About Jonathan Dunnett
You have real credibility, a track record, and something worth saying. The question is whether the right people can find you, trust you, and book you.
I help speakers become visible, connected, and trusted — so they’re building a business that compounds, not one that depends on who happens to remember their name this month.
My Background
For 18+ years, I’ve worked at the intersection of strategy, intelligence, and human connection.
Recognized as a Fellow with the Council of Competitive Intelligence Fellows, I’ve guided executives at billion-dollar firms, venture-backed startups, and nonprofits through high-stakes strategic decisions.
Now I’m bringing that strategic rigor to an industry that desperately needs it: professional speaking, as a Speaker Growth Strategist.
Why Speakers?
After diving deeply into the realm of keynote speaking in 2025, I noticed several patterns.
Most speakers don’t love their bureaus, and bookings are inconsistent.
There are horrific marketing suggestions out there using approaches like it’s 1995: unless you have a time machine, that’s not really useful.
People are being told to replace themselves with artificial intelligence, yet most people on the other end can smell it a mile away: click, delete.
Others are told to turn into content factories, but what if you don’t have a marketing team or expertise?
Do you have tens of thousands to spend per month on social, SEO, and paid ads with no idea if it’s really working? And some people have NO idea where to begin to get focused.
There’s a better way.
My Approach: Strategic Focus Compounds
As a speaker growth strategist and CI Fellow, I help my clients:
- Map their industry landscape — Understand who’s hiring speakers, who influences those decisions, and what problems they’re solving
- Build strategic relationships — Not networking for networking’s sake, but targeted connection to decision-makers who matter
- Create intelligence systems — Know what’s happening in your target industries before your competition does
- Focus their efforts — Stop hoping and start building momentum that compounds
This isn’t about posting more on LinkedIn or cold-emailing 500 event planners. It’s about understanding your market strategically and positioning yourself as the obvious choice. More? You become a trusted voice and advisor to event planners and your ideal customers.
The Organizer Perspective
I’ve been on both sides of the speaker selection process.
I organized the first TEDx Moncton in 2013 and have run 75+ events since. I’ve reviewed speaker proposals and videos, managed tight budgets, balanced stakeholder expectations, and made the final call on who gets the stage.
I know what makes organizers say yes. I know the questions they ask behind closed doors. I know what “strategic fit” actually means when you’re the one making the decision.
That insider perspective, combined with ongoing insights from event planners in my network, shapes what I teach about positioning, relationship-building, and business development for speakers.
What I Offer
For Keynote Speakers
As speaker growth strategist and CI Fellow, it’s critical to make decisions informed by insights.
In today’s world, to be visible? You have to understand how AI sees you.
Start with the AI Visibility Audit: A concrete, $297 diagnostic showing exactly where you stand in AI search — and what it’s costing you in bookings you never knew you lost.
Not sure that’s the right place to start but you know you have growth goals you want to hit? Let’s connect first for a free get to know you call.
TIER 1: AI Visibility Audit
What it is: I run targeted queries across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini and deliver a written report before we meet. The 45-minute call is where we review findings together, diagnose the gaps, and identify what to fix first. Need support after the audit? I can help you.
$297
What you get:
This is often where people start. It creates the roadmap to augment your digital presence as a speaker to be on the same plane as the speakers you want to be compared to by event planners, organizers and decision makers. What comes next depends on how you want to close the gaps.
TIER 2: Strategic Advisory — By Arrangement
What it is: An ongoing thinking partnership. We meet 1–2 times per month, and I’m available in between for the questions that come up. Sessions might be a fee benchmarking conversation, prep for a specific meeting, a content or positioning question, or a read on a market opportunity. The agenda follows what you’re working on.
Right for you if: You want a strategic sounding board — someone who knows this space, has done the research, and can tell you what they actually see — without the overhead of a full engagement.
TIER 3: Embedded Partnership — From $2,500/month
What it is: I work as an extension of you and your team. Full scope: AI and traditional search visibility, strategic outbound, event intelligence, meeting and negotiation prep, market and competitor analysis, content that compounds. You bring me into the things that matter and I work alongside you to move them.
Right for you if: You’re serious about building deliberately and you want a partner who’s in it with you — not a consultant who hands you a report and leaves.
I work with a small number of partners at this level. Starts with a conversation.
Training For Organizations
I also deliver training and facilitation for universities, associations, economic development agencies, and companies on networking, decision-making, and strategic thinking.
Recognition & Media
2023 inductee, recognized for contributions to the field of competitive intelligence
Featured in
Fast Company, Thrive Global, University of Michigan Erb Institute
25+ years
Facilitation experience across small and medium companies, startups, nonprofits, and government agencies
What People Say
9x Sales Leader, 2 Successful exits
Jonathan has this uncanny ability to cut through the rubbish just by asking the right “painful” questions that uncover the issues at hand. Learn more about Michel.
Former Global Head of Employee Engagement, HSBC
He transforms professionals into network-savvy strategists who know exactly which stakeholders to approach, what questions to ask, and how to build relationships that actually move the needle. Learn more about Karen
Executive Director, Nova Scotia Association of CBDCs
Jonathan’s competitive intelligence workshop was excellent. The content was highly relevant, and he provided clear, actionable insights that companies can immediately apply. Learn more about Erinn.
Beyond the Work
I’m based in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, where I live with my family. I work globally via Zoom. When I’m not teaching strategic focus or running workshops, I’m probably deep in research on speaker industry trends, experimenting with new frameworks, or connecting with fascinating people doing interesting work.
I believe the speaking industry deserves better business development education. Most speaker “marketing advice” is surface-level tactics with no strategic foundation. That’s why I’m here: to bring the rigorous, intelligence-driven approach speakers need to build sustainable businesses.
Remember: Serendipity isn’t a strategy.