Thomas Duncan Bell is a highly respected and inspiring mental health expert who has made a significant impact on the lives of many individuals. Despite facing challenges such as living on the bipolar spectrum, dyslexia, dyspraxia, PTSD, and ADHD, Thomas has managed to turn his own life around and dedicate himself to helping others in need.
Contact Great British Speakers today to book Mental Health, Disability and Leadership Speaker Thomas Duncan Bell for your next event.
With his extensive experience and knowledge, Thomas Duncan Bell has become an internationally recognised figure known as ”The Bipolar Businessman”.
Through his writing, keynote speaking engagements, and media appearances, he has reached millions of people, spreading awareness and understanding about mental health. His expertise has been sought after by global companies, including collaborations with organisations like the BBC, to develop effective mental health programs that meet both the employees’ well-being and the business’s needs.
As a prominent mental health speaker in the UK, Thomas has delivered over 400 keynote speeches and has served as the primary mental health commentator and keynote speaker for the Institute of Directors since 2016. His approach to implementing sustainable mental health programs within organisations is not only effective but also compassionate, ensuring that the human element is prioritised in the process. With his background as a commercial consultant for both FTSE 500 companies and SMEs, Thomas understands the dynamics of businesses and the importance of prioritising people in any organisational change.
Thomas’s personal experiences have shaped his resilience and determination to make a positive impact. Growing up in a challenging environment and overcoming adversities, he has developed a unique perspective on change and has demonstrated his resilience through various life events, such as evacuating refugees in Ukraine, saving his family from a house fire, and delivering for a client shortly after his own house burnt down. His ability to bounce back and thrive is a testament to his resilience and serves as an inspiration to others.
Thomas’s energetic and passionate style as a keynote speaker captivates audiences, making his presentations memorable experiences. He has spoken at numerous events and round table sessions worldwide, sharing his knowledge and insights. Additionally, Thomas collaborates closely with businesses to break down barriers and implement cutting-edge change programs that reduce absenteeism and burnout while helping employees find purpose and increase productivity. The impact of his work extends beyond mere numbers, as there is a tangible and human return on investment attached to everything Thomas does.
Aside from sharing his story with its myriad of inspirations, Thomas trains leaders globally to be more authentic, adaptable and compassionate.
Authentic: Leaders need to be authentic with their staff if they are going to engage them. An honest and vulnerable leader is more likely to get effective results sustainably.
Adaptable: Leaders who are adaptable, dynamic and creative are more likely to develop teams with similar traits and values, ensuring staff longevity and higher output.
Compassionate: Leaders who are compassionate will inevitably attract followers. Caring about your staff doesn’t make you weak, it cultivates a stronger team dynamic.
What are the outcomes off the back of this clinically validated training?
Lead With Authenticity: Leaders will be supported to find their authentic voice/values. This will be in a context that’s appropriate for the workplace. Thomas will work with the individuals to enable them to evolve how they approach their internal relationships and to better lead by example, while role modelling mentally healthy culture.
Lead with Adaptability: The training will uniquely focus on managing change, both in the workplace and externally, mapping out steps to cultivate adaptability and choose healthy discomfort to underpin this methodology. This will help the attendees to breed that mindset into their teams, improve talent retention, reduce absenteeism, and promote mentally healthy and sustainable productivity.
Lead with Compassion: There’s a wealth of science to back up the fact that compassionate people are happier, have better physical health, evolve deeper relationships, increase their prosocial behaviour and are more traditionally successful as leaders because they are seen as more trustworthy by their teams. The focus here is to help leaders prevent burnout and empower them to improve more personal solutions to problems they face in the business day to day.
In summary, Thomas Duncan Bell is a remarkable mental health expert, keynote speaker, and advocate for change. Through his personal journey and professional expertise, he has transformed his own life and helped countless individuals navigate their mental health challenges. His ability to connect with audiences, implement effective programs, and inspire change makes him a highly sought-after speaker and consultant in the field of mental health and well-being.
Thomas has been one of the UK’s boldest and most energetic mental health campaigners for many years. His dedication to helping improve people’s lives is inspiring. He is a charismatic and entertaining speaker and one I wholeheartedly recommend.
Brian Heyworth, ex-Global Director HSBC, Chair of the City Mental Health Alliance
I would highly recommend Thomas for any organisation, business, establishment, corporation or even individual that is taking mental health and employee wellbeing seriously. Thomas has a naturally warming and inviting personality, which means he is able to build a unique rapport and resonate with all people due to his experiences, his style appeals to all people of all ages and background. Thomas’ approach to addressing mental resilience and wellbeing is special and breaks industry norms, meaning it feels more human and relatable than generic corporate training, as he is able to relate to real life experiences that he has personally lived through. Thomas is the modern day gateway between business and employees, being a bridge between the two parties, ensuring employee needs are understood and championed. Thomas’ USP is his life story and if he is able to navigate through his life journey and a number of setbacks to champion mental health then his teaching can inspire any business or employee to do the same.
Edward Odofin, Project Manager at BBC
Thomas’ lived experiences and ability to understand human context makes him uniquely positioned to do good work building resilient people and workplaces.
Karen Rivoire, Global Equality Director at IKEA, formerly Global HR Director at Unilever, Chief HR Officer at Kantar Group, also holding senior roles at Microsoft & SONY
I’ve worked with Thomas at multiple events and sat with him on a number of panels over the last 3 years, I’ve also been pleased to have Thomas as part of my Minds@Work movement since our inception. Thomas has spoken for us at events during that time, including Unilever, HSBC & Barclays and he gives a very vulnerable and authentic illustration of his own mental health challenges. He also has the ability to bring some humour to a very serious subject. I would recommend Thomas to any organisation who wants to encourage others to tell their stories and in so doing address the stigma of mental ill health in workplaces.
Geoff McDonald, ex-Global VP of HR & Marketing at Unilever, Global Mental Health Speaker & Consultant, Co-Founder of Minds@Work