In April 2025, the PSA held an inaugural competition, the PSA Emerging Speaker of the Year (ESY) Competition. It’s aim was to shine a spotlight on rising talent throughout the 13 regions, a platform designed to celebrate new voices and fresh perspectives. It replaced the previous Speaker Factor Competition.
For the inaugural event, it was a fiercely uplifting event. Each participant had to craft and deliver a five-minute talk with no slides in front of a live audience. And a panel of judges looking for originality, stagecraft, bookability, and the ability to connect deeply in a very short space of time.
There was tough competition from members across all the regions who made it to the Semi-Final, and in particular the two other members who also made it through to the final. However, there can only be one winner, and a very worthy winner he was. Congratulations goes to Nick Bowen, representing PSA Yorkshire.
Nick’s Winning Talk: The Power of Belonging
Nick’s five-minute talk, The Power of Belonging, drew on his extensive experience as a school leader, the person responsible for amalgamating two significantly underperforming secondary schools into a highly successful, brand new £50 million super school for 2,300 students.
His message was simple and profound – it doesn’t matter whether you are building a school or building a business; what you are actually doing is building a community – ideally a community which thrives on success.
Nick wove together dramatic moments, humour, vulnerability, and uplifting insight to show how leaders can create a workforce culture where people catch themselves wanting to belong, where they fan the flames of dignity and where fulfilment is born.
Nick’s Experience of the ESY Competition
“I absolutely loved the whole experience of the Emerging Speaker of the Year Competition.
Trying to get what you feel is your best material into the allotted time is the most difficult part – we all have our favourite stories and messages, but I learned that when you cut it right down so you meet the timing requirements, leaving time for pauses for things to land and time for some laughter and interaction, what you are left with can be your absolute best material – pure gold.
I loved the opportunity to perform in both the semi finals and the finals at such a great venue and with such a wonderful audience. I’m sure the judges had a very difficult job but I was delighted not only with winning overall but with the wonderful comments too around my bookability and performance.
I genuinely loved every minute of it and was delighted and grateful to be referred for bookings on the back of winning the competition.
I’d like to pay tribute to the other finalists too. It was a privilege to compete with them and hear their amazing talks too.
Finally, I’d like to say a big thank you to the PSA for really kickstarting my speaking career.”
Nick received many accolades for his talk, including one from Vicky O’Farrell, Business Speaker in April 2025, “I’ve seen a lot of speakers over the years, but Nick stands out for all the right reasons. He doesn’t just talk about belonging — he embodies it. His stories are rich, real, and instantly relatable. There’s a magnetic quality to his delivery: authenticity, vulnerability and a quiet power that cuts straight through the noise. He doesn’t present content; he creates an experience. And that is a rare gift. Nick has a way of making complex human truths feel simple, actionable, and relevant to business today.”
Congratulations to you Nick and wishing you the best of luck in the next chapter of your speaking career. We look forward to seeing you on the Impact! Stage in April 2026.
Applications for PSA Emerging Speaker of the Year 2026 will open on 1st December. Find all the details here.
