Ronan Harrington teaches on the KPMG C-Suite Leadership Programme and advises world leading companies on how to create healthy, high performance cultures. 

He is delighting audiences worldwide with a fresh take on resilience, revealing the hidden burnout trajectory that many of us are unwittingly on. His innovative approach helps audiences understand how to boost both productivity and wellbeing, driving company growth during times of change and uncertainty. 

Ronan has delivered world-class keynotes to Deloitte, KPMG, EY, Aviva, Sky, IHG, Kellogg's, L’Oreal, Sage, the UK Government and Oxford University. 

Major clients work with him because he has a true gift for inspiring audiences. He has gained industry recognition, Highly Commended as Best Live Speaker and shortlisted as the top 5 best story tellers at the 2023 Speaker Awards.

In his keynotes, audiences are introduced to a new way of working grounded in the science of resilience, with practical tools to operate at peak performance without compromising our health. His delivery is a delightful blend of humorous reflection that encourages us to laugh at ourselves and catchy takeaways that are perfect to share later with families and teams. 

His talks draw on a fascinating array of expertise, including his work as a Lead Futurist to the British Foreign Office. But Ronan’s ultimate power as a keynote speaker is to serve as a cautionary tale that inspires change. 

With real vulnerability, Ronan shares how he went from the corridors of power to being diagnosed with a debilitating chronic illness. Clients often describe being deeply moved by Ronan’s story of burnout and credit him with inspiring a deeper commitment to change how they work. 

Now more than ever, we need guidance on how to keep going in the face of adversity. Ronan’s story is a moving reminder that even the most difficult circumstances are an invitation to transform.

Speaking Topics

From Burnout to Resilience 

Ronan reveals the hidden drivers of burnout, and how outdated ways of working put us on a trajectory that harms both health and revenue. 

Audiences are introduced to a new way of working, grounded in the science of resilience, with practical tools to boost both productivity and wellbeing. 

The keynote’s primary power is as a cautionary tale that inspires change. With rare vulnerability, Ronan shares how he went from leading a global movement to being diagnosed with a debilitating chronic illness, as a direct consequence of burnout. 

His journey to overcome adversity is an inspiring reminder that most difficult circumstances are an invitation to transform. Audiences leave with a renewed commitment to take their resilience seriously.  

A Step by Step Guide to Becoming Resilient

Ronan provides the essential skills and tools you need to become truly resilient. It includes the latest insights from the neuroscience of resilience on how to master habit formation, set boundaries, reset your relationship with addictive technology, reduce your exposure to disruptions, process difficult emotions, develop a resilient mindset, bounce back from difficulty, and cultivate reset and renewal.  

How to Create a Healthy, High Performance Culture

Ronan teaches the secret formula that winning teams use to perform at peak levels without burning out and losing morale. You will learn how to activate a resilience mindset, deepen self awareness and emotional intelligence, create psychological safety, overcome blame  culture, embody deeper levels of vulnerability, practise interpersonal candour, and master the art of appreciation. Learn how to create healthy, high performance environments where your teams are excited to do their best work.

Testimonials

“Ronan is a world class resilience teacher. His ability to connect leaders to themselves and each other is rare”

John Waterfield - Head of Strategic Relationships, KPMG

Ronan gave the key-note speech to all 200 of our Senior FS Consulting Leaders on the topic of ‘resilience versus endurance’. His story was incredibly moving and the way he articulated the difference between general wellness matters and, more specifically, symptoms of burnout was hugely insightful and really resonated with the room. More importantly, his approach required us to hold a mirror up to our everyday lives and reflect on how we are all taking care of ourselves and our teams. Our Leadership Team are still talking about it and it has prompted a very healthy and open discussion about how we build resilience for ourselves and our people. Thank you Ronan – you were brilliant.

 Scott Wheatley - Head of Financial Consulting, Deloitte

I left Ronan’s talk truly speechless and determined to take better care of myself. He tells his resilience story through sharing deeply moving lived experiences, anchoring it with compelling science, breathing it to life with humour and relatability – a rare, powerful alchemy that goes so far beyond a typical “keynote speaker” it seems a miss to even refer to it as that. Essential. Inspirational. Human.

Julia Jahn - Director, Employee Experience AKQA

“Ronan’s keynote was one of the stand out moments at our conference. A 500 person standing ovation and by all accounts, not a dry eye in the house. The right blend of intellect and emotional storytelling, he’s the ideal speaker to create a buzz on social media and intrigue about your event”

Oliver Damgaard, Managing Director, HR TechX

"Insightful, authentic and engaging. Ronan is a great presenter, taking a topic most are familiar with, but don’t really understand, unpacking the myths, laying out the systemic triggers and teaching some great scientifically backed techniques.

His personal story is highly compelling and I would recommend anyone working in a high performance culture or role to spend time with Ronan."

Chris McBrayne, VP Technology, IBM

I’ve told so many people about Ronan’s talk as it was one of the most thought provoking and poignant presentations I’ve ever had”

Dave Exall, Chief Information and Digital Transformation Officer - Simply Health.