Riaz Shah OBE helps leaders read what is coming next and act on it boldly. Former Senior Partner at EY, now a consultant and Hult Professor of Practice, and a keynote voice trusted on stages from New York to London and Hong Kong.
Just the data that matters, told so it is impossible to ignore.
For over forty years Riaz has sat where strategy meets reality, first as a Senior Partner at EY, now as an independent consultant and Professor of Practice at Hult International Business School. He turns megatrends, demographic shifts and digital disruption into something a leadership team can actually use on Monday morning.
His approach is data driven storytelling: complex research made vivid through analogy and real case studies, so that difficult ideas land and stick. It is rigorous first, with enough wit and energy along the way to keep a room engaged.
Beyond the stage, Riaz advises the President of Indonesia and his cabinet on national transformation, and founded One Degree Academy, an award-winning free school in London born from a promise to a dying friend. He donates all net speaking fees to charity.
The one word delegates reach for most? Inspiring.
Geopolitics, economics and sustainability are all in play. But three forces affect every business, whatever its size, sector or location: Demographics, Attitudes and Technology. They are moving, compounding, and they all land on you.
The logic is simple. The world is changing, which means companies have to change, which means leaders have to change too. Riaz's work follows that thread from the forces outside to the response inside.
Fewer people, living longer, in different places.
What people want has fundamentally changed, not just as employees, but as customers too.
Intelligence, biology and energy are all becoming programmable at once.
So how should you respond to constant change and uncertainty? Riaz's answer is a simple, repeatable shape for how the best leaders show up. Curious, Bold, Human.
The best leaders ask sharper questions than anyone else in the room, and treat change as something to explore rather than something to fear.
They move before the case for change is obvious, knowing that comfort is the real risk and conviction is the edge.
They lead people, not just strategy. In an age of machines, the human skills are the ones that set leaders apart.
A short reel of Riaz on stage: the energy, the data, and the room.
Every session is tailored to you, your industry and the location of your audience, and built around the data and case studies your people will recognise. Relevance is the whole point.
Research-driven keynotes and interactive workshops, built around the themes Riaz is known for: emerging global trends, innovation and creativity, leadership in a changing world, leading in uncertain times, the future of work, growth mindset and generational change.
Closed-door sessions for senior teams. Riaz brings the data and the provocations to challenge assumptions and sharpen strategy, then facilitates the conversation that follows so the thinking turns into decisions.
Personalised coaching for the specific challenges of senior leadership, helping leaders build the curiosity, boldness and humanity to lead well through constant change and uncertainty.
From the world that's changing, to what it means for the company, to how each leader must change, three takeaways that follow the same thread.
A shared language for the change hitting their industry.
The trends most likely to reshape their sector next, and where the opportunity sits, not just the threat.
A braver, more human way to lead, with specific moves to make on Monday morning.
A few of the provocations Riaz opens with, each grounded in the data. Tap one to read it.
Averaging 4.9 out of 5.0 for impact and relevance across global audiences.
Riaz combines deep international experience with practical business insight. He has a remarkable ability to translate emerging global trends into clear, actionable perspectives for leaders. His guidance challenged our assumptions, broadened our thinking, and helped us approach future opportunities with greater confidence and clarity.
Riaz has a rare ability to challenge leaders' thinking while making complex trends accessible, relevant, and actionable. His sessions consistently engage even the most experienced executive audiences. It's why he continues to be highly sought-after by YPO chapters around the world.
We've invited Riaz back to work with our leaders multiple times because he consistently delivers. He combines deep insight into global trends with an engaging style that challenges thinking and inspires action, generating some of the strongest participant feedback of any speaker we've used.
Riaz's insights on global trends, geopolitics, and population flows completely changed my business direction. His thinking challenged several of my assumptions and gave me the confidence to pivot into new markets and AI-enabled businesses.
Planning a keynote, workshop, boardroom retreat or coaching programme? Everything you need to bring Riaz to your stage, the speaker pack, formats, logistics and the enquiry form, is on one page.