Emma Stroud

Emma Stroud is a keynote speaker, author, and performer who specialises in using laughter, improvisation, and play to transform leadership and workplace culture. A trained clown and successful entrepreneur, she has worked globally with leadership teams at Bloomberg, Bayer, Barclaycard, and Airbus, and hosts the top 30 podcast *Clowning Around*. Emma has delivered two TEDx talks, including one famously performed as a banana. Through her workshops and keynotes, she equips leaders and teams with practical tools to boost confidence, collaboration, and engagement, creating more resilient, happier, and high-performing workforces that achieve lasting business success.

Emma Stroud delivered a TEDx talk dressed as a banana, and it remains the only one of its kind in the event's history. That moment captures everything she stands for: the courage to take risks, the power of play to disrupt convention, and the belief that joy and performance belong at the heart of leadership. A trained clown, best-selling author, and entrepreneur, Emma has built a career at the intersection of business and improvisation, helping organisations rediscover the human element that drives collaboration, engagement, and lasting success. Her work spans global companies including Bloomberg, Bayer, Barclaycard, Airbus, and King, where she has guided leadership teams and entire workforces through cultural transformation using tools drawn from comedy, storytelling, and play.

Emma's credibility rests on more than her unconventional methods. She has worked extensively with sales teams, executive groups, and company-wide events, translating the principles of improvisation and clowning into practical frameworks that shift how people communicate, lead, and make decisions. Her insights have reached audiences far beyond the stage: she hosts *Clowning Around*, a top 30 podcast exploring creativity and resilience, and has recently co-launched *Simply Feel Better* as part of her global Laugh Think Play movement. Currently writing her second book, *Laugh, Think and Play More*, Emma continues to develop her philosophy that fun is not frivolous but fundamental to building confident, collaborative, and high-performing teams. Her approach has been described as innovative, witty, engaging, and authentic, qualities that resonate across industries navigating constant change.

Emma equips audiences with actionable tools to create workplaces where people feel genuinely engaged and empowered. Her keynotes, workshops, and plenary sessions are designed to shift mindset and behaviour, helping leaders and teams move beyond outdated models of control towards cultures rooted in trust, creativity, and shared purpose. Whether delivering a tailored after-dinner speech or facilitating immersive sessions, she ensures every interaction is relevant, memorable, and immediately applicable. Audiences leave her events uplifted and equipped with fresh perspectives on how to lead with confidence, communicate with impact, and foster resilience in themselves and others. Emma's work creates lasting change, proving that when organisations put the fun back into work, they unlock the conditions for sustainable success and human flourishing.