John Teeling is widely regarded as the father of the Irish whiskey renaissance. As a doctoral student at Harvard in 1970 he examined the collapse of Irish whiskey from having about 60% of world sales in 1850 and hundreds of distilleries, to becoming a monopoly in 1973 with less than... Read more
John Teeling is widely regarded as the father of the Irish whiskey renaissance. As a doctoral student at Harvard in 1970 he examined the collapse of Irish whiskey from having about 60% of world sales in 1850 and hundreds of distilleries, to becoming a monopoly in 1973 with less than 2% of Scotch sales. He made the decision to set up a new distillery.
It took 16 years to get the resources to do so. In the meantime he lectured in Business Administration at University College Dublin and developed a series of mining and oil exploration companies. In 1986 he set up Cooley Distillery followed 19 years later with the re-opening the long closed Locke’s Distillery in Kilbeggan. The key element in Cooley was to have both column stills and pot stills. This enabled Cooley to distil and supply a full range of whiskies from heavily peated to single grain. Over the years a range of Irish whiskies appeared on shelves around the world.
The venture took 11 years to make a profit and 15 years to payback but changing tastes in the early 2000s favoured Irish whiskey and sales boomed. Cooley was bought by Beam/Suntory in early 2012.
In 2013 John re-entered the business by acquiring the Harp brewery in Dundalk and setting up the Great Northern Distillery. Two large distilleries came on stream in 2015, pot stills and column stills. Once again, The Great Northern is now supplying a wide range of new make malt, pot still and grain whiskey to small distillers, Private Label and Retail Own Label customers.
John is married for 45 years to Deirdre with 3 children. Jack and Stephen have built the Teeling Whiskey Distillery in Dublin, the only operating distillery in the capital. Emma is a Professor of Science.
John holds degrees from University College Dublin (B Comm., M Econ. Sc.), the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (MBA) and a doctorate from Harvard Business School.
Tell us about your event, one of our consultants will reach out within 24 hours.
You can book John Teeling through London Speaker Bureau by submitting the enquiry form on this page or calling our team. One of our consultants will respond promptly with John's current availability, speaking fees and any specific requirements for your event.
John Teeling's speaking fees depend on the event format (in-person or virtual), the location, the length of the engagement and the level of customisation required. Please contact London Speaker Bureau for an up-to-date fee quote for John tailored to your event.
John Teeling speaks on a range of business, leadership and industry subjects. Talks can be shaped around your audience, industry and strategic objectives - share your event brief with London Speaker Bureau and we will work with John to align the content with your delegates and goals.
London Speaker Bureau can book John Teeling for events worldwide, subject to John's schedule. Please send us your event date, location and format and we will confirm availability and handle travel and logistics on your behalf.
Virtual and hybrid keynotes are now a standard part of the speaking industry. Please contact London Speaker Bureau to confirm whether John Teeling is available to deliver a virtual session for your event and on which platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, a bespoke studio or your own).
Most keynote speeches run between 45 and 60 minutes, often followed by a 15-30 minute Q&A. Other formats - shorter conference slots, panel appearances or longer workshop sessions - may also be possible. Share your agenda with London Speaker Bureau and we will confirm what John can accommodate.
London Speaker Bureau will brief John Teeling on your audience profile, sector and objectives so the keynote can be shaped around your event. The level of customisation possible depends on the speaker and the lead time - contact us with your brief and we will confirm what John can offer.
John Teeling delivers keynotes in English. This profile may not list every language available; ask London Speaker Bureau to confirm. If you require simultaneous interpretation or a multilingual format, please mention this in your enquiry and London Speaker Bureau will arrange it for you.
John Teeling's areas of expertise include a range of business, leadership and industry subjects. To get a clear sense of John's style, credentials and how they engage an audience, please review the biography, popular talks and any videos or testimonials shown on this page, or request a detailed speaker brief from London Speaker Bureau.
John Teeling can be booked through London Speaker Bureau for corporate conferences, leadership events, internal team meetings, association gatherings and private client engagements where expertise in a range of business, leadership and industry subjects is relevant. Details of John's background and previous engagements are included in the biography above; contact us if you would like a more detailed list of past clients or case studies.
Beyond keynote speeches, many of the speakers on our roster also take part in workshops, executive masterclasses, panel discussions and fireside chats. Contact London Speaker Bureau with your preferred format and we will confirm what John Teeling is able to offer alongside or instead of a keynote.
We generally recommend enquiring at least three to twelve months in advance to secure your preferred date with John Teeling, particularly during peak conference seasons. Where possible we also accommodate shorter lead times - please contact London Speaker Bureau to check John's current availability for your dates.