View Showreel
Stefan Thomas - keynote speaker
stefan thomas
facebookfacebook twittertwitter linkedinlinkedin
Speaker—Corporate Trainer—Bestselling Author

Your Next Keynote Speaker

I'll entertain, inform and inspire your delegates, channel partners, distributors, sales agents and members, leaving them with plenty of practical take-aways they can apply straight away on a practical level. Whether you're a public or commercial organisation, let me energise your event.

Find out more
stefan thomas
transparent gif

Corporate Training

I'll ensure you and your teams are on the same page and have the skills needed to follow your vision. All my corporate training sessions are specially tailored to the unique needs of your organisation and the issues you're facing.

Find Out More

About Stef

From shoe-shop assistant to prestigious speaker, trainer and author, it's been a varied journey. Whether I've been selling shoes, supporting estate agents or running a leading networking organisation, it's all been about helping and enabling people to build better relationships.

Find Out More

Author of

stefan thomas books
transparent gif

Every big opportunity starts with a little conversation

I'm Stef. I started out selling shoes in Oxford in 1983, and somewhere along the way I worked out that people don't buy from strangers. They buy from people they know, like and trust.

That one idea has shaped everything since. I wrote Business Networking for Dummies, ran thousands of networking events a year as Network Director at 4Networking, and now speak at conferences and train teams in the UK and around the world on how to turn conversations into relationships, and relationships into business.

If you want your delegates leaving the room talking to each other, not just about the speaker, we should talk.

Why event organisers book me

  • Practical, not theory. Every session gives people things they can use the same day, at the coffee break, on LinkedIn, or on the next sales call.
  • Big rooms and small ones. From a team of ten to an audience of 2,500 partners at a national kick-off.
  • Funny, honest and a bit self-deprecating. I've made most of the networking mistakes so your people don't have to.
  • Tailored to you. I'll talk to you before the day so the content fits your audience, your sector and the outcome you want.

Ways we can work together

Keynote speaking. Conference openers, sales kick-offs, partner events and member days. Energising, practical and built around your theme.

Corporate training. Networking, communication and relationship-building workshops for sales teams, leaders and anyone who represents your brand.

The Networking Success Programme. My live online course for business owners who want events and LinkedIn to bring in paying clients.

The Speaking Retreat. A workshop in Witney for people who want to build a signature talk and get paid to speak.

Connect Network and Connect Witney. An invitation-only business community, plus friendly evening networking events in Witney.

Connect Live! Our business networking event at the Corn Exchange, Witney, on 19 May 2027.

Frequently asked questions

What does Stefan Thomas speak about?
Business networking, building relationships that lead to sales, communicating with confidence, and turning events and LinkedIn into real business.

Where is Stefan based?
Witney, Oxfordshire, in the UK. I speak and train worldwide, in person and online.

Can the keynote be tailored to our event?
Yes. Every keynote is shaped around your audience and objectives after a call with you beforehand.

How do I check availability?
Get in touch through the contact page or message me on WhatsApp, and tell me your date, location and audience.

Got an event coming up?

Tell me about your audience and what you'd like them to walk away with. It might be the start of a very good conversation.

Check my availability

I booked Stefan for my Kick Off event - confident that in front of our audience of 2500 partners he would help them all to network more effectively. Our audience loved him and since that event we have booked Stefan several times since, and he has created video training for our intranet too.
X
Instinctif
Great session with Stefan today, very valuable life-changing networking advice that I would recommend to all. Thank you!
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
Oqema
I came to Stef with a specific issue as I was aware of his track record but also aware that his approach is just what I needed. Stef has managed to find the right balance between firm and fair. The issues are dealt with as opportunities rather than problems but he treated the inviduals as being part of the solution. His pleasant but professional manner instills confidence in those he is coaching, and also those who recognise that their team need help from an experienced professinal outside of their organisation.
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
Utility Warehouse
I booked Stefan for my Kick Off event - confident that in front of our audience of 2500 partners he would help them all to network more effectively. Our audience loved him and since that event we have booked Stefan several times since, and he has created video training for our intranet too.
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
Oxford Brookes University
Stef delivered an inspiring session on professional networking to my final-year students at Oxford Brookes. It was spot on in terms of addressing the key issues students are concerned about in trying to network effectively in order to enter the world of work, and audience engagement was high. Stef's manner is warm and approachable, and he made what is an 'out of comfort zone' subject area for many, seem much more relatable and achievable. Thank you, Stef!
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
Lloyds Bank
An essential part of business life is the ability to network. An essential part of managing a large team is helping them to be comfortable with the concept and with the practicalities of networking. Stefan ran a full day workshop with my national specialist legal relationship management team. The focus for the day was building trust and Stefan tailored the day to be relevant to the roles of the audience ensuring that the day was guided but not scripted this allowing the day to flow to help address the needs of the attendees. Feedback from the team was extremely positive and I have no hesitation in recommending Stefan to anyone thinking about running a similar workshop.
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
Brethertons Solicitors
Stefan gave an excellent presentation to over 200 Brethertonians at our first staff conference. Our staff were educated, motivated and entertained and at the conclusion were specifically asking for copies of Stefans book. A good job well done.
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
BNI
I recently booked Stefan to speak at my BNI Big Breakfast. Stefan is a professional to work with and he had the audience captivated. His communication was excellent allowing us to prepare for the event accurately. On the day he arrived early and stayed for the whole event (he was still there talking to the last people even as I left). He made himself available to talk to the many people who wanted to follow up with him. I would have every confidence in booking Stefan again and recommend him for your event,
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
Wiley
I worked with Stef on his book, Business Networking For Dummies. Not only is Stef a fantastic writer, he’s an expert networker (of course) and a talented speaker. His advice is practical, honest, and easy to implement – providing the tools that business owners need to make networking ‘work’ for them. It is clear that he practices what he preaches and his approach to networking will appeal to anyone wishing to avoid the ‘sell, sell, sell’ mentality. Stef is a pleasure to deal with – he’s friendly, upbeat in the face of tough deadlines, and extremely reliable. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with him again and I strongly recommend his services as a writer, speaker and trainer.
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
Independent Office for Police Conduct
We invited Stefan to come and speak at our aspiring managers networking event. This programme is something that people who want promotion apply for in order to gain more experience to then be more prepared for the next role they go for. As a public sector organisation, we don’t necessarily network as much outside as we maybe should so I considered asking someone to speak to them about the benefits of networking would be a good idea. Stefan did an excellent job and introduced some concepts to our staff, it was a great event and we’ve already had some staff joint LinkedIn as a result so it definitely worked! Thanks so much for coming and bringing your energy on the subject!
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
Strive
A wonderful human and top notch speaker, great to deal with both in the build up to the event and onsite, very personable and excellent at what he does. Hope to work with you again soon!
Phoebe Cherry - Director Strive
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
Health Food Manufacturers' Association Autumn Seminar
Stefan was absolutely the right choice, and I can highly recommend him for any corporate event where you want to give your audience something to lean into and take away new ideas, whatever your industry.
Theresa Cutts
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
Sedgemoor Chamber of Commerce
When we decided to create the Somerset Business Expo as the Sedgemoor Chamber of Commerce, we knew just getting a bigger venue wasn’t enough, we had bring in world class speakers as a draw to build the audience - Stefan was straight in the team sheet! I’ve know Stefan for well over 10 years, so I know what he brings… and he absolutely delivered for us.
Matthew Ruddle
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X
Oxford Innovation
We hired Stefan to deliver an all-day workshop at Fareham Innovation Centre. We were habsolutely blown away by how insightful and motivating it was. One of the attendees said it was the best workshop they'd ever been to.
Anna Bravington
Contact me to see how you can book me for your event
X