Mark Julian Edwards

Mark Julian Edwards – The Strengths Explorer

Mark Julian Edwards is a globally recognised strengths-based leadership expert, two-time acclaimed author, and dynamic TEDx speaker, widely known as The Strengths Explorer.

Mark is renowned for his ability to ignite the explorer mindset—a transformative perspective that helps individuals uncover and harness their innate strengths to achieve extraordinary success.

With thought-provoking insights and captivating storytelling, he empowers leaders and teams to unlock their full potential, weaving an inspiring “red thread” through the complexities of leadership, personal growth, and high performance.

With over 25 years of experience as a top-performing consultant, Mark has worked across multiple sectors with Global Fortune 250 organizations. He has successfully led and developed large, high-performing teams, driving cultural and transformational change.  He presently works with C-Suite leadership teams facross a range of sectors.

As an accredited Gallup Strengths Coach and TEDx speaker, Mark doesn’t just speak about strengths—he brings them to life. A standout example of his innovative approach is his work with 18 senior female leaders, where he blended coaching with photography to anchor and amplify their unique strengths.

Mark’s experiences, from boardrooms to global travels, serve as a testament to one powerful truth: when you embrace your strengths, you can become whoever you choose to be.

MARK JULIAN EDWARDS SPEAKING TOPICS

High-Performance Leadership: Unlocking Strengths to Drive Results – Engaged employees create delighted customers—and drive high performance. In this inspiring and practical session, Mark reveals how to:

• Create a culture of inclusion and belonging where everyone feels valued and empowered to thrive.
• Retain staff in engaging and creative ways, through offering outstanding, tailored development.

Backed by Gallup research showing leaders who focus on strengths are 6x more likely to succeed, Mark shares real-world examples of how organisations have transformed their culture, empowered their people, and delivered exceptional results.

High-Performance Teams: Unlocking Strengths for Extraordinary Results – What separates a good team from a truly exceptional one? In this dynamic and thought-provoking talk, Mark challenges conventional leadership wisdom and reveals the secret to unlocking high performance—understanding and amplifying individual strengths and instilling certain core habits.. Drawing on deep expertise in strengths-based leadership, psychology, and real-world experience with top-performing teams, Mark demonstrates how embracing what makes people naturally brilliant leads to greater collaboration, innovation, and resilience.

Audiences will leave inspired and equipped with practical tools to transform their teams—moving from firefighting to future-focused, from burnout to brilliance. This session will shift your perspective on performance and leave you with actionable insights to create teams that don’t just work together but thrive.

Unlocking Potential in Others – The Lenses of Perception: As leaders, the way we see our people, shapes what they believe they can achieve. In this powerful and practical talk, Mark Edwards challenges leaders to:

• Adopt an “explorer mindset” to uncover the true potential in their teams.
• Shift perceptions by focusing on strengths, not job titles.
• Empower others to achieve more than they believe possible.

Through his inspiring personal story—leveraging his strengths to become a published author, presenter, and Lonely Planet contributor without prior experience—Mark demonstrates how changing the lens can transform people’s realities and unlock extraordinary potential. This talk stands out for any session, looking for a creative, interactive and different approach.

Developing a World-Class Culture – What makes a truly world-class organisational culture? The best workplaces:

• Create a shared sense of meaning and purpose.
• Recognise individual strengths and empower people to play to them.

In this engaging and practical session, Mark reveals how leading organisations build distinctive, high-performing cultures. He also uncovers the key drivers—and pitfalls—that make or break organisational culture, drawing upon his own experiences in leading culture change initiatives. In 2020, Mark’s client, won the international culture change award at the Business Culture Awards, owing to the exemplary methodology and systemic impact of the change.

Memorable Storytelling: Connecting Through Stories That Inspire – How can we tell the story of our organisation—or our own story—in a way that is human, emotive, and impactful? We are all natural storytellers, but the best stories are crafted in defining moments and shared with authenticity and skill.In this engaging and practical session, Mark Edwards reveals how to:

• Refine storytelling skills using voice, humour, and vivid scene-setting.
• Share personal and organisational stories that resonate and inspire.
• Tell others’ stories in a way that builds connection and trust.

With a unique background spanning both corporate storytelling and travel journalism—writing for Lonely Planet and broadcasting from around the world—Mark shares powerful examples of helping executives communicate their vision and crafting stories that leave a lasting impact.