Kate O'Neill Keynote Speaker

Thinkers50 2025-ranked global management thinker
Founder & CEO, KO Insights, ‘Tech Humanist’ advisor
Early Netflix employee and award-winning tech entrepreneur

Kate O'Neill 's Biography

Kate O’Neill is a digital innovator, chief executive, business writer, and globally recognized speaker widely known as the “Tech Humanist.” She is the founder and CEO of KO Insights, a strategic advisory firm that enhances human experiences at scale through data-driven and AI-led interactions.

Kate has worked with prestigious clients like Google, IBM, Microsoft, and the United Nations, and she was one of the first 100 employees at Netflix. Her groundbreaking insights have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and WIRED, and she has shared her expertise on NPR and the BBC.

Kate has been honored with numerous awards, including “Technology Entrepreneur of the Year” and has been named to the Thinkers50 2025 ranking of global management thinkers. With six influential books under her belt, including Tech Humanist and A Future So Bright, as well as her latest, What Matters Next (which was recently named to the Thinkers50 Best New Management Books of 2025), she enlightens business leaders around the world about how to solve human problems at scale.

What Matters Next: Human-Friendly Tech Decisions in a Fast-Moving World

Based on the Thinkers50-recognized book:

Leaders face a constant stream of technology decisions—AI adoption, digital transformation, data strategy—often without clear frameworks for evaluating impact. This keynote provides a practical approach to making tech decisions that balance innovation with human outcomes, helping organizations move forward confidently in an uncertain, fast-changing world.

Ideal for: Executive audiences, all-hands meetings, leadership summits.

Key themes:

AI & data strategy
Meaningful innovation
Human-centered transformation
Strategic foresight
Responsible tech governance

AI Strategy for Leaders: From Hype to Human-Centered Impact

The gap between AI's promise and its practical implementation is wide—and getting wider. This keynote cuts through the noise to give leaders a clear framework for AI adoption that prioritizes readiness, governance, and human outcomes. Audiences leave with actionable insights on bridging the "Alignment Gap" between technology delivery and organizational capability.

Ideal for: Board meetings, executive retreats, C-suite strategy sessions

Key themes:

Board-level AI literacy
Risk, readiness, and governance
Human skills and the future of work
The Alignment Gap
How to make better tech decisions

The Tech Humanist Future: Creating Meaningful Experiences at Scale

As AI and algorithms increasingly shape customer interactions, organizations risk losing the human connection that builds loyalty and trust. This keynote explores how to design technology-enabled experiences that feel genuinely human—scaling personalization without sacrificing meaning, and leveraging AI while preserving authentic human engagement.

Ideal for: Marketing, CX, and innovation teams; customer experience conferences

Key themes:

AI + customer experience
Human-machine collaboration
Experience strategy
Ethical data use
Organizational culture shifts

Strategic Optimism for Smart Cities

As delivered at Smart City Expo Barcelona

Smart city initiatives often prioritize technology over people. This keynote reframes "smart" around human outcomes—livability, equity, sustainability, and community resilience. Drawing on work with cities like Amsterdam and Austin, Kate shows how to build urban innovation strategies that put residents first and use technology as a tool, not a goal.

Ideal for: Government leaders, urban planners, civic innovation conferences

Key themes: