Who Are the Best Speakers for Corporate Events? These 4 Might Surprise You

Why booking an underrated speaker might be the best thing you do for your next event

A quick Google search for “best motivational speakers” or “top keynote speakers for events” will give you the usual suspects: Simon Sinek, Brené Brown, Malcolm Gladwell, Eric Thomas, Mel Robbins.

Now don’t get me wrong, those are great speakers. But when you book someone that everyone in the room already follows on LinkedIn and has watched on YouTube, you’re often buying familiarity, not transformation.

When it comes to planning a company offsite, leadership retreat, or team summit, one of the biggest decisions you’ll make is choosing the right keynote speaker, and a famous face does not equal results. In fact, I would argue the opposite.

Some of the most powerful keynotes I've ever seen come from speakers that most people haven’t heard of - YET!

Here’s why:

• They’re more relatable – no celebrity detachment

• They’re hungrier – delivering real impact, not just repeating their Netflix special

• They’re affordable enough to book without burning your entire event budget

• They tailor their talk to your audience, because they care

• And most importantly: they surprise people, and surprise is sticky.

So here are 4 of the best motivational speakers you probably haven’t heard of, but definitely should.

1. The Tempest Two

🔗 tempesttwo.com

Right, this is shameless bias, but hey its our blog.

James and I, as The Tempest Two, have spent the last 10 years helping companies like Google, Airbnb, Microsoft, and Bacardi build resilience, unlock bold thinking, and shift mindsets through the lens of real-life adventure.

We rowed across the Atlantic with zero experience.

Climbed El Capitan with no climbing background.

And now use those stories to deliver keynotes that help teams embrace discomfort, break limiting beliefs, and do hard things, together.

What we speak on:

• Doing Hard Things (and why that drives culture)

• Growth mindset and high-performance habits

• How to build resilient, mission-led teams

Perfect for:

Leadership offsites, sales kickoffs, culture resets, or any event where mindset and energy matter

2. Anne-Sophie Fluri

🔗 annesophiefluri.com

The neuroscientist who makes mindset science make sense.

We've worked with Anne-Sophie on numerous occasions, and every time her keynote delivers. She blends cognitive neuroscience with real-world performance, helping leaders and teams understand how their brains behave under pressure, how to build emotional resilience, and how to make better decisions faster.

She’s sharp, calm, and incredibly knowledgable, and is not afraid to call-out nonsense online from some of the 'gurus' in the space.

What she speaks on:

• Neuroscience for high-performing teams

• Mental wellbeing - debunking common myths

• Leading with focus, calm, and emotional intelligence

• How to build psychological safety in teams

Perfect for:

Executive retreats, wellbeing-themed events, future-focused leadership offsites

3. Scott Morrison — Founder of The Boom!

🔗 unleashtheboom.com

He’s like an energy drink for leadership culture!

Scott built The Boom! to help new and seasoned leaders create disproportionate impact, fast. He’s the guy companies call when they want to shake things up, get unstuck, and reignite bold thinking in teams.

With a background leading global brands like Levi’s and Saatchi & Saatchi, Scott speaks with clarity, candour, and a lot of energy. His talks are built around action, not theory, and audiences leave buzzing with ideas and urgency.

What he speaks on:

• Culture transformation through creativity

• Leading with velocity (and vision)

• Breaking down silos and building momentum

• Real leadership in a post-BS world

Perfect for:

Creative organisations, marketing teams, exec offsites, founder-led businesses, or anywhere “the old way” isn’t working

4. Henry Coutinho-Mason

🔗 henrycoutinho-mason.com

I came across Henry when he delivered a knock-out session at SXSW London which brought the audience into his talk. Henry is one of the most forward-thinking (and human-focused) futurists on the speaking circuit today. Formerly the Managing Director of trend intelligence firm TrendWatching, he’s delivered over 150 keynotes around the world, helping companies understand and prepare for what’s next.

Unlike most “future of work” speakers, Henry doesn’t just throw charts and buzzwords. He builds compelling stories about what’s coming, how to prepare, and how to keep humanity at the centre of it all. His interactive keynotes literally visualise audience ideas in real-time, and people love it.

What he speaks on:

• The future of work, AI, and human-led transformation

• Cross-industry innovation and trend foresight

• Building adaptability into leadership culture

• How to think ahead without losing your people

  
  

Perfect for:

Digital transformation events, innovation teams, tech leadership, and companies navigating disruption

Final thoughts: Known names don’t always land better

Booking a speaker like Simon Sinek or Malcolm Gladwell is a safe bet. But if you want to surprise your audience, spark real conversations, and leave lasting impact, you might be better off going with someone they haven’t seen on YouTube.

All four of the speakers above bring something unique:

• They speak from lived experience, not scripts

• They challenge assumptions, not just reinforce best practices

• They tailor their talks to the room, not their brand

• And they show up to genuinely move your people, not just do their 45 minutes and bounce

So next time you’re planning an event and googling “best motivational speakers,” we’d suggest digging a little deeper.

You might just find someone who changes everything.

TL;DR – 4 Speakers to Book for Maximum Impact

• The Tempest Two – Adventure-rooted mindset shifts for modern teams

• Anne-Sophie Fluri – Neuroscience, clarity, and high-performance resilience

• Scott Morrison – Culture change through creativity and bold leadership

• Henry Coutinho-Mason – Future trends and human-led AI transformation