We’re thrilled to confirm our next speaker announcement, and it’s a big one: Jake Humphrey and Professor Damian Hughes, co-hosts of The High Performance Podcast, are joining the line-up for ILC 2027.
Together, Jake and Damian have spent years unpicking what separates good performance from great performance — in sport, in business, and increasingly, in classrooms and staffrooms across the country. Their podcast has been downloaded over 300 million times, and their conversations with elite athletes, coaches and business leaders have made them two of the most in-demand voices on leadership, mindset and culture anywhere in the world. For a conference built around the people doing the hardest job in the system, there are few better guides.
Jake Humphrey built his career at the top of British broadcasting – from the youngest-ever host of Match of the Day to fronting the BBC’s Formula 1 and Olympic coverage, and a decade leading BT Sport’s Premier League and Champions League output. In 2010 he co-founded Whisper Group, now one of Europe’s largest production companies, and in 2020 he launched The High Performance Podcast, which has grown into a global brand spanning bestselling books, live shows and corporate programmes. He’s also a committed advocate for young people, co-founding The High Performance Foundation and helping raise over £2m for Young Lives vs Cancer alongside his wife Harriet.
Professor Damian Hughes brings the academic rigour behind the conversation. A visiting Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Change at Manchester Metropolitan University, he’s the bestselling author of eight business books, including High Performance and How to Change Your Life, both number one Sunday Times bestsellers. His latest, MicroHabits: Tiny Changes That Supercharge High Performance, was released in January 2026. Damian has worked inside the coaching teams of England Rugby League, England Roses and Scotland Rugby Union, and founded The School Coat Charity, providing coats to children living in poverty.
Between them, Jake and Damian will bring a session built for every leader, across every setting — grounded in real research, real stories, and the everyday habits that build resilience under pressure. Expect the same warmth and sharp insight that’s made their podcast essential listening, now aimed squarely at the challenges facing school and college leaders today.
More detail on their session will follow as the full ILC 2027 programme takes shape. Early bird tickets are live now – get yours before the next price rise.
