THE SPEAKING SENSATION FROM SCOTLAND

www.thinktastic.co.uk

“Mike leaves a wake of happy, inspired and positively redirected people behind him…

a rare skill indeed…” David Reid, Managing Director, Because Brands Matter

Book Mike Stevenson today for:

Angelina Fisher 0131 202 1667 Email: angelina@thinktastic.co.uk

“When Mike Stevenson takes to the podium you literally feel the surge of

energy in the room.” Colin Gilchrist, Owner,

Digital Face Ltd

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INSPIRATION GUARANTEED

Get Mike Stevenson to present at your event and you bag yourself one of Europe’s most passionate, intelligent, entertaining and persuasive speakers and guarantee an audience inspired and ready to act on exciting new ideas.

Mike’s speeches are a tour de force that surprise, challenge and delight and regularly move people on to greater things - on leadership, customer centricity and cultural transformation he has few peers. His own journey from homelessness to award-winning entrepreneur is one of repeated reinventions and remarkable people and events. From London streets to bombed out Beirut and a South African township, his stories amaze and shock, his humour captivates and his insights inspire. More than that, he lifts, he motivates and he shifts even the most rigid mind-set.

Life lived to the max

Born in Edinburgh to a Scots / Irish father and Lebanese mother, Mike’s background and experience are far from conventional. He spent some of his early years in Pakistan and was in Egypt in the weeks leading up to the Suez crisis. After being kicked out of school (his fifth in ten years) at the age of 15, Mike started his adult life sleeping on the streets of London, he went on to busk in Dublin, cork French wine, carry hods of bricks, pack Moss Bros suits, help produce shortbread and Jaffa cakes, work as a steel worker, a dishwasher, hospital orderly and then strut his stuff on stage and screen. He was a community worker, ran children’s play schemes and earned a reputation as an exciting singer/guitarist. He was a founder member of Glasgow’s widely acclaimed Wise Group in 1984 where he worked as marketing director for more than nine years. Before setting up his existing company Thinktastic, he co-founded and led multi-award winning communications agency Design Links, which he ran successfully for 18 years – buying out his partner after 7 years and earning a reputation for his bold and pioneering social marketing campaigns.

Unleashing people’s ‘can do’ spirit

While, Mike’s stories are utterly compelling, it’s his ability to captivate people and take them on a journey of personal discovery that marks him out. He challenges the business as usual culture - working with companies and public services to shift thinking from the ‘it’s too difficult’ zone. He is passionate about shaping a national culture that’s ambitious, innovative, compassionate and ‘can do’. Real advancement, says Mike, starts not in the corridors of Westminster, Brussels, Holyrood or glass panelled executive offices – but in living rooms, sheds, pub corners and in street conversations. History tells us this again and again, yet we still look to politicians, academics and business leaders for ideas. “Our greatest currency is the resourcefulness of our people, says Mike, and when we unleash their creativity and often unspoken ambitions we create something powerful and positive. I know because, I have seen so many people whose lives had previously been blighted, go on and flourish.”

On the button for today’s challenges

There are few sharper and more creative thinkers around today and Mike offers powerful new ideas on business in the 21 Century, customer centricity, the transformation of public services, democratic participation, improving the nation’s health and creating opportunities for young people to walk tall and shape their own futures. He talks of a new era in which businesses, public services and the wider community form close and productive partnerships and corporate social responsibility moves from business policy to a way of life.

MIKE STEVENSON FACTS

• His campaign to recruit foster carers in Edinburgh became the most successful in the UK – sextupling enquiries and increasing by 37% increase carers recruited in a year. Colour, fun and the quips of foster carers were the key features of the campaign while Lorraine Kelly volunteered as the voice on the 24hr fosterline.

• Attended Kirkcaldy High School at the same time as former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. “Gordon, he says, was in an accelerated class while I was stuck in reverse.”

• While busking on Dublin’s Grafton Street in 1968 he befriended Phil Lynott and Brian Downie of the newly formed Thin Lizzy – years later in London’s Piccadilly Circus he heard his name shouted across the street: It was Phil and Brian announcing their entry into the British charts with ‘Whiskey in the Jar.’

• A regular contributor to BBC Radio Scotland – Mike’s on-air popularity springs from his ability to find unusual and surprising ways to tackle contemporary social and economic challenges

• His company Thinktastic is one of only a small exclusive band of UK based companies to be re-awarded Business in the Community’s prestigious Community Mark and is described as a true exemplar in how it invests in the community

• Won Scottish Small Company of the Year 2008, two consecutive Merrill Lynch sponsored awards for raising the attainment of young people, received a 2011 nomination for IoD Director of the Year and won New Start’s Better Places (private sector) Prize in 2011.

• Celtic supporters could barely believe their eyes and ears when met at the Hibs stadium by a 66 piece steel band from Trinidad and Tobago, a marching jazz band and a contingent of American football cheerleaders – Mike was behind one of the most spectacular pre-match entertainments ever recorded at a league match in the UK

• Caused a real stir by using the faces of supporters and scarf-wearing city icons as cover features on the Hibernian football programme - recording at the time the highest ratio sales in Scotland and winning a number of awards and accolades in the process.

• Gave a live ‘call to the nation’ motivational speech on BBC Radio Scotland’s Fred Macaulay show, then led an hour-long interactive creative session with over 200 attendees at the 2011 Herald Society Awards.

• Starred in a Scottish made road movie ‘To a Girl’ and made brief appearances in Taggart and a children’s drama series ‘Harry and the Wrinklies’

• In 1977 was the first ever artist to perform at the inaugural Radio Clyde Festival at Kelvingrove Park. This was when Mike singing career was really taking off. This short film is proof positive of Mike’s stage career http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt-qiCEDBHk

• Led, as its chair, a successful bid to get Leith FM its full-time broadcast licence from Ofcom – the community radio went on to success.

• Thinktastic’s predecessor, Design Links won nine Communicators in Business awards for clients as diverse as Standard Life, BskyB, East Lothian and Inverclyde Council and the Scottish Prison Service.

PRESS CLIPPINGS

“…We have an enormous amount of experience and resources in the city’s communities. There is a huge potential to create a whole wealth of ideas that cost nothing. They’re always the best ideas. If we don’t listen to the public properly through genuine interactions and not just contrived consultation, then we are missing out on a huge opportunity.” Guardian interview

“How many great ideas have been strangled at birth by those who see their role as to find fault with anything unfamiliar to them?” …“Children are honest and don’t have as many preconceptions or prejudices, he said. “We will often consult children or teenagers on how the company looks to the outside world.” Scotsman interview

“It’s become crystal clear to me that wherever you look you see a rising tide of ambition … People don’t want their expectations managed and they don’t want incremental change, which simply means change after change and often without a vision.” The Herald interview

“The thing about language is that we live in a country that values humours greatly – yet many of our organisations have a complete absence of it when it comes to making connections with people.” Interview in Business Scotland

“To create a legacy of excellence, we need people at all levels to ask the simple question. Is there a better way? Then we need the atmosphere and the channels to allow these ideas to be approved and implemented quickly. Making that culture shift should be fun and empowering – certainly not business as usual.” Writing in Housing Matters

‘Thinktastic has enlisted senior figures from the Disney Institute to sprinkle some of its magic on Scottish business practices. In partnership with Quest for Excellence, the Edinburgh agency is hosting a masterclass in the city next month for Disney to showcase the methods and techniques it uses to transform ways of working.’ Scotland on Sunday

“Mike isn’t one of these airheads given to business speak bullshit – let’s run this thing up the flagpole and see who salutes it – but a down to earth Leither.” The Sunday Express

SHORT CLIPS OF MIKE

In their Words http://www.mikestevenson.net/speaking.php

Mike in Action 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOkzEg4aSaI

Outside the Scottish Parliament http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu_2eFJ6cjA

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT MIKE

This morning everyone is talking about what they did differently at the weekend…so inspiring” Ruth Connolly. Head of Scottish Parliament Film Unit

“You rocked!!” Michelle McKearnon, Business Development Manager, Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce

“…the words of wisdom and encouragement you shared with our students, gave them a massive boost.” Magnate Ntombela, Regional Director, University of South Africa -Kwazulu Natal

“… An extraordinary person, a fantastic facilitator, who conveys a positive spirit and inspiring attitude. He is very humble, entertaining, engaging and positively challenging in his approach. It has been fantastic working with him.” Dr Thilo Kroll, University of Dundee

“Compelling and original – the ideal balance of humour and seriousness to inspire our audience and have them contemplate the possibilities for the journey ahead.” George Wilson, Head of Human Resources, The National Trust of Scotland

Seeing at first hand 270 under pressure health professionals inspired to run with and pledge to new ideas was uplifting. Mike used fun, humour, motivation and positive participation to lift, energise and empower people to go and make change happen.” Jacqui Lunday, Chief Health Professions Officer, Scottish Government

“…Opened our minds to think about our business differently … got us enthused about future possibilities and helped us see where our organisation should sit strategically in Scotland. Everyone enjoyed it and everyone participated.” Malcolm Thomson, Scottish Business in the Community

“I’ve been talking about ‘amazing you’ in Yorkshire – you are inspiring by proxy” Nina Fedenczuk, Consultant, Working Together

“... the icing on the cake - it’s the one, the only, our choice for Ambassador of Scotland - lights up the room and breathes even more life into the meeting.” Rod Jamieson, Director, Fortunetwork

“Mike stoked the fire of inspiration and innovation and his ideas and stories have made be a better leader.” Eugene Taylor. Training & Design Manager, Scottish Gas

“I was greatly impressed by how you won them over with your excitement, passion, enthusiasm and humour, and then went for the jugular and challenged them all to sit up and take stock - a Master in action! The feedback has been fabulous and you have certainly left your mark in West Lothian.” Christine Murphy, Scottish Business in the Community.

“Mike challenged us to step away from the ‘it’s too difficult’ zone, then left us buzzing, enthused, inspired and up for change.” Dr Anne Hendry, National Clinical Lead, NHS Scotland

“Mike absolutely “gets” what it means to be enthusiastic and confident and is prepared to shout about it from the highest mountain tops. This country needs more people like Mike!” Beth Edberg, Founder, Bee all you can

“Mike brought something new and exciting … leaving us enthusiastic about taking a more confident, informal and direct approach to engaging with local people. We have moved from thinking operationally to thinking inspirationally ... we all left much more solution focussed” Anna Herriman, Community Engagement Manager, City of Edinburgh Council

“… a fantastic communicator who, unlike other motivational speakers, is a natural at getting close to people and making you feel there’s no distance between you and the ideas he champions. He also has an excellent grasp of modern management approaches and knows how to get people at all levels involved and contributing to their full potential.” Robin Burley MBE, Eskhill & Co