Speaker, author, podcast host and proud Mancunian Damian Hughes has been named as StateTalking’s first ambassador.

In his new role, Damian will help to promote our offer of free inspirational and relatable speakers to Greater Manchester state schools. He will also keep an ear to the ground for potential new speakers, role models and mentors.

Damian is author of ten best-selling business books, including Liquid Thinking and How To Think Like Sir Alex Ferguson, which have been translated into ten languages. His biography of boxing great Sugar Ray Robinson, called Peerless, was  nominated for William Hill Sports book of the year.

In addition to speaking and consulting internationally, he has been a visiting professor of organisational behaviour at Manchester Metropolitan University.

But Damian is perhaps best known as co-host of the High Performance Podcast, an acclaimed series of interviews with elite performers from business, sport and the arts, which has over 250 million downloads. Previous high profile guests have included racing driver Fernando Alonso, rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson and actor Jameela Jamil.

Damian, who grew up in north Manchester and attended Corpus Christi School in Chadderton, Oldham,  said: “StateTalking doesn’t just raise awareness: they raise confidence, belonging and hope for the next generation. Their work- bringing relatable role models into state schools- shows our young people that their voice matters, their story counts and their future is full of rich possibilities.

“They give children a language for what they’re feeling and the courage to talk about it. When we connect with them, we don’t just improve conversations – at the same time, we strengthen our communities, open doors, and help every young person believe that someone like them can walk through them and can go anywhere.”

Fran Kennedy, founder, StateTalking said: “Damian is a very well received StateTalking speaker and we are delighted that he has agreed to be our first ambassador.”