Neil Mullarkey Profile Picture

Keynote SpeakerNeil Mullarkey

Comedian, Improviser and Corporate Learning & Development Coach

Neil Mullarkey is highly accomplished in the field of management training, having run many workshops and hosted conferences for private and public organisations. In Improv Your Biz, Mullarkey uses the techniques of theatre improvisation to inspire business people to embrace their creativity and enhance their communication skills. His training clients... Read more

Biography

Neil Mullarkey is highly accomplished in the field of management training, having run many workshops and hosted conferences for private and public organisations. In Improv Your Biz, Mullarkey uses the techniques of theatre improvisation to inspire business people to embrace their creativity and enhance their communication skills. His training clients include the BBC, Thames Water, Proctor & Gamble, Publicis, Prudential, the Body Shop, Relate and The General Medical Council as well as Ashridge, Templeton and Henley management colleges and the Institute of Operations Management.

Mullarkey studied Economics, Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University, and was President of the Cambridge Footlights, directing their pantomime and revue and touring the UK and Australia. He’s done three double-acts, with Mike Myers, Nick Hancock and Tony Hawks.

Neil Mullarkey has also created an alter-ego:L. Vaughan Spencer, a lifestyle coach, gangsta motivator and self help guru. Or is he a corporate charlatan? L. Vaughan Spencer – or L-Vo to his friends and followers – helps executives find their inner Succeeder through a process of easy exercises and break-through techniques. He revels the significance of Tong Shui (a little like Feng Shui), Spellology (a little like numerology) and repetition of the word “Yes!” L-Vo deftly weaves all your conference messages and key learnings into his performance and incorporates all your favourite jokes and lingo. L-Vo’s words have special resonance for anyone who can ever encountered management training, personal development or someone who’s too big for their boots. He will inspire, motivate, entertain and, most of all, make you laugh.

Since 1985 Mullarkey has improvised sketches and stories with the Comedy Store Players, of which he is a founder-member. Neil starred with Eddie Izzard in the sell-out West End run of One Word Improv and has guested with The Groundlings in Los Angeles and Second City in Toronto.On television, Neil’s numerous appearances include “Whose Line is it Anyway” and “Saturday Live”.

He co-wrote (with Tony Hawks) the BBC1 sitcom Morris Minor’s Marvellous Motors and (with Greg Proops) The Amazing Colossal Show for BBC2. He hosted American Freak for America’s Comedy Central TV. Neil has acted in several films including “Austin Powers – International Man of Mystery & Goldmember” and “Spiceworld – The Movie”. In the theatre, Neil has recently starred in “Then Again”, a revue with Dawn French and Sheila Hancock – “Ugly Rumours” in which he played a Prime Minister called Tony – and “Charley’s Aunt”, alongside Eric Sykes and Christopher Biggins. For Radio Four, Neil hosted “Missed Demeanours”, was a regular performer on “Bits from Last Week’s Radio”, co-wrote and starred in FAB TV and has appeared on “Just a Minute”, “The News Quiz”, “Quote…Unquote” and many others.

Neil Mullarkey is an associate of The Comedy School and regularly writes articles and book reviews for national newspapers.

Your performance as L Vaughan Spencer is not only hilarious, it’s also far more inspirational than Tony Robbins, Tom Peters and Dale Carnegie combined. My team loved it, and said it did more to motivate them (not to mention entertain them)than anything else we served up as part of our “team-building” day. Lever Faberge
L. Vaughan kept us giggling long beyond our hour in the presence of the great man and much of his unique wisdom has found its way into our group’s own idiom. It was just the thing after a hard day – making us laugh at ourselves and uniting us as a group. Among your many gifts, we found the pinpoint accuracy of your observations arresting. It was so refreshing to be entertained by someone who knows the absurd world we inhabit. So thank you for doing us what many rational and well-created process interventions just cannot do. We owe you. The Hospital Group
L. Vaughan Spencer is the spot-on satirical creation of comedian Neil Mullarkey. Neil has been in double acts with Nick Hancock and Mike Myers, improvised around the country with Eddie Izzard, appeared in hilarious cameos in Austin Powers movies and co-founded Britain’s top improv troupe, The Comedy Store Players, with whom he still performs. Roffey Park Institute

Popular Talks by Neil Mullarkey

  • Training
  • Coaching
  • Comedy