Sir Richard Harpin is one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs and a leading voice on how mid-size businesses scale to become big, enduring companies. Born and raised in Yorkshire, Richard showed an entrepreneurial streak early. By the age of six he was already trading, and as a teenager he built... Read more
Sir Richard Harpin is one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs and a leading voice on how mid-size businesses scale to become big, enduring companies.
Born and raised in Yorkshire, Richard showed an entrepreneurial streak early. By the age of six he was already trading, and as a teenager he built and sold a fly-fishing tackle business that paid for his first car and the deposit on his first home.
After graduating from the University of York and spending several years at Procter & Gamble, he co-founded HomeServe in 1993 with a £50,000 investment and a simple idea: make home repairs easier and more reliable for customers. Over the next three decades, HomeServe grew into a FTSE-100 company serving millions of customers worldwide, before being sold in 2023 for £4.1 billion.
Following that sale, Richard stepped back from day-to-day corporate leadership to focus on what he believes is the UK’s biggest economic opportunity: helping more mid-size businesses scale successfully.
Today, his work centres on two platforms; through Business Leader, Richard supports founders and CEOs running businesses typically turning over £3m+ in revenue. Business Leader provides structure, peer learning, and practical insight for leaders navigating the difficult jump from founder-led growth to professional scale.
Alongside this, he backs and mentors ambitious businesses through Growth Partner, an investment and support platform focused on long-term value creation rather than short-term financial engineering. His approach combines capital, coaching, and pattern recognition drawn from decades of experience.
Richard is also a regular columnist for The Sunday Times, where he writes about entrepreneurship, leadership, productivity, and the structural changes needed to help Britain build more large, resilient companies. His writing is grounded in lived experience rather than theory, often drawing lessons from mistakes as much as successes.
Richard is a member of the NatWest Mid-Market Council, a senior advisory group bringing together experienced entrepreneurs and business leaders to help inform how Britain better supports mid-size companies, the part of the economy that employs millions and drives long-term growth.
In 2025, Richard became a Sunday Times bestselling author with his book How to Make a Billion in 9 Steps, which distils over 30 years of building, scaling, and exiting businesses into a clear, practical framework for entrepreneurs.
He is a highly sought-after speaker and has delivered keynotes and talks at leading business events including Elite Business Live, The Business Show, and Festival of Entrepreneurs, where he is known for presenting his 9 Steps for Building a Billion Pound Business. In 2025 Richard was awarded a knighthood, becoming Sir Richard Harpin.
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You can book Sir Richard Harpin through London Speaker Bureau by submitting the enquiry form on this page or calling our team. One of our consultants will respond promptly with Sir Richard's current availability, speaking fees and any specific requirements for your event.
Sir Richard Harpin'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 Sir Richard tailored to your event.
Sir Richard Harpin speaks on Business & Management, Change, Entrepreneurial, Leadership, Leadership & Motivation. Talks can be shaped around your audience, industry and strategic objectives - share your event brief with London Speaker Bureau and we will work with Sir Richard to align the content with your delegates and goals.
London Speaker Bureau can book Sir Richard Harpin for events worldwide, subject to Sir Richard'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 Sir Richard Harpin 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 Sir Richard can accommodate.
London Speaker Bureau will brief Sir Richard Harpin 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 Sir Richard can offer.
Sir Richard Harpin 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.
Sir Richard Harpin's areas of expertise include Business & Management, Change, Entrepreneurial, Leadership, Leadership & Motivation. To get a clear sense of Sir Richard'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.
Sir Richard Harpin can be booked through London Speaker Bureau for corporate conferences, leadership events, internal team meetings, association gatherings and private client engagements where expertise in Business & Management, Change, Entrepreneurial, Leadership, Leadership & Motivation is relevant. Details of Sir Richard'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 Sir Richard Harpin 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 Sir Richard Harpin, particularly during peak conference seasons. Where possible we also accommodate shorter lead times - please contact London Speaker Bureau to check Sir Richard's current availability for your dates.