Jamie Mackenzie is an award-winning speaker and bestselling author who reveals how storytelling transforms leadership, communication and human connection.
5.00 of 5
Top rated!5 of 5
“The team loved your engaging talk about how storytelling can make an impact in our daily communications with customers. We can't wait to read the book.”
Matt Hill, Vice President Sales (EMEA)
Tungsten Automation
Jamie Mackenzie is an award-winning keynote speaker, bestselling author and former CMO who helps people unlock the power of storytelling to become better leaders, stronger communicators and more effective at connecting with others. With a career spanning leadership roles at Toshiba, Samsung and Sodexo, Jamie brings real-world business experience to the stage, showing why the most influential leaders are often the best storytellers. Named Speaker of the Year 2026 at the Global Excellence Awards and author of three Amazon Top 5 bestselling books, he delivers engaging, practical keynotes on storytelling, human connection and leadership in an AI world. His message is simple: storytelling is a human superpower, and everyone can learn to use it.
What do 28 bags of Brussels sprouts, a job interview at Toshiba and the future of leadership have in common? For Jamie Mackenzie, they all reveal something fundamental about the way people connect: stories have the power to change lives.
On Christmas Eve in 1998, Jamie was working in a freezing, chaotic greengrocer's in Ramsgate. Against the odds, he managed to sell 28 bags of Brussels sprouts in a single day. Two years later, during his first interview at Toshiba, he was asked what he was most proud of. Rather than discussing his degree or qualifications, he told the story of those Brussels sprouts.
It was that story, rather than his credentials, that helped him secure the job.
That experience became the foundation of a belief that would shape his career: the way we tell stories influences how people see us, remember us and respond to us. Today, Jamie Mackenzie shares that insight with audiences through engaging keynotes that make storytelling accessible, memorable and immediately useful.
Jamie Mackenzie's understanding of leadership and communication comes from more than two decades of experience in major international organisations.
He began his corporate career at Toshiba, moving directly into leadership and spending five years developing his experience. He then joined Samsung, initially working in European product marketing before taking responsibility for B2B marketing across the UK and Ireland.
His career continued at Sodexo, where he became Chief Marketing Officer and joined the board at just 32 years old. He remained with the business for ten years, gaining extensive experience in leadership, marketing, strategic communication and organisational decision-making.
Throughout these roles, Jamie noticed a recurring pattern. The leaders who made the greatest impression were not necessarily those with the most sophisticated strategies. They were the ones who could tell stories that people understood, remembered and wanted to act upon.
This observation became central to his work as a speaker. Drawing on his own leadership journey, Jamie demonstrates how storytelling can transform the way people communicate, influence decisions and build meaningful relationships.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the way organisations work and communicate, Jamie Mackenzie believes human connection is becoming increasingly important.
His keynotes explore why storytelling remains one of our most valuable human abilities, particularly in a world where technology can generate information and content at extraordinary speed.
For Jamie, effective storytelling is not about delivering a perfectly rehearsed speech or having an extraordinary personal history. It is about recognising the stories already present in everyday working life and learning to use them with intention.
A conversation with a colleague, a presentation to senior management or a pitch to a potential customer can become more meaningful when the message is communicated through a compelling story.
Jamie helps audiences recognise these opportunities and understand how storytelling can make their communication more authentic, persuasive and memorable.
His approach is rooted in a straightforward idea: stories create connections, connections influence behaviour, and behaviour creates change.
Jamie Mackenzie combines substantial business experience with a distinctive ability to make complex ideas feel simple and relatable.
In 2026, he was named Speaker of the Year at the Global Excellence Awards, recognising his work as a speaker. He is also the author of three books that have each reached the Amazon Top 5 bestseller rankings.
His fascination with storytelling extends beyond the boardroom and the keynote stage. Jamie is also the person behind a formal proposal to introduce a Brussels sprout emoji to the global Unicode standard, a fitting continuation of the story that helped launch his corporate career.
Away from the stage, he is currently co-writing his next early years children's book with his two sons. The project reflects his belief that storytelling is a human superpower worth developing from the earliest years of life and throughout every generation.
Whether he is speaking to business leaders, sharing experiences from his career or creating stories with his children, Jamie's central message remains consistent: stories change lives.
A keynote from Jamie Mackenzie is designed to have an impact long after the event has finished.
His talks encourage audiences to look differently at the conversations they have every day. Rather than treating storytelling as a skill reserved for professional speakers, authors or senior executives, Jamie shows how everyone can use it to communicate more effectively.
Audiences leave with a greater awareness of the stories already happening around them and the confidence to begin using storytelling deliberately.
Key takeaways from Jamie Mackenzie's talks include:
Understanding why storytelling is essential for effective leadership and human connection.
Recognising opportunities to use stories in meetings, presentations, pitches and everyday conversations.
Learning how to communicate ideas in ways that people remember and respond to.
Discovering the value of human storytelling in an increasingly AI-driven world.
Developing a more intentional approach to influencing, inspiring and connecting with others.
Jamie brings these ideas to life through personal experiences, business insights and memorable examples that make his message relevant to audiences across different roles and industries.
Book Jamie Mackenzie for a keynote that challenges conventional thinking about communication, leadership and the role of storytelling in an AI world.
With experience spanning Toshiba, Samsung and Sodexo, three Amazon Top 5 bestselling books and recognition as Speaker of the Year 2026, Jamie offers a compelling combination of business credibility, engaging storytelling and practical insights.
His presentations are particularly relevant for organisations and audiences looking to strengthen leadership communication, improve human connection and understand how to make their messages more influential.
From the unlikely success of selling Brussels sprouts on Christmas Eve to the boardrooms of international businesses, Jamie Mackenzie's journey demonstrates that the stories we choose to tell can shape the opportunities we create.
His message is memorable, practical and deeply human.
Stories. Change. Lives.
5 of 5
“The team loved your engaging talk about how storytelling can make an impact in our daily communications with customers. We can't wait to read the book.”
Matt Hill, Vice President Sales (EMEA) Tungsten Automation
5 of 5
“Your talk was incredibly inspiring. You kept the teams engaged from the moment you came on stage through till the very end ... and beyond! Your energy , charisma, passion all shone through and became in the moment examples of the storytelling superpower you spoke about.
Jenna Bell, Managing Director, Differentiated
5 of 5
“Jamie you delivered an inspiring keynote talk on storytelling! You captivated the audience and left us with a new perspective on how stories can shape the way we design and communicate within architecture.”
Taylor Dowding, Enterprise Architect Lead Santander UK
Keynote by Jamie Mackenzie:
How a storytelling mindset and the humble Brussels Sprout accelerate growth, for individuals, teams and organisations.
Built around Jamie's own origin story and proven with named results from corporate audiences, this talk reframes storytelling as the highest-leverage communication skill available to any leader, team or brand.
Keynote by Jamie Mackenzie:
Why the most valuable skill in an AI world isn't technical, it's human.
As AI reshapes how organisations work, the ability to connect, communicate and lead with humanity becomes the differentiator.
This talk explores why human connection is the skill leaders need to double
down on now.
Keynote by Jamie Mackenzie:
A talk for leaders who need to be heard, in the room, on stage, and in the moments that matter.
Combines storytelling craft with presence and influence, giving leaders a practical way to communicate with more impact, immediately.
Watch Jamie Mackenzie in action
