Kevin Chesters

Kevin Chesters is an acclaimed strategy, creativity and storytelling speaker, bestselling author and consultant with more than 30 years of experience shaping brands and businesses. Having served as Chief Strategy Officer at Ogilvy UK and Dentsu Mcgarrybowen London, and Head of Strategy at Wieden+Kennedy London, Kevin has worked at the highest levels of the global advertising industry. Today, he translates this experience into engaging keynote speeches that help organisations think differently, communicate more effectively and unlock greater creativity. He is also the co-author of the Amazon bestseller ‘The Creative Nudge’, a practical exploration of how small behavioural changes can encourage more original thinking.

Kevin studied Modern History at the University of Oxford, completing his BA and MA before beginning his career in advertising during the mid-1990s. After an early role at Cogent, he joined Ogilvy, initially working in account management before moving into strategic planning in 1999. This transition established the direction of a career that would see Kevin become one of the industry’s most experienced strategists. In 2001, he moved client-side as Head of Consumer Planning at BT, working with leading agencies and gaining valuable insight into strategy from the perspective of a major advertiser. Kevin subsequently became Planning Director at Saatchi & Saatchi, before joining Wieden+Kennedy London in 2007. Initially responsible for international strategy for Nokia, he was promoted to Head of Strategy at Wieden+Kennedy London in 2009.

Building on this experience, Kevin became Chief Strategy Officer of Dentsu Mcgarrybowen London in 2013, where he helped establish the agency’s UK operation, won 16 of 19 new business pitches and helped make the agency profitable. In 2016, he was appointed Chief Strategy Officer of Ogilvy UK, leading more than 60 strategists across advertising, customer engagement, PR and social, while also serving on the Global Strategy Board. During his tenure, he helped Ogilvy achieve its most successful new business year at the time, securing more than £165 million of new business in 2017. His career has contributed to work recognised by Cannes Lions, D&AD, the Effies, One Show, British Arrows and IPA Effectiveness Awards. Kevin later became Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Harbour Collective, which he subsequently sold and exited in 2023. He is now a Strategic Consultant, Trainer, Speaker and Lecturer, working with organisations including M&S, adidas, LEGO, KPMG, Eurostar, PureGym and BT. He is also a TED and TEDx speaker, university lecturer and co-author of ‘The Creative Nudge’, with his second book, ‘Destrategise’, due for release in November 2026.

As a keynote speaker, Kevin gives audiences practical ways to approach creativity, communication and commercial challenges differently. Drawing on behavioural science, strategic thinking and decades of experience with global brands, Kevin explores how organisations can remain creative and distinctly human as AI and technology reshape the workplace. His energetic delivery combines humour, memorable stories and applicable ideas, giving audiences lessons they can take directly back into their organisations. For businesses seeking to strengthen creativity, improve storytelling, inspire innovative thinking and navigate change, Kevin offers considerable commercial experience alongside an engaging and highly relevant perspective.