If you need a guest speaker or you want to motivate your sales team to shift up a gear, Brian Sims is the best person for the job
Janine Hornsby M.B.A Marketing Manager Marshall Centre
Brian Sims is a F1 (Formula 1) motivational and after dinner speaker who talks on Sales.
James Hunt’s letter of apology to Brian Sims started…“Dear Brian, I write to you with my tail firmly between my legs!”… It had been some party at Brian’s house the night before the South African Grand Prix.
In 2018, Brian was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Birmingham City University. This was for his outstanding contribution to the UK Motorsport Industry.
As a speaker, Brian Sims tells a story of how with a bare minimum of skills, he succeeded in both the business world and the fiercely competitive world of Formula 1 and international sport.
As his new autobiography explains, Brian demonstrates that you can enjoy great success but that “you don’t have to be a champion to be a winner”.
His anecdotes of his business life and of those working in F1 are fascinating to business personnel, as well as sports followers of all ages:
- Being Manager of the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in South Africa, when Niki Lauda led the infamous drivers’ strike
- Shenanigans with Ronnie Corbett and Pan’s People at the Grosvernor Hotel in London during a Xerox Sales Conference
- Partying at his house with James Hunt and Max Mosley
- Working with the cast of “Are You Being Served?” to secure funding for his own racing
- An hour and a half meeting talking motor racing with Cyril Ramaphosa, now President of South Africa
- Starting the business organisation that gained formal Government recognition for the UK motorsport industry
- Personally acquiring the multi-million-pound deal that brought FedEx into F1 for the first time. Started with a cold-call to Memphis from his London office
- Literally meeting the giants of cricket at the International Cricket Council Academy in Dubai
- Dealing with extraordinary, but amusing sexism as Head of Rugby for a Premier League club. Click the cover to buy Brian’s book
Brian Sims is highly respected within the world of international motorsport as the Founder and former CEO of the prestigious Motorsport Industry Association (MIA), the business organisation that represents the multi billion world-leading British motorsport industry. He is one of just three Honorary Life Members of the MIA.
“Yes, I do remember, you were manager of Kyalami when we F1 drivers went on strike!”
Niki Lauda
Brian is also recognised as one of F1’s most successful sales exponents. He personally initiated and secured in excess of £75 million of sponsorship whilst bringing corporations such as FedEx, Marconi and Gillette into the sport for the first time. Initially, Manager of the Kyalami F1 Grand Prix track in South Africa, Brian went on to become the Commercial Director of two F1 Teams, Lola Scuderia Italia Ferrari and Benetton F1, where he worked with Flavio Briatore, Rocco Benetton and drivers such as Jean Alesi, Michele Alboreto, Gerhard Berger and Giancarlo Fisichella.
“Frank Williams told me to watch out for Keke Rosberg’s punchy attitude before getting into the Williams F1 car to qualify. He was right!”
Brian himself was a championship professional race driver for 11 years. He also launched a successful racing driver school organisation in South Africa. His motorsport industry success is based on his early years as a successful Xerox salesman. Also as the UK Sales Training Director for ITT.
Brian’s stories of life, death, personalities and even crime in the extraordinary world of F1 over 4 decades are both highly entertaining and in many cases quite astonishing.
“McLaren’s Ron Dennis said I only had 20 minutes as Alain Prost was waiting to see him…..!”
Brian Sims is an accomplished broadcaster and speaker, as well as a much sought after sales trainer.
He is an ideal choice for motivational keynote speaking, sales training, Communication and Marketing. Also after dinner speaking, where he talks about F1 and The James Hunt era
“It was a sad feeling walking out of the Caterham F1 operation at Leafield on my last visit, knowing that the administrators would soon move in and many employees were to lose their jobs.”