Kevin Gaskell
Best known for:
An extraordinary leader who led iconic brands Porsche, BMW and Lamborghini to unprecedented levels of success before creating global businesses from scratch.
Summary:
As a CEO, chairman, founder and investor Kevin has enjoyed success in sectors including automotive, data, technology, manufacturing, brand marketing and professional services. He has repeatedly led teams to achieve extraordinary performance in companies ranging from 7 to 7,000 employees. One recognised as the best private equity investment of the year, another nominated as the World’s 7th most innovative company. Passionate about the development of leadership skills he is frequently sought to reinvigorate teams and companies.
Biography:
Recognised as the ‘man who fixes businesses’, Kevin is known for leading hugely successful turnarounds at Porsche and BMW. Today, he remains actively involved in numerous companies worldwide as both an investor and founder, including the UK's fastest-growing alternative fibre network provider, ITS Technology. One of the UK's Top 40 business leaders, his entrepreneurial approach and focus on innovative strategies and high-performance cultures have driven sustained business growth and success across multiple sectors.
Beyond the boardroom, Kevin has climbed the world's highest mountains, walked to the North and South Poles, and holds world records for the fastest rows across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This remarkable blend of extreme endurance achievements and business acumen informs his unique perspective on leadership, resilience, and peak performance. His most recent book, Catching Giants (2022), was shortlisted for Business Book of the Year, distilling the lessons learned from both his entrepreneurial ventures and extraordinary adventures into actionable insights for leaders and organisations.
A highly motivational and engaging speaker, he believes that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary results - and he has the experiences to prove it. He has led global corporations, start-ups, private equity portfolio companies and organisations large and small to create shareholder value in excess of $3Billion. He has also found the time to walk to both the north and south poles and climb the world’s highest mountains to fund the construction of a cancer treatment unit.
Using an energetic and inclusive style he shares the tools and techniques which have enabled his teams to deliver results which even they considered impossible – until they achieved them. His approach of ‘Inspired Leadership’ at every level in the organisation has been demonstrated to achieve extraordinary success again and again. As a leader who has led established businesses and founded technology startups which have grown to global scale he is able to demonstrate the competitive opportunities from both sides of the divide.
He shows that leadership is an adaptable and transferable skill and is a key enabler of successful teamwork in any situation. Drawing upon his experience and his ongoing leadership roles in growing companies Kevin shares practical lessons of how individuals in businesses from 7 to 7,000 employees can be inspired to create teamwork which transforms organisations and achieves world class performance. Frequently addressed topics include:
- Leading ordinary people to extraordinary success
- Dealing with the digital challenger – how to protect and grow mature businesses
- Leading in times of turbulence – and enjoying it!
- Preparing for change, overcoming fear
- Building a world class brand
- Customer service – no standard but world class
- How to Build a World Class Company
- Take Advantage of Disruption and Turbulence
- Deliver Effective Digital Transformation
Kevin Gaskell is a leader who has been there and done it, and then done it again, and again. His speeches provide the inspiration, and share the tools, which enable each member of the audience to return to their role energised and informed and ready to achieve something extraordinary.
And if the audience need an energiser they could always ask Kevin to play his guitar - in his spare time he plays in a rock band!
Publication: Inspired Leadership (Wiley 2017)
Fee range:
10,000-20,000 GBP