Speaker

2026 - What happens when you put people first?

Sir John Timpson CBE is one of Britain’s most respected business leaders and one of the great valued-led entrepreneurs. As Chairman and owner of the Timpson Group, Sir John has spent over six decades transforming a family shoe repair business into a thriving national service retailer with thousands of shops across the UK and Ireland.

Renowned for his unconventional and deeply human approach to management, Sir John’s philosophy centres on trust, empowerment and people-first leadership. He famously removed traditional hierarchies within Timpson, empowering front-line colleagues to make decisions and deliver exceptional customer service — a radical “upside-down” model that has become a benchmark for modern leadership.