Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis are the co-founders of Amazing If, an organisation built on their co-creation of the Squiggly Careers concept, a non-linear professional pathway which champions learning, skill development and personal fulfilment over simply achieving higher job titles.
Before founding Amazing If, Helen and Sarah both excelled in senior positions at global brands. Helen served in significant roles such as Global Head of Customer Experience and Thought Leadership at BP, going on to work at Virgin as the Head of Virgin Insight, exiting the company as the Head of Marketing for Virgin Red, before taking on the role of Commercial Marketing Director at Microsoft. Sarah has also held important roles like Senior Marketing Communications Manager at Barclays, Head of Marketing Strategy at Sainsbury's, and Managing Director of Gravity Road. In 2013, the pair co-founded Amazing If, an influential career progression company dedicated to supporting and educating individuals with the necessary skills to thrive in a squiggly career. Since the establishment of Amazing If, Helen has served as CEO, sat on the Board of Trustees for Working Families, become an angel investor for NoBa Capita, and is currently a Member of the Board of Trustees at the Chartered Management Institute. Both are RSA Fellows, with Sarah going on to join the Markers Advisory Board.
As leading voices in career, learning, culture and development, Helen and Sarah have published three Sunday Times best-selling books, ‘The Squiggly Career’, ‘You Coach You’, and ‘Learn Like a Lobster’. They are also regular contributors to the Harvard Business Review and have been featured across a multitude of media, from the BBC, Jeremy Vine, Women’s Hour, Virgin Radio, The Stylist, and The Guardian. Adding to their authority in the learning and development space, Helen is an alumna of the EY Winning Women programme, and Sarah was named in Management Today’s inaugural Women in Leadership Power list. Their podcast, ‘Squiggly Careers’, has over 5 million downloads and has featured other high-profile thought leaders like Steven Bartlett, Amy Edmonson, and Bruce Daisley.
Trusted by numerous global brands, such as Microsoft, Google, the BBC, Lego, Screwfix, Visa and more, Helen and Sarah bring invaluable advice on helping organisations build habits and cultures necessary for thriving in the ever-changing landscape of modern working life. Their TEDx talk, 'The Best Career Path Isn't Always a Straight Line', dives into their concept of a squiggly career and has reached hundreds of thousands of viewers, further spreading their expertise. Combining strategic insight with charisma, practicality, and unique perspectives, Helen and Sarah deliver unforgettable sessions that leave audiences excited to implement their actionable frameworks into their daily lives.
Social Media
Books
Learn Like a Lobster
You Coach You: How to Overcome Challenges and Take Control of Your Career
The Squiggly Career: Ditch the Ladder, Discover Opportunity, Design Your Career
Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis' official speaking topics are listed below:
The Five Skills You Need to Succeed in a Squiggly Career
Career ladders are out. Squiggly careers are the future of work. Drawing on our research and work with organisations including Google, Sky and Visa, we’ll share the five essential skills everyone needs to navigate uncertainty, back themselves and build a career they're proud of.
How to Use AI as a Tool for Career Development
AI isn't coming for your career, but knowing how to use it might define it. This talk helps people move beyond the hype and think practically about how AI can support their learning, development and career decision-making in ways that feel human, not threatening.
Why We All Need to Learn Like a Lobster
Inspired by our latest book, Learn Like a Lobster, we make the case for making learning a daily habit. This talk is full of practical tools for building more learning moments into your working week without it taking more time or effort than you already have.
How to Be a Brilliant Manager in a World That Keeps Changing
Managing people has never been harder or more important. Helen and Sarah share what great management looks like today, giving people managers practical tools to have better conversations, support career development, and bring out the best in their teams.
Learning in the Age of AI
The arrival of AI hasn't made learning less important; it's made it more urgent. This talk explores what learning in an AI-powered workplace actually looks like in practice, and how individuals and organisations can use it as an opportunity to grow rather than a threat to manage.
Learning Through Ambiguity
The most important career skill as the future of work grows more complex and unpredictable isn't knowing the answers, it's being able to learn well when nobody does. We explore how to reframe uncertainty as a learning opportunity, giving audiences the mindset and methods to stay curious, adaptable and effective even in the most ambiguous environments
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
"I really enjoyed this session - I can imagine how hard it is to land on a keynote that works for all levels and teams, but this genuinely felt like a great fit. It didn’t try and cram in too much; instead, it focused on rethinking the basics and sharing insights you can actually apply in your day-to-day, which I really appreciated. Also loved the ‘learn like a lobster’ analogy - that one will definitely stick with me.” - Trainline
“Thank you so much for your insightful and engaging session that you gave at NatWest Group this morning. It was honestly one of the best digital learning workshops I’ve been to in a long time… from the presentation format (I loved the live slide builds), interactivity via questions and the mind map to the content/topic itself; and of course not forgetting your delivery. I’ve come away with lots of actionable insights to take into my day to day.” - NatWest Group
“I’ve attended countless presentations over the years, but I’ve rarely seen someone communicate with this level of clarity, presence, and purpose. The message was captivating, the delivery flawless, and the blend of enthusiasm, precision, and authenticity was something I’ve never experienced in person before. If you ever have the chance to bring Helen in to speak to your organisation, take it! One hour completely rewired how I think about learning.” - Microsoft
- 2026 – Featured in Inc. Magazine
- 2026 – Published Learn Like a Lobster
- 2025 – Helen became a Member of the Board of Trustees, Chartered Management Institute
- 2025 – Helen became an Angel Investor for NoBa Capital
- 2024 – Sarah joined the Makers Advisory Board
- 2022 – Published You Coach You
- 2021 – Sarah and Helen became Harvard Business Review Contributors
- 2020 – Published The Squiggly Career
- 2019 – Sarah and Helen became RSA Fellows
- 2019 – Helen served as a Board Trustee for Working Families
- 2018 – Sarah became Managing Director of Gravity Road
- 2017 - Helen was the Commercial Marketing Director, Microsoft
- 2016 – Sarah served as Head of Marketing Strategy, Sainsburys
- 2016 – Helen was an Evangelism Marketing Director, Microsoft
- 2014 – Helen acted as the Head of Marketing for Virgin Red
- 2013 – Helen was the Head of Virgin Insight, Virgin
- 2013 – Helen and Sarah co-founded Amazing If
- 2013 – Sarah was Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Society, Sainsburys
- 2013 – Sarah was Head of PR, Sainsburys
- 2011 - Sarah joined Sainsbury's as Head of Content
- 2011 – Helen served as the Global Head of Customer Experience and Thought Leadership, BP
- 2009 – Sarah was Senior Marketing Communications Manager, Barclays
- 2009 – Helen was the Innovation Venture Manager at E.ON UK
- 2008 – Sarah was the Senior Global Customer Propositions Manager, Barclays
- 2007 – Helen served as a Senior Marketing Project Manager for Capital One
- 2006 – Sarah was the Business Development Manager of Partnership and Innovation at Barclaycard
- 2006 – Helen worked as a Customer Business Development Manager, Procter & Gamble
- 2004 – Sarah served as Proposition Development Manager, GlaxoSmithKline
- 2004 – Helen was a Business Development Manager at Britvic Soft Drinks
- 2002 – Sarah served in the Business Management Leadership Scheme, Boots
How to hire Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
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