Matthew Syed

Matthew Syed is one of the world’s most influential thinkers on high performance and cultural change.

He has worked with some of the world’s leading organisations to build a mindset of continuous improvement.

Syed has written six best-selling books on mindset and high performance: Bounce, Black Box Thinking, Rebel Ideas, The Greatest, and his celebrated children’s books You Are Awesome and The You Are Awesome Journal.

In his most recent bestseller, Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking, Matthew argues that individual intelligence is no longer enough to solve today’s complex problems; to truly succeed, we must harness the power of ‘cognitive diversity’. Rebel Ideas uncovers the best-kept secrets of the world’s most successful teams, bringing insights from psychology, anthropology and data science, whilst drawing on a dazzling range of intriguing case studies.

Furthermore, Matthew Syed is a multi-award-winning journalist for The Times and a regular contributor to television and radio.

“The best speech of its kind I have ever heard. It inspired, entertained and informed in equal measure.”
David Richardson, The Atlantic Group

Matthew has won numerous awards for his writing, including:

• Sports Journalist of the Year at The British Press Awards on two occasions
• Sports Commentator of the Year at the Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards
• Best New Writer for his book, Bounce, at the British Sports Book Awards
• Sports Feature Writer of the Year at the Sports Journalist Association Awards
• Sports Columnist of the Year at the Sports Journalist Association Awards

Before being a journalist, Matthew Syed was England’s number one table tennis player for nearly a decade.

He was a three-time Commonwealth Champion, competing at the Barcelona ’92 and Sydney 2000 Olympics.

In 2017, Syed started a BBC Radio 5 Live podcast with Freddie Flintoff and Robbie Savage called Flintoff, Savage & The Ping Pong Guy, in which hot sporting topics are discussed.

High-Performance Keynote Speaker:

Matthew Syed is a highly acclaimed speaker who delivers motivational presentations on psychology, performance and continuous improvement.

Matthew’s most popular speech, Black Box Thinking, is a new approach to high performance.

Drawing on case studies and real-life examples, coupled with cutting-edge research on marginal gains, Matthew gives you the inside story of how success happens – and how we cannot change and grow unless we are prepared to learn from our mistakes.

He has presented keynote speeches to many leading organisations and groups around the world, including:

• Global finance ministers at Harvard University
• The Commanders and Admirals of the British surface fleet
• Britain’s Chief Constables
• The Presidents of the Medical Royal Colleges
• The General Staff of the British Army
• The global partners of Goldman Sachs
• The Arsenal football team and other top sports organisations

Mindset for Education

His Mindset for Education presentations for teachers and school leaders provide the latest research and tools to unleash curiosity, creativity and a growth mindset in their students.

Matthew Syed also provides bespoke presentations for businesses and a learning course on the principles of high performance.

Furthermore, Matthew has designed a digital diagnostic tool, a digital learning platform and a cutting-edge thought leadership programme, which is proving to be a catalyst for real and lasting change within business and the public sector.

To check availability and fee, or to book motivational speaker Matthew Syed please contact us.