Backstage Insights of The Speaker Industry
Dr Alison Edgar MBE commissioned the 2025 Speaker Industry Research to provide an independent overview of the professional speaking landscape — exploring who takes the stage, what topics are in demand, and how fees are distributed across the market.
In Summer 2025, we conducted independent research into the speaking industry to uncover trends in fees, booking behaviour, and the impact of gender on speaker selection.
The survey reached 250 professionals across the UK who had booked a speaker in the last 24 months. Respondents included event managers, HR and L&D leaders, and senior decision-makers responsible for sourcing and contracting keynote speakers.
By analysing real booking data — from fee levels to topic areas — this report shines a light on the realities of the industry today. Most importantly, it reveals where discrepancies exist between male and female speakers’ fees, highlighting gaps of up to 27% in some niches.
Our goal is not only to present the data but to spark an informed conversation. As the speaking industry continues to grow, these insights provide event planners and organisations with a valuable benchmark — helping ensure fair, transparent, and impactful investment in diverse voices on stage.
Average fee (Male): £6,029
Average fee (Female): £5,248
Gap: £781 → Men earn around 15% more per booking.
The UK’s national gender pay gap currently stands at 13.1% (ONS, 2024).
Yet our research shows that in the speaking industry, this gap is even wider, with male speakers earning on average 15% more than their female counterparts.
While the difference may appear small at first glance, the implications are significant. Speaking engagements are often high-value, one-off contracts that shape both income and professional visibility. A 15% discrepancy means that female speakers are taking home less money, but may also face fewer opportunities to speak at events at the highest levels.
The data highlights that men consistently break into the £7,000–£9,000 bracket, with the highest recorded male fee at £9,000. For women, the ceiling stops at £6,500. This suggests that beyond the averages, there is a structural imbalance in how the market values male versus female voices.
In short: the speaking industry isn’t just mirroring the national pay gap, it’s exceeding it.
Highest Paying Niches
Embracing Change – £6,030
Leadership / Autonomy – £5,755
Personal Growth / Development – £5,859
AI & Digital Transformation – £5,717
Sales / Customer Service – £5,716
Lowest-paying: Sports Success (£5,352) and Financial Success (£5,429).
Biggest Gender Gaps by Topic:
When we break down the data by topic, the disparities become even more striking. The largest gaps emerge in the most prestige-driven niches — areas often associated with high performance, technical expertise, or public visibility.
Sports Success carries the widest gulf: men average £6,175 per booking compared to women at £4,846 — a 27% difference.
High Performance shows a similar imbalance, with men earning 25% more.
AI & Digital Transformation, one of the fastest-growing categories in the industry, reveals a 20% gap, suggesting women are undervalued even in emerging, future-focused spaces.
Even in areas where women are strongly represented, such as Wellbeing and Leadership, men still outpace them by 15–18%.
What this shows is a compounding effect: the topics that command the highest prestige and visibility are also those where the gender gap is greatest. Not only are women less likely to be paid at the top end, but when they do secure high-profile stages, they are typically remunerated less than their male counterparts.
In short: the higher the status of the topic, the wider the gap becomes.
So, what are the key takeaways?
1. Men command higher fees across every niche
Across the board, men out-earn women in the speaking industry. Whether the topic is wellbeing, leadership, or financial success, male speakers consistently receive higher average fees. This reflects not just a small variation but a pattern that runs through every niche examined.
While women are active across these same categories, their earnings seldom surpass men’s — highlighting that the discrepancy isn’t about presence, but about perceived market value.
2. Women’s strongest foothold is in Change-related themes
The research shows that women are most competitive in topics centred around Change and Sales/Customer Service. These areas come closest to fee parity, with differences of only 2–3%. This suggests that event organisers see genuine value in diverse voices when it comes to topics about adaptability, transformation, and people-focused change.
However, even in these spaces, women still earn slightly less on average, and crucially, they don’t often break into the highest fee brackets. In other words: women are valued, but not valued equally at the very top.
3. The gender gap widens with prestige
The biggest pay gaps appear in high-prestige, performance-driven niches such as Sports Success, High Performance, and AI/Digital Transformation. Here, men earn between 20–27% more on average. These are also the categories most likely to secure large stages, media coverage, and corporate investment — meaning women are missing out not only financially but also in terms of visibility.
This indicates a compounding effect: the higher the status of the topic, the wider the gender gap becomes, amplifying inequality in both pay and profile.
4. Structural imbalance reinforces inequality
Beyond averages, the data shows a more subtle imbalance: men are much more likely to break into the £7,000–£9,000 fee range, while women’s fees cluster more tightly between £4,500–£6,000. The highest recorded fee for a male speaker was £9,000; for women, the ceiling stopped at £6,500.
This suggests that male speakers have more opportunities to command premium fees and set market benchmarks, while women are capped at mid-range pricing. Over time, this entrenches the perception that men are the default choice for “big ticket” events, perpetuating the cycle of disparity.
Study Insights
Study Insights
Executive Summary
The average fee for professional speakers sits between £5,000–£6,000 per engagement.
There remains a 13% pay gap between male and female speakers.
Male speakers represent 59% of recent keynote bookings, compared to 41% for female speakers.
Topic trends show a clear divide between technical and commercial themes, typically led by men, and wellbeing or personal growth sessions, more commonly led by women.
Despite these disparities, audience demand for authentic, relatable, and mindset-focused content continues to rise — signalling a positive shift in what clients value most