“Elke was hands down one of the best speakers we’ve had. Within minutes, she takes people to a place where they see themselves with new eyes.”

Juliette Denny

Elite, London Stock Exchange

“Elke is a phenomenal speaker. What she doesn’t know about leadership isn’t worth knowing. She delivers deep insights and practical strategies that leave a lasting impact on everyone in the room.”

Anna Vila Pouca

Director of Talent & Development, Tony Blair Institute

To be powerful in the world as it transforms digitally, culturally, and economically, first, we must ignite our humanity.

Elke Edwards standing in front of a large screen

Powerful, thought-provoking keynotes that get to the heart of what it takes to thrive as a leader in today’s world.

Welcome to Elke Edwards – Inspirational Keynote Leadership Speaker, Thought Leader & Author

Powerful, thought-provoking keynotes that get to the heart of what it takes to thrive as a leader in today’s world.

About Elke Edwards

Pioneering Leadership Expert

Elke Edwards is a pioneering leadership expert with over 25 years of experience working with thousands of senior leaders, including many from the FTSE 100. Her clients have included companies like L’Oreal, Jaguar Land Rover, M&S, Aviva, NatWest, The Economist, Google, and Mitsubishi.

A leader herself, Elke has founded two award-winning organisations focused on leadership development: Ivy House and Blue Sky. Her mission is to help leaders and their teams transcend traditional models, unlocking their ability to become extraordinary leaders and lead extraordinary lives. Her companies have won multiple awards for behavioural change and leadership development; their work often described as “life-changing” due to its profound, transformative impact.

Elke’s bestselling book, Extraordinary, reinforces her position as a thought leader. She believes that to thrive as the world rapidly changes digitally, culturally, and economically, we must first ignite our humanity. Her unique approach challenges senior leaders to reach their full potential by embracing their innate wisdom, core strengths, and purpose-driven mindset.

Extraordinary – The Book

How to lead a bigger, braver, more meaningful life

What if there was a different way?

We’re at a turning point in history. Our old ideas of success no longer fit. Pursuing money at all costs, working all hours, never admitting vulnerability or being our authentic selves – these are the exact behaviours that have led us to a global leadership crisis and record levels of anxiety and depression.

We know there’s a difference between living a life where things look good on the outside, and one where we feel incredible on the inside. We want careers with love, relationships at work and lives that are right for us.

It’s time for a different path. In this game changing book, leadership expert Elke Edwards draws on decades of experience to share the seven transformative skills that enable anyone to build a life that feels as good as it looks. Her down to earth guidance and tried and trusted exercises will help you find the life that is right for you, and crucially make it happen.

Order here

“Extraordinary is an honest, poignant and practical under the bonnet look at what makes us tick, how we can live our best life and who we want to be. It helps us have the most important conversation of all, the one we have with ourselves, and encourages each one of us to find our extraordinary, while showing us exactly how to get there.”
Rachel Johnson
CEO, pixel

“The learning in this book is not just extraordinary; it’s revolutionary. These 7 extraordinary skills have completely changed my life, revealing the biggest secret: when you find your purpose anything is possible. Reflect, take ownership, take action, and the golden opportunity awaits you.”
Jay Kalama
Head Coach Nike

“This is different. It focuses on who you really are and how you actually become the person you want to be. I found it invaluable, both personally and professionally.”
Anil Sarda
Partnerships Director, The Economist

Leadership Keynotes

Elke delivers a range of engaging, interactive and thought-provoking keynotes on critical leadership topics.

She will also work with you to tailor a talk to meet your specific needs.

Leading an Extraordinary Life: The Path of Extraordinary Leaders

Over a 25-year career leading transformative change, Elke has identified a profound set of principles that fundamentally redefine effective leadership for both leaders and their lives. Discover the critical insights, skills, and strategic choices that empower leaders to excel, cultivating a legacy of purpose, impact, and exceptional leadership.

Unlocking Personal Power to Drive Organisational Change

Change is constant, so why does it often feel overwhelming? Elke examines the human side of change, revealing how leaders can harness self-knowledge, authenticity, and resilience to drive transformation and sustainable growth, sharing actionable strategies to inspire and empower teams through change.

Modern Leaders: Ready for Anything

Today, being a future-fit leader means being ready for anything – operating from strength, being resilient, open to learning, being adaptable and having an attitude towards people and growth that inspires others. Elke defines modern leadership and shows leaders how to get from where they are now to where they want to be.

Productivity and People: The Uncomfortable Truth

High performance drives results, but leaders must understand the relationship between productivity and people to sustain it. Discover how to identify what’s working and what’s not, and understand the critical building blocks for creating a sustainable performance culture.

Why Most Organisations Get Wellbeing Wrong, and How to Get It Right

82% of businesses reported prioritising employee wellbeing last year, but stress levels continue to rise. Why aren’t these efforts working? Understand the essential building blocks for an effective culture of wellbeing by looking at the balance between individual and organisational responsibility, learning practical, evidence-based steps to bridge the gap between where your organisation is, and where it needs to be.

Intentional Relationships: The Game Changer

Relationships are at the heart of organisational success, driving retention, growth, and discretionary effort. Yet leaders often overestimate their relational skills, falling into traps like being “toxically nice” or prioritising performance over people. Here, Elke addresses the “self-perception trap” and presents a powerful model for relationship mastery, equipping leaders to cultivate intentional, impactful relationships that make a genuine difference.

Let’s talk about a keynote

“Elke is engaging, relevant, and down to earth. She addresses modern-day business topics with authenticity and humour. She can connect with people of all backgrounds and levels so that everyone walks away feeling they have learned something. She has deep expertise both in leadership and holding the room.”
Vanessa Palmer
L’Oreal

“Elke is funny, asks hard-hitting questions, tells inspiring stories and provokes a lot of deep thinking.”
Rosie Gill
Managing Director, NatWest

“Elke, we can’t thank you enough for your immensely valuable talk today. You kickstarted our journeys with your previous talk on taking control of our thought environments now you’ve shown us how to create environments where people thrive. Pragmatic, inspiring and fun.”
Lucy Davis
BT

“Elke is in the little black book of leaders worldwide – she is the person they call on when they want a true expert to have a powerful impact on the people that will lead their business into the future.”
Aled Miles
CEO Source Labs

“To say Elke is a fantastic motivational speaker is totally underplaying it.”
Ben Moss
Communications Lead, Aviva

Leadership Development

Game-changing leadership development from Ivy House

Last year $54 billion was spent on leadership development. At the same time, most of us struggle to think of any extraordinary leaders. The problem? Traditional leadership development doesn’t work. It fails to align with the needs of modern leaders and, it fails to ignite the humanity required as the world transforms digitally, economically, and socially.

Elke is the founder of multi-awarding leadership development company Ivy House. Working with an incredible list of clients, they are on a mission to turn leadership development on its head.

Let’s talk leadership

Here’s a selection of Elke’s recent articles

10 strategies to elevate your leadership development programmes

Innovative approaches to leadership development

We all have a need for recognition

To stay updated with her latest thinking, connect with Elke on LinkedIn

Connect

Blog

The Friday Question

Discover the stories behind extraordinary leaders and their extraordinary lives. Our blog takes you behind the scenes of remarkable journeys—uncovering wisdom, inspiration, and the secrets to their success. Don’t miss out on insights that could spark your own greatness. Sign up today and join a community driven by the power of extraordinary stories!

“Elke’s work has changed how I see myself, others and what is possible. I can’t recommend her highly enough as a speaker and a coach.”
Sebastian Brixely-Williams
Executive Director British American Security Information Council; Harvard Research Fellow

“If asked to say in one word how this learning is made me feel, I’d say unboxed. Quite simply, it showed me that the barriers that box us in are self-imposed – and, whilst there might be some comfort in their familiarity, we have so much more impact without them.”
Maryanna Nwosisi
Corporate Associate, Slaughter & May

“Everyone needs access to this learning; it is profound and game-changing.”
Stephen Kakouris
Senior Analyst, Shell

“Brilliant in every way. Thank you for showing me how to live my life and become the kind of leader people need and want.”
Luke Kenny
Corporate Strategy, Accenture

“I especially appreciated Elke’s expertise and passion for leadership in the modern world as well as her commitment to understanding the purpose of our event, working to tailor her message to our context, including specific examples relating to our industry and organisation. She is highly relatable, expert, engaging and quickly connected with a diverse audience.”
Roger Wadsworth
Deloitte University

Let’s talk leadership

Let’s talk about a keynote

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