Kevin Gaskell Keynote Speaker

World record holder for the fastest five man row across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Expert on leadership and building high performing companies
Managing Director (UK), BMW (1996-2000); CEO, EurotaxGlass (2001-07); Chairman, Achilles Limited (2011-15)

Kevin Gaskell's Biography

Kevin Gaskell ‘The Business Fixer’ Gaskell, serial entrepreneur, author and adventurer is recognised as one of the world’s foremost leadership experts, responsible for transforming three of the most iconic international brands – Porsche, BMW and Lamborghini.

A trailblazer in his approach, Kevin has enjoyed three decades of success as a business leader; founding startups, driving turnarounds, and leading major brands in a variety of sectors including technology, manufacturing and professional services. He has repeatedly led teams of varying size to extraordinary performance, creating over £3 billion in shareholder value and winning global and national awards.

A leading technology entrepreneur and investor, Kevin is also chairman at ITS Technology Group, director of Radical Sportscars Ltd, founder and chairman at iCaaS and executive chairman of Amber health & safety technology.

In addition to his business achievements, Kevin has played international cricket, climbed some of the world’s highest mountains and walked to both geographic Poles. In 2020, he was a member of the crew that set a world record for the fastest row across the Atlantic. In 2025, he successfully completed a world record row across the Pacific Ocean with the Ocean5 crew, rowing approximately 2,800 nautical miles from California to Hawaii in just over 32 days and becoming the oldest person to row the Pacific. The expedition raised funds for the Lewis Moody Foundation to support brain tumour research.

Building a world class company

Drawing on my extensive experience as a business leader in good and bad times, I look at the significance of a clear vision, robust strategy and effective execution in this talk, along with the importance of aligning goals, building trust, and empowering individuals, to help transform and build world-class companies. Whether you need to build or reenergise an organisation, I will provide the approach and the tools.

Take advantage of disruption and turbulence

Overcoming a fear of disruption and change allows leaders to recognise opportunities, set goals and dare to dream. This speech highlights the significance of embracing turbulence as a lever for growth, shares the tools and processes used to inspire and motivate teams, instil a sense of purpose, and generate positive excitement in the face of uncertainty.

Be a successful post pandemic leader

The business world continues to grapple with the aftermath of the pandemic and ongoing turbulence. Consequently, leadership styles and processes have been forced to adapt to a more a trust-based approach, where employees feel valued and supported. I demonstrate how to adapt to post-pandemic operational and logistical challenges and inspire leaders to embrace this new reality.

Digital transformation

To successfully navigate the ever-changing digital era, companies and employees need to be on guard and agile. This talk explores the importance of a clear vision for a companies’ digital journey, and the alignment of team activities in driving successful digital transformation initiatives.

He has led and transformed some of the world’s most iconic brands including Porsche, BMW and Lamborghini, delivering sustained growth and creating more than £3 billion in shareholder value.
He has set world records rowing both the Atlantic and the Pacific, turning extreme endurance, teamwork and risk management into practical lessons for leaders operating under pressure.
He applies three decades of experience founding startups, driving complex turnarounds and leading multinational organisations to provide clear, practical frameworks that help leaders unlock high performance and profitable growth.
He draws on his work as a technology entrepreneur, investor and chairman across multiple sectors to equip boards and executive teams with the mindset and discipline required to scale, innovate and compete.
He combines boardroom credibility with the resilience forged through world record expeditions, inspiring audiences to embrace accountability, build winning teams and deliver extraordinary results under pressure.

Videos of Kevin Gaskell

Kevin Gaskell Showreel

Business Transformation

Special Leadership

Focus on People

Books by Kevin Gaskell

Inspired Leadership

Catching Giants

Comments & Testimonials

"Thank you for the inspirational speech you delivered to open our Google Think event last week. Your on-stage presence and natural charisma shone through. This coupled with the strength of your content and the clarity of your messages raised the quality of our event from the outset. You injected gravitas, humour and credibility. You played a key role in opening the minds of the audience and getting them to 'Think'! The overall success of the day was in no small part thanks to you. I hope that you would consider speaking again on our behalf at a future opportunity."

Richard Trinder Director, Google UK

Kevin injected gravitas, humour and credibility. He played a key role in opening the minds of the audience and getting them to ‘Think’!

Richard Trinder Director, Google UK

"Inspirational is an understatement. Two weeks after Kevin addressed the delegates I was still getting rave reviews. Kevin stirred an audience of business leaders by his ability to articulate his experience and relate it back to his interpretation of business strategy. His unique and professional yet seemingly unintended style is most refreshing. I asked him to spend time with my team and to demonstrate how to achieve practical success."

Robyn Christie CEO, ASATA

"Kevin's dynamism and passion infected the whole audience with energy and enthusiasm. His presentation was totally authentic allowing our selected high potential team to really see and feel what it means to be a visionary, inspiring leader. He met the brief exactly and included all of the key aspects we discussed with him in advance. He illustrated his speech with many practical examples of inclusive leadership and team building in action and used perceptive and inspiring stories, and humour, to make it easy for our multinational team to understand the messages he wanted to pass."

Kathrin Dahm EADS Engagement Programme Manager