LinkedIn 2020 Top Voice For Equity In The Workplace
2020 Nobel Peace Prize Conference Speaker
Top 100 Women at Davos by Global Women’s Leadership Experts
2020 AXIOM Business Book Awards: Silver Medal Winner
A globally recognized
organisational psychologist
and expert on the future of culture, leadership and inequality
“Michelle’s in-depth knowledge and insights, paired with her ability to clearly and vividly create the case for its importance, is a unique gift to the groups she speaks to.”
Jenn Lishansky, Founder, Be Social Change
About Michelle
2023 Talent Award Shortlist by Thinkers50
#1 Diversity and Inclusion Speaker London Speakers Bureau and Champion Speakers
Award-winning academic with 5 degrees and a decade of research on organizational culture
Over 20 years of professional experience with some of the world's leading organizations
If you’re looking for an expert on the topic of culture, gender, and inequality at work, you have found the right person.
Dr. Michelle Penelope King is an organisational psychologist and a globally recognised expert on workplace culture, human motivation and the future of work. Her latest research explores what happens to people’s agency, capability and relationships when AI quietly takes over the world of work that so many relied on for their identity.
In her latest book, My Workplace Is Killing Me!, Dr. King explores how workplaces can, through bad bosses, challenging colleagues, burnout, and boredom, erode employee autonomy, competence, and connection, and why AI is making this worse. Dr. King is also the author of two other bestselling, award-winning books: The Fix: Overcome the Invisible Barriers that are Holding Women Back at Work and How Work Works: The Subtle Science of Getting Ahead Without Losing Yourself.
Dr. King is also a published, award-winning academic with a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial-Organisational Psychology, a Master of Arts in Industrial-Organisational Psychology, a Master of Business Administration, a Postgraduate Degree in Journalism, and a PhD in Organisations and Management.
Her work has earned widespread recognition, including accolades for innovation, workplace equity, and leadership. She has been recognised as one of the Top 100 Women at Davos, named a LinkedIn Top Voice for Workplace Equity, and shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Talent Award. Her books have also received recognition, including a Porchlight Business Book Award, an Axiom Business Book Award, and the Inc. Non-Obvious Book Award. Dr. King’s work is widely featured in publications such as The Economist, Harvard Business Review, CNBC, CNN Business, Fortune, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Time, Business Insider, The Times, Daily Mail, and LinkedIn Editors.
In addition to her thought leadership, Dr King has over two and a half decades of international experience in the private sector. She has served as the Global Director of Performance, Culture, Learning, and Talent at HSF Kramer and previously as the Director of Inclusion at Netflix and the Head of the UN Women Global Innovation Coalition for Change. In addition, she currently serves as the President of the Hearing Dogs charity in the United Kingdom and as an advisor to Girl Up, a former UN Foundation campaign. In each of her roles, Dr King is driven by one mission: making work work for humans. Because when organisations put people first, everything else, performance, culture, retention, follows
"Michelle ignited such a thought-provoking conversation at the World Economic Forum on the power of culture and inclusive leadership. It was fascinating to learn what qualities make an inclusive leader and how exhibiting those qualities benefits people of all genders and identities. Long after her talk was over, the discussion continued around the hallways and gathering spaces."
Kathleen Noreau, Head of Strategic Partnerships - Consumer, Health & Energy Industries World Economic Forum 
"Your years of research combined with real-life experience and your ability to present the subject by identifying the root of the problem gave our viewers the necessary tools to move forward and implement change as our project begins its third year."
Tracy Bowens, Outreach Communications, International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) 
"Michelle is not only extremely knowledgeable with her background and research on gender inequality, but she applies those insights specifically to the workplace and brings it to life. Michelle has a truly unique way of connecting with her audience. She makes the research come to life and provides real “a-ha” moments and practical takeaways that can be applied in any organization.”
Claudia Chan, CEO SHE Globl 
"Michelle is a speaker who sparks fires in her audiences around the issues she cares about. Her in-depth knowledge and insights, paired with her ability to clearly and vividly create the case for its importance, is a unique gift to the groups she speaks to. Our community still asks us about Michelle and where to access her talks and upcoming events.”
Jenn Lishansky, Founder of Be Social Change 
"Michelle understands that creating an inclusive and equitable workplace for everyone takes all of us. We are fortunate she is sharing her expertise and learnings and is bringing us along this journey to implement real change.”
Dr. Cindy Pace, Global Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer’, MetLife 
”Michelle King candidly shares her own personal experiences and decades of research to reveal the invisible barriers women face at work. Drawing on her exposure to companies that are structured to enable only men to succeed, she suggests that our denial towards gender inequality is hurting women, and challenges the idea that women can improve their way to
success. Bravely, Michelle offers the essential message that women are extraordinary as they are, and don’t need fixing - workplaces do.”
Tamara Mellon, OBE, Co-founder, Jimmy Choo 
”Michelle provides actions to take that do not succumb to the notion of 'fixing' women. Calling for accountability in what too often is a toxic environment is only as important as offering ways to bring about real change in that environment.”
Meredith Walker, Co-Founder, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls 
”Insightful and thoroughly engaging, Michelle King provides practical solutions for bringing about tangible and lasting change, as well as an impassioned argument for equity that moves beyond the current discourse on women in the workplace.”
Dr. Nina Ansary, Author, Scholar, and UN Women Global Champion for Innovation 
”A visionary leader – changing the inclusion landscape.”
Billie Jean King Institute 
”Michelle King's podcast is like no other, highlighting the stories of women who are driving innovation across every sphere of life. Her interviews crackle with intelligence, wit and passion that enlightens as well as engages both women and men.''
Joanne Lipman, Former Editor, USA Today 
”
So much about the world of work-from workplace culture to our definition of success-was created by men, and it's not working for women or indeed for men. And it's no surprise that women pay a disproportionately high price for their participation.
That's why Michelle's book The Fix is so important. It's a passionate, practical roadmap for addressing inequality and finally making our workplaces work for women.''
Arianna Huffington, Author and Founder, The Huffington Post and Thrive Global 
In each of her roles, Dr King is driven by one mission: making work work for humans.
Her career spans some of the most demanding leadership positions in the world — from Director of Inclusion at Netflix and Head of Innovation and Technology at UN Women, to her current roles as Director of Performance, Culture, Learning and Talent at HSF Kramer and President of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People in the UK. She has not just studied workplace culture. She has been responsible for it.
Dr King is represented by the London Speakers Bureau and has delivered over 500 keynotes globally, including at the Nobel Peace Prize Conference, the World Economic Forum, Amazon, Netflix, JP Morgan, MetLife, SXSW, TEDx and the Texas Conference for Women.
Her TEDx talk, It’s Not You, It’s Your Workplace, was widely praised for reframing the conversation around workplace inequality and has introduced her research to audiences worldwide.
Dr King is a published contributor to Forbes and Harvard Business Review, and a recognised voice on workplace culture, human performance and the future of work.
Her first book, The Fix: Overcome the Invisible Barriers that are Holding Women Back at Work, spent three months at the top of bestseller lists and received a Silver Medal at the 2020 AXIOM Business Book Awards. Her second book, How Work Works, followed in 2023. Her third book, My Workplace Is Killing Me!, publishes with BenBella Books in April 2027.
