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Fiona English is a keynote speaker, thought leader, and coach specialising in purpose, leadership, human potential, and self-actualisation.
With 20 years of experience in global investment markets, Fiona English’s work bridges the worlds of business and personal transformation. She views purpose and leadership both as expressions of identity, made real not just from what we do but who we are.
Passionate about the areas of life that are innately human, the red thread that runs through all her work is the exploration of who we are and how we want to show up in the world. Recognised as a contemporary thinker and inspiring speaker in areas such as leadership, purpose, and human transformation, she has spoken at events in over 30 countries globally and was a semi-finalist in the Nordic Business Forum global speaking contest in 2022. In 2015, she was one of 50 women globally chosen to participate in the W50 Program at UCLA, California, aimed at building the next generation of global women leaders. In 2025, she was shortlisted for Best Thought Leader of the Year Speaker at the London Speaker Awards. Alongside her speaking practice, she coaches and advises purpose-led entrepreneurs, business leaders and individuals seeking to deepen their understanding of who they are so they can live, work and lead with greater impact and authenticity.
Through her MSc in Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, Fiona conducted research into how spirituality, meaning, purpose, and authenticity manifest for individuals in our modern society. She writes a Substack publication called Expression with Fiona English — personal essays on what it means to live a fully-expressed life and how that amplifies your impact in the world.
Insistent that to create a bigger vision of the world we want to live in, we must start with a bigger vision for who we can be, Fiona English speaks to a growing cohort of leaders and individuals who want to live and lead in alignment with who they are. Combining an inspirational style with practical, real-world understanding of the business world and the psychology of purpose and human potential, she challenges herself, leaders from every walk of life, and the business community to consider their place in the world and the impact they wish to have.
In a world awash with purpose statements, how do you ensure you or your organisation can have the impact you want?
Many leaders and organisations begin with the wrong question when it comes to purpose. They focus on “what” they will do rather than “who” they will become. Purpose is inherently human. It can’t be outsourced to your business. Your business may have a purpose statement, but it can only be you as leaders or employees who can breathe life into any statement through your choices.
Purpose, at its core, is about choice. Purpose asks us what matters to us – as people, as citizens of our world, as employees and leaders in business. What do you really value? And how does that understanding infuse your decision-making process? In this keynote, Fiona challenges audiences to reflect on three fundamental questions which will empower them to make the choices needed to make purpose real in their life and work.
When the outside world is chaotic and unpredictable, how do you lead in a way that creates a sense of order in the disorder? This is the leadership challenge of today.
To lead well we must create the conditions which bring out the best in who we are. Developing a deeper understanding of who we are and what we need enables leaders to cultivate presence, emotional regulation and build the internal capacity to navigate ambiguity with confidence. This inner stability becomes the anchor that enables the sense of self, clear thinking and instincts leaders need when the path is unclear. It is from this foundation that we grow our ability to lead others well. Leaders who cultivate this presence and self-awareness naturally create psychological safety, trust and a shared sense of purpose for their team.
In a world defined by AI, shifting power, and complexity, uncertainty is the only constant. Success now depends on learning to thrive in the unknown. Navigating paths unknown has always been the realm of the world’s wisdom traditions. In times of deep uncertainty, it’s not about having all the answers. It is about expanding our capacity to hold uncertainty, about learning to sit with nuance, to see the whole rather than just the parts.
Drawing on her research into the world’s wisdom traditions, indigenous cultures, and her own lived experience, Fiona offers grounded, real-world guidance and tools for walking paths unknown in life and leadership. This talk is an invitation to return to first principles and cultivate the presence, perspective, and practices we need to be more prepared to meet the new world order with wisdom, clarity and confidence.
I have worked with Fiona a number of times and have always been very impressed with her. On stage Fiona has an amazing presence, engaging everyone from the start and presenting really great content. The briefing process was always very easy, with Fiona asking all the right questions and giving a lot of ideas and input. I would have no hesitation recommending her.
We were delighted to welcome Fiona English as a keynote speaker at our recent Women in Entrepreneurship and on Boards forum. Fiona delivered an outstanding session on becoming the purposeful leader, which deeply resonated with our audience of female CEOs, founders, investors, and non-executives. Her talk was not only insightful and thought-provoking, but also incredibly engaging. The feedback we received from attendees was overwhelmingly positive — many cited her session as a true highlight of the day.
From a collaborator’s perspective, Fiona was an absolute pleasure to work with — professional, responsive, and genuinely passionate. I would highly recommend her as a keynote speaker for any organisation or event looking to drive purposeful impact and meaningful leadership dialogue.
