Pomona Partners: Our Mission and Values

4 Mar

Our goal at Pomona Partners is to build profitable relationships between the talent we represent and their audiences.

One of the things that makes us different is our values:

We are REPRESENTATIVE: We are driven to improve on-stage representation, championing more women & speakers from the North

We are TRANSPARENT: We won’t hide behind cumbersome and opaque processes

We are EFFICIENT: We take the complexity and friction out of the discovery and booking process

We drive ACHIEVEMENT: We will invest in the development of all our speakers

We aim to demonstrate our values in everything we do. In our investments in people, systems and processes. In our partnerships. And in our relationships with both speakers and bookers.

Tom Cheesewright

What we do for our speakers

Featured speakers

Featured

Mo Kanjilal

Mo Kanjilal is a TEDx speaker, entrepreneur and author with 25+ years leading diverse teams in the tech world. Known for championing bold inclusion, Mo brings sharp insight and real-world experience to every stage she steps on. She helps audiences rethink how they communicate, work and lead, by truly including different perspectives, people and lives.

Glenn Wilkinson

Glenn is an ex-ethical hacker who helps people think like attackers, to spot blind spots, outsmart risks, and make better decisions. He’s broken into banks, worked with governments, and shared the stage with Daniel Radcliffe. Now he speaks to audiences around the world about hacking, human behaviour, and how to stay one step ahead.

Graham Norris

Graham is an organisational psychologist and futurist who helps companies going through change think more clearly about the future so they can realise their ambitions.

Eileen Donnelly

Eileen Donnelly is a Strategic Wellbeing Leader with 20+ years of senior corporate experience and a track record of helping organisations embed purpose and measurable wellbeing. A multi-award-winning speaker and FTSE 250 alumna, she’s known for cutting through the fluff with evidence-based insights that link employee mental health to real business impact.

Oliver Pickup

Oliver Pickup is a distinguished London-based speaker, journalist and thought leader specialising in "human-work evolution", a term he coined, in an increasingly digital world. As the creator of the provocatively titled monthly newsletter "Go Flux Yourself", Oliver offers business leaders incisive insights into navigating workplace transformation with humanity at its core.

Stephen Steers

Stephen Steers is a consultant, keynote speaker, and author of Superpower Storytelling. He’s helped 1,000+ companies across 40+ countries—including Google and Nike—sell with confidence. Creator of Context Selling, Stephen teaches what school doesn’t: how to connect, listen, and lead with stories that convert. Because stories close the sale, never the conversation.

Greg Merrill

From startups to the Swoosh, Greg Merrill brings a rare mix of empathy, global experience, and transformative leadership. His keynotes on authentic leadership, navigating change, and the future of commerce deliver stories and strategies that resonate across industries—energizing audiences to focus on what matters, unlock value, and thrive in disruption.

Rob Hosking

Dubbed ‘The Mighty Motivator’ by Chris Evans, Rob Hosking is a TEDx speaker and former frontline Police Officer who helps teams thrive under pressure. Blending raw, real-life stories with practical tools, he inspires organisations to lead through change, build resilience, and prioritise mental wellbeing while empowering people to adapt fast, speak up, and perform at their best.

Emma Henderson MBE

From being part of an elite group of 500 female airline captains worldwide, having her career grounded overnight, to becoming the founder and CEO of a national charity, Emma is a pioneer when it comes to turning challenges into opportunities, and a true advocate of ‘leading from the front’.

Marty Zalewski

Marty Zalewski is a visionary entrepreneur and global leader who combines mindfulness, Design Thinking, and hybrid intelligence to reshape business in the age of AGI and Web3. By integrating human, AI and environmental intelligence, Marty creates systems that share control and decision-making among participants, unlocking new possibilities for innovation and growth. His forward-thinking approach is a roadmap for success in the New Economy. If you're ready to lead the way, Marty is the expert you need.

Simon Wood

Ready to serve up inspiration? Simon Wood is the secret ingredient your event needs. MasterChef UK Champion and celebrity chef, he brings Michelin Guide recognition to every dish and to every stage. As a motivator, mentor, radio host, compere and author, Simon’s dynamic presence and culinary expertise captivate audiences. With a unique blend of passion and skill, he is the ideal speaker to inspire and entertain at any event.

Phil Williams

With over 10,000 hours on national radio, Phil Williams is a voice the UK knows and trusts. With a career covering news, sport, music and entertainment, Phil can speak at any event and engage your audience. Capable of captivating crowds from 50 – 10,000 people, he can match the tone of your event effortlessly.

Bronwyn Williams

Bronwyn is a professional futurist and economist who helps you understand our world so you can change it. She is the author of four books, and has extensive experience consulting to listed firms, international NGOs, central banks and governments all over the world. She is a sought after media commentator comfortable with speaking uncomfortable, yet necessary truth to power.

Gill Whitty-Collins

Looking to inspire real change in your organisation? Gill Whitty-Collins, author of the ground-breaking WHY MEN WIN AT WORK… and how we can make inequality history, is a dynamic keynote speaker with a razor-sharp edge. From Cambridge to Procter & Gamble’s senior leadership, Gill combines insight, energy and valuable advice to leave audiences inspired, empowered and ready to champion gender equality.

Nathan Whitbread

Neurodiversity is anything but new. Yet few organisations have truly got to grips with it. How do you shift the idea of a neuro inclusive workplace from fad to reality? How do you amplify individual strengths and manage difficulties effectively? This is what Nathan Whitbread helps organisations to achieve.

Tammy Watchorn

Looking for a speaker who doesn’t just talk about change but lives it? Meet Dr. Tammy Watchorn. She realized that success is not about processes—it’s about people. By seeing individuals, not just stakeholders, Tammy developed a ‘ninja’ approach to making progress by stealth. Book Tammy to bring a fresh, human-centred perspective to your event and inspire your audience with strategies for real and significant change.

Nicky Wake

For 20 years, Nicky Wake has been building communities and leading award-winning events. After facing profound loss, she turned that experience into purpose. Now, Nicky creates spaces where people can connect during life’s hardest moments. As a speaker, she brings strength and empathy to every stage. Her story shows that sometimes life’s most extraordinary chapter begins when we think the story is over.

Naomi Timperley

One of the most influential women in tech, Naomi Timperley has unparalleled connections into the UK’s innovation community, as a consultant, mentor, and advisor. She helps new companies emerge and established ones to incubate entrepreneurship and creativity.

Liz Timoney

Liz Timoney shifts people’s perspectives, giving audiences the belief that they can change. A relentlessly optimistic writer, speaker and podcast host who talks about identity, meaning, purpose, relationships and careers, Liz is driven by human connection and curiosity.

Michael Taylor

Michael Taylor is one of the most recognisable voices of the Northern business community. Fascinated by music and fashion, and deeply engaged with politics, Michael weaves together stories that go beyond industry and bring lessons for all from unexpected places.

Beckie Taylor

Beckie Taylor breaks the ‘rules’ of business. And in doing so, she proves how wrong they are. Success doesn’t need to come from aggressive practices and punishing schedules, at the expense of everyone and everything else in your life. As a successful CEO, Beckie is the role model for a more progressive approach to work, one that she is helping many other people, and companies to adopt.

Andy Spinoza

Andy Spinoza has been documenting Manchester’s cultural scene for 40 years. He was in the rooms where the big moments happened, often tasked with telling those stories to the public. Now he tells them on stage.

Paul Spiers

Paul Spiers connects profit to purpose, advocating a more ethical approach to business as the foundation of a strategy for sustainable success. Host of the global top 5% podcast, ‘The New P&L – Principles & Leadership in Business’, Paul is in demand as a moderator and speaker for the insight and intelligence he brings to a challenging topic.

Patrick Regan OBE

Patrick Regan OBE is an inspirational leader on issues of social justice and wellbeing, who talks passionately about resilience, courage and mental health. Patrick leaves audiences with a mission and the tools to tackle it.

Claire Quansah

Who do consultants turn to when their business needs help? Claire Quansah uses her experience leading client accounts for global PR agencies to help others get their business into shape. And she lobbies for a different way of working: one that’s both more productive and more inclusive.

Theo Priestley

There are tech boosters, and tech sceptics. But how often do you find someone with deep tech knowledge who can articulate its challenges? And someone literate in the lost futures, once predicted but that never came about? Theo Priestley has acquired a following for his witty takes on today’s tech stories, but his commentary comes from a position of knowledge, as an in-demand consultant, fractional CTO and futurist author.

Hattie Pearson

Hattie Pearson’s name is most closely associated with music, playing to millions of listeners on Hits Radio each week and thousands at her club nights. But she also has an incredible story to tell about challenging yourself, going from zero to Ironman competition fitness in just 9 months.

Matt Navarra

Ever wondered how social media giants stay ahead? Matt Navarra knows—and he shares it with the world. From viral trends to cutting-edge strategies, he’s the expert who keeps audiences captivated and ahead of the curve. A globally recognised social media expert, Matt’s sharp insights and high-energy talks captivate audiences, delivering clarity and actionable advice to the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Ant Morse

Ant Morse helps organisations understand the fast-paced world of new technologies. Demystifying the jargon and clearly explaining what new technologies are, what they do, and how they may impact our lives, society and the wider economic landscapes today and over years ahead.

Dr Simon Moore

Dr Simon Moore explains why people behave the way they do. Whether they want to understand employees, prospects, customers or themselves, Simon has a story to tell your audience that will leave them informed & entertained. With experience and credibility built advising and representing the biggest brands, Simon brings value to every stage.