Rui Pedro Silva

Rui Pedro Silva is a global leadership and talent development executive with a rare ability to connect strategic transformation with human potential. Currently Global Vice President for Leadership & Talent at Adidas, he has held senior roles across six countries and multiple industries, earned recognition as European Digital Leader by CIONET, and holds a PhD in Behavioural Transformation with research published internationally. His sessions equip leaders and organisations to build resilience, drive meaningful change and unlock high performance through self-leadership, offering practical frameworks shaped by both rigorous academic insight and lived experience.

By the age of 39, Rui Pedro Silva had already navigated senior executive roles across six countries, worked with some of the world's most recognisable brands, and earned recognition as European Digital Leader by CIONET. Born in northern Portugal to a low-income family and living with ADHD, OCD and long-term mental health challenges, his rise through the leadership ranks of organisations including Adidas, A.P. Moller-Maersk, ERIKS and SONAE is a testament to resilience, self-leadership and an unwavering commitment to transformation. Today, as Global Vice President for Leadership & Talent Development at Adidas, Rui shapes leaders and builds high-performance cultures on a worldwide scale, combining strategic vision with a deeply human understanding of what it takes to lead through complexity and change.

Rui's credibility is rooted in both academic rigour and applied expertise. He holds a PhD in Behavioural Transformation, with research published in leading international journals, and is the bestselling author of *Pensa Digital Mas Não Compliques*, a book that bridges digital transformation with the realities of human behaviour. His career has spanned multiple industries and geographies, giving him a rare perspective on how organisations can evolve without losing sight of the people who drive them. Since joining Adidas in 2021, first as Global Vice President for eCommerce Platform and now in his current role, Rui has focused on developing leaders who can navigate disruption, foster inclusion and sustain performance in an ever-changing landscape. His work has earned him recognition not only for his strategic impact but also for his ability to connect transformation with purpose, empathy and real-world outcomes.

Rui's sessions equip leaders and organisations with practical frameworks to build resilience, unlock potential and drive meaningful change. Drawing on lived experience and years of research, he offers audiences tools they can apply immediately, whether leading teams through digital transformation, fostering psychological safety, or developing their own capacity for self-leadership. His message is clear: transformation begins with the individual, and sustainable success is built on the foundation of human connection, courage and continuous learning. Audiences leave with renewed clarity, actionable strategies and the confidence to lead with both head and heart in an era that demands both.