Nicole Bearne Keynote Speaker

Championship-winning F1 comms leader: 9 Constructors & 8 Drivers titles
Founder & Director, The Comms Exchange (2023–present)
Judge, IoIC National Awards 2024

Nicole Bearne's Biography

Nicole Bearne is a championship-winning internal communications and leadership specialist who spent more than 25 years at the heart of Formula One. As Head of Internal Communications for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team (2008–2022), she engineered the culture that powered nine Constructors’ and eight Drivers’ World Championships, proving that marginal gains in communication translate into record-breaking performance. Operating at board level in a 1,300-strong organisation, she learned how to convert split-second decision-making into everyday habits.

Her career began in the late 1990s as a founding member of British American Racing and included the fairytale Brawn GP season that clinched both titles in 2009. Reporting directly to Team Principal Ross Brawn between 2007 and 2013, Nicole pioneered cross-functional frameworks and psychological-safety protocols that became the blueprint for sustained dominance on the grid.

In 2023, she founded The Comms Exchange, bringing her blend of evidence-based organisational psychology and real-world F1 know-how to organisations worldwide. Armed with a master’s degree in Organisational Behaviour and a CIPR Diploma in Internal Communications, she helps businesses build engaged, resilient and people-centric cultures. Her innovative approach earned a nomination for the Indigogold Work Psychology Innovation Award in 2020.

In 2024, Nicole was appointed as a judge for the Institute of Internal Communication’s National Awards, recognising her leadership in the field. She also featured prominently in the 2023 Disney+ documentary Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story, which chronicled the team’s remarkable 2009 season.

On stage, Nicole offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of race-winning strategy—from creating psychologically safe pit-lane teams to leading through rapid change. Her energetic, insightful keynotes leave audiences with actionable tools that unlock clarity, collaboration and competitive edge across sectors, equipping organisations to accelerate performance in today’s fast-moving world.