Available to book
Chris Ashford
Resilience
Dealing With Pressure
Decision Making
Transform leadership and decision-making under pressure with Chris Ashford, speaker and military leadership expert. Chris works with executives to build resilient teams and optimise performance, delivering battle-tested frameworks for organisations including the RAF and major pharmaceutical companies.
Personal Wellbeing
Mindset
Personal Trainer
Military
Personal Development
Burnout
Motivational
Chris Ashford is a speaker and consultant whose extensive military career provides invaluable insights into leadership, performance, and decision-making in high-pressure environments.
With experience serving directly under Her Majesty and commanding artillery units in various global theatres, including Afghanistan, Chris brings a unique perspective to the corporate world.
His journey has taken him through roles that few encounter, from leading complex operations in combat zones to coordinating sensitive military movements and evacuations. As a former Executive Officer to military Generals and an Artillery Officer, Chris has honed his ability to make decisive actions under extreme pressure, successfully navigating complex situations, including military judicial proceedings.
Chris's expertise has significantly impacted organisations at the highest levels. He has optimised RAF early-service retention programmes and transformed employee wellbeing initiatives in major pharmaceutical companies, leading to reduced sick days and improved staff retention. He has worked with over 1,500 individuals on performance enhancement, alongside coaching for prestigious institutions like the Behavioural Insights Team, with a commitment to fostering both individual and organisational success.
As a dedicated father and husband, Chris understands the importance of balancing professional performance with personal well-being. This perspective informs his approach to sustainable success and energy management, which he shares with executives and teams worldwide.
Chris's unique skills are due to his combination of high-stakes military experience and a practical understanding of contemporary corporate challenges. His frameworks for building resilient teams, maintaining peak performance, and making critical decisions have been tested in environments where failure is not an option. Through his speaking and coaching, Chris translates these hard-won lessons into actionable strategies for business leaders aiming for exceptional results.
Topics, sessions and talks
Resilience is not just about surviving adversity - it’s about thriving under pressure. Drawing from military experience, including commanding soldiers in Afghanistan and working directly under Her Majesty The Queen, Chris Ashford reveals the battle-tested strategies that ensure high performance in any environment. Attendees will gain actionable insights on mental toughness, stress management and adaptive leadership - skills forged in the most demanding conditions and tailored for the modern corporate world.
In both combat and business, success hinges on the ability to make decisive choices under pressure. With experience in high-stakes military operations, executive leadership and strategic decision-making, Chris Ashford translates battlefield-tested methodologies into boardroom success. This session equips leaders with the tools to assess risk, act with confidence and navigate complex challenges with clarity - ensuring they stay ahead in fast-moving, high-pressure environments.
Executives operate in a highly demanding environment where mental and physical endurance is non-negotiable. Drawing from a career in the British Army, including high-intensity operations and elite performance coaching, Chris Ashford provides a framework for sustainable stamina. This session covers energy management, strategic recovery, and performance optimisation - giving leaders the tools to maintain peak output without burnout.
Elite military teams succeed because they operate with trust, discipline and accountability. As a former military commander and executive coach, Chris Ashford brings first-hand experience in cultivating high-performance teams that deliver under pressure. This session unpacks the leadership principles behind military cohesion and translates them into practical strategies for building a culture of excellence, resilience, and execution in corporate teams.
The most important battle is often the one within. Having trained, led, and coached individuals in some of the world’s most demanding environments, Chris Ashford understands how self-talk shapes performance. This session explores how executives can harness the power of mindset, self-discipline, and mental framing to drive success. By mastering inner dialogue, leaders can unlock resilience, confidence, and sustained high performance.
Testimonials
often considered together
Anna Hemmings
High Performance
Resilience
Team Building
Colin Maclachlan
Leadership Development
Team Building
High Performance
frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Email chris.ashford@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Chris's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.
Chris Ashford structures his sessions around military-to-corporate framework transfer, presenting battlefield-tested methodologies — drawn from commanding artillery units in Afghanistan and serving under Her Majesty The Queen — as direct analogues for corporate leadership challenges. Each session delivers a named framework (covering areas such as stress management, risk assessment, or energy management) supported by case-referenced experience from high-stakes military operations and subsequent work with over 1,500 individuals in corporate and institutional settings.
Chris Ashford's sessions address resilience under pressure, split-second decision-making, and executive stamina and energy management. He is a former British Army Artillery Officer and Executive Officer to military Generals, with operational command experience in Afghanistan and service directly under Her Majesty The Queen.
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Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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