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Des Mhere is a recently retired British Army Lieutenant Colonel with over 20 years of distinguished service, culminating as Global Chief People Officer of the Largest Division.
He led 800 HR professionals, supporting 27,000 staff across 183 global locations.
Des currently serves as Deputy Chief People Officer and Director of Strategic HR Business Partnering for a research and innovation organisation.
Des Mhere holds a Masters in Financial Management and an MBA. Having served for two decades in the British Army, he has a wealth of experience leading finance and people operational teams across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas.
He is an inspirational and values-driven leader with expertise in strategic leadership, mental toughness, and organisational culture transformation. His speaking style blends practical insights with motivational storytelling, drawing from experiences in global leadership roles and high-pressure environments.
He is also the Chair of the Resources Committee at Kings’ School Winchester. He uses his knowledge, skills, and experience to contribute to the success of Kings’ and its pupils.

– Leading a Team in a Large Organisation
– Leadership is Leadership: Lessons From the Military for Every Workplace
– Developing Mental Toughness in Leadership
– Employee Engagement and Culture Transformation
– Leading Through Change
– Importance of Coaching and Mentoring
– Diversity and Inclusion in Leadership
Des’ recent engagements include delivering a keynote on leadership to 400 United nations leaders, achieving outstanding feedback:
– Quality Score of 4.42/5
– 95% felt prepared to apply learning
– 92% would recommend the event
“Your passion and energy were truly infectious, and your story was incredibly inspiring”
“Thank you for sharing your inspiring story, Des!”
“You were excellent, thank you for what you shared”
“You were a spectacular act”
“Really interesting, thank you for sharing your insights”