Benjamin Mee is the man behind the bestselling book and Hollywood blockbuster film "We Bought A Zoo".
His story is one of courage, resilience and enterprise. When he and his family learned that Dartmoor Zoo would be closed if a buyer couldn't be found, he fought against all the odds and bought it himself. He then found himself with an uphill battle - juggling the complexities of managing a zoo and getting it ready for opening, while facing the consequences of his wife's terminal illness and caring for two young children.
Benjamin has unwavering passion for transforming lives through knowledge, collaboration and partnership, and encouraging sustainability through shared practice in the context of conservation.
A less than enthusiastic student in his youth, Benjamin nevertheless went on to study Psychology at UCL and completed an MSc in Science Journalism at Imperial College.
He was a contributing editor to Men's Health and a columnist for The Guardian before moving to Southern France where he began writing a book on the Evolution of Humour in Man and Animals. He has recently been awarded an honorary doctorate in science from Plymouth University and has had a lifelong interest in the field of animal intelligence.
Benjamin's speaking style is relaxed and informal. Entertaining, eloquent and human, Benjamin tailors his talks to suit the client. With an array of inspiring and uplifting themes, Benjamin strives to apply his enthusiasm, commitment and passion to every audience he addresses.
In an engaging and amusing way Benjamin draws on his experiences of buying a zoo, overcoming obstacles and having his story made into a film. His clients include CAPITA, Royal Mail, Tesco and Duke of Edinburgh Awards. As well as motivational speaking Benjamin also delivers purely entertaining after dinner speeches.
"This session was brilliant....Hugely interesting, emotionally engaging and a great insight into the challenges / pressures directors face when their business is struggling....He was mesmerising and inspiring." Next Generation Conference for Association of Business Recovery Professionals - April 2015
“Ben Mee's presentation fulfilled our conference objectives, was entertaining and fun. He demonstrated that with persistence we can overcome the toughest of challenges. He was friendly, natural and unassuming. Ben was embraced by all they loved his story and his style. Overall his presentation was excellent. Duke of Edinburgh Awards
Benjamin spoke to an audience of over 300 retail professionals with the utmost passion and enthusiasm about his story of buying a Zoo. His empathetic approach engaged the audience and they continued to listen to his every word. Benjamin has a natural ability to inject humour into his speech whilst at the same time delivering some very serious points on this amazing risk taking project. This is a unique story with many important business messages and one which the audience will remember for a long time to come. Tesco
Thank you so much for your time last night. It was a pleasure to meet you and to hear you speak so charmingly about your experiences of running the zoo and indeed of having your book turned into a film. Editorial Intelligence
Benjamin was truly inspirational, a story told from the heart and very different to the usual motivational speakers. It was the first time I have seen delegates queue to shake a speaker's hand. Royal Mail