I am a historian and professional trainer with a passion for making the past accessible, thought-provoking and genuinely engaging. I hold a degree in history and spent the early part of my career as a secondary school history teacher before moving into professional training and development, where I have spent many years delivering to organisations across the public and private sectors.

My historical talks focus on modern European history, particularly the causes and outbreak of the First World War and the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 — two of the most debated and consequential episodes in modern history. I am drawn to the big questions: why did Europe's leaders allow a catastrophic war to happen, and did the peace that followed make another war inevitable? These are questions without simple answers, and that's precisely what makes them so fascinating to explore.

As a professional speaker and trainer, I bring the same energy and engagement to historical talks that I bring to my day job. I enjoy encouraging debate and discussion, and I believe the best historical talks leave audiences with more questions than they arrived with.

I am happy to speak to historical societies, schools, sixth forms, and general audiences, and am comfortable with audiences of all sizes and levels of prior knowledge.

I am based in Birmingham and am happy to travel across the Midlands and beyond.