John Simonett is a leading after-dinner speaker who has experience in a variety of event roles. From conference speaking to after-dinner and event hosting, John is able to share his stories of time as a Premiership Rugby player and a former teacher. When booked as a speaker, John is known to cover a variety of topics including the likes of psychology, creativity, innovation, lateral thinking and problem-solving.
Formerly a rugby player, John is best known for playing Premiership Rugby for Gloucester and Anglo Scots. A talented player, John was also the Captain of the Scotland Under-19 team and was fortunate to experience the reward of captaining the Scottish team when they became victorious over England with a 17-0 win. John has also formerly been a schoolmaster, teaching with Voluntary Services Overseas located in schools in Botswana. After retiring from rugby and education, John has followed opportunities as a professional speaker and become an Honorary Fellow of the UK Professional Speaking Association.
A highly educated individual, John studied at Bristol University and graduated with a B.Ed in Psychology. Such education allowed him to go on to teach, and he also enjoyed his successful rugby career alongside his teaching. As a rugby player, John was a pivotal member of the Gloucester team and helped to achieve significant victories such as winning the John Player Cup. John has also enjoyed the time as a member of the CIPD and is a Gold Star Member of the Inner Magic Circle.
With a diverse career behind him, John is now highly sought as a speaker for a range of corporate and after-dinner events. Commended for his original and humorous talks, John has travelled internationally to deliver speeches and has formerly spoken for the likes of Scottish Water, CCTV User Group and the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. A versatile speaker, John has also made appearances on ITV and the BBC and is the perfect choice as a speaker for a variety of after-dinner events.
John is often booked as a speaker for corporate events, read his latest feedback below.
"Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the guest speaker. He was witty, funny and interesting and never made any adverse comments. Excellent!" - RF Brookes
"Very professional, outstanding memory. John manages to utilise the audience, creating much amusement but without causing offence" - Chubb Insurance Company of Europe SE
"John amazed and delighted our audience. We booked a speaker to raise the energy after dinner and before the awards ceremony and John excelled at this task. His delivery was polished and he controlled the audience with panache. Amazing memory!" - Scottish Water
"John ensured the conference got off to an incredible start with a presentation that had the 200 delegates spellbound, fascinated and crying with laughter. Feedback was brilliant and many will be using some of his techniques in their own training roles." - CCTV User Group
"I wanted to pass on my thanks and appreciation of your speech. It was the general opinion that it was the best we had heard for some years. Humorous, different, brilliantly researched and very well received by all." - South Wales and the West Branch, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
How to hire John Simonett
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring John Simonett 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.
