Linda Plant is one of Britain’s most proficient business leaders. As a self-made entrepreneur and dynamic businesswoman, Linda is best known as one of Lord Sugar’s formidable interviewers on the BBC’s The Apprentice, where she relentlessly grills the final five candidates. Her decades of experience and generational reach have made her a visionary and insightful keynote speaker.
From her humble beginnings of selling clothes at a market stall, Linda founded Honeysuckle and built it to become an international fashion brand before selling it for millions when she was 29. She returned to the brand years later and became one of the first women to float a fashion company on the London Stock Exchange. Since 2008, she has served as director of HomeRunServices, a luxury furnishings and interior design service. In 2015, she joined the cast of The Apprentice as one of the interviewers of the finalist candidates. She is also the director of Plant Collections, an affordable luxury furniture brand, as well as the CEO of the Linda Plant International Academy. This people-first workshop experience aims to build confidence, skills, and strategy in future business leaders, offering them guidance and fuelling ambition to show them what works. Since 2024, she has also served as Chairwoman of NUE Urban Entertainment, an organisation determined to transform the UK’s towns and cities through arts, culture, and creativity.
She has been the recipient of a number of awards, including Northern Businesswoman of the Year for her fashion brand, Honeysuckle, and was named among March8’s Top 100 Leaders. Linda is a judge and panellist for top female entrepreneurs on HSBC’s Panel of Forward Ladies and is also a Prince’s Trust Mentor.
Proving that success is not just luck, but grit, intelligence and determination, Linda is the perfect speaker for a variety of engagements. Her talks include her signature keynote Yes You Can in which she shares her motivational and philosophical advice on building success by becoming a great leader. She connects with a multitude of audiences, from global executives to new entrepreneurs, weaving an experience full of knowledge, heart, guidance, and mindset.
Linda Plant's official keynote topics are listed below:
From market stall to market leader
- Linda’s remarkable journey from selling clothes on a stall to building an international fashion brand is a masterclass in resilience, ambition, and ingenuity.
Interviews: The ultimate survival guide
- Drawing on her experience from The Apprentice, Linda delivers a dynamic session on how to succeed in high-pressure interviews — ideal for personal development and HR or leadership audiences.
Pioneer to Powerhouse: What it takes to succeed as a woman in business
- Linda shares the challenges and triumphs of being one of the first female entrepreneurs to float a company on the London Stock Exchange — a powerful, motivational talk for women at all stages of their careers.
Grasping opportunities at any age or stage (Yes You Can)
- A rallying call to action, encouraging audiences to say yes more often and stop waiting for the “right time.” Linda inspires audiences to move forward, whatever their background or life stage.
Official Feedback from In-person & Virtual Events
“Linda’s grace, authenticity, and immense presence left our audience inspired and buzzing with confidence. She is an ideal speaker who makes a significant impact at any event.”
“We had the pleasure of booking Linda for our annual event, and she delivered an incredible talk that left everyone eager to elevate their property businesses. Her charisma and knowledge truly captivate any audience — we’ll definitely have Linda back"
- 2025 – Spoke at TSA’s Autumn Conference
- 2024 – Chairwoman, NUE Urban Entertainment
- 2022 - Listed among March8's Top 100 Leaders
- 2020 – CEO, Linda Plant International Academy
- 2017 – Director, Plant Collections
- 2015 – The Apprentice Interviewer, BBC
- 2008 – Director, Home Run Services
- 1974 – Founder, Honeysuckle
How to hire Linda Plant
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Linda Plant 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.
