Rebecca Henderson
John & Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard | Fellow, British Academy & American Academy of Arts & Sciences | Author, Reimagining Capitalism
Megan Reitz
Adjunct Professor, Hult Ashridge & Associate Fellow, Oxford Saïd | Author, Speak Out, Listen Up | Top Thinkers50 Management Thinker | Leadership & Dialogue Expert
Adjunct Professor at Hult Ashridge and Associate Fellow at Oxford Saïd, recognized among the top management thinkers by Thinkers50 and the HR Most Influential list. Speaker Megan Reitz equips senior leaders to navigate employee activism, build psychological safety, and unlock candor in the age of AI. Her research-driven keynotes give the C-suite a TRUTH framework to surface what people really think — before it costs them.
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Megan Reitz biography
Leadership speaker Megan Reitz is one of the world’s leading authorities on dialogue, voice, and the psychology of speaking truth to power. She is Adjunct Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Hult Ashridge Executive Education and an Associate Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, with research that has been featured in Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, and the Financial Times. Thinkers50 ranks her among the top management thinkers globally, and she has been named repeatedly to the HR Most Influential list of thinkers.
Reitz is the co-author, with John Higgins, of Speak Out, Listen Up — the second edition of the bestselling Speak Up — which adds a new chapter on employee activism and a fresh layer of research on how AI is reshaping who feels safe to speak. Her TRUTH framework gives senior leaders a precise way to see how their power either silences or unleashes the people around them. Her earlier book Mind Time explores how mindful presence makes leaders better listeners and decision-makers.
From practice to research, and back again
Before academia, Reitz was a strategy consultant at Deloitte, navigated the dot-com era at boo.com, and worked at The Kalchas Group. She holds a doctorate from Cranfield School of Management and studied at the University of Cambridge; she is also an accredited executive coach with Ashridge and The School of Coaching. Her doctoral work focused on how organizations build the dialogic capacity to lead well, drawing on Martin Buber’s I-Thou philosophy.
As a speaker, Megan Reitz combines hard research evidence with the warmth of a seasoned coach. Boards, C-suites, and global leadership academies hire her to diagnose why important truths are not being said inside their organizations, build psychologically safer cultures, and equip senior leaders with the practical tools to surface dissent, encourage candor, and respond well when employees speak up.
Megan Reitz Speaking Videos
Megan Reitz - How your power silences truth
Megan Reitz - Speaking truth to power
Megan Reitz Keynote Topics
Employees are increasingly bringing the world's hardest questions inside the office—on climate, equity, human rights, AI ethics, and the politics of the day. Many leaders respond by hiding behind a 'we are apolitical' line or by quietly pushing the conversation to DEI teams. Worse, they don't respond at all. Drawing on her book Speak Out, Listen Up, Megan Reitz reveals why silencing rarely works—and what it costs in trust, retention, and missed intelligence. In this keynote, she gives leaders a research-backed playbook for engaging thoughtfully with employee voice, navigating power differences, and turning activist energy into the candid feedback every executive team needs to make better decisions.
How do leaders build a culture where people can challenge the status quo, raise concerns, and offer unfinished ideas—without fear of retribution? Megan Reitz argues that psychological safety is rarely killed by villains; it is eroded by everyday signals that leaders unknowingly send. In this presentation, she shares the science of voice and silence, the small habits that determine who speaks in the room, and the practical communication tools that allow senior teams to remain agile, innovative, and grounded in reality even under pressure.
There are always two conversations happening in an organization—the one that takes place in meetings and the one that happens afterwards in corridors and chat threads. Drawing on her TEDxHultAshridge talk and a decade of original research, Megan Reitz shows leaders how power, identity, and status shape what actually gets said. Audiences walk away with the awareness and language to surface vital information, navigate hierarchy with care, and create the conditions for honest, productive dialogue at every level.
What does it take to lead with presence in a world of AI copilots, infinite dashboards, and 24/7 demand on attention? Megan Reitz's research on mindfulness shows that presence is not a wellness perk—it is a leadership capability that drives better listening, better decisions, and better resilience under pressure. Based on her book Mind Time, this talk gives audiences practical tools to lead more thoughtfully, signal more accurately, and show up as the kind of leader people are willing to be honest with.
Inclusion is not just about who is in the room—it is about who feels able to speak when they get there. Megan Reitz helps leaders see the unconscious labels they place on themselves and others, and how those labels grant or withhold authority depending on context. In this talk she shares tools for building the awareness and structural design choices that allow every voice in the organization to be seen, heard, and acted on, with measurable impact on engagement, retention, and innovation.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Megan Reitz
Why Megan Reitz?
Megan Reitz is the rare academic-practitioner who can stand in front of a senior leadership team and tell them, with evidence, why important truths are not reaching their ears—and exactly what to do about it. As an Oxford Saïd Associate Fellow, Hult Ashridge professor, and a top-ranked Thinkers50 management thinker, she has spent more than a decade researching the dynamics of voice, silence, and power in modern organizations. Audiences leave her keynotes with a sharper read on the hidden conversations inside their company, the TRUTH framework to navigate them, and the credibility to lead through the rise of employee activism without losing their nerve. Book Megan Reitz through Aurum Speakers Bureau to bring this rare combination of rigor, warmth, and practical clarity to your next leadership event.
What is Megan Reitz best known for?
Megan Reitz is best known for her research on dialogue, voice, and speaking truth to power. She is the co-author with John Higgins of Speak Out, Listen Up (the second edition of the bestselling Speak Up) and Mind Time, with work featured in five Harvard Business Review articles, MIT Sloan Management Review, and the Financial Times. Her TRUTH framework helps leaders understand how their power, status, and labels either invite or silence the candor their organizations depend on.
What is the TRUTH framework?
The TRUTH framework, developed by Megan Reitz and John Higgins, is a research-based tool for understanding what shapes whether people speak up or stay silent at work. Each letter focuses attention on a different dynamic—trust, the risks people perceive, the unsaid, titles and status, and how-tos for inviting voice—so leaders can move from generic 'speak up' platitudes to a precise diagnosis of what is being silenced in their own teams and what to do differently. It has been adopted by global organizations as a practical lens for psychological safety, ethics, and inclusion work.
What can audiences expect from a Megan Reitz keynote?
Audiences can expect a calm, evidence-driven keynote that quickly becomes uncomfortable in the most useful way. Megan Reitz draws on more than a decade of original research and real cases from boardrooms and front lines to show senior leaders the parts of their own behavior they are not seeing. Expect a clear framework, fresh language, and concrete next steps—and very few platitudes. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to bring Megan Reitz to your stage and equip your leadership team with the tools to build a culture where what needs to be said actually gets said.
How to book Megan Reitz as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Megan Reitz as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Megan Reitz'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 Megan Reitz or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Megan Reitz speaking fee?
Megan Reitz 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 Megan Reitz 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 Megan Reitz.
How can I contact Megan Reitz?
We only work with Megan Reitz on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Megan Reitz and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Megan Reitz 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 Megan Reitz for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Megan Reitz for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Megan Reitz is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Megan Reitz for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
