aerospace and defence (British Airways, Rolls-Royce, Ministry of Defence), and healthcare/retail (NHS, Coca Cola, Hugo Boss, ITV). The company has served 1,400+ corporate clients and 5,000+ events annually across 66 countries. Ownership remains entirely with the Hayes family — Jack Hayes (Director, appointed 2012) and Sophia Hayes (Director of Sales) — with no external funding rounds, debt issuance, or institutional investors disclosed.

Name

Champions Speakers

Legal name

Champions After Dinner Speakers Agency

Website

https://champions-speakers.co.uk/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Champions Speakers is a UK-based, family-owned speaker bureau and entertainment agency that intermediates bookings between corporate and government clients and its 8,000+ speaker roster, arranging 5,000+ events annually across 66 countries with a 100+ agent team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Speaker Bureau and Event Entertainment Booking Services

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Entertainment Booking & Speaker/Talent Management (HSACAAAI)

Keywords

• Keynote speaker bureau
• Speaker booking agency
• Corporate entertainment booking
• After dinner speakers
• Motivational speaker agency

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Speaker Booking Agency Fees: Champions Speakers acts as a booking agency connecting clients with keynote speakers, motivational speakers, after dinner speakers, awards hosts, and corporate entertainment acts. Revenue is generated through commission or agency fees from speaker bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Champions Speakers is a global speaker bureau and entertainment agency that books keynote speakers, motivational speakers, after dinner speakers, awards hosts, and corporate entertainment acts for client events. The company matches corporate and government clients with talent drawn from a database of 8,000+ speakers, organising over 5,000 events annually across 66 countries and earning revenue through booking agency fees. Service is delivered by a team of 100+ agents handling enquiries directly via phone and online contact forms.

Product overview

Champions Speakers is a global keynote speaker agency operating as a family-run business founded over 22 years ago. The company offers a portfolio of speaker and entertainment services including Keynote Speakers (their flagship offering for corporate conferences), After Dinner Speakers for entertainment-focused events, Awards Hosts & Entertainment for ceremony hosting, Virtual & Online Speakers for remote events, Training & Workshop Speakers for corporate development programmes, and Corporate Entertainment acts. The company manages access to an unrivalled database of 8,000 speakers across 66 countries, serving over 5,000 events annually. They operate as a booking agency matching clients with speakers rather than a software platform, with their 'product' being the speakers and event services they represent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Keynote Speakers Premium motivational, inspirational, and subject-matter-expert speakers booked for corporate conferences, leadership events, and presentations across topics including leadership, technology, sports, and motivation. This is the agency's flagship offering, drawing on its database of 8,000+ speakers.
• After Dinner Speakers Entertainment-focused speakers booked for after-dinner events, typically featuring celebrities, sports stars, and notable personalities who deliver engaging stories and humorous content for corporate and association audiences.
• Awards Hosts and Event Entertainment Professional hosts, MCs, and entertainers booked for corporate awards ceremonies and events, including celebrity event hosts, comedians, magicians, and music acts.
• Virtual and Online Speakers Speakers available for virtual events, webinars, and online presentations, enabling remote engagement for corporate events and conferences.
• Training and Workshop Speakers Expert speakers booked for corporate training programmes and workshops focusing on leadership development, team building, resilience, and performance improvement.
• Corporate Entertainment Entertainment acts booked for corporate events, parties, and celebrations, including comedians, magicians, music acts, and unique performers beyond traditional speaker formats.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5000+ events organised annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• European Association of Speakers Bureaux (EASB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Jack Hayes became a founding member of the European Association of Speakers Bureaux (EASB) in 2013, collaborating with other speaker agencies to create a code of ethics and regulations for the industry.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leading Authorities: US-based full-service speaker bureau representing business, political, technology and motivational speakers. Closest US analogue to Champions in business model, with comparable blue-chip corporate and association client mix.
• Speakers Corner: UK-based speaker bureau covering business, motivational, after-dinner and entertainment acts. Direct competitor in the UK market with overlapping product categories and customer profiles.
• Ovations International Speakers Bureau: International speaker bureau with offices in the US, UK and Asia, representing business, motivational, and celebrity speakers. Closest global-footprint peer, sharing Champions' multi-region office strategy.
• BigSpeak Speakers Bureau: US-based speakers bureau covering keynotes, motivational, business and entertainment speakers. Operates an online catalogue plus agent-led booking model directly analogous to Champions' GTM motion.
• Harry Walker Agency: Premium US speaker bureau representing presidents, Nobel laureates, business leaders and celebrities. Closest premium-end peer to Champions' high-profile keynote business and shares the same corporate-event-driven transaction model.
• Washington Speakers Bureau: Long-established US speaker bureau focused on political, policy, business, and media personalities. Comparable to Champions in acting as intermediary between high-profile talent and corporate/government event buyers.
• The London Speaker Bureau: UK-based international speaker bureau serving corporate, government and association clients. Directly overlaps with Champions in London-headquartered, blue-chip-driven keynote and entertainment bookings.
• JLA (Jeremy Lee Associates): One of the UK's largest dedicated speaker and entertainment bureaus, headquartered in the UK. Direct competitor to Champions across keynote, after-dinner, awards hosts and corporate entertainment bookings, with a similarly blue-chip client base.

Regional players

• Saxton Speakers Bureau: Australia-based speaker and MC bureau with international reach. Comparable business model and category mix (keynote, after-dinner, hosts), but primarily serves APAC rather than competing directly in Champions' core UK market.

Broad incumbents

• CAA Speakers (Creative Artists Agency): Speaking division of major global talent agency CAA, representing high-profile celebrity and business speakers. Broader incumbent competitor with much wider portfolio; competes for the same premium keynote engagements Champions books.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBiLmpWk-iKUJQDROUfFZ2Q
• Xx.com/ChampSpeakers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Champions Speakers