OBE-Honoured Entrepreneur, Founder of Ecademy & BIP100, Author of ‘Business Is Personal’
Penny Power’s Biography:
Penny Power OBE is a distinguished UK entrepreneur, author and international keynote speaker, best known for pioneering the human side of professional networking. Today, Penny is a Keynote Speaker, Founder of Business is Personal, and co-founder of BIP100, an invite-only community for business experts and owners who value trust, kindness and real connection. Her most notable achievement is receiving an OBE for services to entrepreneurship in social and digital development, recognising a career spent helping people feel seen, supported and significant in business.
Penny’s journey starts far from the conference stage. Growing up with a strong awareness of isolation shaped her empathy and her instinct to bring people together, qualities that later became central to her work. She built early commercial credibility in the tech sector, rising to Sales and Marketing Director at Bytech Distribution, where she held responsibility for major turnover and large teams across a fast-moving industry. Alongside that corporate experience, Penny developed a deep interest in how technology changes behaviour, communication and confidence, laying the groundwork for what would become a defining career in community-led business.
In 1998, Penny co-founded Ecademy, widely recognised as an early online business community that helped professionals connect across countries before mainstream platforms made this normal. That work positioned Penny as a pioneer of digital networking with a clear philosophy, business works best when it is rooted in friendship, care and mutual support. She carried those principles into later ventures, including her role as Chief Executive Officer of Digital Business Britain, advocacy around national digital skills, and her work as Founding Director of Digital Youth Academy, which helped shape pathways into digital careers and was later acquired by Seetec Skills. Penny also became a respected author, publishing books that explore visibility, belonging and the psychology of modern communication, including ‘Business is Personal’, a candid, practical guide for leaders and entrepreneurs navigating pressure, identity and growth.
Why Hire Penny Power?
People hire Penny because she brings warmth, credibility and practicality to subjects leaders struggle to address without sounding scripted. Her keynote ‘Human Touch in an AI World, Because Business Is Personal’ shows audiences how to protect meaning and motivation as work becomes more digital, with a clear focus on emotional intelligence, community culture, wellbeing and sustainable performance. Penny’s sessions resonate with senior leaders, founders and teams because she shares lived experience, lessons from building communities at scale, and tools people can use immediately, for example, changing how teams run meetings, so everyone leaves feeling heard, valued and clear on next steps. If you want a keynote that strengthens culture, improves connection and helps people thrive through change, Penny is a powerful choice.
Penny Power’s Career Highlights:
Here are some of the key milestones that define Penny Power’s inspirational career in business and entrepreneurship:
- 2025 – Featured as ‘DJ Penny Power’ providing music for the Northern PoWEr Women Awards (Manchester Central)
- 2019 – Published ‘Business is Personal: Be the Leader of Your Life and Business’
- 2015 – Digital Youth Academy acquired by Seetec Skills.
- 2014 – Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours
- 1998 – Co-founded Ecademy
Videos
Penny Power’s Official Keynote Speaking Videos & Showreel:
Testimonials
“Penny recently delivered a phenomenal closing keynote speech at The Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments Paraplanner Conference to a diverse audience, where she pitched this to the theme of the conference perfectly. In the session, Penny discussed the critical importance of connection, compassion and human-centric practice in this current digital era. In the talk she provided engaging, thought-provoking and highly relevant content with energy and good humour, leaving attendees inspired and motivated. The talk followed a fantastic Q&A session, where Penny took the time to answer individual audience questions, we had more questions from the audience than we had time to answer, which is undoubtedly a sign of a successful talk. Penny was an absolute pleasure to work with, staff across the Institute spoke highly of her from the lead-up to the conference and preparation of the session to the post-conference communications. Thank you.” – Becky, Conference Manager, The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment
“Penny recently delivered a phenomenal closing keynote speech at our recent Paraplanner Conference to a diverse audience pitching to the theme of the conference accordingly. In the session, Penny discussed the critical importance of connection, compassionate and human-centric practice in an era increasingly dominated by screens and virtual interactions by providing engaging and thought-provoking talk with good humour, leaving attendees inspired and curious” – Becky, Conference Manager, Chartered Institute of Securities & Investments
“Wow Penny was absolutely brilliant, her talk was very aspiring and she hit the nail on the head with the brief. Penny engaged the audience brilliantly, and the support she showed for the programme pre and post-talk was amazing.” – Emmie, Nottingham Trent University
“I wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Penny for her wonderful keynote speech and great facilitating at our Digital Marketing Conference 2022 at the Leicester Marriot Hotel. The event ran smoothly and professionally with her help and support and the conference was a success. The feedback was excellent. Please could you kindly pass on my email thanking her” – Kam, Events and Engagement Officer, East Midlands Chamber
“I only have positive feedback all round for Penny – she was fantastic. Very engaging with the audience, professional and approachable. She was great to deal with personally, and with other team members organising the event. Also, she adapted so well to the last minute changes that we had for the event such as the recordings and the agenda switch. Please pass on my thanks to Penny, she was a pleasure to work with.” – Kayleigh, D2N2 Growth Hub
“After seeing Penny Power OBE speak on two different occasions, and both times feeling hugely inspired, I invited Penny to be one of the keynote speakers at a 3-day entrepreneurial conference I organised. Penny’s contribution to the entrepreneurial world is commendable and her experience is vast. There is no wonder she is a holder of a prestigious OBE title. Better still, she combines this with absolute honesty, open heart and at times, “powerful vulnerability”, as I call it. As such, Penny leaves her audience deeply inspired and with a treasure trove of useful ideas for their business and life. Penny is a true gift to us – and I warmly recommend her as a speaker to every event organiser who wants to bring the caliber of speakers to the next level, and make a long-lasting impact for their audiences.” – Lenka, Managing Director & Principal Coach
“Penny is confident, enthusiastic, optimistic and full of interesting life experiences who gave us great insight in looking at self-actualisation and career progression within our diverse group at Aristocrat. We would definitely recommend and need another reason to bring her back!” – Dipexa, Human Resources Manager EMEA, Aristocrat Technologies Europe Ltd
“What I love about Penny Power is that she draws you in from the very beginning. Her honesty and vulnerability engages everyone immediately. You feel ‘she is like me’. Experience always delivers pearls of wisdom that are priceless. Penny’s journey as a working mum, entrepreneur and pioneer in the digital community space with Ecademy and now as a new breed if business owner is inspirational. Her expertise on how to be a successful business person is really welcome. I’d like to think she is in ‘my tribe”. – Anita, Family Business Place
“Wow Penny was absolutely brilliant, her talk was very aspiring and she hit the nail on the head with the brief. Penny engaged the audience brilliantly, and the support she showed for the programme pre- and post-talk was amazing. She networked, tweeted (lots) and facilitated some great discussions amongst the delegates.” – Emmie, NTU
“Hi Penny – I tried, but failed to get to you through the throngs of adoring women around you at the breaks, you were truly wonderful so no surprise. You’re talk was amazing, your presence even more so.” – Susie
“Hi Penny, absolutely loved your talk yesterday, really resonated and helped me shift so much, thank you so much for sharing your powerful and beautiful message” – Lia
“It was so great to hear about your journey. Thank you for inspiring us to keep packing each other’s parachute!” – Beatrix
“We booked Penny to speak at our Female Speakers Conference this year and could not have wished for a better speaker to open the event. Penny has achieve SO MUCH in her business career and still is on of the most humble human beings I know. Her talk was deep, honest, insightful, inspiring and so much more. If you are looking for a speaker at your next event that really shows POWERFUL authenticity combined with business knowledge: go for Penny! We can’t wait doing more work with her in the future.” – Annik
“Hi Penny, I just wanted to write you a brief mail to say how much I enjoyed your talk at Donnie’s event last Monday. I particularly thought your openness about the ups and downs of life as an entrepreneur and the mental health challenges was exemplary: in my experience, it is extremely rare for anyone to be candid in a big company; and if they do, it tends to be in hushed, euphemistic tones to HR and not to colleagues (who might think them weak/not dependable).” – John
“Thank you Penny – your words really resonated with me – they really made a huge impact at the right time – your journey, tips and advice are particularly helpful – especially the balance between Ego/Spirit points – and the management tools you offer- thank you!!”
“Hi Penny, I didn’t get a chance to talk to you after your talk but thank you for sharing your wisdom today. Your heart is so big and you are in a unique position to bridge the old world and the new with your credibility and understanding.” – Samantha
“Penny it was truly a brilliant talk that touched me on so many levels – I found myself holding back tears as some of what you said really struck a chord. Thank you so much for that.” – Lara
“I heard Penny speak at the Female Speaker’s Conference in London where, for me, she stood out remarkably from the rest. She was not just a speaker, she was a very much a human being speaking. She delivered her message in an engaging and passionate way but most of all she was clearly, obviously and authentically herself. It was a privilege to listen to a talk is so original and so refreshingly genuine.” – Hazel
“I’ve always admired Penny for her contribution to the business world, and recently I’ve had the honour to hear her deliver a captivating speech on the importance of keeping business personal. And all I can say is – WOW. It is quite remarkable that businesswoman of Penny’s caliber also has a great deal of approachability and humility, two qualities of extraordinary leaders. Penny sets a bar for all entrepreneurs and speakers alike. What a Power Woman!” – Lenka
“This was my first time seeing Penny speak at the Female Speaker Conference and my overwhelming thoughts were around how bloody wonderful it is to hear a story about a woman in business who has achieved so much and who is NICE! She spoke a lot about the importance of connection in business and that business is personal. This proved to me what I already hoped was true about success in business. I wrote in big letters across my page ‘The most enriching thing you can do is be yourself.’ Something I have always tried to live by and a great reminder. Thank you Penny.” – Helen
“Thank you Penny Power OBE for your huge contribution this evening. So many of the Alumni apprentices genuinely touched by your message and heartfelt sharing of how they can engage positively with their world.” – Ben Pike
“I think Penny Power OBE inspired the whole world and each one of us in ways that are beyond our immediate perception. Takes time for the world to understand a true visionary…” – Marina
“We booked Penny for our Encouraging Women into Franchising annual award ceremony as we were looking for a key note speaker to deliver an amazing presentation to our audience, and Penny did not disappoint. Penny really wow’ed the audience with her story and the feedback we’ve had has been brilliant (in person and on social media – examples attached). She had the whole room captivated. Her warm personally really shone through and her story about how she’s overcome so much adversity in her life was truly inspiring. Her ‘real’ approach to business really resonated and she gave lots of useful tips that our audience could implement in their business and personal lives. In the lead up to the awards, we had a call with Penny to go through our requirements, which she totally understood. She had already done some research on our organisation and completely set my mind at ease that she understand us, our audience and the theme/feel we were going for. She has also been great on social media, promoting the awards prior to the event and also interacting with our audience during and after the event. I would 100% recommend Penny.” – Helen, EWIF
“Thank you again for arranging for Penny Power to speak at our event today. She was fantastic, and many of the attendees made a point of telling me how much they were inspired by her knowledge and honesty. As I don’t have her contact details, I would be extremely grateful if you could pass on my thanks for an incredible job at such short notice. I also sincerely hope that we work together again soon. Considering I found you guys via a Google search in something of a last minute panic, your support and knowledge was hugely appreciated. Thank you!” – Paul, The IPM
“Just a quick email to say how excellent Penny was as our conference keynote speaker yesterday. Penny was a hit with our independent business owner members with her refreshing and emotionally charged talk enabling her to immediately engage with her audience who left energised to take on board her message that humanity in business is critical when we are all under pressure and overcome by the many challenges in both business and personal life. It is also so refreshing to have a speaker who, without hesitation, was willing to support our conference in other ways by both presenting our awards and giving a breakout session.”
– John, Sightcare
“I just wanted to say that your speech today at the PA forum really struck a chord with me. You are well and truly an inspiration and you are now one of my top role models in the industry. It was a true pleasure to hear your speech today and I wish you well for the future. I’ll definitely be buying your book too!”- Daniel, PA Forum
“Penny, thank you so much for your inspiring talk last night at the Techworks 2019 Gala & Awards. I have had so much positive feedback it is incredible – your standing ovation was so well deserved. You touched the hearts of many CEO’s and Business Owners and Professionals in the room by talking about your own experience and the empathy felt by so many in the room was outstanding. It was a true pleasure to meet you.”
– Alan, CEO at TechWorks
“Penny was great, everyone was really impressed!”- Deborah, Nicholas Humphreys
“Penny Power exceeded our expectation and before we have even finished our conference that was the highlight and really resonated with our team. What an inspirational women !!” – Smith & Nephew
“Penny was a huge success at our forum yesterday. The Hotel Managers loved her!! She is an excellent speaker, story teller and advocate of community and connection which is what we are striving for. Thank you so much for the recommendation.” – Dorchester Collection
“Thank you for being our guest speaker today! Your personal experience and wise words helped magnify our efforts to improve and evolve gender equality within our workplace. You truly invigorated our team to continue the conversation around this important topic and I look forward to our next session!” – Michelle, Salesforce
“Penny delivered a powerful discussion to the Madison Logic team on the topic of taking control of your life in business. Penny was able to share real life experiences that shaped her and her perspective, which is very helpful and resonates well for those on the receiving end of the discussion. As Penny shares practical activities to implement in your daily routine, participants are sure to leave the discussion with beneficial information. Her lively personality coupled with her positive outlook on life and business is truly admirable.” – Nicole, HR Generalist, Madison Logic
“Penny was absolutely amazing, the feedback that I had was amazing and I think a few people want to book her for her own private business, Thank you for sending over the link, I know lots of people are going to want to watch it. Once again please pass my utmost thanks to Penny.”
“Penny was great ! Tech all worked perfectly too. Her background in IT Distribution was really good as it gave us something we could relate too – her story is really inspiring!” Amy, CMS Distribution
Speaking Topics
Penny Power’s Official Keynote Topics:
- Business is Personal
- Community First
- Human Touch in a Digital World
- Nothings In Your Way
How Much Does Penny Power Cost to Hire?
How Much Does it Cost to Hire Penny Power?
The cost of hiring Penny Power OBE varies depending on your event brief, format, location, and any travel or accommodation needs. For an accurate, tailored quote, contact a London Keynote Speakers Agency booking agent for expert guidance.