Tim Hughes
Sales Futurist
When every share and comment has the power to influence buyer behaviour, isn’t it time to revolutionise your sales strategy? Ranked Number 1 in the world for Social Selling by Onalytica, Tim Hughes combines his extensive expertise with real-world application. Thinkers360 named him a top five global sales expert, and Brand 24 placed him among the most influential marketing minds worldwide. He doesn’t just share knowledge—he equips businesses with effective strategies to compete and grow in a technology-driven world.
Biography
Tim Hughes is a globally recognised pioneer in social selling and digital transformation. Based in London, he has over 25 years of experience in B2B sales and has played a key role in reshaping modern sales strategies through the integration of social media.
In 2016, he co-founded DLA Ignite, a consultancy dedicated to helping businesses harness the power of digital and social platforms to drive revenue and growth. As CEO, he leads a team that works with organisations worldwide, developing strategies that align with evolving buying behaviours.
Hughes is the author of Social Selling: Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers, a widely acclaimed book that provides practical guidance on leveraging social media for sales success. It focuses on building personal brands, creating engaging content and fostering authentic relationships online. The book’s influence has cemented Hughes’ reputation as a leading voice in the field.
His expertise has earned him significant recognition. Onalytica has consistently ranked him as the world’s most influential figure in social selling, and in 2024, Thinkers360 named him one of the top five sales experts globally. Brand 24 recently ranked him as the 16th most influential person in marketing worldwide - based on social media impact.
Beyond his consultancy work, Hughes is committed to education and knowledge-sharing. He is a global instructor at ThePowerMBA, contributing to sales and business programmes, and has worked with executive education programmes at institutions such as Rutgers Business School. Passionate about the role of digital in promoting social mobility, Hughes also engages in initiatives such as HighChloeCloud, which explores how social media can be used to drive innovation and opportunity.
Through his leadership, writing and teaching, Tim continues to shape the future of sales, advocating for the strategic use of social media to drive business success in the digital age
Speaking
Broadcast
Writing
Topics
Tim Hughes speaks on the evolving landscape of sales, marketing, and digital transformation. As a leading voice in social selling and digital business strategy, he helps organisations understand how to leverage social media for competitive advantage, build authentic buyer relationships, and generate sustainable lead pipelines. His talks often explore the integration of sales and marketing functions, the impact of AI and digital tools on business growth, and how companies can energise their teams to thrive in a digitally connected world. Whether addressing executive audiences or sales teams, Tim delivers practical, forward-thinking insights that empower businesses to succeed in the modern marketplace.
Some of Tim’s previous talks have covered:
10 things you didn’t know about digital / social (and AI)
How to generate a stream of leads
Energising your sales kick off
Example Videos
Publications
Tim has written two books on Sales and Marketing:
Social Selling: Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers - 2nd edition
Smarketing: How to Achieve Competitive Advantage through Blended Sales and Marketing
Feedback
'“We invited Tim Hughes to our Q4 kick off as we wanted to inspire the salesforce for a final year end push The objective was also to give the sales force new skills in social media which would give us a competitive advantage over the competition in the final closing months Tim agreed to speak for 40 minutes with 20 minutes of questions, but the talk created such interest that Tim agreed to extend the Q and A session for an hour Here at Tealium we felt it really motivated us for a really successful end of year.'“
Debbie Barnes, Strategic Accounts Director - Tealium
“We’ve had a number of people come and talk to us about Linkedin, but Tim was different. Using a story to kick off the presentation he gains the audience trust and we became more open to the arguments on ‘why’ we need to put the effort in and be on social media. Tim then walked through some easy steps on what we could go back to our desks and implement now. Not boiling the ocean, but bite sized steps”
Petra Williams, Committee Member -
CIMA Thames Valley Branch
“Tim has been known to the board of O5Live for some years and was the keynote speaker at our O5Live event in 2023. Tim addressed an audience of more than 200 business professionals on the subject of networking and self-branding. Tim’s delivery was, as always, excellent and the topic was of great interest to the delegates, sponsors, exhibitors and delegates alike. There was plenty of interaction during Tim’s talk followed by an extensive questions and answer session. I have known Tim for many years through our current businesses and previous jobs and I would not hesitate to recommend Tim as an excellent speaker across a wide array of subject matters.
Graham Spicer, Director - O5Live
