Five minutes with PepTalk's Toby Clarke

‍We’re excited to announce that Toby Clarke is joining the PepTalk senior leadership team as VP of Growth. Toby will lead the go-to-market functions and strategy at PepTalk and be in charge of revenue growth, marketing and strategic partnerships.

Five minutes with Toby Clarke

Based in London, Toby joins us from Experience Management software leader Qualtrics, where he led marketing and growth initiatives across EMEA. To welcome Toby, we took five minutes to find out what he's into and what's driving him in 2024.

Who's the best keynote speaker you've had the privilege of listening to and why?

Major Tim Peake, the astronaut, is certainly the most memorable. In my previous role, we ran a series of talks with him during the COVID period on working effectively in isolation; who better to ask this question than an astronaut? It was fascinating to hear an astronaut's perspective on this during the height of the global pandemic. I found him to be incredibly creative and adaptable to different audiences.

As part of the series with Tim, we also did a Q&A with him and a large group of children, and it was simply magical to hear all the fascinating questions and answers on space travel — it’s unbelievable what an 8-year-old can come up with on a live webinar! I took away several lessons on leadership, communication and working remotely as an effective team.

Similarly, which expert would you like to have a talk from?

I would love to attend a session with Karen Allen. I keep hearing such amazing feedback about her from many people worldwide. Karen created the mental exercise Stop + Shift. She developed this method to help people jumpstart their mental strength training. It's a simple yet powerful technique that teaches individuals to let go of negative thought cycles and move to more productive and positive thinking.

In a world where negativity is unfortunately rife, it would be very productive and helpful to help myself and others create space away from negative thoughts and shift to a more positive, growth-led mindset!

What's your favourite PepTalk On-Demand watch?

I haven’t watched the entire content library yet. However, I’ve really enjoyed the short, practical espresso-sized videos about upskilling and productivity, like Graham Allcott’s Switch Your Focus To This For A More Productive Day.

What are you currently reading?

I have two books on the go at the moment. I always love reading one book that will help me grow and develop at work and one for personal enjoyment. Work-wise, I’m reading Multipliers by Liz Wiseman. My mentor (Brian Stucki, a Chief Operating Officer in the SAAS industry) recommended it to me; it’s all about how you can level up your whole organisation by tapping the brainpower of everyone at all levels.

I’m also reading The Godfather by Mario Puzo; having watched the movies so many times, I’m finally getting around to reading the book where it all started. I got inspired from a recent trip to Sicily and actually went to visit Corleone, the small town where it’s based. Fun fact: did you know they make brilliant wine there.

In which area(s) do you want to upskill in for 2024?

I have three key areas/buckets:

1. Artificial Intelligence: Integrating AI as an ‘assistant’ into more of our team's workflows. The key is utilising AI best while keeping that human touch, which is important in business.
2. Leadership: In terms of leadership skills, I’d like to improve my skills in the areas of driving motivation, resilience, and risk-taking.
3. Emotional Intelligence: continuing to work on improving my EQ.

Finally, what are you most looking forward to this year?

I’m enjoying watching my two-year-old son grow up and learn from the world around him. Besides that, I’m very excited to be joining the PepTalk team and am set to learn a lot myself — working with a group of very smart minds leading a network of over 1000 thought leaders and expert speakers, there’s lots of learning potential!

💡Thanks Toby, it's fantastic to have you onboard! To our readers, are curious how a PepTalk Live session with an expert speaker can help your business? If you're facing challenges in your business and need a fresh perspective on AI, leadership, or emotional intelligence in 2024, drop us an email to set up a free strategy call.