SA journalist named Best Thought Leadership Speaker

South African journalist, author and keynote speaker Bruce Whitfield has been awarded Best Thought Leadership Speaker at The Speaker Awards in London (Image supplied)

A brand new category for the awards in 2025, Whitfield was shortlisted with nine other international speakers, who had been selected from a pool of over 230 entries.

The judges said Whitfield stood out in such a strong pool, because he was “very engaging and looked very comfortable on stage. He used real-life data to make his points, and it felt like he was having a conversation with his audience.

“A great example of true thought leadership that really packs a punch, and a deserving winner".

An enormous honour

Whitfield expresses that the award is “deeply meaningful and hugely appreciated” and acknowledged that it had been an enormous honour to be shortlisted with his peers as well as to celebrate with speakers from 20 countries at the ceremony.

“My entry around managing uncertainty, appreciating our current time in a broader historical context, understanding cycles and purposefully seeking ‘The Upside of Down’ resonated this time,” he says.

In addition to helping leaders and teams through his engaging presentations, Whitfield is also launching a brand new weekly podcast, Bruce Whitfield’s Business Week, with News24 from today, Thursday 17 July.

He is also putting the finishing touches to his fourth book, which launches in November.