PepTalk Authority Index: 2026 Speaking Topics

Planning events and leadership programmes for 2026 is no longer about booking a recognisable name and hoping inspiration lands. HR, leadership, and event teams are being asked to show impact. Behaviour change, capability building, and clear outcomes now matter as much as energy in the room. The PepTalk Authority Index exists to give organisers a clear, practical reference for the topics, formats, and expert voices shaping demand for 2026.

PepTalk Authority Index: 2026 Speaking Topics

Based on live client briefs, confirmed bookings, and hundreds of planning conversations, we see sustained interest in AI integration, mental health combined with performance, high-performance cultures, leadership through uncertainty, women’s leadership, and region-specific delivery styles. In-person, interactive formats continue to dominate, with around 70 percent of bookings favouring live engagement over passive delivery.

How the Authority Index was created

This index is built using PepTalk’s internal booking data and qualitative insight from our curation and sales teams. We analysed recent client briefs, repeat bookings, and emerging categories to identify forward signals for 2026.

Key indicators include demand for AI maturity programmes and human skills in an AI-driven workplace, psychological safety and burnout prevention, and the merging of wellbeing with performance. In the UK and Europe, change management and menopause at work remain high-priority topics. Booking patterns are also shifting, with women making up seven of the ten most-booked experts. Format preferences are clear too, with workshops, interactive sessions, and networking-led experiences outperforming traditional stage-only talks.

AI and technology integration

Dr Mark Bloomfield

Dr Mark Bloomfield focuses on AI adoption and maturity frameworks, helping organisations move from experimentation to practical, responsible integration. His work supports leaders navigating judgement, risk, and decision-making alongside automation.

Christopher Kenna

Christopher Kenna explores human skills in an AI world, focusing on leadership, trust, and influence as technology accelerates organisational change.

Mental health, wellbeing, and performance

Dr Ritz Suk Birah

Dr Ritz Suk Birah specialises in burnout prevention and recovery, blending neuroscience with practical tools leaders can apply immediately.

Mimi Nicklin

Mimi Nicklin brings psychological safety into high-performance environments, showing how empathy directly links to engagement, retention, and results.

Dr Alex George

Dr Alex George connects mental health with performance, focusing on resilience, stigma reduction, and sustainable leadership behaviours.

Dr Angela Sharma

Dr Angela Sharma speaks on menopause at work, helping organisations move from awareness to practical policy and cultural change.

Leadership evolution

Mark Gallagher

Mark Gallagher uses authentic leadership storytelling from elite performance environments like Formula One to explore accountability and decision-making under pressure.

Bill Burke

Bill Burke focuses on leading through uncertainty, helping organisations navigate ambiguity and change fatigue with practical leadership frameworks.

Dr Paul Redmond

Dr Paul Redmond addresses the realities of managing a multi-generational workforce, from shifting values to evolving expectations at work.

Leadership and change in the UK and Europe

Kevin Gaskell

Kevin Gaskell is known for results-focused change management, emphasising execution, accountability, and cultural clarity.

Performance and resilience

Jason Fox

Jason Fox draws on military experience to explore peak performance, resilience, and decision-making under pressure.

Dr Martin Gutmann

Dr Martin Gutmann is a leadership expert who uses history and storytelling to show how effective leaders build trust, make decisions, and adapt in periods of change.

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Diversity, inclusion, and representation

Kirsty Hulse

Kirsty Hulse focuses on women’s leadership, particularly around International Women’s Day themes, translating equity conversations into action.

Johanne Penney

Johanne Penney brings authentic perspectives on inclusive leadership and lived experience at work.

Ellen Jones

Ellen Jones works with organisations in the implementation phase of LGBTQ+ inclusion, focusing on systems, behaviours, and accountability.

Performance, learning, and growth

Alden Mills

Alden Mills delivers advanced growth mindset workshops grounded in performance science, leadership discipline, and habit formation.

Event design and engagement

David Meade

David Meade specialises in interactive, high-engagement sessions that prioritise participation and real-time learning.

Ben Keene

Ben Keene facilitates networking-led lunches and micro-conference formats designed for smaller, highly engaged audiences.

Jesse Itzler

Jesse Itzler delivers high-energy motivation for US audiences, combining intensity with lessons on discipline, ownership, and standards.

Results-focused and inspiration-led leadership

Dame Inga Beale

Dame Inga Beale is known for results-focused leadership content in the UK, particularly around governance, accountability, and culture.

Ethan Zohn

Ethan Zohn delivers inspiration-led motivation for US audiences, blending storytelling with lessons on teamwork and resilience.

What event types are growing fastest?

Value-added experiences are becoming more popular. Clients are increasingly drawn to sessions that combine insight with something tangible or experiential, such as chocolate tastings led by founders like Jo Fairley, private chef dinners paired with leadership conversations, or curated micro-conferences facilitated by experts like Ben Keene for smaller, highly engaged audiences. These formats create stronger connection, higher perceived value, and more meaningful outcomes than standard stage-only talks.

How client expectations are shifting

Clients are moving away from general inspiration and toward practical expertise. Achievements still matter, but only when they translate into something teams can apply immediately. Credibility has become critical, particularly as AI-generated content raises questions about trust and authority. Organisations want speakers who deliver optimism with accountability and frameworks people can use on Monday morning.

There is also a shift from tactical bookings to more strategic partnerships. Speakers are increasingly seen as long-term investments, with clearer expectations around ROI, behaviour change, and retention impact.

Culture-led events and trust

Culture-led events are growing faster than purely sales or commercial ones. Trust has become a priority as organisations navigate restructures, hybrid work, and cost pressures. Many briefs focus on alignment, reconnection, and restoring confidence in leadership, with speakers expected to support that reset rather than simply energise the room.

Get in touch with PepTalk

If you’re planning leadership events, conferences, or culture programmes for 2026, PepTalk can help you identify the right expert, format, and approach based on real booking data and proven impact. Get in touch at hello@getapeptalk.com or explore available experts at getapeptalk.com.