Margaret Heffernan Keynote Speaker

Thinkers50 Hall of Fame inductee and bestselling author of Willful Blindness and Uncharted
Former CEO and Professor of Practice at the University of Bath
International authority on leadership, decision-making, uncertainty and organisational culture

Margaret Heffernan's Biography

Dr. Margaret Heffernan produced programmes for the BBC for 13 years. She produced dramas and documentaries in radio and television and was the first producer to put Simon Schama on TV. She then moved to the US where she spearheaded multimedia productions for Intuit, The Learning Company and Standard&Poors. She was Chief Executive of InfoMation Corporation, ZineZone Corporation and then iCast Corporation, was named one of the “Top 25” by Streaming Media magazine and one of the “Top 100 Media Executives” by The Hollywood Reporter.

The author of seven books, Margaret’s third book, Willful Blindness : Why We Ignore the Obvious at our Peril was named one of the most important business books of the decade by the Financial Times. In 2015, she was awarded the Transmission Prize for A Bigger Prize: Why Competition isn’t Everything and How We Do Better, described as “meticulously researched… engagingly written… universally relevant and hard to fault.” Her TED talks have been seen by over seventeen million people and in 2015 TED published Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes. Her most recent book, Uncharted: How to map the future was published in 2020. It quickly became a bestseller and was nominated for the Financial Times Best Business Book award, was one of Bloomberg’s Best Books of 2021 and was chosen as the “Medium Best of the Best” business book. Her new book, Embracing Uncertainty will be published in March 2025.

She is a Professor of Practice at the University of Bath and, through Merryck & Co., mentors CEOs and senior executives of major global organizations. She speaks at major corporate and non-profit conferences around the world, chairs the board of DACS and has advised the Casey Review into the culture and standards of the Metropolitan Police and the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse led by Alexis Jay. In 2023 Margaret was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame for her lasting contribution to management thinking.

She is a frequent broadcaster on BBC Radio 4 and the author of many broadcast plays. She writes for the Financial Times and is a parish councillor.

Collaboration

A Bigger Prize – Dr Heffernan discusses how organizations have specific routines and cultures that develop and enhance people who can work together effectively for years on end.

Willful Blindness

How we ignore the obvious at our peril – Discussing the forces at work in corporate cultures that allow willful blindness to flourish and how to maximize it.

Uncharted

How to think about an unpredictable future – Preparing companies for the age of uncertainty. Human Work – Discussing how there are fundamental mindsets and attitudes which will make organizations better able to be creative and responsive as the world changes. This talk derives from all of Dr Heffernan’s major work around collaboration, creativity, curiosity and the need for organizations of all kind to stay connected to the societies they serve.

She helps leaders and organisations navigate uncertainty, challenge conventional thinking and build resilient, high-performing cultures that thrive in an unpredictable world.
She translates complex ideas on leadership, decision-making and organisational behaviour into practical strategies, helping executives overcome blind spots, embrace uncertainty and drive sustainable success.
She combines experience as a CEO, entrepreneur, broadcaster and leadership adviser, offering a unique perspective on how organisations can innovate, collaborate and adapt in times of rapid change.
As the author of bestselling books including Willful Blindness, A Bigger Prize, Uncharted and Embracing Uncertainty, and a Thinkers50 Hall of Fame inductee, she has become one of the world’s most influential voices on leadership and management.
Her thought-provoking keynotes equip audiences with practical insights to lead through uncertainty, challenge assumptions and create organisations that are more innovative, resilient and future-ready.