Abbie Cooke is an award-winning international keynote speaker whose unconventional career invites audiences to rethink creativity, resilience, and what’s possible when passion leads the way.

With a BA (Hons), MSc and MBA, Abbie began in marketing before making a bold shift to maritime art, becoming Britain’s only ships’ figurehead carver. Her work includes commissions for Sir Roger Cook, former Lord Mayor of London, and HMS Belfast, where she was Artist in Residence, and she later became the principal supplier of UK art onboard Cunard’s Queen Mary 2.

A university lecturer and passionate advocate for inclusion, Abbie founded Gig-Arts 20 years ago to support artists with disabilities, and during Covid created POP – Painting Online with Purpose – for young adults with severe learning disabilities.

Abbie brings creativity, courage, and lived experience to the stage, inspiring audiences to embrace change and carve their own path.