Erica Dhawan

Erica Dhawan is a globally recognised authority on 21st-century collaboration and connectional intelligence, specialising in transforming how teams communicate, connect, and innovate in digital workplaces. Named by Thinkers50 as the "Oprah of Management Ideas" and ranked number one on the Top Women Keynote Speakers list, she is the author of two Wall Street Journal bestselling books: "Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence" and "Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance." As Founder and CEO of Cotential, she advises organisations worldwide on thriving in hybrid environments, with her research featured regularly in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal. Her sessions equip leaders with actionable frameworks to decode digital communication, reduce miscommunication, and unlock collective potential, empowering organisations to build authentic trust and drive measurable performance improvements across any distance.

When Erica Dhawan began teaching leadership and collaboration as a research fellow at Harvard and MIT, she uncovered a pattern that would define her career: the organisations achieving breakthrough innovation weren't necessarily the smartest or best resourced, but those who connected people, ideas, and expertise in fundamentally different ways. That insight evolved into a global movement. Today, she stands as a leading authority on 21st-century collaboration and connectional intelligence, transforming how leaders communicate, connect, and innovate in workplaces where digital tools have replaced traditional face-to-face interaction. Named by Thinkers50 as the "Oprah of Management Ideas" and ranked number one on the Top Women Keynote Speakers list, Erica has built her reputation on solving a challenge every modern organisation faces: how to build authentic trust and drive performance when emails, video calls, and instant messages have become the primary language of work.

As Founder and CEO of Cotential, a global organisation dedicated to enhancing collaboration skills and behaviours, Erica has spent over 20 years researching and advising companies on how to thrive in the digital age. She is the author of two Wall Street Journal bestselling books: "Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence," which topped What Corporate America is Reading, and "Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance," which decodes the new signals and cues of effective teamwork in hybrid environments. With degrees from Harvard University, MIT Sloan, and The Wharton School, she combines rigorous academic research with practical application honed through building businesses and navigating real-world challenges. Her insights appear regularly in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, and The Wall Street Journal. She has delivered keynotes on global stages from the World Economic Forum at Davos to TED, and for organisations including Coca-Cola, FedEx, Goldman Sachs, Walmart, SAP, and Cisco. She also hosts the award-winning podcast 'Masters of Leadership' and serves as a featured keynote speaker for major industry events, including The HFA Show 2026 and 2027.

Erica's presentations transform how audiences approach digital communication, teaching them that reading carefully is the new listening and writing clearly is the new empathy. Through compelling storytelling, humour, and evidence-based strategies, she helps leaders recognise that a phone call is worth a thousand emails and that visibility, recognition, and clarity are now competitive advantages. Her concept of connectional intelligence, the ability to operate as a "super connector" by linking people across offices, roles, and tools in smarter ways, gives organisations a blueprint for success in an AI-powered world. Attendees leave her sessions with actionable frameworks to reduce miscommunication, strengthen team dynamics, and drive measurable performance improvements. Whether speaking in person or delivering virtual keynotes, Erica creates interactive, fresh experiences that empower leaders to innovate collaboratively and build lasting connections that fuel growth.