Available to book
Jonathan Shaw
Major General Jonathan Shaw CBE helps organisations navigate global instability, manage security risks and strengthen leadership under pressure. A geopolitics, leadership, and cybersecurity expert, he draws on three decades commanding operations and advising government at the highest levels.
Major General Jonathan Shaw, CB, CBE, is a former senior British Army officer who brings operational leadership, geopolitical expertise, and strategic insight from the highest levels of government and defence.
Jonathan served in the Parachute Regiment, commanded forces in Iraq, and became Director Special Forces before leading the Ministry of Defence Defence Cyber Security Programme. He later served as Assistant Chief Defence Staff for International Security Policy and Global Issues, including cyber security and the nuclear deterrent.
His career spans the Falklands, Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq, alongside senior roles in Whitehall. Since leaving the Army, Jonathan has advised organisations across security, government, and business, while contributing to public discussion of international affairs. His experience connects strategic decisions made at national level with the practical demands of leadership and organisational performance.
Audiences leave his sessions with a clearer framework for reading geopolitical risk, sharper thinking on leadership under uncertainty, and practical lessons on how organisations re-design themselves to meet new threats. His geopolitical analysis is regularly sought by the BBC, Times Radio, LBC, and Al Arabiya.
Book Jonathan for compelling insight into leadership and global affairs grounded in decades of operational experience at the highest levels of military and government command.
Topics, sessions and talks
Jonathan Shaw, CB, CBE, examines the shifting dynamics of global power in the face of technological change, climate pressures, population shifts and political instability. Drawing on his background in military strategy and international security, he explores how traditional approaches are struggling to keep pace with today’s challenges. He offers a framework for thinking more clearly about global risks, and what kind of strategic mindset is needed to respond effectively in an increasingly unpredictable landscape.
What makes people follow a leader into chaos? Jonathan Shaw, CB, CBE, distils leadership lessons from the frontlines where trust, humility, and mission clarity mean the difference between success and failure. Drawing from his distinguished military career across elite units and strategic command roles, he challenges traditional top-down models and advocates for adaptive, decentralised leadership. With candour and dry humour, Jonathan shows how the principles of trust, autonomy and example-setting apply just as powerfully in the boardroom as on the battlefield.
Jonathan Shaw, CB, CBE, unpacks the shifting landscape of cybersecurity through the lens of strategy, resilience, and cultural change. Drawing on his experience as the UK’s first Head of the Defence Cyber Security Programme, he highlights how cyber threats exploit visibility, trust, and supply chain weaknesses. With his signature clarity and strategic insight, Jonathan reveals how organisations can reframe cybersecurity from a technical problem into a leadership priority, arming teams not with fear, but with foresight and practical resilience.
Jonathan brings 32 years of operational experience across military, government, and commercial roles to organisations navigating geopolitical risk and leadership pressure. For financial institutions and boards weighing global uncertainty, his experience translates into practical, high-stakes strategic guidance.
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frequently asked questions
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To book Jonathan Shaw, email major.general.jonathan.shaw@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 Jonathan'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.
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.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
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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