Deirdre Bounds
Entrepreneur and founder of ethical travel company
*Fees are a guide only. Exact cost will be dependent on requirements and are subject to change.
About Deirdre Bounds
Deirdre Bounds is the founder of the pioneering travel companies i-to-i.com and GoCambio.com and is widely recognised as an ethical entrepreneur and sharing-economy innovator. Over the course of her career she has become a self-made multi-millionaire, Channel 4 television presenter, bestselling author and internationally respected business speaker.
Her entrepreneurial journey began when she launched i-to-i.com, a responsible travel company that grew to become the world’s largest gap-year travel organisation. Starting the business from a small bedsit with little more than determination and an idea, Deirdre built the company into a global success before achieving a major milestone when the business was acquired by TUI Travel PLC for an eight-figure sum just ten years later.
Praised by The Telegraph for her “Northern grit and determination”, Deirdre’s path to success was far from conventional. Before becoming a successful entrepreneur she worked in a wide variety of roles, including stand-up comedienne, backpacker, English teacher and outback bus driver, experiences that helped shape the resilience and creativity she brings to both business and speaking.
What makes Deirdre particularly compelling as a speaker is that she has genuine, hands-on experience of building and scaling international businesses. She speaks openly about the challenges, risks and lessons of entrepreneurship, offering practical insights alongside humour and personal stories that audiences find both relatable and inspiring.
Today Deirdre continues to innovate as the founder of GoCambio.com, a global travel and education platform that reflects the growing popularity of the sharing economy and experiential travel. The platform enables people to learn languages and experience new cultures by living like locals in destinations around the world.
At the heart of Deirdre’s story is the spirit of true entrepreneurship: no corporate background, no family business legacy and no starting capital – just a powerful idea, relentless passion and the courage to take risks. Through her keynote talks she encourages audiences to think differently, embrace opportunity and believe that ambitious ideas can become reality.
To book Keynote Speaker Deirdre Bounds, contact The Speakers Agency +44(0)1332 810481 or email enquiries@thespeakersagency.com
MASTERCLASS OR KEYNOTE
High Calibration Leadership – for visionaries with their feet on the ground
*How do we as individuals lead our teams to survive in these very challenging times?
*Is it really possible to get more done by doing less?
*How do we set free creativity and energy in ourselves and others when pressure and fear surround us?
*Why is it better for me and my business to ‘play to play’ rather ‘play to win’?
*Why won’t customers and colleagues put up with corporate BS anymore?
In this talk, Deirdre looks at the new paradigm for Leadership in 2012, focussing on four areas; Integrity, Intention, Intuition & Banishing Resentments. As she says, “I just wish I knew all of this when I made massive mistakes leading my own company.”
KEYNOTE:
• The Accidental Millionaire – my entrepreneurial journey
Deirdre is ready to tell the whole story. How did a young girl from a tough Liverpool housing estate go to being a:-
• shoe machinery marketeer
• English teacher in Asia
• global backpacker
• outback bus driver
• youth worker
• stand up comedienne
• wife and mother
• and finally a self made millionaire?
Deirdre’s story is thought provoking, human, very funny and provides key insights into success despite obstacles. This roller coaster ride will captivate any crowd and leave them feeling more connected to their own lives and energised to do something about it.
• Success vs Fulfilment – why it’s important to have both ( the ultimate self improvement bone cruncher – your team and your business will never be the same again – guaranteed)
• Ethical Business – integrity or bust!
• Weird Wins – Innovate & Execute
• Break through the Glass Ceiling: Women in business
• The Entrepreneurial Army: Getting one in your business
• SMEs: start-up to exit: what’s your strategy?
Workshop: half day/one day – suitable for groups and business of all sizes
• Success vs Fulfilment: what each is and how to get the latter. A seven step programme for lasting fulfilment. Perfect for bringing teams together and focusing on our humanness as well as our goals.
Testimonials
"A naturally inspiring speaker, Deirdre "tells it like it is" in language which strikes a real chord with her audience. Her enthusiasm for business and for life in general is highly infectious!"
Yorkshire Forward
"Deirdre speaks with an honesty and clarity that is both compelling and insightful."
National College for School Leadership
"Deirdre was an excellent speaker and really engaged the audience with a down to earth approach combined with a genuine passion for what we as an organisation are trying to do. Feedback from delegates also suggests she delivered the right mixture of insight and observations and people felt they could both relate to her and learn from her in equal measure. I would thoroughly recommend her for any engagements that require an entertaining approach combined with the need for more serious points to be articulated."
The Northern Leadership Academy
"Deirdre was an excellent speaker and really engaged the audience with a down to earth approach combined with a genuine passion for what we as an organisation are trying to do. Feedback from delegates also suggests she delivered the right mixture of insight and observations and people felt they could both relate to her and learn from her in equal measure. I would thoroughly recommend her for any engagements that require an entertaining approach combined with the need for more serious points to be articulated."
NFEA
"The dust is starting to settle after our Conference and feel I must write to say how pleased we were with your recommendation of Deirdre Bounds as speaker and host at our Awards Ceremony. She very quickly established a positive rapport with our team and with the audience. Her informal approach and sense of humour allowed her to get across a serious message in a very appropriate and well-received way and it was obvious that our award winners were thrilled to meet her. Please pass on our warmest thanks to Deirdre."
The Northern Leadership Academy
