Few family businesses in the UK end up getting awards handed to them by Hollywood actors, but very few businesses are Champions Speakers. This month, the firm was named SME of the Year at the British Business Awards, with the accolade being presented by none other than George Clooney.
Champions Speakers is a rare thing in British business: a genuinely family-run enterprise operating at national and international scale. Father, mother, two sons, and three daughters are all part of the team, each bringing their own expertise to a company that now delivers thousands of events annually across 66 countries.
Speaking to GB News, Champion Speakers’ director of sales Sophia Hayes broke down the journey that led her family to become award-winning entrepreneurs.
On the moment the award was announced, and meeting the star of Oceans Eleven, Ms Hayes shared: “”It’s honestly very difficult to put into words.
Champions Speakers has been awarded the UK’s top prize for SMEs
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CHAMPION SPEAKERS / GETTY
“Working in the celebrity industry, we’re fortunate to meet incredible people all the time, but standing on that stage as a family and receiving SME of the Year was genuinely surreal.”
Ms Hayes speaks warmly of her brother Jack, who has led the speakers division for the past 13 years. Watching his efforts recognised on a national stage made the evening particularly emotional: It wasn’t just a business win: It felt like a family milestone.”
Meeting George Clooney was every bit as memorable as you might expect. “He was every bit as charming and welcoming as you’d imagine.”
Award ceremonies with Hollywood stars and reaching the top of the British SME rankings did not happen overnight. Like many enduring success stories, Champion Speakers faced an uphill battle.
“I think, like many successful businesses, it absolutely started one booking at a time. There was always ambition, of course, but in the early days the focus was simply on delivering exceptional service and building strong relationships.”
That philosophy, she says, has never really changed. The company now operates on a scale its founders might not have dared to imagine in those early days, but the underlying principle remains the same.
“We’ve always believed that if you consistently look after your clients properly and genuinely care about quality, growth follows.”
The firm has gone from strength to strength on the speaking circuit
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CHAMPIONS SPEAKERS
In a competitive industry where volume and speed can often take priority, Champions has built its reputation on doing the opposite. Ms Hayes is clear that the company’s edge lies not in any single product or roster, but in the way it treats every single client.
“We’re not transactional, we’re consultative. Whether it’s a global conference or a smaller corporate event, we put the same level of care and attention into every booking.”
Innovation has played an equally important role in bolstering the firm’s growth. The business has expanded internationally, invested in technology and built specialist teams with deep knowledge of specific sectors and audiences.
Winning SME of the Year, Ms Hayes notes, was particularly meaningful because the judging criteria extended well beyond financial performance. Culture, innovation, and wider impact were all assessed. Champions scored across all three.
It has not always been smooth sailing. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, an industry built entirely around people gathering in the same room faced an existential threat almost overnight.
When discussing that period, Ms Hayes said: “Like many businesses in the events and live industry, the pandemic was undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges we’ve ever faced.”
Virtual events were embraced quickly, clients were supported through a deeply uncertain period, and the business kept innovating at a time when standing still would have been the easier option.
“That period really reinforced the strength of the business and the people within it,” Ms Hayes says. “It reminded us that resilience and adaptability are just as important as growth.”
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Champions Speakers is how it has made the family model work effectively at scale. There is no blueprint for running a successful business with your parents and siblings, and Ms Hayes is the first to acknowledge that it requires a particular kind of commitment.
“Family has always come first, and I genuinely think that’s one of the reasons the business has been able to grow the way it has. Of course, when you work together at this level, there are pressures, and naturally, there are moments where opinions differ, but we’ve always had a huge amount of respect for one another’s strengths.”
According to the businesswoman, each member of the family has developed their own area of expertise, and there is a clear understanding that everyone trusts each other’s judgement within their own domain.
“It allows everyone to take ownership of their own destiny while still working towards the same shared vision for the company.”
Being crowned Britain’s best SME might prompt some businesses to ease off and enjoy the moment. Champions Speakers is not built that way. Ms Hayes is is quick to say that the award is a source of motivation as much as a cause for celebration.
“We want to continue raising standards within the industry, growing internationally, and delivering world-class experiences for our clients.”
However, Ms Hayes is equally clear that growth will never come at the expense of what makes Champion Speakers worthy of accolades in the first place.
“We never want to lose the culture and values that got us here. That family foundation is still incredibly important to us, no matter how much the business grows.”