Having worked in seven countries ranging from when she was a teenager in Ireland through to her time teaching teachers in China, to her now home in Dubai, Dawn Metcalfe has worked with leaders at all levels around the region and beyond to change the way they see the world, their behaviour and their impact on others.

As well as authoring The HardTalk Handbook and Managing the Matrix, she is also the founder of Dubai-based PDSi, which helps individuals, teams and organisations drive behavioural and cultural change. Known for not being afraid to tell truth, her insights and straight-talking approach has kept her constantly in demand from large multinationals and government entities, across the Middle East, over the last 10 years.

Metcalfe regularly contributes to publications including Entrepreneur Middle East, Forbes and The Tempest and speaks publicly on a broad range of subjects on the radio and at conferences. Metcalfe created HardTalk (the book and companion modular, blended training programme) to help us get better at mastering the science and art of difficult conversations we keep avoiding. 

Using extensive research and neuroscience techniques, it explores the reasons behind communication behaviour and how to combat those that hold us back. Metcalfe's HardTalk principles help people to hear and be heard effectively to get the results they want, no matter culture, background or experience.