Erica Farmer

Co-Founder, Professional Speaker and Trainer

Speaker fees:

In-person: ยฃ5k-ยฃ10k
Virtual: ยฃ3k-ยฃ5k

Topics:

Future of Work
2
AI & Future Trends
2
Leadership & Mindset
2
Women in Business

Erica has over 25 years of learning and development and apprenticeships experience with some of the UKโ€™s best-known brands such as LV=, British Gas, Specsavers and Virgin Care.

Ericaโ€™s area of specialism is AI and future skills. Erica speaks about this in her TEDx talk, โ€˜Reforming Education through the Digital First Mindsetโ€™, and in her courses as a LinkedIn Learning Instructor.

She is passionate about driving human collaborations with tech. Examples are the โ€˜AI for the Average Joeโ€™ podcast show, making the complex, simple, alongside her innovative keynotes and workshops focusing on people first AI approaches and human distinctive skills.

Erica is an advisory member of the AI in Work & Skills Forum, a seasoned presenter who was shortlisted as Best AI Speaker in the 2025 Speaker Awards and an AI Strategist and board member for a leading European learning and teaching assessment organisation.

Ericaโ€™s sessions donโ€™t just inform; they change behaviour. The audience leaves with:

  • Greater confidence and willingness
  • Clear, people-first use cases they can apply immediately
  • Reduced anxiety and resistance
  • A shared language

 

Whether delivering a keynote, an interactive workshop, or a keynote-plus-breakout experience, Erica translates complex AI concepts into practical, relatable insights that resonate with operational teams, leaders and people functions alike.

Her new book, โ€˜AI for People Professionalsโ€™ is available through Kogan Page here.

Book Erica Farmer

Featured topics include

AI is advancing fast, but peopleโ€™s confidence and capability to use it productively havenโ€™t kept up.ย  And thatโ€™s killing your business. This is because you are not engaging people as people. You are engaging them as tech users.

Itโ€™s time to book a talk thatย actually changesย behaviour.

After seeing leaders go AI first instead of people first, I realised that resistance to AI is really about confidence and capability, and that people need support to identify their own AI Dividend.

So are you ready to move beyond AI hype and actually help your people use AI with confidence, courage and impact?

Erica Farmer helps HR, L&D and business leaders engage peopleย as people, not as reluctant tech users. She is an international keynote speaker and practitioner in AI and future skills who believes the real AI advantage isnโ€™t productivity alone, itโ€™s happier, more resilient people who know how to partner with AI in ways that genuinely improve their work and lives.

Drawing on 25 yearsโ€™ experience across some of the UKโ€™s largest brands, Erica brings a grounded, human-first perspective to AI adoption. After repeatedly seeing organisations goย AI first instead of people first, she recognised that resistance to AI is rarely about the tools; itโ€™s about confidence, capability and fear of being left behind.

Thatโ€™s where the AI Dividendโ„ข Approach comes in.

Through high-impact, interactive keynotes, Erica reframes AI away from fear, overwhelm and abstract potential, and towards clarity, confidence and practical human capability. Her talks help leaders and teams identify their ownย AI Dividendย โ€” the tangible benefits AI can bring to their roles, wellbeing and effectiveness โ€” while also supporting organisational productivity and innovation.

This keynote focuses on building confidence and capability among women navigating the AI-driven workplace. Erica challenges limiting narratives, highlights opportunities for leadership and innovation, and equips audiences with practical tools to step forward and shape the future of work with confidence.

Drawing on her TEDx talk and extensive learning and development experience, Erica examines how education and skills development must evolve in a digital world. She outlines how organisations and institutions can adopt a digital-first mindset to prepare people for future careers and continuous change.

AI can feel fast-moving and complex. Erica cuts through the noise with a practical playbook designed for leaders and managers. This session provides clear use cases, simple starting points and actionable steps to move from uncertainty to confident, informed action.

What people say

Erica has spoken a few times at The Apprenticeships England Conferences. Erica is Informative, thought provoking and her ability to engage with the audience is
second to none. Erica’s presentations captures the audience attention from the go.

I would recommend Erica for any speaking opportunities that might arise.

Lindsay McCurdy, CEO The Apprenticeship Group and Conference Owner/Organiser

Refreshing, talks the talk and walks the walk, inspirational, has high impact and best session of the week are all phrases used to describe the speaking event delivered by Erica to our organisation.

The content and delivery style were very well received. Ericaโ€™s presenting techniques are already being adopted as we move forwards in developing our material and increasing engagement with our audiences.

Emma Mitchell, Development Manager, League Football Education England

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