Women Speakers
The Sweeney Agency will help you find the best Women Speakers for your event by providing you with all the information you need to make the right decision. We take into account your event objectives, audience dynamics and expected outcomes. We provide you with top Women speaker bios, video clips, topic outlines, and independent perspectives on the best speakers available. Working closely with the Speaker you choose, we will ensure she delivers a customized presentation that informs, inspires and entertains.
Mariana Atencio
Peabody Award-winning Journalist, Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur, Inspiring Storyteller, and Host/Moderator
About
Mariana Atencio is on a mission to help people supercharge their careers, their workplace cultures, and their happiness by embracing the power of authenticity. Coming to America from Venezuela as a young girl, Mariana learned first-hand how feeling self-conscious about being different kept her from engaging. After graduating Columbia University, Mariana wanted to take that experience into her journalism career and tell stories that build bridges and foster understanding.
She became a national news anchor and correspondent, earning a Peabody Award for reporting which took her from Haiti to Hong Kong to the Syrian border. The success of her TEDx talk, “What Makes YOU Special?”, viewed over 23 million times, catapulted Mariana into a new storytelling outlet: speaking.
Her first book, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real, is a bestselling call to action to unleash the magic of personal and professional authenticity to find purpose and break barriers. Currently head of her own media production company, Mariana pursues stories that capture her curiosity. She also continues to deliver inspiring keynotes and moderate/host at major events.
Barb Betts
Sought-after keynote speaker, CEO and relentless advocate for building businesses rooted in relationships
About
Barb Betts is a visionary keynote speaker and thought leader with over 20 years of experience transforming sales and business performance through the power of authentic relationships. Known for her dynamic presence and impactful delivery, Barb has energized audiences at top-tier events like LVMH, Fidelity National, Inman Connect, WomanUP!, and the NAR Annual Conference. Her transparent, compassionate, and results-driven approach consistently leaves audiences not only inspired but ready to take action.
As a sought-after speaker, Barb blends her extensive sales expertise with powerful, personal stories and actionable strategies that tackle today’s most pressing business challenges. She shows entrepreneurs, salespeople, and leaders how to leverage relationships as a strategic asset—transforming them into a measurable force for success in today’s fast-paced world.
Barb’s award-winning podcast, Relationships are Your Superpower®, amplifies her thought leadership, reaching thousands with insights on how to move beyond transactional interactions and create deep, trust-based connections. Her approach results in more referrals, loyal clients, and thriving businesses that are rooted in genuine connection and mutual respect.
Known for her high-energy, engaging presentations, Barb inspires audiences to rethink how they approach relationships and empowers them with the tools to build lasting, impactful connections that drive real results. Her ability to deliver practical next steps, grounded in real-world experience, makes her a highly sought-after speaker for professionals looking to elevate their leadership, sales, and influence.
When she’s not on stage or working with business leaders, Barb enjoys life in Southern California with her husband and two children. She believes that the most important relationships are the ones we nurture in both our personal and professional lives.
Quinn Conyers
Renowned Women in Leadership Keynote Speaker, Professional Event Emcee, and Corporate Communications Trainer
About
Quinn Conyers has established a reputation for transforming the speaking and communication abilities of diverse leaders/executives across multiple industries, giving them the courage to be powerful presenters, excel in their careers, and confidently address crowds internally and externally as clear, concise, and compelling communicators.
Quinn is a faculty and founding member of the Black Speakers Network (BSN) and has taught Speech Communications for 5 years at Coppin State University. In 2021 she was named one of 20 Black Women Entrepreneurs to Watch, a Distinguished Alumni from her high school and an AT&T Dream in Black Future Maker alongside Lebron James, Tabitha Brown and Sarah Jakes Roberts to name a few.
Quinn earned a Bachelor's Degree from West Chester University and a Master's from Howard University in Washington DC. Her experience as an entrepreneur, thought leader and business woman transitions well into her role as an Energetic Emcee. She has been serving and speaking for years making her the perfect partner to transform your next event into an EPIC experience.
As a result of Quinn’s business, Emcee and Speaking accomplishments she has been featured on the cover of two magazines, and in various radio, print, podcast and TV media outlets. She is often interviewed about how she is amplifying and illuminating the voices of other entrepreneurs and women in business as well as how she is using language to leave a legacy as a professional Event Emcee and Keynote Speaker.
Carly Fiorina
First Women CEO of a Fortune 50 company, Best-selling Author, Keynote Speaker on Effective Leadership
About
Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina is a true leader and seasoned problem-solver. She passionately advocates for problem-solving, innovation, and effective leadership. Her mission is to inspire, equip, and connect individuals and teams to seize opportunities, face challenges, and accelerate impact in their communities and workplaces. She believes everyone has more potential than they realize and that those closest to the problem understand it best. Leading to unlock potential in others can result in progress and joy.
Carly’s experience spans from secretary to CEO, public to private, and for-profit to non-profit. She started as a secretary for a nine-person real-estate business and became the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 company. When Carly led Hewlett Packard (HP) in 1999, the industry faced the worst technology recession in 25 years. Under her leadership, revenue grew, innovation tripled, growth quadrupled, and HP became the 11th largest U.S. company.
During her tenure at HP, the company received numerous civic recognitions, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by Business Ethics Magazine, one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers by Working Mother Magazine, receiving a 100% rating by The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, and being named one of the World’s Most Respected Companies by The Financial Times and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
After leaving HP, Carly focused on giving back. Before Unlocking Potential, she served as Chairman of Good360, the world’s largest product philanthropy organization, and Chairman of Opportunity International, a Christian-based organization lifting millions out of poverty through micro-finance. She also founded the One Woman Initiative with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to empower women in Pakistan, Egypt, India, and the Philippines through increased economic opportunity.
Carly was appointed by President Bush and CIA Director Michael Hayden to serve as Chairman of the External Advisory Board of the CIA after 9/11. She held the highest clearances available to a civilian and focused on CIA recruitment policies, information technology capabilities, and organizational integration.
Carly is also a best-selling author. Her titles include Tough Choices and Rising to the Challenge. Her third book, Find Your Way, is out now.
About
Laura Gassner Otting inspires people to push past the doubt and indecision that keep great ideas in limbo by helping audiences think bigger and accept greater challenges that reach beyond their current, limited scope of belief.
She delivers strategic thinking, well-honed wisdom, and perspective generated by decades of navigating change across the start-up, corporate, nonprofit, political, as well as philanthropic landscapes. Laura dares audiences to find their voice and generate the confidence needed to tackle larger-than-life challenges by helping them to seek new ways of leading, managing, and mentoring others.
Laura’s rebellious and entrepreneurial edge has been well-honed over a 25-year career that started when she dropped out of law school to join an unknown southern governor’s presidential campaign and ended up as a Presidential Appointee in Bill Clinton’s White House, where she helped shape AmeriCorps.
She left a leadership role as the youngest Vice President at a nationally respected search firm when she realized that her boss’s definition of success didn’t align with hers and, instead, founded and ran one of the fastest-growing search firms in the country, partnering with the full gamut of mission-driven executives, from start-up dreamers to scaling social entrepreneurs to global philanthropists. In 2015, Laura sold that firm to the team who helped her build it, both because she was hungry for the next chapter and because she held an audacious dream of electing our nation’s first female president. (Whomp whomp.)
Since that time, Laura has appeared regularly on Good Morning America and the TODAY Show, and her writing has been seen in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, HR Magazine. She is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of three books, including Wonderhell: Why Success Doesn’t Feel Like It Should… and What to Do About It, Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life, and Mission-Drive: Moving from Profit to Purpose. Her books have been translated into five languages.
Through her own commitment to give back, Laura has helped build a local Montessori school, co-founded a women’s philanthropic initiative, advised a start-up national women’s PAC, grew a citizen-leadership development program, and completed five charity-inspired marathons, projects emblematic of her passions and values. She’s turned on by the audacity of The Big Idea and that larger-than-life goal you just can’t seem to shake. She’s an instigator, a motivator, and a provocateur, and she’s never met a revolution she didn’t like, just ask her enduringly patient husband, two almost-grown sons, and troublesome puppy with whom she lives outside of Boston, MA.
About
Mandy Gill is a sought-after keynote speaker, helping leaders and their teams thrive through the face of uncertainty in the future of work by strengthening their ability to collaborate, build resilient relationships, and ultimately succeed greater than they ever thought possible.
For over a decade Mandy has studied what separates successful teams from those that simply aren’t. Drawing on her experience of building and scaling one of the world's most effective behavior change apps, Healthy Habits, Mandy has one of the world’s largest data sets focused on building resilience, modifying behavior, and maximizing positive results. She shares authentic parallels between the principles she uses to succeed while climbing some of the highest peaks in Nepal and around the world, along with running 100km trail marathons.
Mandy builds a compelling case for the uncontrollable environments in extreme adventure, and the ones that people face every day — at work, at home, and in their communities. In addition to having faced some of the most challenging environments in on the planet, Mandy has shared conversations with Lady Gaga and Rihanna while her career took shape in the broadcast world first, before branching off as a business builder, author, and highly respected international media personality. Mandy’s commitment to levelling the playing field and opening doors for women across the globe twice earned her a “Women of Distinction” award by the YWCA.
About
Nikki Greenberg stands at the forefront as a world-renowned futurist and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, specializing in the intersection of artificial intelligence, real estate technology, and innovation. Her dynamic and high-energy keynotes delve into the fusion of real space and cyberspace, emphasizing the transformative role of emerging technologies. Nikki's mission is to not only ignite inspiration about future possibilities but also to provide actionable insights on leveraging these advancements for business growth and success.
As a digital nomad with a versatile career spanning the US, Asia, and Australia, Nikki has excelled in various leadership roles, emphasizing innovation and cutting-edge design. She has made significant contributions as the Head of Technology Strategy at QIC, an Australian investment firm, revolutionizing a $17Bn AUM real estate portfolio with tech-driven strategies. Her tenure in New York involved spearheading innovation at Brown Harris Stevens, the leading private brokerage for luxury residential developments. In Australia, she played a pivotal role in designing transformative projects with Lendlease and Koichi Takada Architects.
Nikki's expertise and influence in PropTech and real estate innovation have been acknowledged through numerous awards, including being named a Top 9 Most Influential Woman in PropTech (2024), Top Real Estate Influencer (2023), and a ULI Global Luminary (2022). As a sought-after speaker, she frequently shares her insights on the tech-enabled future of the industry at prominent global real estate conferences.
Her leadership extends to serving as a co-chair of ULI New York’s Real Estate Technology and Innovation Council and founding Global Ambassador of Women in PropTech. Nikki's educational background includes Masters of International Business and Architecture from UNSW, Sydney.
Currently based in New York City, this Australian national is celebrated as one of the most influential voices in the realm of AI, real estate technology, and future-focused thinking.
Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe
Best-selling Author, Award-winning Scholar, Inspiring Keynote Speaker on Resilience and Wellbeing
About
An educational behaviorist (one of very few in the world) and a globally recognized speaker and scholar, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe is also your friendly neighborhood scientist who makes life make sense! With a treasure trove of awards and a worldwide following, she's on a mission to empower audiences everywhere with practical strategies for fostering resiliency and making stress your ally, not your enemy.
Dr Robyne embodies her teachings by seamlessly blending real-world realities, rigorous research, and profound wisdom with her own personal journey. A mother of three teenagers, a high school dropout turned respected professor, author, entrepreneur and survivor of a life-altering accident, her life story exemplifies her unwavering dedication of spreading resilience. Dr Robyne proves that it is not just a theory, but a transformative skill set.
Known for her engaging delivery, Dr Robyne crafts experiences that integrate scientific research with inspirational narratives into actionable insights across diverse platforms. Her approachability and relatability shine through, inspiring individuals and organizations to face challenges with confidence.
Fueled by historical fiction, coffee, and an unwavering belief that better days are always ahead, Dr Robyne is here to show us that resiliency isn't just a concept— it's a skill set that transforms your work and life.
Heather Hansen
Keynote Speaker on Leadership & Sales, Best-selling Author & Award-winning Trial Lawyer
About
Heather Hansen knows how to build belief. She was a trial attorney for over 20 years and was consistently named one of the Top 50 Female Attorneys in Pennsylvania. She combines that experience with her psychology degree, her mediation training. and her experience as a TV anchor to help her clients build belief and advocate for their ideas, products and services.
For over twenty years Heather was a trial attorney. Her job was to help diverse groups of people believe in her case so that her client could win. She honed the tools for her clients to build credibility quickly so they could persuade diverse juries to see things from their perspective. Now she is sharing the tools with you.
Heather has worked with organizations like Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Google, SavATree, the American Medical Association, Call Miner and LVMH to help them make the case for their services, products, ideas and their teams. She’s also shared these tools at Harvard Business School, Stanford Law School, The University of Pennsylvania and with audiences across the world.
Heather is the author of the best-seller “The Elegant Warrior: How to Win Life’s Trials Without Losing Yourself” and the host of The Elegant Warrior podcast. Heather’s latest book is Advocate to Win-10 Tools to Ask for What You Want and Get It.
Katty Kay
Senior Editor and Executive Producer, OZY Media; Award-winning Journalist & Former BBC America Lead Anchor; and Bestselling Author
About
Talks about the shifts in the global power structure that accelerated due to the COVID pandemic
Unpacks insights that help audiences understand more clearly the forces at play around the world and how they will impact their future.
Former lead anchor of BBC America World News, New York Times Bestselling Author
Past clients include: Accenture, AICPA, AT&T, Deloitte, Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan, MetLife, NMS Management Group, Toyota
Click Here to Watch Katty's Virtual Presentation
Katty Kay is an award-winning journalist whose instinctively global perspective on American politics and global affairs comes from having lived and worked in the Middle East, South Africa, Japan, Europe, and the U.S. throughout her career. Now Washington-based, Katty has been with the BBC for nearly 30 years as a reporter and lead anchor, reporting on six U.S. presidential elections, Washington politics, financial crashes, world trouble spots, sex scandals, global affairs, and much more. She is currently U.S. special correspondent for BBC Studios –where she hosts TV documentaries from both the U.S. and Europe, presents her own podcast series, and writes a weekly column. Kattyis a regular contributor and substitute host of Morning Joe on MSNBC and also writes on the art and science of self-assurance in women and girls. She is co-author, with Claire Shipman, of four New York Times’bestselling books: Womenomics, The Confidence Code, The Confidence Code for Girls, and Living the Confidence Code. Katty is an engaging keynote speaker on a wide range of topics as well as a brilliant moderator, interviewer, and event host.
Currently the U.S. special correspondent for BBC Studios –Katty hosts TV documentaries, presents her own podcast series and writes a weekly news column for BBC News. Her first TV documentary, Trump: The Comeback?(2022), takes a closer look at the fate of American democracy and provides insight on what may come in the 2024 presidential election. Katty is also a regular contributor on MSNBC’s Morning Joe as well as serves as a guest-host for the program on occasion.
Helping women turn thoughts into action and master a more confident mindset is one of Katty’s passions. She is co-author of five books with Claire Shipman, including four New York Times bestsellers –two were #1. Their first two bestsellers focus on women, success, and work. Womenomics: Write Your Own Rules for Success examined the workplace revolution and inspired women to take control, dream big and discover a different way of weaving work into their lives –and in the process create more profitable companies with happier and more productive employees. They followed up with The Confidence Code:The Science and Art of Self-Assurance—What Women Should Know, which inspired women to understand that confidence –the lynchpin of success –is a choice.
After The Confidence Code was released, parents everywhere asked about confidence and girls. That led to three more books co-authored by Katty with Claire Shipman and Jill Ellyn Riley. The Confidence Code for Girls: Taking Risks, Messing Up, and Becoming Your Amazingly Imperfect, Totally Powerful Self, was released in April 2018 and debuted at the #1 spot on The New York Times bestseller list. The empowering, entertaining guide gives girls the essential yet elusive code to becoming bold, brave, and fearless. The follow-up, The Confidence Code for Girls Journal: A Guide to Embracing Your Amazingly Imperfect, Totally Powerful Self, is based on their in-depth research and helps teens and tweens tackle any challenge. Their most recent book, Living the Confidence Code: Real Girls, Real Stories, Real Confidence, debuted at #1 on The New York Times bestseller list (Children’s Middle Grade) and is a collection of 30 true stories of real girls pursuing their passions, struggling and stumbling, but along the way figuring out how to build their own special brand of confidence. Katty and Claire are currently co-authoring their sixth book on women and power and have plans to launch a podcast.
On the fun side, Katty had the distinction of being immortalized in pop culture in 2018 when her name was the answer to a question on the Jeopardy game show. In the same week, she was portrayed in a skit on Saturday Night Live which satirized a moment from MSNBC’s Morning Joe program.
Katty Kay settled in Washington, DC in the mid-90s where she lives with her husband, two cats, and a dog. They have four grown children.
Chaunte’ Lowe
Motivational Olympic Medalist, American Record Holder, and TEDx Speaker on Helping Your Group Navigate This Challenging Climate
About
Chaunte' Lowe is the story of determination perseverance and strength. Not only is Lowe a mother of 3, a wife and a finance professional; she is also a professional athlete, an American Record Holder, a 4-time Olympian, a 3-Time World Championship medalist, and 12 times US National Champion.
When speaking she is true to how she performs. She is animated, entertaining and humorous. She dances and plays to the crowd as she shares her stories of beating impossible odds, time and time again. She possesses the ability to keep the group engaged and hanging on her every word or jump. Those who get a chance to encounter her leave inspired and motivated. Her infectious personality is electrifying. You can't help but leave an interaction with her with a winning, "I can do ANYTHING" attitude.
Lowe was able to realize her childhood dream of going to the Olympics at only 20-years-old, making her the first woman from Georgia Tech’s track and field team to become an Olympian. The following year, Lowe won silver at the 2005 World Championships to become the first American woman to win a world outdoor championships high jump medal since Louise Ritter won bronze at the inaugural event in Helsinki in 1983. Lowe is always a crowd favorite with impossibly defined abs, dramatic dance moves, and even the occasional backflip. Lowe graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in economics. In 2008 she represented her country again in the high jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Days after returning from the 2012 Olympic Games, started teaching trigonometry at Grayson High School in Atlanta. Married triple jumper Mario Lowe on August 21, 2005, and gave birth to daughter Jasmine in July 2007 and Aurora in April 2011 and Mario Josiah in 2013. Lowe has broken the American Record 3 Times and is the current indoor and outdoor American Record holder with 2.02m (6’-7.5”) and 2.05 (6’8.75”) meters respectively. In addition to her Olympic Games appearances, she has represented the United States on six world championship teams. The story is not over; she most recently represented the US in her fourth Olympic Games in the summer of 2016 and is showing no signs of stopping any time soon. Don't be surprised to see her jumping in her 5th Olympic Games in Tokyo the summer of 2020.
About
Melissa Majors has spent 25+ years of her career optimizing the business impact of education, innovation, inclusion, and leadership. She started Melissa Majors Consulting to drive better strategic decision-making in these areas and works with organizations across the country to effectively measure their inclusion and diversity performance. She has extensive experience at Meeting Professionals International, Ellucian, and other organizations in improving profitability, boosting organizational performance, and optimizing inclusion strategies.
Melissa is the author of The 7 Simple Habits of Inclusive Leaders. In this book, she reveals how great leaders enjoy superior team performance and drives much higher profitability by incorporating inclusive practices. Her new book Help Them Thrive: Leadership Coaching for Humans Leading Humans is like having a leadership coach in the palm of your hands.
As a crowd-pleasing speaker who masters brain-friendly talks, Melissa engages her audiences and sparks not just inspiration but action as well. Founder of Melissa Majors Consulting, creator of in’klooded®, an inclusive strategic planning method that ensures all voices get heard, and Community Keynotes an inclusive process that draws out game-changing ideas ® a coaching program. She is an innovator and optimizer of education, inclusion, & leadership strategies. She has dedicated her career to maximizing the business impact associated with these areas of focus.
Melissa has been a force of change throughout her professional career. She has served on the board of The Propel Group DFW, as the Director of Global Education at Meeting Professionals International (MPI) where she used executive leadership to drive global education strategies and develop excellence in teams. She revamped the educational division to effectively serve 500k+ clients and strategic partners as the Director, Global Education Services at Ellucian.
Melissa has been featured in publications such as Forbes Magazine, Smart Meetings, The Meeting Professional, NorthStar Meetings Group's Eventful Podcast, The Event DR, and on the keynote stage at events such as Meeting Professional's International's WEC, Matthews Asia, Orthofix, Blue Shield of CA, State Street, Institute for Internal Auditors, and many more.
Melissa has a Bachelor of Business Administration and studied strategy and innovation at Harvard University.
Martha McSally
Combat Pilot, Leadership Keynote Speaker on Overcoming Adversity
About
Colonel (ret) Martha E. McSally is a pioneering combat-proven leader, inspiring speaker, and celebrated author. McSally is a compelling example of overcoming adversity and fear to achieve extraordinary feats. Losing her dad at the age of 12 and surviving sexual abuse and assault, she persevered to become the 1st woman in U.S. history to fly a fighter jet in combat and command a fighter squadron in combat. Along her journey, McSally had to overcome significant obstacles including U.S. law prohibiting women from flying combat jets. She persevered, held onto her dreams, continued to excel, and shattered glass ceilings.
In her speeches, McSally has the ability to take her lessons learned from combat, life, and extreme athletic endeavors and enthusiastically apply them in practical, memorable experiences propelling teams to excellence. Through humor, transparency, emotional connection, and powerful storytelling, she brings the audience into the cockpit, behind the scenes of high-stakes leadership moments in our nation’s history, and captures hearts along the way, all while imparting actionable take-aways that can immediately empower individuals and teams.
During her 26-year military career, McSally deployed six times to the Middle East and Afghanistan, flying 325 combat hours and earning the Bronze Star and six Air Medals. As a commander of her A-10 squadron, she oversaw $500M in assets and $40M in annual resources and was responsible for deploying her unit worldwide with just 24-hours’ notice. McSally was deployed to Saudi Arabia on 9/11 and became a key leader in planning and executing initial air operations in Afghanistan. As a Colonel, she was hand-picked as initial cadre to stand up U.S. Africa Command from scratch, building a complex organization with limited time and resources. She then led oversight of all African continent operations, including counterterrorism and disaster relief. This experience built on her expertise in strategic planning, process creation/improvement, knowledge management, logistics, and operations.
Colonel McSally is a values-driven trailblazer who demonstrates courage and integrity in her leadership, even when coming at a personal cost. She bravely took on the Pentagon in an 8-year battle to overturn discriminatory policies towards servicewomen deployed to Saudi Arabia—and won.
McSally knows how to build excellent teams founded in camaraderie, trust, and the ability to perform under pressure when the stakes are extremely high. She now takes these lessons from the cockpit and the skies of Afghanistan to equip your team to reach maximum potential as high performing individuals and significantly contributing teams within your organization.
McSally holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University’s JFK School of Government, a Masters in Strategic Studies from the Air War College where she graduated #1 in her class out of 261 senior military officers, and is a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy. As a continuation of her service to our country and others and commitment to not walk by a problem, she served four years in the U.S. House of Representatives and two years as a U.S. Senator, which is not the focus of her speeches unless asked. (She often quips it was the least interesting thing she has done in her life!) She is the author of Dare to Fly—Simple Lessons in Never Giving Up, which motivates readers to overcome fear and adversity to achieve their full potential. McSally lives in Tucson, AZ where she enjoys hiking with her rescue Golden Retriever Boomer, running, and paragliding.
Through determination, discipline and grit, McSally has run over a dozen marathons, won three national military triathlon championships, and competed in two Ironman triathlons including the grueling Hawaii Ironman world championship where she won the women’s military division and placed 12th in the world in her age group. She also summited many peaks including Mt Kilimanjaro (highest mountain in Africa at 19,340 ft) and Mt Blanc (highest in Western Europe). She is a force of nature ready to inspire and equip your team.
About
Named a Future Innovator by the United Nations, Angela Oguntala is a futurist and global authority on foresight and innovation.
She is a founding partner at Greyspace, a foresight consultancy. Across the globe, she helps organizations understand and innovate for a world in transition. Her clients have included IKEA, Hermès, Philips, Sky, Deloitte, The World Economic Forum, The World Trade Organization, Microsoft, Bayer and Swiss Life.
Over the past decade, Angela has been asked to speak on a wide range of future-facing topics. She has delivered hundreds of keynotes worldwide on themes including: innovating through uncertainty, emerging technology impacts, purpose driven innovation, leadership & organizational foresight, creativity, sustainability, as well as on specific domains from the future of work to futures of healthcare.
Angela leaves audiences with insights, inspiration, and actionable tactics to engage with significant shifts ahead, and to critically question what needs to shift to meet future demands. She is a Salzburg Global Fellow for leaders challenged to shape a better worldand has been featured as an expert on futures thinking on outlets including Sky, TED, and NPR.
Angela is an American who shares her time between the US (Atlanta, Georgia) and Copenhagen, Denmark.
April Rinne
Global Authority on the New Economy, Future of Work, and Navigating Constant Change, Humanistic Futurist
About
Change navigator and guide to help you embrace uncertainty and the unknown
Top-ranked global futurist with immersive work and travels in 100+ countries
Bestselling author of Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change
Change defines the present and uncertainty permeates the future. What are the skills, practices, and superpowers that this world in flux demands – and how can you cultivate them with purpose and joy?
In 2024, humans’ ability to embrace all kinds of change, uncertainty, and not-knowing isn’t exceptional, but rather table stakes. It’s at the heart of responsible leadership, thriving culture, and effective communication. Put another way, tolerance of uncertainty is the #1 skill we’ll need this year – and beyond.
April Rinne – change navigator, speaker, investor, and adventurer – has been obsessed with these questions for more than 25 years. Her work and travels in more than 100 countries have given her a front-row seat to a world in flux, as well as a world of wisdom to navigate the unknown. Not only is she your guide to developing a “flux mindset,” she’s also ranked one of the 50 Leading Female Futurists in the world by Forbes and is a Harvard Law School graduate, a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum, a member of the Silicon Guild and Thinkers50 Radar, a Fulbright Scholar, and the author of the international bestseller Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change.
April is a trusted advisor to well-known startups, companies, financial institutions, nonprofits, think tanks, and governments worldwide, including Airbnb, Nike, Intuit, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, AnyRoad, and Unsettled as well as governments ranging from Singapore to South Africa, Canada to Colombia, and Italy to India. For more than two decades, she’s been known for seeing emerging trends early, understanding their potential, and helping others do the same. April is a bridge-builder between stakeholders, priorities, business models, markets, and those excited about change and those resistant to it. Most recently, she’s been part of Finland’s inaugural “masterclass of happiness,” combining her Finnish heritage and “fluxiness” to reach audiences around the world.
Earlier in life April was a global development executive, an international microfinance lawyer, and a hiking guide. Before that, she spent the better part of four years traveling solo, with an insatiable desire to better understand how the rest of the world lives. (One lesson: Change is universal. How we deal with it is not.) She is as comfortable at Davos as she is talking with microfinance borrowers in an urban slum. A certified yoga teacher, she can often be found upside-down, doing handstands around the world.
The following is also shared, depending on audience and context: April also harnesses her very personal experiences with flux, including the death of both of her parents in a car accident when she was 20.
About
Futurist, author, and Hall of Fame Speaker, Crystal Washington equips organizations with the knowledge they need to become “future-proof.” As a technology strategist and certified futurist, Crystal makes complex artificial intelligence, social media, and app technology easy to understand and accessible for everyday people.
Crystal’s clients include Fortune 100 companies, including Google, American Express, and Pfizer. As a sought-after keynote speaker, she has entertained and educated audiences around the globe. As one of Forbes’ 50 Leading Female Futurists, she appears weekly on season two of the Emmy nominated show Life 2.0. She’s also appeared in numerous publications, including Entrepreneur and Bloomberg Businessweek, and major television networks regularly call on her as a tech expert.
Crystal is the author of One Tech Action and The Social Media Why.
About
Dr. Paula Stone Williams is an internationally known speaker on gender equity, LGBTQ advocacy and religious tolerance. As a transgender woman, Paula brings a unique perspective to her work on gender equity. She says, "The differences between living as a man and a woman are massive. There is no way an educated white male can understand how much the culture is tilted in his favor, because it is all he has ever known and all he ever will know."
Whether a corporate meeting, women's conference, company retreat or national gathering, Paula's unique perspective and story-telling skill delights both men and women as she humbly and effectively advocates for gender equity, LGBTQ rights and appreciation for the differences among us.
Paula has been the CEO of a large religious non-profit, the editor-at-large of a national magazine, host of a national television show and a corporate consultant. With her doctoral thesis on the DiSC Personality Profile, Paula has led hundreds of corporate boards and work teams to become more efficient and productive. Paula has served as an adjunct university professor in the United States and Europe, and is the author of eight books, including She's My Dad, co-authored with her son, Jonathan.
Paula’s memoir, As a Woman: What I Learned about Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned (Simon & Schuster), chronicles her transition journey and sheds light on the gendered landscape that impacts many in the LGBTQ+ community and women in the workplace and beyond. Her memoir will be turned into a limited series by Cannonball Productions.
In addition to her public speaking and corporate consulting, she is also a Pastor and Pastoral Counselor in Boulder County, Colorado. Paula has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, TEDWomen, TEDSummit, TEDxMileHigh, Red Table Talk, National Public Radio, Good Morning America, ABC Primetime News, CNN, People Magazine, and many other media outlets. She has been a keynote speaker for hundreds of conferences, corporations, and universities around the world. Her TED Talks have had over six million views.
Paula lives in Boulder County, Colorado, where she also serves as a pastor with Left Hand Church.
Heather R. Younger
Founder & CEO Employee Fanatix, Best Selling Author, Keynote Speaker on Workplace Culture
About
Heather taps into her own personal and professional experiences as well as stories of strength and perseverance to share empowering proven tools for resetting the resilience of every attendee.
Audiences learn the three steps to strengthening resilience & reframe adversity to unlock new mindsets for empowerment and positive self-worth.
Heather is the founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, an International TEDx speaker on Adversity, Leadership Podcast Host, Business Coach, Facilitator and Attorney, who has earned a reputation as “The Employee Whisperer”. She holds a law degree, is a regular contributor to "Forbes" and "LinkedIn" and is the best-selling author of The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty
Past clients include: Harvard Business Review Brasil, FirstBank, Salas O'Brien, Stark Aerospace, and Colorado Bankers Association.
Click Here to Watch Heather's Virtual Presentation
Heather R Younger, J.D. is a trusted contributor to leading news outlets, like Forbes, Fast Company, Bloomberg, NBC and ABC and one of the world’s leading experts on Caring Leadership® and active listening at work. She is the visionary Founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, a preeminent employee engagement and workplace culture consulting firm to Fortune 100 companies. Employee Fanatix conducts annual research on workplace culture, relying on employee voices for what is relevant now, to help companies redefine their culture strategy. Heather has personally read over 30,000 employee surveys and facilitated over 100 employee focus groups, including her signature “Art of Active Listening Sessions.”
With over 25 years of successfully managing teams, she has worked in customer experience, sales, and large account management for multi-million dollar accounts within multiple industries such as tech, staffing, healthcare, professional services, the public sector, and the financial sector. She's a renowned keynote speaker, drawing insights from current data and putting into practice what she teaches in her Caring Leadership Transformation Model™.
Heather’s strategies yield tangible business results, including heightened employee engagement, unwavering loyalty, seamless collaboration, and robust connectivity. One of her clients, a leader at a bank, continues to win Top Workplace awards, and the feedback from employees is that they are connecting the dots and making employees feel informed and engaged. Another one of her clients, a leader at an oil and gas company, says employee feedback shows an increased sense of trust about voicing concerns without fear of negative consequences. This all results in better outcomes in our everyday work.
Heather is a former practicing attorney turned award-winning leader in the area of Employee Engagement as recognized by Inspiring Workplaces, is a LinkedIn Learning course partner, 3-time best-selling author, TEDX speaker and host of the popular, Leadership with Heart podcast. She is also an Adjunct Organizational Leadership Professor at University College at Denver University.
Her accolades include being a best-selling author of three books: "The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty," a Forbes Must-Read List topper for HR professionals, "The Art of Caring Leadership," wherein she shines a spotlight on the radical potential of compassionate leadership, and her latest best-selling book, "The Art of Active Listening," through which she equips individuals with the interpersonal skills required to make others feel seen, heard, and valued.
Heather's personal journey, rooted in her challenging experiences growing up as the only child of an interfaith and interracial marriage and being excluded because of her race, fueled her unwavering determination to ensure that workplaces around the world make both employees and customers alike feel heard, valued and seen.