“We all left with fresh courage, determination and energy, committed to taking responsibility for driving better ways of doing things beyond our official remits, driven by a desire to do what’s right vs what’s easy, with a clear list of the right rules to break, secure in the knowledge that we had one another’s backs.”
Polly Cochrane, CMO, Warner Bros UK.
Summary bio.
Sam is an expert in uncertainty and is dedicated to helping people navigate change and turn fear into opportunity.
Sam’s mission is to equip people with the tools needed to not just thrive in an uncertain society, but to drive innovation, seize opportunities and lead others to become Uncertainty Experts themselves. Sam is the author of the international best-seller and "modern life-bible" Be More Pirate. He was Co-Founder of Livity, the multi-award-winning social enterprise and youth-led creative Network, Co-founder of Digify Africa, and Co-Founder of Don’t panic, the original activist and Bafta-winning content studio.
Sam has won Entrepreneur of the year, Agency of the Year, The Queens Award and many others.
Medium bio.
Sam is an expert in uncertainty and dedicated to helping people navigate change and turn fear into opportunity.
In our rapidly changing and uncertain world, Sam uses a unique hybrid of online learning, interactive documentary and psychological intervention to drive curiosity, inspire innovation and build emotional resilience in teams and leaders alike. Sam’s mission is to equip people with the tools needed to not just thrive in an uncertain society, but to drive innovation, seize opportunities and lead others to become Uncertainty Experts themselves.
In 2023, Sam co-create the world’s first Entertainment Based Therapy experience, Uncertainty Experts. Sam is the author of the international best-seller and "modern life-bible" Be More Pirate. He was Co-Founder of Livity, the multi-award-winning social enterprise and youth-led creative Network, Co-founder of Digify Africa, providing transformational digital skills to thousands of young Africans and Co-Founder of Don’t panic, the original activist and Bafta-winning content studio. Sam has won Entrepreneur of the year, Agency of the Year, The Queens Award and many others.
Sam turned down an MBE in 2020 in an open letter to the Queen suggesting an update to the honours system to move it away from it's 'colonial past'.
Full biography.
Sam is an expert in uncertainty and dedicated to helping people navigate change and turn fear into opportunity.
In our rapidly changing and uncertain world, Sam uses a unique hybrid of online learning, interactive documentary, and psychological intervention to drive curiosity, inspire innovation, and build emotional resilience in teams and leaders alike.
Sam’s mission is to equip people with the tools needed to not just thrive in an uncertain society but also drive innovation, seize opportunities, and lead others to become Uncertainty Experts themselves.
In 2023, Sam co-create the world’s first Entertainment Based Therapy experience, Uncertainty Experts. Sam is the author of the international best-seller and "modern life-bible" Be More Pirate. He was Co-Founder of Livity, the multi-award-winning social enterprise and youth-led creative Network, Co-founder of Digify Africa, providing transformational digital skills to thousands of young Africans and Co-Founder of Don’t panic, the original activist and Bafta-winning content studio.
Sam has won Entrepreneur of the year, Agency of the Year, The Queens Award and many others. Sam turned down an MBE in 2020 in an open letter to the Queen suggesting an update to the honours system to move it away from it's 'colonial past'.
2. Inspiring Innovative Leadership
It’s never been more difficult to create meaningful change and at the same time, bold creativity is more important than ever. I work with leaders and teams to shift mindsets and behaviours, leading to more creative and confident crews as catalysts for change. Sam will leave your team with a fresh sense of courage, determination and energy, along with a commitment to take responsibility to push for a better way of doing things.
3. Navigating Change; Breaking & Making Rules
Change has always been hard, and right now it’s harder than ever. In a world where 'normal' is often part of the problem, rule-breaking is no longer always a risky thing to do, but sometimes the responsible course of action. I work with teams to help them emerge with a new mindset and set of behaviours, so that they become catalysts for change across the business. The aim is for them to infuse each of their departments with the attitude and ability for thinking and doing differently, and raise the roof on creativity.
Sam speaks at conferences and events and leads bespoke masterclasses for leadership teams and companies looking to build emotional resilience, make better decisions, take decisive action and turn uncertainty into opportunity.
Sam speaks on three core themes:
1. Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity
In these uncertain and rapidly changing times, open mindedness, comfort with ambiguity and divergent thinking are essential skills for high-performing teams and the leaders of the future. Backed with research by Neuroscientists and Psychologists from UCL, my mission is to galvanise teams to make better decisions, confidently solve complex problems and take inspired action. Sam can turn your people into experts in uncertainty with the skills and capacity to not only navigate uncertainty, but to use it as a tool that drives innovation, growth and opportunity.
“Read it. Applied it.
And achieved positive, irreversible change within my team and the results we deliver !”
Stuart Almond, Head of Marketing & Communications, Sony Professional Europe
Awards & honourable mentions
2007 — Appointed as one of 25 Social Enterprise Ambassadors for the UK Government
2008 — Sam has a chapter dedicated to him in the once-name-drop-worthy Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s book, Everyday Heroes
2009 — Named as one of the UK’s 50 new Radicals in The Observer
2010 — Awarded UK Social Entrepreneur in the EY Entrepreneur of The Year Awards
2015 — Livity wins Social Enterprise Of The Year at the National Business Awards
2016 — Don’t Panic wins Gold at Cannes
2017 — Livity becomes the first agency to win Grand Prix at BIMA Awards (for redefining the agency model)
2018 — Awarded CSR Leader of the Year at Global CSR Awards
2019 — Becomes an international best-selling author with Be More Pirate
2020 — Awarded an MBE for services to young people, but declined, in an open letter in support of Black Lives Matter.
2011 — Livity receives The Queens Award for Enterprise and Innovation and Sam is awarded a Big Society Award, nominated by that other once-name-drop-worthy Prime Minister, David Cameron.
2012 — Livity wins best Marketing Agency, and Campaign of the Year at Marketing Agencies Association Awards
2013 — Don’t Panic wins a Bafta for the Revolution Will Be Televised
2014 — Named on the Happy List, the people making the UK happier, and the Maserati 100, the people helping the UK’s entrepreneurs
Profile Pictures
For low-resolution (web/social media/etc) images, please right-click on any of the below and download them and please link to samconniff.com and/or for a high resolution (print/brochures/etc) versions please click on the button below and credit samconniff.com
Intro Script.
It is my great pleasure to introduce our next speaker today.
This person is an expert in uncertainty and the creator of the world’s largest study into uncertainty tolerance. He is the author of the international best-seller Be More Pirate and the Co-Founder of Livity, Digify Africa and Don’t Panic.
In 2023, he co-founded the world’s first Entertainment-Based Therapy experience, Uncertainty Experts. He is dedicated to helping people navigate change and turn fear into opportunity. His mission is to equip people with the tools needed to not just thrive in an uncertain society but also drive innovation, seize opportunities, and lead others to become Uncertainty Experts themselves.
In these uncertain and rapidly changing times, open-mindedness, comfort with ambiguity and divergent thinking are essential skills for high-performing teams and the leaders of the future. Backed with research by Neuroscientists and Psychologists from UCL, his mission is to galvanise teams to make better decisions, confidently solve complex problems and take inspired action. He is here today to turn us into experts in uncertainty with the skills and capacity to not only navigate uncertainty, but to use it as a tool that drives innovation, growth and opportunity.
Please welcome to the stage, Sam Conniff.
Booking Process.
Your organisation is unique and so are your people and the challenges they face. Sam creates all of his keynotes and masterclasses bespoke for each client, so no two events are ever the same. When you make a booking with Sam, he will start with a briefing call to learn about your company, your people and your event. The scoping call is a key step in Sam’s creative process as he will use this time to delve into the challenges you are looking to solve and to hone in on the change, impact and outcomes you are hoping to achieve through your event. Sam is always happy (and actively encourages a Q&A). His events are always engaging, interactive and impactful and Sam is guaranteed to bring energy to your event, which is infectious.
After the scoping call, Sam will create a strategic proposal that outlining the event for your approval. In the lead up to the event, Sam will be on hand to answer any questions you have and is happy to arrange another planning call closer to the event where required. It is always Sam’s preference to do a tech check before the event (there is more info about Sam’s tech requirements below) and he is happy for the event to be recorded and photographed for internal use.
If you have any questions about the booking process or would like to make an enquiry, please head to the booking page by clicking the link below.
A/V Requirements.
Sam uses Googleslides, with audio & video included. Sam’s decks can be downloaded to PowerPoint if needed (but that may have an impact on fonts). While he can use any machine, it is always Sam’s preference to present from his own MacBook.
A radio mic is preferred over a handheld as Sam likes to keep his hands free while presenting.
Sam is always more than happy to do (and actively encourages) a Q&A. He would always prefer to be introduced rather than introduce himself, and he loves to do a tech check beforehand, so he is happy to arrive early to accommodate this.
Sam brings
A Macbook Pro
Wireless presentation clicker and backup
A Googleslides presentation
A presentation designed to work on 16X9 screens
Sam needs
HDMI cable
A wireless, lapel microphone
Mains power socket to power his laptop
A projector (DVI, HDMI or VGA Connector)
A speaker system that receives audio output from the laptop
Optional (but prefered) : External comfort monitor, set to the slide ahead
Download the Brochure.
Download Sam’s Masterclass & Keynote Brochure by clicking the link below.
For more information or to book Sam, please email:
[email protected]