Gareth Timmins

Gareth Timmins is a former Royal Marines Commando, behavioural scientist, bestselling author, and founder of The Elite Edge Academy®. Drawing on his military background and academic expertise, he specialises in helping leaders and teams cultivate resilience, focus, and high performance under pressure. As a leadership speaker and performance coach, Gareth bridges the gap between elite military training and the modern business world, teaching the mental frameworks that enable individuals to thrive in uncertainty. His work has inspired leaders from sport, business, and education, including senior figures such as Rohan Smith, Head Coach at Leeds Rhinos, and Jason Cranswick, Managing Director of Norton Way Group.

At the age of twenty, Gareth joined the Royal Marines and successfully completed one of the toughest military training programmes in the world. Only 0.1 per cent of applicants earn the coveted Green Beret, a testament to his determination, discipline, and mental strength. His experience in the Royal Marines became the foundation for his bestselling debut book, ‘Becoming the 0.1%: Thirty-Four Lessons from the Diary of a Royal Marines Commando Recruit’, in which he reflects on the psychological challenges of elite military training and the lessons it holds for leadership, performance, and personal growth.

Building on this success, Gareth published his second book, ‘The 0.1% Academy: Master the 7 Mindsets to Maintain Peak Performance’, in 2023. The book distils his research in behavioural science into a practical framework for sustaining excellence in high-pressure environments. Alongside his writing, he founded The Elite Edge Academy® in 2018 and the Leaders Think Tank® in 2019, both focused on developing mental toughness, teamwork, and adaptive thinking in organisations. He has also taught Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Surrey Business School and is currently completing his PhD at the University of Huddersfield.

As a speaker, Gareth is known for his authenticity, precision, and ability to connect deeply with audiences. His talks explore themes such as resilience, adapting to change, overcoming adversity, and the science of togetherness. Combining military experience with behavioural science, he provides practical tools and powerful insight into what it means to lead and perform at the highest level. Gareth equips individuals and organisations to think like the 0.1 per cent, pushing beyond limits to achieve excellence.