Ricky Walters

Ricky Walters is an entrepreneur and business innovator who transformed his career from apprentice hairdresser to award-winning salon owner by the age of 26. Starting with no formal qualifications, he built his reputation by revitalising a five-star hotel salon before launching Salon64, a pioneering concept blending salon services with hospitality that has been featured in Vogue, Forbes and Tatler. Through his sessions, Ricky empowers audiences to recognise untapped opportunities, take bold action with limited resources, and reimagine traditional business models to meet modern customer needs with creativity and determination.

At the age of 21, Ricky Walters walked into a five-star hotel manager's office and left behind a business plan with a handwritten note that read, "I will fix your salon". That boldness paid off. He transformed the struggling salon into a thriving business through creative partnerships with local shops and restaurants, earning himself a promotion to manager and proving that ambition, paired with practical action, could rewrite the trajectory of a career that had begun just five years earlier as an apprentice with no formal qualifications. From sweeping salon floors as a teenager to managing operations in one of London's most prestigious hotels, Ricky's early career became a masterclass in spotting opportunity where others saw limitation.

His success at the hotel salon revealed a broader vision. Ricky recognised that the traditional salon model no longer met the evolving needs of modern customers who wanted flexibility, comfort and an experience that extended beyond a single service. Drawing inspiration from the original Parisian mansion house salons, where aristocratic women received personalised attention in elegant, social settings, he reimagined the concept for contemporary life. In 2017, at just 26 years old, Ricky opened Salon64 in Soho, a pioneering hybrid space that combined professional hair and beauty services with a cocktail bar and relaxed environment where guests could charge their phones, touch up their makeup or simply pause during a busy day. The concept attracted widespread attention, earning features in Vogue, Tatler, Forbes and the Evening Standard, and establishing Ricky as an innovator who understood how to blend hospitality with personal care in a way that felt both luxurious and accessible.

Ricky's story resonates with audiences because it demonstrates how unconventional thinking and resourcefulness can disrupt established industries. He equips organisations and entrepreneurs with practical strategies for identifying gaps in their markets, building partnerships that amplify growth, and designing customer experiences that reflect genuine insight rather than industry convention. His sessions inspire teams to challenge assumptions about what their business could become, showing them how to take calculated risks, leverage limited resources creatively, and stay agile as customer expectations shift. Audiences leave with renewed confidence to act decisively, a clearer understanding of how innovation emerges from observation and empathy, and the motivation to pursue ambitious ideas without waiting for perfect conditions or traditional credentials.