In 2006, after returning from a school trip to Disneyland Paris, Anthony Bennett’s life took an unexpected and devastating turn. A seemingly harmless journey left him critically ill, battling multiple life-threatening infections. The cause was traced to the coach’s air conditioning system, which affected 80% of the students on the trip—but Anthony faced the worst of it.

He was given just a 10% chance of survival after contracting a combination of deadly viral infections, including Streptococcus Pneumonia, Influenza, and Staphylococcus, which led to severe Sepsis. His body was pushed to its limits:

– His white blood cell count dropped to zero

– He suffered a seizure while in a coma

– He was resuscitated an astonishing 12 times

– He spent three weeks on an ECMO machine, keeping him alive as his body fought to heal

– He had to relearn how to walk, talk, and even breathe without assistance

Anthony Bennett | Partnership with Great Ormond Street

Against all odds, Anthony made a full recovery and turned his experience into a force for good. He played a pivotal role in securing a £7.5 million charity partnership between Whitbread PLC and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

For four years, he traveled the UK, inspiring teams to raise essential funds that helped build a new cardiac wing—allowing the hospital to treat 20% more children in need of life-saving care.

Anthony Bennett | Recognition

His remarkable journey and dedication to enriching lives led to national recognition. In 2015, The Independent on Sunday named him one of the happiest people in the UK in their prestigious Happy List, and he was honored by the Prime Minister for his outstanding contributions to making Britain a better place.

In 2017 he was voted ‘favourite speaker’ at the Risky Business 2-day conference.

Another milestone was reaching 1,000 5-star Google reviews for his work.

Anthony Bennett | Motivational Speaker

Anthony is known for his engaging and natural speaking style, captivating audiences and leaving them motivated and inspired. His speaking themes cover:

– Saying “YES” to opportunities

– Positives and negatives – how negative situations can plant positive seeds

– Teamwork – the valuable contribution of everyone in a team

– Stepping out of comfort zones

– Dealing with Setbacks

– Using and Sharing your Superpower

– Maintaining Motivation

– Resilience

Anthony Bennett | Keynote Topics

Dreamer & Pullerbacker. Here Anthony talks through the two voices many people have in their imagination. The ‘Dreamer’ voice that always wants the best for us and the ‘Puller-backer’ voice that tries to talk us out of ideas.

He invites members of the audience on stage to step out of their comfort zones and to follow the Dreamer voice to share something that makes them proud of themselves, something they have overcome, reasons for why they chose their profession or simply a thank you to someone that has helped them along their journey.

Dealing With Setbacks & Being the Best You Can Be: Positive seeds of growth are often planted during some of our lower times. Opening new ways of thinking about setbacks and the positives that can come out of that, Anthony speaks on the impact of self-challenge and saying yes to opportunities and being the best you can be.

The Journey (Teamwork): Storytelling through his multiple brushes with death, Anthony highlights the importance of teamwork and how everyone, from the patient-facing cleaners, nurses, and surgeons to the behind-the-scenes procurement and warehouse teams, all played a role when it came to saving his life.

Resilience & Building a Positive Mindset: With mental-health related absences on the rise, we are seeing an increase in the number of people being signed off work with depression, anxiety, and burnout. When a positive boost is needed, these sessions are the perfect way to motivate and inspire your teams. Anthony shares examples and practical tips on building resilience and working with our inner voices to work with us rather than against us.

For health-related events he delivers a special talk entitled ‘A heartfelt thank you from an ex-patient’. His presentation gives everyone an insight into the superpower they have, whether they appreciate it or not. Anthony’s thought—provoking sessions uplift the hearts and minds of all listening and makes them wonder: What is your superpower?

Anthony Bennet Clients: AB InBEV, Allocate, Amazon, Beefeater, BMA, BT, CIPD, Citizens Advice, Costa Coffee, EIZO, GS1, Harvard Medical School, hfma, HM Prison Service, IOPC, IQVIA, Lloyds Bank, L’Oreal, Network Rail, NHS, Piramel, Premier Inn, SKY, Swim England, Teenage Cancer Trust, uniper, Very, Whitbread.

Anthony Bennet | School Speaking Talks

He also provides online sessions for schools, utilising digital technology such as social media – where he has a following of over 10,000 – in order to reach the minds of young people and provide them with confidence and motivation.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book inspirational speaker Anthony Bennett for your corporate event.

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