Jim Lawless is a pioneer in the fields of change and performance shift, acclaimed author and one of the world’s most significant motivational speakers. He has inspired and empowered over half a million people across five continents with his engaging talks on change and innovation. His ability to motivate people saw him ranked fourth in Global Gurus' top 30 motivational speakers in the world list in 2021. Jim's highly effective methodology, personality and presenting style differentiate him from the crowd. With the ability to connect to audiences of all sizes, Jim is able to offer a fascinating talk that will not only educate and inspire, but will keep the audience entertained from the very start.
Beginning his career as a Solicitor at King & Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin and Manches, Jim later moved on to become part of the Legal Counsel of ICL Fujistu. Leaving the legal world behind, Jim began his work as an international speaker, travelling the globe to motivate audiences on change and team performance as part of Taming Tigers Limited. Today, Jim is a professional and world-class keynote speaker, Jim wants to inspire and empower his audience to plan and commit to major, personal strategy-supporting changes. In 2017, Jim began sharing his expertise on AdaptAbility and AQ, diversifying his offerings as a keynote and motivational speaker.
Now, Jim is the Chief Executive Officer of SYMMETRY, a business consultant that are helping clients adjust to the future of work. Sitting at the helm of the firm, Jim is pioneering the future of the workplace, focusing on individual and team mindsets that will help people adjust to the constant rate of change in modern society. Revered by international clients, Jim has formerly worked with the likes of ITV, BP, Fiat, Virgin, Vitality, Xerox, Microsoft, Unilever and Apple. In 2024, he yet again ranked in Global Gurus' Top 30 Motivational Speakers in the World list along with personalities such as Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Karl Lillrud.
Author of "Taming Tigers: Do Things You Never Thought You Could", Jim delves into his own and others' experiences on the ground-breaking rules that he has developed in order to change a business or an individual's life around. These ten rules have been tried and tested by Jim himself, by becoming a Jockey in 12 months and taking the British freediving record, becoming the first Briton to dive deeper than 101m in a breath, and by others such as the CEO that turned the bank, Northern Rock, around. Furthermore, Jim was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts in recognition of his business writing.
Jim Lawless is now available to hire via Champions Speakers as an official speaker agent, and when hired as a speaker Jim focuses on topics such as taming tigers, the future of work, the future of transformation and the inspirational team leader. Leaving the audience with 'simple and sticky vocabulary', Jim uses compelling frameworks that have been tried and tested by hundreds of professionals across the country. Commended for his thought-provoking, informative and inspirational speeches, don't miss your opportunity to feel motivated by the incredible Jim Lawless.
In May 2023 we sat down virtually with Jim Lawless and discussed the inspiration behind his book and how to best change an organisations culture. Watch our Exclusive Interview with Jim Lawless.
Social Media
Books
Taming Tigers: Do Things You Never Thought You Could
Reviews
Jim Lawless received a 4.5 star rating across 20 events in 2023.
Agent Recommendation
"If you're looking for a motivational speaker who genuinely moves people to action, Jim Lawless is your guy. He's down-to-earth, funny, and incredibly relatable. Jim’s talks go beyond hype; he shares real strategies for overcoming fears and pushing boundaries. Audiences leave inspired, energized, and ready to take on big challenges."
How to hire Jim Lawless
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Jim Lawless 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.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Jim Lawless' official speaking topics are listed below:
Taming Tigers
An inspiring, motivating and life-changing series of stories, proven approaches to personal change and profoundly simple questions to each member of the audience. All delivered with infectious energy and humour. Audiences leave with a simple and sticky vocabulary ensuring the audience can remind colleagues of the experience during the challenges ahead. A compelling framework that has been personally tested in extreme change challenges by the man on stage and some of the world’s leading organisations.
The Future of Work
The Future of Transformation: Certain trends accelerated so clearly in the pandemic that we can begin to see clearly what the future looks like and the pace with which we are meeting it. Given the well-studied challenges that humans and their leaders encounter in adapting, and the proven ways of overcoming those challenges, the infrastructure, mindset and skills and leadership required to build the organisation of the future - today - become clear. And many organisations have already begun.
The Inspirational Team Leader
The Future of Work is a flat, fast and smart organism. Each cell needs the information, inspiration and skill to decide and respond locally - and the environment to support those decisions. That environment is, largely, the team. Today’s Team Leader has a more profound impact on the people they lead, their success and the success of the organisation than ever before. A new set of skills is required, the skill of inspiring adaptability, mixing empowerment with accountability and support and coaching peak performance.
The Inspire Course - Learn How to Inspire Your Team
The INSPIRE High Performance Coach course is designed for managers and team leaders of all nationalities, experience, and education levels. It teaches the mindset, skillset, and confidence to take ownership of their roles, lead with empathy and compassion, build psychological safety and inclusion.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Please can you pass on my thanks to Jim. His session was fantastic! His delivery and presentation style was excellent. The session was well received by the audience." - Sarah, Senior Event Manager, Flywire
"Thank you for being part of our GDTO Extended Leadership Exchange, we all very much enjoyed your contribution, insight and great company! Your session got a lot of positive reactions and now it is up to us to further reflect on the key takeaways and keep that Lion at bay. Thank you once again for making Tuesday's session a great success." - Pravina, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Swiss Re Management Ltd
"It exceeded my expectations in so many ways and I wanted to let you know that the unsolicited feedback from participants has been resoundingly positive. A standing ovation is not given lightly by our European Leadership Team – a true testament to the value you brought to our conference and I’m confident that we are ready as a team to both tame and unleash our inner tigers." - Sinead, HR Director Cereal & Marketing, Kellog's
"Jim spoke at our annual partner event. I was truly impressed with Jim‘s impact and style. His speech was motivational and inspirational in many ways. Our partners and employees commended us for having Jim share his thoughts and experience at our event." - Ali, Area Vice President, Microsoft Middle East & Africa
"Working with Jim proved to be challenging and a turning point for our Exec team. It allowed us to step back and examine how we were operating as a team and create a team agreement around how we would step up together." - Ursula, CEO, ATOS UK and Ireland
"Yes, Jim's session went down really well for our conference. We had it as the last session, and it really gave a boost to the final session and a good way to end the event. Many thanks" - Jenny, Events Manager, Education Software Solutions
"Thanks – Jim put on a great performance for us. We were all very impressed and left the meeting in high spirits." - Karcher
"I am being approached all the time with new ideas and challenges from those who heard you speak … I love it!" - Vodafone
“Captivating- Inspiring- Thought Provoking”- Deloitte
“Insightful, inspirational and impacting- even in virtual form. Thanks for being with us today. I look forward to our next encounter”- Franco, Organisation Development & HR Corinthia Hotels Limited
"Jim left the team feeling inspired and ready to face change head on. Many people have continued to talk about his powerful words and are even discussing the potential of purchasing his book for their teams to read together. He really resonated with the team as a whole and everything we are facing right now as an organization. He was the perfect ending to an amazing week!" - Valvoline
"Jim was fantastic! It was the perfect end to our week together as a team and Jim hit on all the key notes we discussed." - Valvoline
"Jim was brilliant yesterday – the audience was really engaged with his session, he made them laugh and had some great feedback." - Danielle, Senior Internal Communications Manager, Compare the Market
- 2024 - Keynote speaker for Alto Day Berlin
- 2024 - Invited to speak at the Jersey Business Productivity Conference
- 2024 - Ranked 18th on Global Gurus' Top 30 Motivational Speakers in the World
- 2021 - Ranked fourth in Global Gurus' Top 30 Motivational Speakers in the World, #1 Motivational Speaker Outside of the US
- 2020 - Founder & CEO, SYMMETRY
- 2013 - Chairman of the Board of Trustees for HEROS Charity
- 2008 - Author of "Taming Tigers: Do Things You Never Thought You Could"
- 1997 - Legal Counsel of ICL Fujistu
- 1995 - Solicitor for Manches
- 1992 - Solicitor for King & Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin
- Set the British Freediving record
- The first Brit to dive deeper than 101m on a breath
