Available to book
James Timpson
Lord Timpson OBE helps organisations build happier, higher-performing teams through upside-down management. A leadership and workplace culture speaker, he led Timpson for more than twenty years, served as UK Prisons Minister, and wrote The Happy Index.
Lord Timpson OBE is a business leader who has spent more than two decades proving that trusting and empowering colleagues builds a stronger business. He's known for upside-down management, the people-first model behind the Timpson group's success.
James joined the family business in 1998 and led Timpson as Chief Executive for more than twenty years, growing it into the UK's leading retail service business. Today, Timpson group includes Timpson, Snappy Snaps, The Watch Lab, Max Spielmann, Johnsons Cleaners and Jeeves of Belgravia. James later served as the UK's Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, before rejoining Timpson in 2026.
His approach puts decision-making in the hands of the colleagues who serve customers, and gives opportunities to people who deserve a second chance. He was appointed OBE in 2011 for services to training and employment for disadvantaged people, chaired the Prison Reform Trust, and founded the Employment Advisory Board network, which links prisons with employers to improve the employment opportunities for former offenders upon release.
Drawing on his bestselling, award-winning book The Happy Index, James shows audiences how trust and autonomy lead to happier colleagues and better results. Leaders come away with practical ways to strip out unnecessary control, empower frontline teams, and build a culture where great customer experiences follow naturally.
For organisations looking to raise engagement and performance together, James offers a proven, people-first model drawn from decades of running one of the UK's best-known high-street businesses.
Topics, sessions and talks
Traditional top-down management buries teams in meetings, emails, and approvals, and reduces colleagues to cogs in a machine. Drawing on The Happy Index and decades of running Timpson,
James Timpson makes the case for upside-down management, where leaders serve the colleagues who serve customers. He shares the practices behind the model, from genuine autonomy for shop colleagues to second-chance hiring, leaving leaders with practical tools to build a happier, more effective workplace.
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frequently asked questions
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To book James Timpson, email james.timpson@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 James' availability and speaking fee. 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 about your audience.
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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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