Available to book
Transform organisational leadership with Joe Garner, speaker and purpose-driven business strategist. Joe works with executives to navigate change, drive digital transformation, and build ethical leadership cultures, delivering insights from leading Nationwide, Openreach, and advising government bodies.
Joe Garner is a top-tier business leader who has led some of the UK’s most recognisable financial and telecommunications organisations.
As Chief Executive of Nationwide Building Society, he navigated the organisation through Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining its customer-first approach while driving digital transformation. Before this, he was CEO of Openreach, key in expanding superfast broadband access across the UK.
Joe's career began at Procter & Gamble, followed by leadership roles at HSBC, where he guided the UK retail division through the financial crisis of 2008. He has served on industry boards, advised government bodies, and chaired regulatory panels, influencing key financial and infrastructure policies.
In 2023, he was commissioned by the Chancellor to lead a review into the future of payments, with the government committing to his key recommendations. He also serves on the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee.
Beyond the corporate world, Joe passionately advocates for leadership with humanity, mental and physical well-being, and ethical decision-making in business. He is a Patron of British Triathlon, a GB age-group competitor, and Chair of the charity Tennis First.
His recently published book "52 Hard Learned Lessons for Leaders" shares lessons from a career spent balancing purpose with commercial success.
An engaging and thoughtful speaker, Joe brings deep experience from leading complex organisations through change, offering insight into purpose-driven leadership, resilience, and strategy.
Topics, sessions and talks
Joe Garner examines the role of ethical leadership in today’s fast-moving and high-pressure corporate world. Drawing on his experience leading major organisations through economic and regulatory challenges, he explores how integrity, transparency, and purpose can drive long-term success. He addresses the tension between commercial pressures and doing the right thing, offering practical insights into building trust with employees, customers, and stakeholders. His perspective challenges conventional leadership thinking, highlighting the value of ethical decision-making in shaping resilient, high-performing organisations.
Joe Garner explores how digital innovation is reshaping financial services, from payments and infrastructure to customer experience and operational strategy. Having led major transformation initiatives in banking and telecommunications, he shares lessons on balancing technological advancement with customer needs, regulatory requirements, and ethical considerations. He examines the risks and opportunities of emerging trends, from AI to digital payments, offering a clear view of how businesses can embrace innovation while maintaining trust and purpose in an increasingly digital world.
Joe Garner unpacks the changing nature of work, exploring how businesses can navigate shifting expectations, workforce dynamics, and technological disruption. With experience leading large organisations through economic turbulence and digital transformation, he examines what the workplace of the future will look like and what leaders must do to keep up. From flexible working and skills development to maintaining employee wellbeing in an always-on culture, he provides a thought-provoking perspective on creating organisations that are both high-performing and human-centred.
Testimonials
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frequently asked questions
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To book Joe Garner, email joe.garner@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 Joe's 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.
Joe Garner structures his sessions around lessons drawn directly from his executive career, using named organisational examples — Nationwide, Openreach, HSBC — to ground broader leadership principles in documented institutional experience. His book, 52 Hard Learned Lessons for Leaders, serves as a framework that runs through his speaking, giving audiences a tangible reference point tied to specific decisions made under pressure.
Joe Garner speaks on ethical leadership, digital innovation in financial services, and the future of work. He served as Chief Executive of Nationwide Building Society, where he led the organisation through Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, and was subsequently commissioned by the Chancellor to lead a review into the future of payments, with the government committing to his key recommendations.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
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The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
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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