Belinda Parmar

CEO of The Empathy Business. Expert on Empathy in Leadership, Emotional AI & Diversity.

Bio: Belinda Parmar OBE Key topics: Human Leadership in an AI world, Emotional AI, Change Leadership, Empathy in leadership. Industry experience: AI, Tech, Healthcare, Pharma, Finance, Energy, Government. As CEO of The Empathy Business and a Non Executive Director for the Ministry of Defence, Belinda has spent two decades helping global organisations including Lexus, Lloyds Bank, Barclays Bank, AGL, Toyota, Aston Martin, and AB InBev, to turn empathy from a soft aspiration into a hard commercial advantage. Her Empathy & Empowerment Programme for one bank where she trained over 200 Fraud & Complaints advisors, delivered a 9% uplift in net promoter rates and a 7.5% reduction in call handling times. Her work with AGL produced a 20.9% reduction in customer complaints and $1.7 million in cost savings. Belinda uses the science of empathy to change the way companies transform their organisations focusing on leadership, communications and operations. She is the creator of the Global Empathy Index, published in the Harvard Business Review, connects empathy rankings directly to earnings, productivity, and retention. As AI absorbs more cognitive work, Belinda helps leaders identify what only humans can do and build it deliberately. Belinda was awarded an OBE in 2015 by the Queen for her services to women in technology. A qualified barrister, OBE recipient, and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, she is currently writing a leadership playbook for Penguin Random House on turning empathy into a practical toolkit for the AI era. Speech Topic/Synopsis: Human Leadership in an AI World - Artificial intelligence is reshaping the way we live and work, yet it cannot replicate the essence of what makes us human: our ability to connect, to feel, and to lead with empathy. In this keynote, Belinda Parmar OBE explores what human leadership means in an AI-driven world, drawing on her experience working with organisations across the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the UK, and how leaders navigate complexity where trust, technology, and human judgement collide. Belinda will answer three big questions: 1. Can AI fake feelings, and what does that mean for trust in organisations? 2. How can leaders use empathy as a measurable, practical tool rather than a soft skill? 3. What does human leadership look like in the age of algorithms, automation, and constant change? Audiences leave with a framework for making the leadership calls AI cannot make for them and the confidence to lead the transition rather than be led by it. Testimonials: Kier Group - April 2026 Belinda delivered a compelling and impactful session that clearly resonated with leaders. She positioned empathy as a core leadership capability — not a “nice to have” — and explored how it enables leaders to support people through change, build trust, and sustain performance in times of uncertainty. The practical insights and tools gave leaders a clear line of sight between empathetic leadership and successful change outcomes, reinforcing empathy as a critical enabler of how we lead at Kier. Janus Henderson Investors - March 2026 Belinda is a natural speaker – her delivery is clear, controlled and engaging. She was able to seamlessly apply the talk to topics relevant to the finance industry. When asked challenging questions, Belinda answered with honesty and passion. Our feedback in the room was fantastic and undoubtedly everyone had some great actions to take away with them. Novartis - February 2026 Your presentation on Human Leadership in an AI World really resonated with our people. I particularly love that shift from inspiration to action. I feel empowered to do instead of just talking about it now. Thank you and what an amazing event! ‘‘Belinda was amazing – absolutely amazing feedback!’’ BNP Paribas “Belinda’s talk was very inspiring and crucial for MF Brands Young Talents to understand the power of empathy in the performance of our business.“ Lacoste “Thought provoking with tangible take-aways” United Nations “The best presentation we have had this year” ABB “An empowering and inspiring session” NHS England “Belinda spoke at our IWD event today as we really couldn't have asked for a better speaker.” Bullhorn “Belinda is a true expert when it comes to Empathy, but her super-power is bringing this to life within a corporate environment” AB-InBev www.theempathybusiness.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/belindaparmar/ Achievements -Changemaker 2020 Finalist in the Drum, https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/11/05/finalists-announced-2020-the-dr um-awards-social-purpose www.theempathybusiness.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/belindaparmar/ -Woman of the Year, Shortlist, 2022, https://www.bonhillevents.com/EN/WITAwardsUK2022/shortlist -Computer Weekly 2023 Most Influential women in tech- 2023 -Global Leaders in Consulting 2023 - ALM Consulting 2023 https://www.event.consultingmag.com/global-leaders/2023-honorees -Leader of the Year, HR Awards, Shortlist, 2022 https://newpossible.io/resources/british-hr-awards-2022-finalists-announced - British HR Awards - Change Leadership Award Winner 2026 https://newpossible.io/resources/british-hr-awards-2026-winners-announced