Hanoi Morillo
Star of Shark Tank Colombia | CEO of Fivvy & Wayne Biotech | Venture Capitalist | Bestselling Author & Keynote Speaker
Helen Clark
Former PM of New Zealand (1999–2008) | First Female UNDP Administrator | Chair of Gavi | President of Chatham House | Elder
Helen Clark governed New Zealand for nine years, then led the United Nations Development Programme as its first female Administrator — and she has never stopped shaping the global agenda. Now Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and President of Chatham House, she brings unmatched executive depth to questions of leadership, governance, gender equality, and global health. Audiences leave not with platitudes but with the strategic clarity of someone still at the center of world affairs.
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Helen Clark biography
Helen Clark is one of the most credentialed stateswomen of her generation — a three-term Prime Minister, the first woman to lead the United Nations Development Programme, and a continuing force in global governance, public health, and sustainable development. Born in New Zealand in 1950, she served as the country’s 37th Prime Minister from 1999 to 2008, leading Labour to three consecutive electoral victories and building a reputation for pragmatic, evidence-based governance that placed social investment, environmental policy, and nuclear disarmament at the center of New Zealand’s national agenda.
A global public leader, Helen Clark is now operating across multiple consequential institutions. As political speaker, Helen Clark brings to every stage the rare authority of someone who has led at the national and multilateral level across three decades. She is currently Board Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, President of Chatham House, and a member of The Elders and the Global Commission on Drug Policy. Each role is substantive — not honorary — reflecting an ongoing commitment to the hard work of global institution-building.
Her record at the United Nations speaks for itself. She served as Administrator of the UNDP from 2009 to 2017, becoming the first woman to fill the position and leading the organization through the design and launch of the Sustainable Development Goals framework, one of the most ambitious international policy architectures in history. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she co-chaired the WHO’s Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, whose landmark report reshaped the international community’s approach to global health emergencies.
Chair of Gavi, President of Chatham House
In October 2025, the Gavi Board unanimously appointed Helen Clark as its new Chair, beginning January 2026 — Gavi selected from a field of 240 candidates following an eight-month global search. The Search Committee cited her deep experience at the top of national and international government, her experience chairing multistakeholder organizations, and her track record as a leader and mentor. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has helped vaccinate 1.2 billion children in 78 developing countries and prevented over 20 million future deaths — an organization whose mission she describes as one she is proud to champion. Simultaneously, she serves as President of Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, one of the world’s most influential think tanks on global affairs and foreign policy.
As a speaker, Helen Clark translates decades of executive leadership into insights that resonate far beyond the policy world. Audiences at corporate conferences, international forums, and leadership summits gain a ground-level perspective on what effective governance actually looks like — how to lead through complexity, build coalitions across competing interests, advance gender equality from positions of power, and design systems that deliver for people rather than institutions. She is consistently ranked among the most sought-after political and global affairs keynote speakers in the world, and her talks are as relevant to boards navigating geopolitical risk as they are to governments wrestling with the next pandemic or climate tipping point.
Helen Clark Speaking Videos
Keynote Speech - Rt Hon Helen Clark
Helen Clark keynote speech - Yes she can
Helen Clark Keynote Topics
Few speakers can speak from experience at the helm of both a national government and one of the world's largest multilateral organizations. Clark draws on nine years as Prime Minister and eight years leading the UNDP to distill what effective leadership actually demands: how to build coalitions across opposing interests, make decisions with imperfect information, sustain trust under pressure, and design institutions that outlast individual leaders. Concrete, rigorous, and grounded in lived executive experience at the highest level.
Clark has spent five decades advancing gender equality from positions of real power — as Prime Minister, as UNDP chief, and across the global institutions she currently leads. This keynote makes the evidence-based case that gender parity in leadership is not a moral luxury but a performance driver — for governments, organizations, and economies alike. She examines what structural change actually looks like, what resistance it meets, and what has consistently worked, offering audiences a framework rooted in decades of policy-making rather than aspiration.
As co-chair of the WHO's Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, Clark helped author the most consequential review of global health governance since SARS. This keynote examines what COVID-19 revealed about the structural weaknesses in international health architecture, what reforms have been implemented, what remains dangerously incomplete, and why the next pandemic — or the next global health emergency — will test institutions in ways that demand political will above all else. Essential for healthcare, finance, insurance, and policy audiences navigating an era of compound systemic risk.
The Sustainable Development Goals were the most ambitious global policy framework ever designed — and they are off track. Clark, who was central to their creation during her tenure at the UNDP, offers a frank assessment of why, and what it would actually take to course-correct. This is not a lecture on sustainability theory but a practitioner's account of how multilateral agreements get made, why they fail, and how business, government, and civil society can still drive progress even as the multilateral system strains under geopolitical pressure.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Helen Clark
Why Helen Clark?
Booking Helen Clark means giving your audience direct access to one of the most consequential stateswomen alive — a three-term Prime Minister, the first woman to lead the UNDP, the incoming Chair of Gavi, and a President of Chatham House. What sets her apart on the speaking circuit is the combination of executive depth and continued relevance: she is not a former leader reflecting on past glories, but an active participant in the world's most urgent policy debates on global health, climate, governance, and gender equality. Organizations that book her through Aurum Speakers Bureau consistently report that she elevates the entire event — bringing credibility, substance, and a clarity of thought that is rare at any fee level.
What did Helen Clark achieve as Prime Minister of New Zealand?
Helen Clark served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2008, leading the Labour Party to three consecutive election victories — a feat matched by very few leaders in New Zealand's political history. During her tenure she significantly expanded social investment in healthcare, education, and housing; advanced New Zealand's nuclear-free policy on the world stage; strengthened the country's environmental legislation; and consistently championed the advancement of women in public life. She was voted Greatest Living New Zealander in 2009 and has been named among Forbes' most powerful women in the world on multiple occasions. Her governance style — data-driven, consensus-building, and values-anchored — has become a model studied in political science and leadership programs globally.
What is Helen Clark's role at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance?
Helen Clark became Chair of the Gavi Board in January 2026, following a unanimous appointment by the Board in October 2025. Gavi is a global public-private partnership that has helped vaccinate over 1.2 billion children across 78 developing countries and prevented more than 20 million deaths from preventable disease. Clark joins at the opening of Gavi's sixth five-year strategic period, with priorities including expanded immunization in fragile and conflict-affected regions and the rollout of the organization's Gavi Leap reform program. The appointment follows her work co-chairing the WHO's Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, which reported in 2021 and established a new blueprint for global health emergency governance.
What topics does political speaker Helen Clark cover?
Helen Clark speaks on leadership and governance, gender equality and women in power, sustainable development and the SDGs, global health and pandemic preparedness, climate change and environmental policy, and geopolitics and multilateralism. Her keynotes draw from frontline experience at the highest levels of national and international government and are tailored to audiences ranging from corporate boards and executive leadership teams to government summits and international organizations. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to explore availability and formats suited to your event.
How to book Helen Clark as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Helen Clark as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Helen Clark'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 Helen Clark or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Helen Clark speaking fee?
Helen Clark 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 Helen Clark 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 Helen Clark.
How can I contact Helen Clark?
We only work with Helen Clark on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Helen Clark and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Helen Clark 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 Helen Clark for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Helen Clark for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Helen Clark is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Helen Clark for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
