Eleanor Mills.
Eleanor Mills is a journalist, author and founder of Noon.
Eleanor is the UK's premier expert on "midlife". She founded NOON.org.uk, a media platform, and 50k plus community of midlifers, to change the narrative around ageing; after all in the 100 year life, 50 is only halfway through. It's noon, lunchtime, and midlife isn't a crisis but a chrysalis when we finally get to become the people we always wanted to be. Building on this mission, her first book on midlife, Much More to Come: Lessons on the Mayhem and Magnificence of Midlife (2024) is a Times bestseller.
Prior to setting up Noon, Eleanor was Editorial Director of The Sunday Times and Editor of The Sunday Times Magazine. Known as one of the most high profile journalists of her generation and a top flight interviewer, she has interrogated everyone from Mikhail Gorbachev to Sheryl Sandberg, David Cameron to One Direction, Theresa May to the Dalai Lama. She still writes regularly for UK newspapers and magazines and appears as a broadcaster on TV and radio.
keynote speeches.
-
Older consumers outspend millennials by 250%. Women over 50 now control 60% of wealth and 75% of all discretionary spending, as well as making 95% of ALL household consumer spending decisions. So why do they appear in less than 10 per cent of adverts? Our thinking about age is static. Brands without an age strategy don’t have a growth strategy. As the demographic landscape shifts how do you harness the power of “Super Consumers”? What do you they want and what turns them off? How can you tap into what Sheryl Sandberg calls the “most lucrative and underserved cohort in the whole of marketing’? Using insights from NOON.org.uk’s proprietary research, Eleanor provides essential insights on how to entice and embrace the power of the midlife pound.
-
How do we deal with massive moments of change? When everything we’ve built has gone, and the future terrifies? How do we learn to conquer fear and embrace uncertainty? Midlife crisis is real: divorce, bereavement, redundancy, the death of parents, troubled youth, health issues. Drawing on her personal transformation and the experience of helping thousands of midlifers to re-invent, Eleanor Mills explains what it takes to master the art of the pivot at work and at home, and become the people we’ve always wanted to be.
-
Someone has to tell a convincing story about why YOU should get the job, and that story can only be as good as the story you’ve sown. Use the lessons Eleanor has learned from interviewing some of the most successful people on the planet, to sing the punchiest, pithiest, most powerful song of yourself.
What does your boss really know about you? How do you communicate passion and purpose? Eleanor reveals her ‘Mills Matrix’, so that whether it’s networking, LinkedIn, or a precious moment with a decision maker, you too can become a world class storyteller.
videos.
Speaker Showreel
Speaking Highlight
books.
in the news.
frequently asked questions.
-
Eleanor focuses on midlife, reinvention, leadership, and the power of overlooked demographics, particularly women over 50. Drawing on her background as a journalist, author, and founder of a large midlife community, she explores how ageing, change, and identity can be reframed as opportunities for growth, relevance, and renewed purpose rather than decline.
-
She is typically engaged for keynote peeches at conferences and senior leadership events, where she combines data, cultural insight, and personal perspective. Her talks often blend storytelling with research to challenge assumptions about age, ambition, and value in both professional and consumer contexts.
-
Yes. Beyond keynote presentations, Eleanor contributes to panel discussions, fireside chats and is also a seasoned presenter/facilitator. She is also well suited to sessions that explore leadership, change, and audience engagement in greater depth.
-
Her work is particularly relevant to organisations navigating demographic change, talent retention, leadership transitions, and evolving consumer markets. She is especially valuable where organisations are rethinking age, experience, and inclusion, or seeking to better understand and engage midlife audiences as employees or customers.
-
She most commonly engages with senior leaders, leadership teams, marketers, HR professionals, and professional audiences across corporate and consumer-facing sectors. Her work resonates strongly with organisations focused on inclusion, growth, and long-term relevance.
Audiences include CEOs, senior leaders, leadership teams, HR professionals, people leaders, managers, and employee audiences. -
Her approach is confident, insightful, and engaging, combining journalistic clarity with warmth and authority. She challenges audiences to rethink ingrained narratives around age and change, while offering practical perspective grounded in real world experience.
-
Eleanor adapts her content to reflect the audience’s objectives and context, whether the focus is leadership, reinvention, consumer strategy, or communication. She adjusts emphasis between personal transformation, organisational change, and market insight, ensuring relevance across sectors.
-
Yes. While grounded in UK research and experience, the themes she addresses around ageing, change, identity, and value are universal. Her work translates effectively to international audiences navigating similar demographic and cultural shifts.
-
Pricing for Eleanor is influenced by factors such as event location, format, and time commitment. Speaking Office ensures fee consistency across all enquiries, whether via speaker bureaus or direct clients, so that pricing remains aligned and non-competitive across channels. Accurate and up-to-date pricing can be provided once event details are shared, ensuring alignment with both the client’s requirements and Eleanor’s long-term positioning.
-
Speaking Office aims to respond promptly to all enquiries regarding Eleanor typically within one business day. Response times may vary slightly depending on event complexity and time zone, but all enquiries are handled with care and attention.
-
Eleanor is available for virtual and hybrid events, as well as in-person engagements, depending on availability and event requirements. Speaking Office can advise on the most appropriate format based on audience, objectives, and technical considerations.
-
Advance booking is recommended for Eleanor, particularly for peak periods and international events. While shorter lead times can be accommodated, early enquiry allows for greater flexibility and planning.
How do I book Eleanor for a speech?
To book Eleanor for a speech, contact her speaking agent: