A room feels different when Jess is in it.
Jess Pressland brings energy, warmth and straight-talking insight to conferences, keynotes and facilitated conversations. She makes serious topics human, creates space for real dialogue, and keeps audiences with her from the first minute to the last.
Available for keynote speaking, conference hosting, facilitation, panels, workshops, webinars and podcasts.
Clear ideas. Real stories. No corporate theatre.
Jess is a natural host. Whether she is leading a conference or bringing people together around a table, she has a knack for making people feel included and keeping the energy moving.
Her style is practical, conversational and grounded in more than two decades of working with managers and organisations. She is equally comfortable holding a room, facilitating a difficult conversation or turning a dry topic into something people actually want to talk about.
More about Jess →
Topics that start useful conversations.
Jess adapts every session to the audience and the room. Her core themes sit where management, communication and workplace culture meet.
Leadership that works in real life
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What confident, capable management looks like when the pressure is on, not just when the theory is easy.
Attracting & retaining talent
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Why people stay, why they leave, and what managers can influence long before retention becomes an HR problem.
Resilience without the clichés
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A practical conversation about pressure, recovery and helping people perform without pretending work is always easy.
Presentation skills
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How to communicate with confidence, read a room and make a message land with people rather than at them.
Purpose-led communication
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Helping organisations and people communicate with clarity, meaning and a voice that feels authentic.
Women’s leadership
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Visibility, confidence, influence and making space for women to lead without feeling they need to become someone else.
From Learning to Performance: Closing the Gap
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Why learning only creates value when it changes what people do at work, and how to close the gap between attending development and improving performance.
Perform Without Breaking: Mental Toughness
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A practical look at performing under pressure, protecting capacity and building mental toughness without glorifying burnout.
Leadership That People Want to Follow
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What makes people trust, respect and genuinely want to follow a manager, beyond job titles, models and leadership slogans.
Inclusive Leadership
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How managers create teams where people can contribute, challenge, belong and do their best work.
On stage, in the room, in conversation.
Elevate events
Host and speaker for Claire Cathcart’s Elevate events, bringing energy, humour and structure to the room.
Conference hosting · facilitation · audience engagement
World of Learning 2026
Jess is part of the speaker line-up at the World of Learning Conference & Exhibition at the NEC Birmingham.
6 & 7 October 2026 · NEC Birmingham
Warmth, energy and a room people remember.
“Jess is an outstanding conference host. Her presence and engaging communication style elevates every event she leads.”Long-term client, Apleona
“It was pure perfection Jess Pressland! You and Claire Cathcart are the dream team! I’ve never been to anything that matched the sense of community, excitement, welcoming feel and quality in my whole 29 years of being in the HR community!”Emma Cowan
“Such an amazing day and you did an awesome job of hosting and creating a wonderful atmosphere. Finishing bang on 5pm was impressive! Enjoyed every minute of it.”June Hogan, Chartered MCIPD
“What a couple of days! It was lovely to meet you in person Jess, you were an amazing host. I loved the fact that the guests had no knowledge of timings, it really worked.”Samantha Craik, Assoc CIPD
“You were an outstanding host. Thank you for such an engaging and enriching day.”Maria Bostock, FCIPD
“You were the most incredible host for the most incredible event. The day flowed meticulously thanks to your precision. It was so lovely to spend the two days with you.”Emma Mclauchlan
Lead, Actually
Practical conversations about management, people and what leadership looks like when you are actually doing the job.
Listen to the podcast
Explore the podcast →Talk it through with Jess.
Book a 30-minute strategy session to talk about your audience, your event and what you want people to leave thinking or doing differently.
Book 30 minutes with Jess