James Corden
Tony & Emmy-Winning Entertainer | Host of The Late Late Show & "Carpool Karaoke" | Co-Creator & Star of Gavin & Stacey | Actor, Writer & Producer
Heidi K. Gardner
Distinguished Fellow, Harvard Law School | Former Harvard Business School Professor | Bestselling Author of Smart Collaboration & Smarter Collaboration | Co-Founder, Gardner & Co.
Heidi K. Gardner is the world's leading authority on collaboration and the Harvard researcher who proved that breaking down silos drives measurable profit, innovation, and growth. A Harvard Law School Distinguished Fellow and bestselling author of Smart Collaboration and Smarter Collaboration, she shows that smarter, not just more, collaboration is the key. On stage, she gives leaders a data-backed roadmap to make cross-silo teamwork pay.
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Heidi K. Gardner biography
Heidi K. Gardner is the world’s foremost authority on collaboration, the Harvard researcher who proved that breaking down silos is not a feel-good ideal but a measurable driver of profit, innovation, and growth. A Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School and former Harvard Business School professor, she has spent more than a decade turning the “soft” idea of teamwork into the hard science of smarter collaboration.
Leadership speaker Heidi K. Gardner is best known for a counterintuitive finding: more collaboration isn’t necessarily better, smarter is the key. Her research demonstrates that when specialists genuinely combine their expertise across functions, geographies, and even outside partners, firms earn higher margins, win more loyal clients, attract better talent, and tackle the most complex, high-stakes problems. She distilled this into two influential books, the Washington Post bestseller Smart Collaboration and its pragmatic follow-up Smarter Collaboration, co-authored with Ivan Matviak, which gives leaders a concrete action plan for making cross-silo teamwork actually work.
The Science of Breaking Down Silos
Gardner serves as a Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School’s Center on the Legal Profession and Faculty Chair of several of its executive programs, and is an International Research Fellow at Oxford’s Saïd Business School. Through her research and advisory firm, Gardner & Co., she works directly with boards, executive teams, and senior leaders to embed collaboration and deliver quantifiable performance gains. Her research earned the Academy of Management’s prize for Outstanding Practical Implications for Management and has been featured repeatedly in Harvard Business Review’s “best of” collections. A former McKinsey consultant and Fulbright Fellow who has lived and worked on four continents, she holds a BA in Japanese Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s from the London School of Economics, and a second master’s and PhD from London Business School.
As a speaker, Heidi K. Gardner gives leaders a rigorous, data-backed, and immediately practical roadmap for collaboration that actually pays off. She speaks on breaking down silos to drive growth and innovation, harnessing collaboration to capture opportunities from AI, reducing burnout, and building cultures where diverse experts do their best work together. Audiences leave with evidence, tools, and a strengths-based method they can put to work right away, delivered by the researcher who defined the field.
Heidi K. Gardner Speaking Videos
Smarter Collaboration: Breaking Down Barriers and Transforming Work | Heidi Gardner
The Overcommitted Organization: Heidi K. Gardner
Heidi K. Gardner Keynote Topics
Drawing on a decade of award-winning research, Gardner shows why today's most complex challenges, from AI to ESG to market volatility, demand expertise from across the organization and its ecosystem. She gives leaders a practical, data-backed method to get people collaborating across functions, geographies, and outside partners, driving innovation, delighting customers, and engaging top talent.
More collaboration isn't automatically better, and poorly designed teamwork wastes time and burns people out. Gardner reveals what distinguishes genuinely "smart" collaboration from busywork, and shares a strengths-based approach that helps organizations integrate diverse expertise to solve the volatile, uncertain, and ambiguous problems that no individual can crack alone.
Capturing the opportunities of generative AI is itself a cross-silo challenge, requiring technologists, functional leaders, and frontline experts to work together in new ways. Gardner shows leaders how smarter collaboration is the key to adopting AI effectively, boosting efficiency and sales while reducing the burnout that derails transformation.
Collaboration doesn't happen by exhortation; it has to be designed. Gardner shares how leaders can embed the principles and practices of cross-silo teamwork into their organizations, aligning incentives, trust, and behaviors so collaboration becomes a repeatable capability that produces concrete, measurable results.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Heidi K. Gardner
Why Heidi K. Gardner?
Booking Heidi K. Gardner gives audiences the definitive, research-based voice on one of the biggest levers of organizational performance: how well people work across silos. A Harvard Law School Distinguished Fellow and former Harvard Business School professor, she has spent more than a decade proving, with hard data, that smarter collaboration drives higher margins, greater innovation, and more engaged talent. A bestselling author, Thinkers50-ranked thinker, and former McKinsey consultant, she pairs academic rigor with a highly practical, strengths-based method that leaders can apply immediately. Her insights are especially timely for organizations navigating AI, complexity, and change. She is an ideal speaker for leadership summits, corporate conferences, and professional service firms focused on growth, innovation, and teamwork. To bring Heidi K. Gardner to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Who is Heidi K. Gardner?
Heidi K. Gardner, PhD, is a Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School's Center on the Legal Profession and Faculty Chair of several of its executive-education programs, and was previously a professor at Harvard Business School. She is co-founder of the research and advisory firm Gardner & Co., a former McKinsey consultant, and the bestselling author of Smart Collaboration and Smarter Collaboration. Recognized by Thinkers50 as a leading management thinker, she is regarded as the world's foremost authority on cross-silo collaboration.
What is "smart collaboration"?
Smart collaboration is Heidi K. Gardner's research-based concept describing what happens when professionals with diverse expertise genuinely integrate their knowledge to tackle complex problems, rather than simply working sequentially or cross-selling. Her studies show that this kind of collaboration produces measurable benefits: higher margins, stronger client loyalty, better talent retention, and reduced risk. The key insight is that more collaboration isn't necessarily better; doing it smartly, and by design, is what pays off.
What topics does leadership speaker Heidi K. Gardner cover?
Heidi K. Gardner speaks on breaking down silos, smarter collaboration as a driver of profit and innovation, collaborating to capture the opportunities of AI, reducing burnout, and building collaborative cultures. Her keynotes suit leadership summits, corporate conferences, and professional service firms focused on growth, teamwork, and transformation. To book Heidi K. Gardner as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Heidi K. Gardner as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Heidi K. Gardner as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Heidi K. Gardner'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 Heidi K. Gardner or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Heidi K. Gardner speaking fee?
Heidi K. Gardner 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 Heidi K. Gardner 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 Heidi K. Gardner.
How can I contact Heidi K. Gardner?
We only work with Heidi K. Gardner on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Heidi K. Gardner and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Heidi K. Gardner 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 Heidi K. Gardner for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Heidi K. Gardner for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Heidi K. Gardner is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Heidi K. Gardner for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
