Tackling leadership, transformation and navigating disruption with an energy and forthright humour that engages and informs, Ellis has an impact few speakers can match. With lessons from a diverse career leading businesses from media to transport, he delivers practical, sometimes provocative ideas on how to nurture and retain talent, adapt to technological, social and economic disruption, and place purpose at the heart of any organisation.... Read more
With humour, energy and directness, Ellis Watson tackles leadership, transformation, and navigating disruption in an unpredictable world. He focuses on Dynamic Contemporary Leadership, particularly managing and inspiring Gen Z and Gen AI, both as employees and customers. He challenges leaders to reflect on what they’re doing to address the biggest crisis facing organisations today – talent drain. Highlighting the changing expectations of younger generations, he asks, “If Gen Z & Gen AI don’t trust employers to develop their potential, why will the best talent want to work for you?” He emphasises that businesses must create environments where top talent feels valued, cultivated, and motivated to stay.
Ellis spent the first decade of his varied, expansive career working directly for Rupert Murdoch, before running two global public businesses, and then taking Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? to over a hundred countries. A return to news media was followed by leading logistics and transport companies, and Ellis rounded off his corporate life as Global CEO of Simon Cowell’s TV and music empire, Syco. Now Chief Advisor for Business to the First Minister of Scotland, he is also one of very few people to be invited to deliver two TED speeches.
One of Ellis’s key themes is Transformational Organisational Change, especially in the face of AI-driven disruption. He explores how businesses must evolve, not just technologically, but culturally by adapting their leadership styles, engagement strategies, and structures to thrive in an era of rapid change. He argues that while AI can streamline efficiency, human connection and creativity remain irreplaceable competitive advantages. He also addresses business volatility in geopolitical turmoil, drawing from his experience with the Scottish Government. He examines how uncertainty in global markets, shifting trade dynamics, and economic pressures are reshaping entire industries. His insights help businesses build resilience, anticipate risks, and turn volatility into opportunity.
Aside from broad strategic and cultural insights, Ellis’s strength lies in crafting specific, high-impact sessions tailored to an audience. He delivers practical, entertaining, and even provocative content that resonates with leaders looking to drive real change. With extraordinary business examples and life lessons, he helps organisations to become talent magnets by empowering their people and giving them reasons to fall in love with the work they do. Ellis’s message is clear: businesses that prioritise people, purpose and adaptability – above simply reacting to short term external pressures – will be the ones that thrive in the long term.