Ruth Gotian
Chief Learning Officer & Associate Professor of Education in Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medicine; Award-winning Author
Benjamin Laker
Professor of Leadership, Henley Business School | Bestselling Author | Architect of the Four-Day Workweek & Meeting-Free Days | Thinkers50 & LinkedIn Top Voice
Benjamin Laker is the rare academic whose ideas reshape how the world works. A Professor of Leadership at Henley Business School, he pioneered the four-day workweek and meeting-free days, concepts now adopted by global organizations from Microsoft to Shopify. On stage, he challenges senior leaders to stop chasing performance metrics and instead design workplaces where meaning, belonging, and excellence emerge naturally.
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Benjamin Laker biography
Benjamin Laker is a Professor of Leadership at Henley Business School, a bestselling author, and one of the world’s most influential authorities on leadership and the future of work. Over the past decade he has architected some of the most talked-about workplace transformations in modern business, advising Fortune 500 companies and governments on how to build organizations where people genuinely thrive.
Leadership speaker Benjamin Laker is best known for shaping two international movements that redefined productivity: the four-day workweek, which he introduced in a landmark 2019 Harvard Business Review article, and meeting-free days, which he conceptualized in MIT Sloan Management Review. Both began as simple questions about how we use time and grew into global shifts adopted by organizations including Microsoft, SAP, and Shopify.
His research is published in the world’s most rigorous academic and business outlets, from the Journal of Management Studies and Human Relations to Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, and he writes widely read columns for The Washington Post, Forbes, and Inc. His influence reaches well beyond academia: he has been invited to advise United Nations Climate Change Conferences and United States Congressional hearings, where his insights inform public policy.
Bestselling Books and Global Recognition
Laker is the author of several books published by the Financial Times and MIT Press, including Job Crafting and Closing the Service Gap, titles endorsed by Apple and Google and praised by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Recognized as a Thinkers50 thinker and a LinkedIn Top Voice, he has served as a trusted advisor to brands such as KPMG, Deloitte, HSBC, and Virgin while holding his chair at Henley Business School since 2018.
As a speaker, Benjamin Laker brings academic rigor and real-world evidence to the stage, challenging senior leaders to move beyond outdated performance metrics and design workplaces where purpose, belonging, and excellence emerge naturally. Whether exploring leadership through polycrisis, the promise of Industry 5.0, or the human side of AI, he leaves executives with practical frameworks they can apply immediately to lead, adapt, and create lasting impact.
Benjamin Laker Speaking Videos
Benjamin Laker - The Art of Influence: How do you learn it, how do you practise it?
Keynote Ben Laker - Leadership: creating schools that last
Benjamin Laker Keynote Topics
Industry 5.0 calls for a new kind of leader: an architect who designs workplaces so meaningful that people cannot help but excel. In this keynote, Laker challenges the obsession with performance metrics and offers a bold framework for redesigning roles, relationships, and mindsets. Drawing on his research into modern leadership and workplace design, he shows how purpose, belonging, and high performance can emerge as natural byproducts of a well-built environment rather than targets to be chased.
We live in an age of polycrisis, where economic, geopolitical, and climate pressures collide in unpredictable ways. This keynote equips leaders to navigate that volatility with clarity, resilience, and strategic foresight. Drawing on research that has shaped government policy around the world, Laker shows how an adaptive, holistic leadership mindset can turn disruption into opportunity, helping organizations not merely survive uncertainty but emerge from it stronger and more focused.
Today's productivity challenges cannot be solved with yesterday's methods. Laker explores how leaders can convert megatrends and disruption into milestones for focused innovation, drawing on the forward-thinking ideas he pioneered, including the four-day workweek and meeting-free days. Audiences learn practical strategies for building workplaces that protect deep focus, fuel creativity, and deliver sustainable growth, replacing tired productivity models with ones designed for how people actually do their best work.
The future of leadership sits at the intersection of human and artificial intelligence, and in that future trust becomes a leader's most valuable currency. Rather than treating AI as a threat, Laker shows how it can amplify what makes us uniquely human: creativity, empathy, and connection. This keynote offers a roadmap for reskilling leaders and empowering teams to thrive alongside intelligent machines, building cultures where trust and innovation reinforce one another.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Benjamin Laker
Why Benjamin Laker?
Booking Benjamin Laker brings your audience one of the world's foremost authorities on leadership and the future of work. As a Professor of Leadership at Henley Business School and the mind behind the four-day workweek and meeting-free days, he combines deep academic credibility with ideas that have reshaped how global organizations operate. He has advised Fortune 500 companies, governments, United Nations Climate Change Conferences, and U.S. Congressional hearings, and writes for Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, and The Washington Post. For events focused on leadership, the future of work, productivity, or AI, Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you bring his insight to your stage.
What is Benjamin Laker known for?
Laker is best known as the researcher who shaped two international movements that redefined workplace productivity. He introduced the four-day workweek in a widely cited 2019 Harvard Business Review article and conceptualized meeting-free days in MIT Sloan Management Review, ideas later adopted by organizations such as Microsoft, SAP, and Shopify. He is also a Professor of Leadership at Henley Business School and a prolific author and columnist on leadership and the future of work.
What books has Benjamin Laker written?
He is the author of several books published by the Financial Times and MIT Press, including Job Crafting and Closing the Service Gap, both endorsed by Apple and Google and praised by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. His other titles include Too Proud to Lead and Advanced Strategic Management, alongside more than fifty articles in Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review.
What topics does leadership speaker Benjamin Laker cover?
His keynotes span modern leadership, the future of work, productivity and workplace design, leading through polycrisis and geopolitical instability, and the human side of artificial intelligence. Blending rigorous research with practical, immediately applicable frameworks, he is valued by executives and boards seeking to lead through disruption. To check his availability and tailor a keynote to your event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Benjamin Laker as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Benjamin Laker as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Benjamin Laker's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Benjamin Laker or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Benjamin Laker speaking fee?
Benjamin Laker speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Benjamin Laker to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Benjamin Laker.
How can I contact Benjamin Laker?
We only work with Benjamin Laker on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Benjamin Laker and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Benjamin Laker speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Benjamin Laker for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Benjamin Laker for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Benjamin Laker is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Benjamin Laker for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
