About Heather
Heather E. McGowan is one of the world’s leading voices on the future of work. Named a Top Futurist by Forbes, she helps organizations adapt faster by unlocking the human side of innovation. As a two-time bestselling author and keynote speaker, Heather brings data, storytelling, and high-impact visuals to every stage.
She has advised leaders at companies like Google, Mastercard, and Kaiser Permanente. Her keynotes challenge outdated systems and inspire audiences to ask better questions that lead to smarter solutions. With a background in design, strategy, and higher education, she offers a rare blend of creativity and business insight.
Heather’s message is clear: the future does not wait, so it is time to learn how to lead it.
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Solve Tomorrow’s Problems™
Think organizations can’t change quickly? History proves otherwise. When people said “it can’t be done,” humans found a way. In this high-impact keynote, Heather shares unforgettable stories about a mop, a burrito, and a hermit crab to show how curiosity and collaboration lead to breakthrough innovation.
Audiences will leave with:
- A powerful understanding of how to frame the right question
- Practical approaches to optimize how they adapt to new realities
- Clear frameworks for mapping the past to navigate the future
- Leadership mindset shifts to guide team success in uncharted territories
This session helps people turn uncertainty into momentum and start solving problems that haven’t even been named yet.
Leading in the Age of Uncertainty
The best leaders are no longer the ones with all the answers—they’re the ones asking better questions. In this transformative keynote, Heather reveals why curiosity is the new leadership superpower and how high-performing organizations are building cultures of trust, learning, and adaptability.
Audiences will leave with:
- Practical tools for activating their team’s collective potential
- Methods for building high-trust environments where curiosity is encouraged
- Frameworks for transforming management into performance enablement
- Real examples of how curious leaders unlock innovation and performance
Yes, your team will be inspired. But more than that, they’ll be equipped to think differently, lead boldly, and navigate whatever comes next.
Awards & Publications
Books published
The Empathy Advantage – Top 10 Business Book of 2023
Books published
The Empathy Advantage – Top 10 Business Book of 2023
Awards
LinkedIn Top Voice: Education
Honorary Doctorate, Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
Publications
Honorary Doctorate, Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
More About Heather
Heather’s audiences range from startups and government organizations to publicly traded Fortune 500 companies, including Google, JPMorgan Chase, Accenture, Mastercard, FedEx, AT&T, and Kaiser Permanente. Whether she's engaging in intimate conversations with senior executives or delivering keynotes to thousands, she transforms perspectives through data-driven insights, powerful visual frameworks, and practical optimism. Her approach helps organizations turn their distinctly human capabilities—adaptability, empathy, and curiosity—into strategic advantages in times of rapid change.
Heather's approach to innovation was shaped by her early career as an industrial designer. At Safety 1st, she helped transform the company known for its "Baby on Board" sign in to a comprehensive baby safety products' leader, developing multiple top-selling products. Her success continued at Wilson Sporting Goods', where she designed award-winning tennis footwear. Her innovative work extended to medical devices, where she designed surgical equipment controls, and sustainable consumer goods, creating a groundbreaking recyclable razor system that remains in production two decades later.
This hands-on experience taught her that true innovation isn't just about finding solutions—it's about asking better questions to Solve Tomorrow’s Problems. After earning her MBA from Babson College, Heather expanded into socially responsive investing and later led RISD's Center for Design and Business, helping organizations integrate user-centric design thinking into business strategy.
As Strategic Architect at Philadelphia University (now Jefferson University), Heather created an award-winning, interdisciplinary college focused on innovation. Her achievements included integrating 18 existing programs into a new core curriculum and creating an immersive design thinking-based program. The curriculum won the Core 77 top National Design Award for Education.
Heather’s emergence as a global thought leader began with a viral LinkedIn series on the future of work—reaching 100,000 readers in 24 hours—which sparked speaking invitations worldwide. Often quoted in The New York Times, Pulitzer-prize winning columnist Thomas Friedman referred to Heather as an “oasis” for her insights into the future of work. Her bestselling books include The Adaptation Advantage, which became an accidental guide to the pandemic, and The Empathy Advantage, named a Top 10 Business Book of 2023.
Heather holds a BFA in Industrial Design from Rhode Island School of Design, an MBA from Babson College focused on Entrepreneurship, and was recently awarded an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania College of Art and Design for her contributions to innovating education.
Personal experiences, like mobilizing 7,000 strangers to find a life-saving bone marrow donor for her brother, fuel Heather's unwavering optimism and core belief: humans are wired to help each other achieve extraordinary things. This drives her mission: to help leaders Solve Tomorrow's Problems™ by teaching them to ask better questions today.
Reviews
amazing!
- Katherine Twells
You were amazing Heather – thank you for contributing your gifts and passion to our event. In humble gratitude. 🙏
Exactly What We Needed
- Justin Walworth
This was the most relevant and timely speaking engagement I have attended. Heather spoke to so many of the hot topics that are facing our org and spoke to the questions we get every day.
Wonderful speaker - team easy to work with.
- John Bryne
Thank YOU for such a terrific keynote! I really enjoyed it, and my wife (Advocate Health CIO) also really thought it was great. I would be happy to be both a reference and willing referral source/cheerleader for future engagements, too. Just let me know!
INCREDIBLE!
- Mastercard VP
Heather was INCREDIBLE. She absolutely nailed her messaging, and the feedback was tremendous. She did exactly what we hoped—to get people thinking more broadly and differently about how they lead, and what they need to prepare for in the future.
Provocative Insight
- Abbvie Pharm.
Heather McGowan is outstanding at her craft. She is as provocative as she is motivational. She sees current and future trends and their potential impact on organizations. She leaves audiences fired up to race into action with clear imperatives!
The spark we needed
- Robin Pelzman
Heather provided the spark, the insights, and the energy to
move our HR team forward. Her talk had something for
everyone on our team, from our centers of excellence to our
HR partners, from our leaders to our operations team, from our learning team to our compensation group. In particular, her discussion of the future of work and the importance of
learning at the heart of organizational life really hit home for
all of us.
captivating!
- Greg Pryo
Heather is a visionary. She has an extraordinary ability to translate complex future trends into actionable insights for leaders. Our audience was captivated.
Great energy. Relatable. Actionable advice.
- Gayle Ewer
We received many rave reviews from our attendees about Charles' keynote at our conference. He opened the last day of the conference and brought incredible energy right from the start. Attendees were engaged and inspired. As a planner, Charles was also incredibly easy to work with. His team is very responsive and the pre-planning process was smooth. His website has everything you need, including headshots and walk-on music, to make the promotion and planning processes easy. Thanks for everything!
More than a speaker...
- Jennifer Carpenter
She’s not just a speaker; she’s a catalyst. Heather sparked conversations that are still reverberating through our organization.
amazing performance!
- Denise Williams
knew within the first 60 seconds of speaking to Heather that she was the right fit for our executive leadership meeting which was centered around the future of work. Heather shared rich data and personal insights that most of our leaders had never seen before and brought it to life in a very real, digestible and credible way. Her presentation really opened our eyes and gave us a glimpse into what’s to come. She was, simply put, awe inspiring.
Positive & Professional
- Susan Gallagher
Heather brings clarity to the chaos of change. She helped our team envision what’s next and how to prepare for it.
- Jennifer Coursey
The lecture gave me a framework and language that helps me to think about the things I’ve just been worrying about.
My go to speaker!
- Carlotta Of Success 1St
Heather is my go‑to person because there are a lot of mirages out there when it comes to the future of work and she is the oasis. She is the real deal. Her ability to convey information in both words and visuals together are really powerful.
Inspiring
- Bryan Kropp
Heather McGowan has her finger on the pulse of the future. She inspired our leadership team to embrace change with confidence..
A must see!
- Major General James Johnson
Heather’s presentation is a ‘must see’ by leaders across government, academia, and industry who should be preparing our society for the future of work and the future of learning… the future of work is learning!
Positive & Professional
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