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Jackie Handy is an acclaimed expert in recruitment, leadership and inclusion. Her insights help organisations across the globe enhance performance, productivity and wellbeing. Inspiring leaders & teams to step up, show up, and create cultures where people belong.
An award-winning speaker, Jackie Handy gets feedback time and time again that she both engages and promotes action. Her keynotes are far from lectures. They are immersive experiences that drive lasting change. Jackie’s mission is straightforward: to ensure that people feel safe, valued, and understood in the workplace.
As technology advances, human connection matters more than ever. Yet increasingly, staff are disengaged and lonely. The impact is low morale, high staff turnover and poor performance. Sound familiar?
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”
Building a high-performance team or leading an engaged workforce is like a long-distance hike. It’s about staying the course, weathering the tough days, and knowing when to stop for snacks. (Yes, snacks are essential!)
Jackie helps leaders, HR professionals, and teams move from good intentions to real impact. Together we turn clunky diversity efforts into robust inclusive habits and transform disengaged workplaces into connected, thriving cultures.
Since delivering her 2018 TEDx talk, “The Exclusive Nature of Inclusion,” Jackie has been sharing her personal story of exclusion and collaborating with organisations across various sectors to foster more inclusive work environments.
In 2023, as a way to cope with her mother’s progressing dementia, Jackie embarked on her first Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile pilgrimage through northwest Spain. The profound lessons she gained from this journey, combined with her professional insights, culminated in the creation of the “A-Frame Concept.” This comprehensive methodology is designed to enhance team dynamics, boost inclusion and belonging, and create a happier, more engaged workforce.
The concept includes the “Pilgrim Principles,” which outline steps to cultivate an environment that promotes greater team cohesion, improved morale, and heightened performance. Additionally, the “DASH Method” offers a robust framework for facilitating effective and inclusive conversations.
As an award-winning keynote speaker and panellist, Jackie Handy has addressed global audiences and partnered with organisations across diverse sectors, both in-person and virtually. Her presentations ignite imagination and inspire action, equipping audiences with the tools for sustainable cultural transformation in the modern workplace.
Jackie leverages the latest research on leadership, engagement, and belonging to address gaps in traditional methods that may be hindering organisations in terms of revenue and productivity. The need for authentic workforce connection has never been more pressing, with research indicating that we are becoming increasingly disconnected. Alarmingly, fewer than 1 in 5 people globally are actively engaged in their work. It’s time for change.
Whether for a global conference or an intimate team meeting, Jackie works with you to craft the perfect talk for your event.
(Delivered as a keynote or interactive team session)
Everyone wants to feel seen, heard and valued at work. When they do, the results speak for themselves. Belonging isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have’, it’s a performance driver. Research from Harvard Business Review found that when people feel they belong, companies benefit from a 56% boost in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days.
Yet as many as 36% of employees still feel isolated and undervalued in the workplace. Diversity and inclusion are critical, but too often organisations don’t know where to start, or worry about getting it wrong.
In The Power of Inclusion, Jackie shares the business case and the human case for belonging and crucially, how to make it real. With her trademark blend of warmth, storytelling and practical insight, Jackie draws from her own lived experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and decades of expertise in leadership and inclusion. Audiences will leave inspired to take action, equipped with everyday tools that create extraordinary ripple effects.
Who Will Love This?
· Organisations striving to build an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.
· Companies that value diversity and want to hear an authentic external perspective.
· Organisations who care about staff wellbeing and want to engage and retain a motivated, resilient and productive workforce.
What Will the Audience Learn?
· Why we need to lean back from unconscious bias and lean into conscious inclusion.
· Uncover the part privilege plays in enhancing belonging at work.
· How to be empowered to get it right, rather than being fearful of mistakes.
· Practical strategies to embed belonging into day-to-day culture, creating teams that feel safe, seen and supported.
Join in with: Privilege bingo, Step change, You belong because…
(Delivered as an interactive conference or team session)
Communication skills are consistently rated as the most important ‘soft skill’ required for leaders in the workplace. Yet in the world of AI, interactive messages and online meetings, we risk losing the art of meaningful interactions.
Today, leaders need to connect at a human level. With workforce engagement at an all-time low, understanding, emotional intelligence and interconnectedness are vital to wellbeing, productivity and team cohesion.
In Beyond the Mountain Jackie shares the connection between her long-distance European treks and leadership success. Combining story, activities and the latest employee research she’ll help you see beyond the daily obstacles in team management to leave you with fresh perspectives and the tools to create lasting, positive change.
Who Will Love This?
· Organisations who are preparing for or experiencing change, who want to increase engagement, improve service delivery and build performance.
· Companies who want to reduce staff turnover and strengthen team cohesion.
· Organisations who are passionate about inclusion and wellbeing, looking to demonstrate how they value their people in day-to-day interactions.
What Will the Audience Learn?
· How to be more human as a leader without losing credibility.
· Why unlocking story increases sales and improves service delivery.
· The part your DASH plays in building meaningful connections and psychologically safe teams.
· How to pack light as a people leader and to always sweat the small stuff.
Join in with: DASH in a flash, Pack right pack light, Splat on the back
(Delivered as an interactive keynote or team session)
In a world dominated by automation, analytics and AI, it’s never been more crucial for leaders to lead with heart as well as head. While digital innovation drives efficiency, it’s human connection that drives engagement, trust and performance.
Human-centred leadership isn’t about being soft, it’s about being smart. It’s about recognising that behind every productivity stat is a person with a story. One that, when understood, can promote loyalty, innovation and resilience.
In The Heart of the Matter, Jackie explores how leaders can navigate business challenges while staying grounded in what matters most: people. Drawing on her lived experience, global research, and professional expertise, Jackie combines heartfelt storytelling with practical tools to help you create workplaces where humanity and high performance go hand in hand.
Who Will Love This?
· Organisations grappling with the impact of hybrid work, AI disruption or digital transformation on staff engagement.
· Leadership teams seeking to build deeper trust, psychological safety and inclusion.
· Companies evolving their leadership culture to reflect the values of a diverse and future-focused workforce.
What Will the Audience Learn?
· What human-centred leadership is and why it’s the competitive advantage of the future.
· How to bring empathy, curiosity and connection into your everyday leadership strategy.
· Practical actions to strengthen psychological safety and belonging, creating space for people to thrive and innovate.
Join in with: DASH in a flash, Splat on the back, You belong because…
Jackie took the time to research our company’s values and use them to prompt ideas for small but important changes we can make as individuals.
Feedback from our colleagues has been that this was particularly impactful, and I’ve seen evidence of these actions being put into place already.
Feedback since has been great with employees already recognising the need for change and considering things in a different light. Jackie’s tone of voice and character shone through which is what engaged people most, as they felt they could resonate, saying she was so spot on with everything she said
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