Shola Kaye

Shola Kaye is an award-winning keynote speaker and author who specialises in empathy-driven leadership and building people-first workplace cultures. With a background spanning neuroscience research at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, financial services, and professional performance across four continents, she combines scientific rigour with creative energy to deliver highly engaging sessions. Her clients include Deloitte, Google, Meta, IBM, and The United Nations, and she will open the APM Women in Project Management Conference 2026. Through her practical frameworks and interactive style, Shola equips leaders to foster speak-up cultures, strengthen emotional intelligence, and create lasting organisational change rooted in compassion and courageous communication.

After studying at Cambridge University and conducting neuroscience research at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Shola Kaye went on to build a career that bridges scientific insight with human connection, working in consulting and account management across New York and London before stepping onto stages worldwide as both a professional performer and leadership expert. This unique combination of analytical rigour and creative expression now shapes her approach to helping organisations develop what she calls Emotional Audacity™, the courage to speak up, lead with heart, and act with compassion. In 2026, she will open the APM Women in Project Management Conference, a role that reflects her growing influence in shaping how leaders think about empathy and performance.

Her client portfolio spans some of the world's most recognisable organisations, including American Express, Deloitte, Google, IBM, Meta, Target, The United Nations, Kaiser Permanente, HSBC, LVMH, Capital One, and Oracle. Shola's signature frameworks, including the Empathy Exchange and Now Then How, equip leaders with practical tools to foster speak-up cultures where people feel seen, safe, and heard. She has authored two books and contributed to publications such as Management Today and HR Zone, whilst her insights have been featured in Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, and on the BBC. Her work also extends beyond the corporate sphere: she has led humanitarian projects with young genocide survivors in Rwanda and supported teams sponsoring schools built from recycled plastic across Asia, demonstrating her commitment to purpose-driven leadership in action.

Shola's keynotes and training programmes focus on developing the human edge in an age of tech-driven transformation, teaching leaders how to practise courageous communication, give daring feedback, and create lasting cultural change through authentic connection. Whether addressing global organisations or intimate leadership teams, her sessions are designed to be highly interactive, offering multiple opportunities for self-reflection and meaningful participation. Audiences leave equipped not only with new perspectives on emotional intelligence but with actionable strategies to build workplaces rooted in care, understanding, and high performance. Her ability to combine deep expertise with warmth and accessibility ensures that complex ideas become immediately applicable, empowering people to lead with empathy and inspire teams to thrive in environments of constant disruption.