Champions Speakers expands Scottish presence with SpeakOut acquisition

The acquisition forms part of Champions' wider growth strategy and gives it a stronger foothold in Scotland's business, public sector and events markets.

Champions, which was crowned SME of the Year at the British Business Awards, said the deal was driven by SpeakOut's long-established relationships within Scotland and its reputation in the speaker and entertainment booking sector.

The acquisition allows SpeakOut to retain its Scottish identity while gaining access to Champions' larger international network of speakers, clients and events.

Jack Hayes, director of Champions Speakers, said: "Scotland was already an important market for us, but we did not have the depth of local relationships that SpeakOut had built.

"There is strong demand from financial services, professional services, energy, public sector organisations and major events. Acquiring SpeakOut gave us an established position rather than asking a new team to build one from the ground up.

"It allowed Champions to become more embedded in the Scottish market while retaining a business that clients there already knew."

Founded by Kenny Donaldson, SpeakOut spent decades developing relationships with organisations across Scotland, becoming a recognised name in the speaker and entertainment booking sector.

Mr Donaldson said preserving that identity was a key consideration when discussions about the acquisition began.

"I had been approached before, but I was protective of what SpeakOut had become," he said.

"My reputation and many long-standing relationships were tied to SpeakOut. The appeal of Champions was that they understood the sector and were still a family-owned business. The conversation was about growing SpeakOut rather than absorbing it and removing what made it work."

As part of the agreement, SpeakOut has continued to trade under its original name, with Mr Donaldson remaining actively involved in the business.

Champions said that approach was deliberate.

"The biggest mistake would have been to assume that every Champions process was automatically better," Mr Hayes said.

"SpeakOut had survived and grown for four decades because parts of its model worked extremely well. The name, relationships and Scottish identity were assets. They were not obstacles to integration."

Early results suggest the partnership is delivering growth. Champions said enquiries had increased by 87 per cent compared with the equivalent period before the acquisition, while almost three-quarters of clients active before the deal have since made another enquiry or booking.

The combined operation has also handled hundreds of cross-referred enquiries, including international projects and demand for specialist speakers in areas such as artificial intelligence, leadership, cybersecurity and workplace culture.

The acquisition comes at a time when demand for specialist knowledge, international delivery and access to high-profile speakers is increasing across the events industry.

Mr Hayes believes this trend will encourage greater collaboration and consolidation across the sector.

"Clients increasingly expect an agency to offer specialist knowledge, international reach and fast access to talent," he said.

"There will still be a place for independent specialists, but we are likely to see more partnerships and acquisitions where founders want scale without closing the business."