Geoff McDonald is the former Global Vice President HR (Marketing, Communications and Sustainability) at Unilever. During his 25 years with Unilever (a corporation with a turnover of US$75 billion, 170,000 employees in 90 countries around the world), McDonald’s experience has been truly global working across Africa, Middle East, Turkey, Australasia... Read more
Geoff McDonald is the former Global Vice President HR (Marketing, Communications and Sustainability) at Unilever.
During his 25 years with Unilever (a corporation with a turnover of US$75 billion, 170,000 employees in 90 countries around the world), McDonald’s experience has been truly global working across Africa, Middle East, Turkey, Australasia and Asia. He inspires and provokes organisations to put purpose and wellbeing at the centre of everything they do. His HR experience has spanned leadership and talent development, organisational change, capability development, with particular reference to marketing, and business transformation with purpose at its core.
Earlier in his career he was responsible for graduate recruitment and development, talent, acquisitions and development across Unilever’s emerging markets. Under his leadership he developed Unilever’s global talent and leadership centre of expertise. More recently he has devoted his time, energy and effort to leading ground breaking work where the HR function has played a central role in transforming Unilever’s business model.
McDonald now consults with organisations, helping them define and embed purpose as a driver of growth and profitability. He also consults on how to address the stigma linked to anxiety in the workplace, with a particular emphasis on raising awareness and providing practical strategies as to how one might go about addressing them. He is an active campaigner for breaking the stigma associated with mental health in the corporate world and has participated in a number of BBC programmes and campaigns regarding this subject, as well as writing of articles for Huffington Post, FT and HR related journals.
McDonald has spoken at Cambridge, Oxford, Bologna, Warwick Universities as well as corporate events across Australia, Europe, Japan, North America, Turkey and Eastern Europe. His experience at Unilever, under the pupilage of renowned CEO, Paul Polman, allows him to provide practical insights on how to go about truly embedding purpose in any organisation.
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You can book Geoff McDonald through London Speaker Bureau by submitting the enquiry form on this page or calling our team. One of our consultants will respond promptly with Geoff's current availability, speaking fees and any specific requirements for your event.
Geoff McDonald's speaking fees depend on the event format (in-person or virtual), the location, the length of the engagement and the level of customisation required. Please contact London Speaker Bureau for an up-to-date fee quote for Geoff tailored to your event.
Geoff McDonald speaks on HR, Leadership & Motivation, Motivation, Teamwork, Wellbeing. Talks can be shaped around your audience, industry and strategic objectives - share your event brief with London Speaker Bureau and we will work with Geoff to align the content with your delegates and goals.
London Speaker Bureau can book Geoff McDonald for events worldwide, subject to Geoff's schedule. Please send us your event date, location and format and we will confirm availability and handle travel and logistics on your behalf.
Virtual and hybrid keynotes are now a standard part of the speaking industry. Please contact London Speaker Bureau to confirm whether Geoff McDonald is available to deliver a virtual session for your event and on which platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, a bespoke studio or your own).
Most keynote speeches run between 45 and 60 minutes, often followed by a 15-30 minute Q&A. Other formats - shorter conference slots, panel appearances or longer workshop sessions - may also be possible. Share your agenda with London Speaker Bureau and we will confirm what Geoff can accommodate.
London Speaker Bureau will brief Geoff McDonald on your audience profile, sector and objectives so the keynote can be shaped around your event. The level of customisation possible depends on the speaker and the lead time - contact us with your brief and we will confirm what Geoff can offer.
Geoff McDonald delivers keynotes in English. This profile may not list every language available; ask London Speaker Bureau to confirm. If you require simultaneous interpretation or a multilingual format, please mention this in your enquiry and London Speaker Bureau will arrange it for you.
Geoff McDonald's areas of expertise include HR, Leadership & Motivation, Motivation, Teamwork, Wellbeing. To get a clear sense of Geoff's style, credentials and how they engage an audience, please review the biography, popular talks and any videos or testimonials shown on this page, or request a detailed speaker brief from London Speaker Bureau.
Geoff McDonald can be booked through London Speaker Bureau for corporate conferences, leadership events, internal team meetings, association gatherings and private client engagements where expertise in HR, Leadership & Motivation, Motivation, Teamwork, Wellbeing is relevant. Details of Geoff's background and previous engagements are included in the biography above; contact us if you would like a more detailed list of past clients or case studies.
Beyond keynote speeches, many of the speakers on our roster also take part in workshops, executive masterclasses, panel discussions and fireside chats. Contact London Speaker Bureau with your preferred format and we will confirm what Geoff McDonald is able to offer alongside or instead of a keynote.
We generally recommend enquiring at least three to twelve months in advance to secure your preferred date with Geoff McDonald, particularly during peak conference seasons. Where possible we also accommodate shorter lead times - please contact London Speaker Bureau to check Geoff's current availability for your dates.