Johnny Mercer Keynote Speaker

Minister for Veterans Affairs (2019 - 2021 and 2022 - 2024)
Best-Selling Author of "We Were Warriors"
Former Member of Parliament and Former Army Officer

Johnny Mercer's Biography

Former Member of Parliament, Veterans’ Minister, Afghanistan Veteran and best-selling author, Johnny Mercer left the UK Government in 2024. He is an expert keynote speaker on the themes of leadership, campaigning and modern politics.

Starting off his professional life Johnny served 13 years in the UK Commandos, serving from the tactical to the strategic level throughout a career across the globe, including multiple combat operations at the height of the Afghanistan conflict.

Unwilling to accept the UK’s treatment of his generation of Military Veterans, Johnny stood as a Member of Parliament in 2015, despite having never voted before. Working on building-sites he self-funded a campaign that saw him win his seat having been given a less than 1% chance by the bookies.

His maiden speech to the House of Commons was acclaimed around the world and marked the start of his Parliamentary career. He served on both the Defence and Health Select Committees, chairing inquiries into historical prosecutions of Servicemen and Women and the misuse of prescription drugs, before campaigning for and subsequently creating the UK’s first Office for Veterans Affairs under Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019.

Johnny was sacked from Government in April 2021 after refusing to pass legislation that did not protect Northern Ireland veterans from repeated and vexatious prosecutions from the Troubles. He has since campaigned for these Veterans both in London and Belfast. He was reappointed as Minister of State for Veteran’s Affairs, following the resignation of Boris Johnson and served in Cabinet until 2024.

In 2017, Johnny’s memoirs from his military career We Were Warriors went straight into the Sunday Times Bestseller list. “one of the best accounts of Afghanistan’s latest war. It is one of the great British accounts of close combat, matching Orwell in Catalonia and McDonald Fraser in Burma.” His new book, No Way to Run a Country: An Outsider’s Journey into the Heart of Our Broken Politics (2026), is a memoir of his nine years in Parliament, offering an insider’s account of government, political leadership, and his work on behalf of veterans.

Leadership Under Pressure: Lessons from the Military and Government

Veterans, Public Service and Building Lasting Change

Modern Politics: Leadership, Campaigning and Government from the Inside

Resilience, Courage and Leading Through Adversity

From the Battlefield to Westminster: Leadership, Service and Purpose

He has led at the highest levels of the military, politics and government, offering a rare perspective on leadership, public service and driving change in complex, high-pressure environments.
He translates lessons from frontline military operations and national policymaking into practical insights on resilience, leadership, purpose and delivering results against the odds.
He combines the experience of a Royal Marines Commando, government minister and campaigner, bringing audiences an authentic perspective on decision-making, courage and leadership under intense scrutiny.
He is widely recognised for his work championing veterans’ rights and establishing the UK’s first Office for Veterans’ Affairs, demonstrating how principled leadership can create lasting institutional change.
His keynotes help leaders navigate uncertainty, build trust, lead with conviction and understand the realities of leadership in both public service and high-performance organisations.