Helena Boschi Keynote Speaker
- Best-selling author of Why We Do What We Do (2020)
- Psychologist & neuroscientist translating science into action
- Senior leadership experience across aviation, consulting & pharma
Helena Boschi's Biography
Dr Helena Boschi is a psychologist and neuroscientist.
Uniquely positioned at the intersection of science and real-world application, Helena uses her business experience to translate cutting-edge and complex scientific research into practical strategies that strengthen leadership, decision-making, resilience and collaboration across teams and organisations. Having worked at senior leadership level for global organisations including British Airways, Accenture, Serono (now Merck KGaA) and Shire Pharmaceuticals, Helena now advises executive teams on embedding behavioural science into leadership and culture.
She’s also the author of the best-selling Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Our Brain to Get the Best Out of Ourselves and Others (2020).
Helena Boschi's Speaking Topics
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The Neuroscience of Leadership: Leading the Brain in an Age of Complexity
Exceptional leadership requires an understanding of how the brain drives perception, emotion, and decision-making. Helena reveals how leaders can build trust, connection, and engagement by working withthe brain’s natural wiring, not against it, in complex and fast-changing environments.
Key Insights:
- The neural foundations of empathy, trust and social cohesion, and their impact on leadership.
- The neurobiology of language: how words literally shape minds.
- Practical ways to ignite energy, enhance collaboration and energise multigenerational teams.
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The Neuroscience of Decision-Making: How the Brain Manages Bias, Risk and Uncertainty
Every decision we make is filtered through unconscious neural shortcuts that shape judgement and perception. Helena’s session integrates neuroscience and behavioural science to explore how these mechanisms operate, and how we can make better and braver decisions under pressure.
Key Insights:
- The neuroscience of bias, uncovering the hidden traps that distort perception and reasoning
- How to balance intuitive and analytical processes in uncertain situations.
- Frameworks for improving risk evaluation, group decision dynamics and strategic choices
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The Science of Resilience: How to Think, Adapt and Grow Under Pressure
The brain is a dynamic, adaptive system, driven by neuroplasticity, constantly rewiring itself in response to new information, experiences and environments. In today’s highpressure world of relentless and rising demands, our neural systems are frequently pushed to their limits. Drawing on neuroscience and psychology, Helena explores how neuroplasticity allows us to strengthen and optimise brain function and maintain cognitive performance.
Key Insights:
- The neurobiology of stress identifying and resetting the brain’s threat response.
- Strengthening emotional regulation and cognitive flexibility under pressure,
- Designing organisational environments that sustain psychological wellbeing and high performance
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The Cognitive Science of Innovation: Rewiring the Brain for Curiosity and Change
Innovation begins in the brain. We have an extraordinary capacity for learning and creativity, but at the same time we struggle with anything too new. In this energising session, Helena explores how to unlock and access our natural curiosity and imagination, and how organisations can harness these to drive creative performance.
Key Insights:
- The neurocognitive barriers to creativity and how to overcome fear, cognitive rigidity and our natural drive to conform
- How curiosity activates the brain’s reward system, promotes psychological safety and enhances learning agility
- Practical methods for fostering experimentation, stretching cognitive capability and embedding innovative methods into daily routines
Why Book Helena Boschi as a speaker?
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He is an award-winning artist and illustrator who brings global conflicts, humanitarian crises and climate stories to life through powerful visual storytelling.
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He translates complex world events into deeply human narratives, using art and reportage to create empathy, understanding and emotional connection.
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He brings exceptional firsthand experience from reporting in conflict zones and disaster areas across Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen and beyond.
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He is a compelling speaker who combines live illustration, personal experience and immersive storytelling to engage audiences in a uniquely memorable way.
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His insights equip audiences to better understand resilience, humanity and the role of creativity and storytelling in making sense of a rapidly changing world.
Videos of Helena Boschi
Books by Helena Boschi