About Stefan

Hi, I'm Stefan Thomas, speaker, corporate trainer and bestselling author of three books on successful business networking.

As a professional Keynote and Conference Speaker, I've spoken at more than 600 events in real life, not to mention more than fifty online events, to audiences ranging from Oxford Brookes University, BT, Lloyds Bank to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and many others. The feedback I get is that my presentations contain advice and strategies the audience can (and do) immediately implement. All delivered with a lot of energy and relatable humour.

When I work with corporate teams, I'm able to get to the bottom of what needs to be achieved. I then work in bespoke group sessions or one to one with team members to give them the skills and motivation to achieve those goals. I've worked with teams at companies such as Oqema, IPP Ltd and CACI, and have received plenty of positive feedback on the results the teams achieved after working with me.

My career began in 1983 in a shoe shop, where I absorbed my first lessons in building rapport with customers. My first full time job, in 1988, was as an estate agent, and I had a successful career in that profession, eventually becoming General Manager of the Guild of Professional Estate Agents, based at Park Lane in London.

I held roles in estate agency for almost twenty years, and by then I was wanting to do something to pass on the experience I'd gathered. In 2007, I founded the business which would eventually evolve into The Networking Retreat.

I'd joined the national networking organisation 4Networking Ltd in 2007, and in 2011, I was invited by the board to become a Director. The organisation was going through rough waters at the time, having lost 50% of its national team overnight. I undertook rebuilding and re-energising the national team, leading to 4Networking's most successful years since it was founded.

Having seen networking from both sides for many years, in 2012 I met Wiley, the publishers of the ‘For Dummies’ series of books, who invited me to write Business Networking for Dummies, which was published in 2014. This led me to publish two more books about networking — Instant Networking in 2016 and Win the Room in 2018, the latter co-authored with Wes Linden, international speaker and member of The Direct Selling Hall of Fame.

In 2015, I expanded on my original business model and founded The Networking Retreat, offering in-depth business training both in real life and through virtual modules. Since then, I've trained more than 200 business owners, as well as offering a corporate version to teams of accountants, lawyers, architects, sales teams and many more.

There's nothing like seeing business owners or team members "get it" and go from potential to the real deal. My clients also seem to enjoy this, one commenting, "His pleasant but professional manner instils confidence in those he is coaching, and also those who recognise that their team need help from an experienced professional outside of their organisation."

I have a wealth of knowledge and proven strategies that work to help your team succeed and thrive. Would your team benefit from learning 21st century communication skills, leading to more sales and more harmonious and efficient relationships? Let’s talk about how best I can help.