Founder & Managing Director of SMASH IT! Training, Best-Selling Dyslexic Author of ‘SMASH IT!: The Art of Getting What YOU Want‘ & Boardroom Advisor
Alison Edgar’s Biography:
Alison Edgar MBE is a renowned entrepreneur, behavioural psychology expert and change management specialist, recognised for helping individuals and organisations achieve sustainable growth through stronger relationships, goal setting and high-performance cultures. As the founder and Managing Director of SMASH IT! Training, Alison has become one of the UK’s most respected business advisers, delivering impactful keynote speeches on topics including change management, imposter syndrome, innovation and sales success. A dynamic and engaging speaker, she has worked with leading organisations including EasyJet, The Discovery Channel, SkyBet and the NHS, while also advising the government on business legislation and economic growth. Her ability to translate complex behavioural concepts into practical strategies has established her as a sought-after authority in business and leadership development.
Alison began her career in the hospitality sector, initially serving as Front Office Manager for Seymour Hotels of Jersey before progressing into senior leadership roles with Welcome Hotels & Restaurants and Radisson. These early experiences provided her with valuable insight into customer service, people management and commercial growth. Driven by a passion for helping businesses succeed, she transitioned into entrepreneurship and consultancy, ultimately founding SMASH IT! Training. Through her work, Alison has supported organisations of all sizes, from ambitious start-ups to multinational corporations, helping leaders develop the mindset and skills needed to thrive in rapidly changing environments.
A dyslexic author and respected thought leader, Alison has written two international best-selling books, including ‘SMASH IT!: The Art of Getting What YOU Want’, which became a three-time Amazon international bestseller. Her work has been recognised by WHSmith as one of the Top Ten Business Books and by The Independent as one of the Top 10 Business Books Written by a Woman. Twice named among the UK’s Top Ten Business Advisers, she was awarded an MBE in 2020 for services to entrepreneurship and business and received an Honorary Doctorate of Education in 2024.
Beyond her commercial success, Alison is committed to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs. She has served as a mentor for StartUp Britain, The Aspire Foundation and Independent Export Advisors, while also contributing as a judge for the Great British Entrepreneur Awards and Young Enterprise UK. A familiar face across business media, Alison is a BBC Small Business Expert and contributor, and in 2023 starred in the Amazon Prime UK and US business television series ‘Ready Set StartUP’. Her practical expertise, authenticity and infectious energy continue to inspire audiences worldwide.
Why Hire Alison Edgar?
Alison Edgar delivers practical, high-energy keynote presentations that empower audiences to embrace change, overcome self-limiting beliefs and achieve measurable results. Combining expertise in behavioural psychology, entrepreneurship and leadership, she provides actionable strategies that can be implemented immediately within organisations. Her TEDx talk, ‘The Art of Getting What You Want’, further showcased her ability to connect with audiences through relatable storytelling and proven business insights. Whether speaking on innovation, performance, sales or mindset, Alison leaves audiences motivated, engaged and equipped with the confidence and tools to drive lasting success.
Alison Edgar‘s Career Highlights:
Here are some of the key milestones that define Alison Edgar’s remarkable career:
- 2024 – Awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Education in recognition of her contributions to business, entrepreneurship and learning.
- 2023 – Starred in the Amazon Prime UK and US business television series ‘Ready Set StartUP’.
- 2023 – Delivered a widely acclaimed keynote speech at the Women in Business event, praised for its energy and practical insights.
- 2020 – Appointed MBE in Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honours for services to entrepreneurship and business.
- 2020 – Published ‘SMASH IT!: The Art of Getting What YOU Want’, which became a three-time Amazon international bestseller.
- 2019 – Named one of the UK’s Top 10 Business Advisers by Enterprise Nation.
- 2018 – Served as a judge for the Great British Entrepreneur Awards and delivered her TEDx talk, ‘The Art of Getting What You Want’.
- 2016 – Ranked among the 100 Most Influential British Entrepreneurs by Richtopia, highlighting her growing influence across the UK business community.
Videos
Alison Edgar’s Official Keynote Speaking Videos & Showreel:
Testimonials
“Alison was amazing! The feedback was really great and everyone really enjoyed her high-energy talk. Totally professional and on message! Thanks a million!” – Merck
“Alison was a keynote speaker at our Women in Business event. Wow. Amazing. So much energy and so many powerful messages delivered on the day. What really stood out is how relatable Alison is. I 100% recommend” – St James Place
“Alison and her team were terrific! They took the time to ensure they fully understood our needs and what we wanted to achieve from our event! Alison is hands-on and passionate about what she does and was a wonderful speaker! Thank you so much!” – Ebury
“Alison was a keynote speaker at our All-staff event day. Alison captivated the team with her energy and compelling message. The whole presentation was motivational and meaningful to everyone in the room. Alison and Jaz were open and helped to deliver a presentation tailored to our staff. We look forward to working with you again in the future.” – Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
“Alison was an incredible speaker to work with who really engaged and energised the room. I would highly recommend her for any event.” – Specsavers
“We invited Alison to speak at an awards event for NHS staff. She was professional, well organised and reliable. Her presentation was engaging, entertaining and moving! She inspired us all and helped us to think constructively about how we can achieve our ambitions. Would definitely recommend Alison for future events!” – NHS Solent Trust
“From start to finish, working with Alison was an absolutely pleasure and joy. It can often sound like a cliche, but she is truly inspirational. This very clearly came across in the session that she provided to members of the team on her bestselling book, SMASH IT! What was great was that Alison worked with me to ensure that the session took account of the context within which we were working at the time, with the aim of supporting staff through difficult times and periods of change. The feedback from those who attended was more than positive and it was quite clear Alison had had an impact on all of us, in different ways.” – NHS England
“Alison talks about her Big Balls and boy does she have them! We hired Alison for our keynote slot at our event and would absolutely recommend her. She delivered her presentation with personalised touches and a kick-ass attitude that not only got the attendees in our room buzzing but also inspired the digital attendees. It was a pleasure to work with Alison and her team.” – Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Group
“Alison was extremely professional, friendly and engaging – I would highly recommend” – Porsche
“Alison was so engaging and inspirational in her approach on stage, immediately capturing the attention of her audience.” – WHSmith Travel
“During the event, Alison’s energy and passion were there for all to see. The content really resonated with the team and they were able to connect it to real-life work and home situations. Alison has some great stories and her engaging and funny delivery style made the team feel right at home. I would highly recommend Alison if you are looking to inspire and motivate your team in the future.” – Phil, Currys
“Alison worked with the Senior Leadership Team on her intrapreneurship methodology. I loved Alison’s drive. It made the session really engaging and helped keep everyone’s energy levels up!” – Senior Leader, Discovery Inc
“I first met Alison Edgar at The Reach, Women in Leadership Summit where she was the closing speaker. Her talk was motivational and educational, which made her a perfect fit to work with the leadership team at Sky Betting and Gaming. She didn’t disappoint, the room was fully engaged with her session. Her delivery style is packed with humour and energy, which rubs off on everyone in the audience. She provokes thought and we are still using her techniques and talking about things Alison covered in the session. She is a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend engaging with her to invigorate your team” – Karen, SkyBet
“Alison is a speaker who doesn’t just spout her life story as many others do. She has a great balance of personal anecdotes combined with knowledge and practical skills the team can implement straight away” – Chloe, Alpha LSG, Thomas Cook OMG! Event
“To say that I learned something is a slight understatement, it was a completely eye-opening experience and one that I would not hesitate to say has changed my outlook on “company life”. Although I am not out day-to-day selling, so much that I learned will be put to use within my sales support role” – BigChange
“Alison hosted a workshop at our Women in Sales Summit and was a fantastic asset to the event. Alison’s session was oversubscribed with a standing room only. She was a breeze to work with and I look forward to working with her at the next Summit” – Isabella, Women in Sales Summit
“After much research, we found Alison Edgar via Linkedin… she was the keynote speaker for the first event in the Middle East of its kind, teaching intrapreneurship to business owners and professionals in Kuwait. We were extremely happy and have rebooked her to deliver another event” – Madlen, Integrated Vision Institution of Training and Consulting
“After the session, I felt that everyone in the group started to become more confident in their plans or started to see what they had to work on to ‘get what they want’ both in their personal and work life” – WHSmiths
“Alison is a speaker who doesn’t just spout her life story as many others do. She has a great balance of personal anecdotes combined with knowledge and practical skills” – Alpha LSG
“The key message from Alison’s session in September was: be brave, approve more deals and convert more deals and that we didn’t really need to see a huge increase in proposal numbers, just do better with the ones we get. In simple terms we received roughly the same amount of opportunities in H2 as H1 but converted £54m more into paid deals and Alison’s session played a huge part in this impressive increase.” – Finance Company
“Alisons talk was AMAZING and really resonated with everyone as well as giving them all plenty of food for thought and things to consider in their leadership ‘journeys’! I’ve had so much positive feedback already – about the session as a whole but also about Alison, her story, her style and her delivery as well as the content.” – Ipsen
“Alison absolutely nailed the brief; her energy was truly infectious, and she thoroughly engaged the audience both in the room and those online. Her story really resonated with the audience, and she was skilfully able to compose and present a narrative on personal goal setting and celebrating achievements with a growth mindset.” – MSD
“Alison was incredible to work with, from the moment she called we instantly clicked. She took time to understand our requirements, what we wanted and explained clearly what she could provide. Alison was the utmost professional, easy to work with, flexible and passionate about what she does. We would recommend Alison and hope to work with her again in the future.” – Cheshire College
“Alison came to speak at our Bournemouth University Staff Service Excellence Conference in April – this conference is one of the highlights of our year and attracts a full house. Alison was one of our keynote speakers and was absolutely wonderful. Her talk was entertaining and informative and is already having a lasting impact on the staff who attended. I have no hesitation in recommending Alison, she will delight your attendees and is very easy to work with.” – Bournemouth University
“Alison was an excellent speaker for an event targeted at University of Southampton academics. Alison was engaging, genuine, and captured the audience immediately. She created an interactive and engaging space where attendees could re-frame their mindset. Overall, Alison and the team were a pleasure to work with from start to finish, providing a collaborative approach to organizing a great event!” – Southampton University
“It was great to work with Alison. The pre-event communication and organization were excellent. During this, Alison ensured that she understood the audience she was working with and agreed to the content in advance. She fulfilled the brief very well and adapted well to a minor change to the schedule caused by technical issues earlier in the day with no fuss whatsoever. As the keynote speaker at the end of the day, the brief included re-energizing and motivating participants as a call to action, which worked very well and drew on her understanding of the group (a group of school leaders) gathered from the pre-session communication and during the day itself. I would have no hesitation in recommending Alison as a motivational speaker.” – Newham Learning Network
“What a seamless and lovely experience it was to work with Alison for our graduation event. Having been let down by an internal supplier with less than 3 weeks until the event date, thinking it would probably be too late, Alison absolutely saved the day. The response was really quick and we set up a meeting to discuss our requirements within a couple of days, and Alison was extremely flexible in meeting our needs. On the day, Alison was a fantastic ball of positive energy infecting everyone she came into contact with. She was able to put together an excellent presentation within a very short window, even making last-minute adjustments at a moment’s notice, and the audience lapped it up! If you’re looking for a fun, engaging, positive speaker, Alison is definitely your go-to. Thank you, Alison!” – Renault
“Alison was everything we could have possibly wanted as our motivational speaker for our annual event. She took the time to understand the language, the agenda, and the content of the day and adapted this accordingly. She was professional, relaxed, funny, and engaging! A huge THANK YOU!” – CBRE
“From initial contact, Alison was quick to respond to our needs and went to some length before our event to ensure she tailored her delivery to align with our themes and messaging for the day. That Alison managed to achieve audience participation after lunch on a Friday is a testament to her delivery and the relevance of her material.” – Barratt Homes
“What can I say, apart from what a woman & THANK YOU! Every single staff member couldn’t praise/compliment you more on the 90 minutes of pure passionate motivational pitch. Alison, a local lass from Clydebank, jumped at the opportunity to work with Ferrari Packaging Ltd and deliver her success stories over the years. From our first call, she was so upbeat and positive, right through to her delivered speech, which was impeccable. We had 24 staff members attend, and without any doubt, our staff walked away with her techniques and practical skills to which the team can implement straight away. On behalf of everyone from Ferrari Packaging Ltd, we can’t thank you and your team enough. Hopefully, our paths cross again in the near future.” – Ferrari Packaging
“Alison delivered a highly impactful sales session tailored specifically to our team in the renewable sector. Her dedication to customizing the content ensured a session that resonated deeply with us, enhancing our understanding and approach to sales.” – MultiConsult Group
“Alison took the time well ahead of the meeting to understand our needs, challenges, and goals. She adapted her audience address to totally feel like she had been part of our business for some time. It was part of our annual conference and our delegates were still talking about elements of her presentation at 2 am the following morning in the bar! Thank you, Alison.” – United Farmers
“From first engaging with Alison, there was an absolute synergy and engagement, with her having an instant understanding of the aims and objectives for my event. Alison went out of her way pre-event to ensure that she was totally on point with her content in the context of the day. Her delivery was great, really in line with our overall theme, engaging, funny, and informative, and really resonated with our audience. My tip to anybody looking to engage Alison is to allocate the slot and then add extra time to it as she has so much content that is real and easy to relate to that it would be a shame not to experience it all.” – Daisy Communications
“Alison is knowledgeable, practical and very entrepreneurial, so when we had an event where MetLife needed a speaker I didn’t think twice to recommend her as I knew she would be able to deliver the best virtual, yet interactive session for our 500 women salesforce. Overall Alison is a pleasure to interact, work and learn from and I look forward to working with her again soon” – MetLife
“Alison Edgar MBE’s keynote speech on ‘SMASH IT! with Intrapreneurship’ at our event for the Polish government was powerful. She was incredibly easy to work with, kept to time well, met the brief, and went above and beyond to keep the circa 10,000 viewers engaged and motivated.” – Sebastian, Chairman of the Board
Speaking Topics
Alison Edgar’s Official Keynote Topics:
- Smash It!® With Intrapreneurship
- Smash It!® With High Performance
- Smash It! The Art of Getting What You Want®
- Alison’s Story
How Much Does Alison Edgar Cost to Hire?
How Much Does it Cost to Hire Alison Edgar?
Alison Edgar’s speaking fees typically reflect her exceptional career and international demand. Engagements vary depending on location, format, and duration; keynote appearances, conferences, and international events may command higher fees due to travel and preparation requirements.
