Allan Leighton

Allan Leighton has forged a distinguished career as a businessman, having worked for some of the biggest brands worldwide – including Asda, Mars, the Royal Mail and Pedigree Petfoods. Renowned for his innate ability to turn around the fortunes of companies, Allan is now highly sought after to share his successful career journey, as a business keynote speaker. Focussing on everything from the future of work to business transformation and growth, tap into Allan Leighton’s 40+ years of experience in the ever-changing business landscape at your next event!

Back in the 1970s, Allan’s now illustrious career began as a Cashier at Lloyds Bank, before promptly becoming a Salesman for Mars UK in 1974. Honing his knowledge of consumer behaviour and sales, Allan’s career flourished with Mars, appointed as the General Sales Manager of the UK Grocery Division and the Managing Director of Ireland and Portugal for Mars. Owing a great deal of his business and management expertise to Mars, Allan left Mars as the Marketing & Sales Director for Pedigree Petfoods to become the Marketing Director of Asda. At Asda, Allan’s career took on new heights, highly commended for increasing the company value from £500 million to multi-billions. Following a highly successful tenure at Asda, Allan’s next acclaimed role saw him work as the longest-serving Chairman of the Royal Mail, a job he was highly committed to between 2002 and 2008.

In addition to his success with the likes of Asda, Royal Mail and Mars, Allan has also worked in a variety of non-executive roles. He has formerly shared his expertise as the Non-Executive Chairman of Lastminute.com and BrewDog, the Non-Executive Director of BskyB, the Non-Executive Advisor of Dyson and a Non-Executive of Wilson Connolly and Scottish Power. His expertise has also extended to roles such as Chief Executive of Pandora, the Group Chairman of Pizza Express, Deputy Chairman of Leeds United Football Club and Chairman of The Co-Operative Group, Pace Plc, Cannons Health Clubs, Business in the Community and Simba Sleep. Such dedication to business management has seen Allan receive countless accolades, including an Honorary Degree from Cranfield University and an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Central Lancashire. When he is not committing his time to business advisory, Allan can be found passionately supporting the Breast Cancer Care charity, on his mission to raise £1 million for the charity – such as when he completed the London Marathon.

A revered businessman, who has also shared his story in the books On Leadership and Tough Calls, Allan Leighton is now a highly popular choice as a business speaker – hired to share how he spearheaded the transformation of countless leading brands. From Asda to Mars, Pandora to The Co-Operative Group, Allan is commended for his simplistic yet effective management style, educating audiences on consumer behaviours and tips for business transformation. Champions Speakers is proud to be an official speaker representative for Allan Leighton, who is hired to share his successes as a transformative business keynote speaker. To gain valuable insights on business transformation from an individual who has been instrumental in the success of brands such as Asda, the Royal Mail and The Co-Operative Group, hire Allan Leighton today!