Award-winning keynote speaker inspiring organisations to master the waves of change through leadership, teamwork and resilience.
5.00 of 5
Top rated!5 of 5
A truly inspirational speaker who provided so much transferable learning for our members who are really challenged by change.
Mark Campbell
Head of Learning and development, AHDB
Mark Denton is a captivating keynote speaker and expert in leadership, teamwork, resilience and navigating change. His mission is clear: to help organisations master the waves of change and achieve sustained success in an increasingly turbulent world. What truly sets Mark apart is how he delivers this message. Rather than relying on theory or familiar clichés, he takes audiences on an immersive journey through his extraordinary experience leading an amateur team to success in the world’s toughest around-the-world yacht race. Through powerful storytelling, striking visuals and gripping footage, Mark brings leadership under pressure to life and leaves audiences inspired, energised and ready to act.
Mark Denton is one of the most compelling keynote speakers on leadership, teamwork and resilience. He has inspired audiences across more than 31 countries by showing what it truly takes to lead, perform and succeed when the pressure is on and the environment keeps changing. His work focuses on helping organisations build the capability to navigate disruption, uncertainty and constant competition while maintaining momentum and performance.
At the heart of Mark’s keynote is an extraordinary real-life story. He led an amateur team in the world’s toughest around-the-world yacht race, a ten-month, 32,000-mile challenge sailed the wrong way around the globe, against the spin of the earth. The crews are not elite athletes but everyday people, male and female, aged 18 to 60, with 70 percent having never sailed before. Throughout the race, Mark and his team faced relentless adversity, rapid change and intense competition, mirroring the challenges faced by modern organisations.
As the journey unfolds, Mark reveals the critical leadership and teamwork principles that enabled his team to thrive when conditions were at their toughest. He explores how trust is built under pressure, how teams stay aligned through constant change, and how leaders can maintain clarity, confidence and resilience when the stakes are high. The parallels with business are striking, making the learning immediately relevant and highly practical.
Mark is known for making the complicated simple and the simple memorable. His insights are backed by research, including Harvard-based thinking, and proven repeatedly with some of the world’s most respected organisations, including Google. Audiences leave with a clear framework they can apply the very next day, helping leaders and teams perform better, adapt faster and thrive in the face of disruption.
Combined with masterful storytelling, stunning imagery, gripping race footage and the option of fun and insightful audience participation, Mark’s keynote is fully immersive. Many describe it as feeling like they are part of the team themselves. This unique experience consistently results in standing ovations, five-star reviews and lasting impact. Mark’s work has been recognised with multiple prestigious awards, including being voted Bookers Choice at the Speaker Awards 2024.
If you want your leaders to lead with confidence through change and your teams to embrace uncertainty with resilience, Mark Denton delivers. His powerful blend of lived experience, practical insight and unforgettable delivery helps organisations ride the waves of change toward sustained success and a brighter tomorrow.
5 of 5
A truly inspirational speaker who provided so much transferable learning for our members who are really challenged by change.
Mark Campbell Head of Learning and development, AHDB
Mark Denton
5 of 5
It exceeded my expectations which were already sky high, and aligned so well with the key messages we are trying to drive out to the teams this year around the need for resilience.
Adam Tesan CRO, Chargebee
Mark Denton
5 of 5
It couldn’t have been more perfect from our perspective. The feedback has been extremely positive with everyone saying it was the most impactful session of the day, and people are already referencing the ‘NAVIG-8’ model.
Victoria Roberts Commercial Director, Draeger Medical
Mark Denton
5 of 5
Mark is a game-changing speaker everyone will remember forever. The feedback is off the scale, and the insight that he shared exactly what we need to forge forward in this uncertain world.
Pierre Olivier Landry CHRO, CEVA Logistics
Mark Denton
5 of 5
Mark’s story gave us some very powerful messages about leading people in an engaging, human and well-grounded manner. Entertaining, refreshing and so thought provoking!
Lorraine Mildner Group HRD, IBP Group
Mark Denton
5 of 5
Absolutely delighted with Mark’s leadership keynote ’Navigate the Storm’ at our two HO/SO conferences. One might think that a story based on the BT Global Challenge, dubbed ‘the worlds’ toughest around-the-world yacht race’ is not immediately relatable. However, nothing could be further from the truth. As an organisation of over 10,000 people seeking to weather the storm of significant organisational change, it couldn’t have been more relevant. This is a story about how ordinary people can achieve the extraordinary by pulling together, thinking outside the box, and going that extra mile to deliver a result. And Mark showed how thoughtful leadership can galvanise diverse and disparate teams to do this, and in the most testing of circumstances. And his story is not just about what went right, but also what went wrong, and how he and his crew recovered from the setbacks and persevered to achieve their goal. Furthermore, Mark was able to subtly tailor his story to align with our specific challenges, which made it so powerful. Finally, the fact that’s it’s just an incredible story so well told, it’s no surprise that our audiences were just transfixed. The feedback has been nothing less than outstanding.
Tim Kingsberry UK Border Force
Mark Denton
5 of 5
Mark was just a perfect fit for our theme of Navigating Together, and the journey he took us on to bring this to life was epic. Everyone thought his talk was outstanding, as demonstrated by the standing ovation at the end! And the insight he shared around leading Teams through adversity and change couldn’t have been more relevant. A world-class performance!
Steve Carpenter Vizient Inc
Mark Denton
5 of 5
Exceptional speaker, remarkable story, profound insight. There couldn’t have been a better fit for our Senior Leader Conference, and I’;ve heard nothing but praise for the session. Many were ‘blown away’, so recommended!
Jonathan Hirst CEO, Dreams PLC
Mark Denton
5 of 5
An absolutely outstanding speaker on Leadership, Teamwork and navigating changing times. Never in all my years has a Speaker had such an impact on my thinking, and the feedback from the rest of my 200 strong team has been overwhelmingly positive. And I am already seeing them put his insight into action with positive results
Liz Walker COO, Unum PLC
Mark Denton
5 of 5
A hardworking and conscientious leader and a very capable speaker who prides himself on striving for excellence in all that he does whether in business or sport – I can, without hesitation, recommend him!
Richard Olver Chairman, British Aerospace
Mark Denton
5 of 5
We couldn’t have hoped for more from the 1 day Virtual Masterclass sessions we ran. 100% attention, 5 star feedback and our leaders visibly moved afterwards by what they’d experienced and heard. It was everything we were hoping for!
Sunny Lin Human Resources Director, Geodis China
Mark Denton
5 of 5
Outstanding! We were hanging off every word and we also really enjoyed the psychological safety session. Some brilliant points to take back to the business and incredibly inspiring!
Sara Hetherington Head of L&D, Dreams PLC
Mark Denton
5 of 5
I’ve seen hundreds of speakers over the years, Mark stands head and shoulders above them all. Relevant, captivating, Insightful.
Rachel Wakeley Head of Sales, Chiesi Pharmaceuticals PLC
Mark Denton
5 of 5
The highlight of the conference and very well received by all participants who felt it was just so relevant.
Johanna Schmidt Programme Director, Mckinsey & Co
Mark Denton
5 of 5
An inspirational and enthralling session which was utterly captivating and resonated so well with our audience.
Rob Miatt Chief Communications Officer, Balfour Beatty PLC
Mark Denton
Keynote by speaker Mark Denton:
‘NAVIGATE THE STORM’ is Mark Denton’s signature ‘Resilience’ keynote, a roller-coaster multi-media journey through the ups, downs, twists and turns of an amateur team taking part in the ‘world’s toughest’ around-the-world yacht race.
And as the gripping account unfolds, Mark shares his unique perspective on what kept him and the team resilient, including top-tips on how to nurture the 8 key factors summarised in the ‘Navig-8 Compass’ that builds stage by stage as the race unfolds.
This simple but comprehensive framework that’s shared with attendees post event, equips them to:
Great for: Leadership/Management conferences and All-Staff conferences, especially where Organisations are facing turbulent, challenging and changing times.
Keynote by speaker Mark Denton:
‘TOGETHER WE TRIUMPH’ is Mark Denton’s signature Leadership and Teamwork Keynote, an ‘edge of your seat’ multi-media journey through the ups, downs, twists and turns of leading an amateur Team to success in the ‘world’s toughest’ around-the-world yacht race.
And as this epic journey unfolds, the secrets are revealed that allowed this team to thrive when facing constant adversity, change and competition including:
Mark summarises these into the 3 cultural factors that were the Teams Values that were validated around the world as being crucial for any team to embrace to achieve the seemingly impossible no matter how choppy the waters.
Great for: All staff conferences and department events with a mix of Leaders and Team Members.
Watch Mark Denton in action!
Watch Mark Denton in action!
