Kevin Gaskell

Fee Band


Kevin headed UK operations for Porsche and BMW, before launching a software business, heading a fintech operation, and taking over the helm at a luxury boatbuilder. He has also walked to both Poles with Alan Chambers and climbed the highest peaks in the world. Kevin sets out simple rules: have a dream, define your purpose, write the plan, apply it with consistency and allow yourself to become obsessed with winning. He sees the leader’s job as creating more leaders.


Biography

Kevin Gaskell has led and turned around businesses large and small and in sectors from automotive to technology, financial to garden centres. He’s headed both Porsche’s and BMW’s UK operations, founded and led online startups, and taken his never-give-up attitude to extreme climates.

After qualifying as a civil engineer and accountant, Kevin worked in the construction and chemical industries before taking over Porsche’s UK operation as MD at just 32 years of age. The company was in the doldrums with dealers returning contracts and a backlog of unsold stock. In five years he turned it in to the most profitable car company in the country. He then moved to BMW, where he grew sales by 80%, before founding a pioneering online car dealership business. When the new business relocated to the US, Kevin and his team created an ecommerce solutions platform for the fleet car sector.

Kevin continued to work on businesses involved in automotive sector data and systems, and also supply chain. He’s also led the turnaround of a South African online payment company and helped build an acclaimed local garden centre.

When luxury yacht builder Fairline had run up 10 years of losses, the company’s bank brought Kevin in to rescue it. He quickly devised a plan that overhauled everything from bonuses in the workshop to marketing, management and design bringing acclaim from employees and customers.

As well as his extensive business operations, Kevin is a keen adventurer, regularly jumping from planes, climbing mountains and trekking hostile climes (he’s raised the money to build a cancer treatment centre at the same time). He often refers to these trials of physical and mental endurance when addressing business challenges.

Kevin asks organisations to consider not what they think is possible, but what they really want to achieve. Only by moving past the (often self-imposed) limits can groups achieve real success. His infectious enthusiasm combines with real-world, practical business experience. When others say something can’t be done, he asks why. He believes that any goal can be achieved by the people who already know the business given a clarity of vision and purpose, and the freedom to realise their brilliance.

© Copyright 2024 JLA. All rights reserved.

Contact

We’re on hand to help you find the perfect speaker, presenter or performer for your events. Call or email our London office and use our agents' experience to expertly match you with the right person for your programme!


From time to time we send out emails announcing new speakers and free tickets to our showcase events including Speakers Breakfasts and the JLA Real Variety Show. Please tick the box below if you would like to receive these emails.

Don't miss anything!

We will never share the data you submit here with a third party. Information is stored in a database in order to service your enquiry, but is deleted once it is no longer required. You may request to have this data removed at any time.

JLA Presents


Event - 30/04/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Understanding AI Now

Speakers
Priya Lakhani, Anne-Marie Imafidon, and Neil Lawrence

Please join us in our JLab studio near Oxford Circus at 08:30am on Tuesday 30th April for our next speaker’s breakfast event. Following our sell-out event for IWD back in February, we will be joined by three fantastic speakers for an exploration of the uses, myths and concerns surrounding AI.

Location

JLA, 14 Berners Street, London

WATCH

Event - 06/02/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Looking Ahead to International Women’s Day

Speakers
Samira Ahmed, Eniola Aluko, Julia Gillard, and Alex Mahon

We were joined by four fantastic speakers to look ahead at International Women’s Day. With the theme of this year’s event being #InspireInclusion, we were lucky enough to hear from four women who have each blazed a trail in their respective fields: CEO of Channel 4, Alex Mahon; the former Australian Prime Minister and Chair of Kings’ Global Institute of Women’s Leadership, Julia Gillard; one of the leading voices in football, Eniola Aluko MBE; and broadcaster and journalist, Samira Ahmed.

Location

Bishopsgate Institute, London

WATCH