The right employee engagement speakers don't just motivate a room—they shift how your team thinks about work. If you're planning an event and want a speaker who delivers real impact, the options can feel overwhelming. I've put together this list to help you find voices that connect, challenge, and move people to act.
Top 22 Employee Engagement Speakers
Below are the profiles of the top employee engagement speakers, covering who they are and the impact they've made in this space.
Chester Elton
Workplace Culture Author & Advisor
Summit, United States
Focus area:
#Employee engagement#Workplace culture#Recognition#Leadership#Team performance
Chester Elton is a bestselling leadership author, keynote speaker, executive coach, and co-founder of The Culture Works. He advises leaders on culture, recognition, and performance.
Elton’s books and advice show leaders how…
Adrian Gostick
Leadership & Culture Author
Kanab, United States
Focus area:
#Employee engagement#Workplace culture#Recognition#Teamwork#Leadership
Adrian Gostick is a bestselling leadership author, keynote speaker, Forbes columnist, and founder of The Culture Works. His research connects culture, teamwork, recognition, and performance.
Gostick turns decades of leadership research into…
Connect with Adrian:
Heather R. Younger
CEO at Employee Fanatix
Denver, United States
Focus area:
#Active listening#Caring leadership#Employee voice#Employee engagement#Workplace culture
Heather R. Younger is founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, a workplace culture strategist, keynote speaker, and author. Her work centers on caring leadership, employee voice, and active listening.
Younger’s Caring Leadership®…
Jason Lauritsen
Workplace Researcher & Author
Omaha, United States
Focus area:
#Employee engagement#Workplace relationships#Employee experience#Trust#Leadership
Jason Lauritsen is a keynote speaker, author, and workplace researcher. His career spans HR leadership and large-scale employee research on what makes people feel valued, trusted, and cared for.
Lauritsen’s Lead With…
Chris Dyer
Culture & Leadership Speaker
Yorba Linda, United States
Focus area:
#Workplace culture#Employee engagement#Change leadership#Communication#Future of work
Chris Dyer is a culture and leadership keynote speaker, author, and former CEO of PeopleG2. He has two decades of executive experience helping organizations improve how work gets done.
Dyer’s 7 Pillars…
Jacob Morgan
Future of Work Author & Futurist
Los Angeles, United States
Focus area:
#Employee experience#Future of work#Leadership#Workplace culture#HR strategy
Jacob Morgan is a professionally trained futurist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. He is also the founder of Future of Work Leaders, a global community for senior people leaders and HR executives.
…
Jenn Lim
Workplace Culture Author & Speaker
San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Focus area:
#Workplace culture#Purpose#Employee wellbeing#Human leadership#Employee engagement
Jenn Lim is a bestselling author and global workplace speaker who co-founded and led Delivering Happiness. Her previous role with Zappos involves connecting purpose, people, and performance.
Lim’s work shows how purpose,…
Connect with Jenn:
Clint Pulver
Employee Retention Speaker & Author
Pleasant Grove, United States
Focus area:
#Employee retention#Employee engagement#Mentorship#Workplace culture#Leadership
Clint Pulver is a keynote speaker, author, workforce researcher, and founder of the Center for Employee Retention. He is known for his Undercover Millennial research into why employees stay or leave.
Pulver’s…
Jill Christensen
Employee Engagement Author & Speaker
Goodyear, United States
Focus area:
#Employee engagement#Workplace culture#Leadership#Recognition#Retention
Jill Christensen is an employee engagement keynote speaker, bestselling author, and former Fortune 500 executive. She has decades of corporate experience into practical culture strategy.
Christensen sees employee engagement as something leaders…
Connect with Jill:
Bob Kelleher
Founder of The Employee Engagement Group
Danvers, United States
Focus area:
#Employee engagement#Retention#Workplace culture#Talent management#Leadership
Bob Kelleher is founder of The Employee Engagement Group, an author and speaker, and a former CHRO at AECOM. His work centers on leadership, culture, retention, and employee engagement.
Kelleher draws on…
Connect with Bob:
Eric Termuende
Workplace Culture Author & Speaker
Canada
Focus area:
#Belonging#Employee engagement#Trust#Psychological safety#Change leadership
Eric Termuende is a workplace culture and leadership speaker, author, and researcher. He explores trust, belonging, collaboration, employee engagement, and leading through change.
Termuende argues that engagement grows from conditions such as…
Sha Nacino
Human Connection Speaker & Author
Pasig, Philippines
Focus area:
#Human connection#Compassionate leadership#Employee engagement#Workplace culture#Communication
Sha Nacino is a keynote speaker, author, and former Asian Institute of Management adjunct faculty member. She created leadership frameworks centered on human connection, care, and possibility.
Nacino’s speaking and writing emphasize…
Daren Martin
Culture Consultant & Author
New Orleans, United States
Focus area:
#Employee engagement#Ownership culture#Culture design#Leadership#Accountability
Daren Martin is a keynote speaker, author, entrepreneur, and culture consultant. His books and advisory work help organizations build stronger ownership, engagement, and workplace culture.
In A Company of Owners, Martin…
Kevin Kruse
CEO at LEADx
Philadelphia, United States
Focus area:
#Employee engagement#Leadership development#Manager development#Behavior change#Workplace learning
Kevin Kruse is founder and CEO of LEADx, a leadership development entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. His work spans employee engagement, management, and leadership habits.
Kruse has written directly about employee…
Connect with Kevin:
Colin D. Ellis
Workplace Culture Author & Consultant
Winchester, United Kingdom
Focus area:
#Workplace culture#Culture change#Employee experience#Leadership#Team performance
Colin D. Ellis is a workplace culture speaker, consultant, and bestselling author. He helps organizations intentionally build, evolve, and repair the cultures people experience every day.
Ellis treats culture as something leaders…
Shane Feldman
Workplace Culture Speaker & Entrepreneur
Toronto, Canada
Focus area:
#Workplace culture#Employee engagement#Community building#Collaboration#Leadership
Shane Feldman is a workplace culture speaker and entrepreneur. He founded Count Me In as a school project and grew it into a global community focused on leadership and social entrepreneurship.
Drawing…
Connect with Shane:
Kim Seeling Smith
Business Futurist & Workplace Strategist
Australia
Focus area:
#Employee engagement#Employee retention#Future of work#AI adoption#Leadership
Kim Seeling Smith is a business futurist, keynote speaker, and workplace strategist. Her work spans employee engagement, retention, leadership, workforce change, and practical AI adoption.
Seeling Smith’s 9 Currencies of Choice® framework…
Erica Keswin
Workplace Strategist & Author
New York, United States
Focus area:
#Human leadership#Employee retention#Workplace relationships#Employee experience#Workplace rituals
Erica Keswin is a workplace strategist, keynote speaker, and three-time Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her work explores human leadership, relationships, rituals, and retention.
In her Human Workplace Trilogy, Keswin explores…
Connect with Erica:
Leanne Hughes
Facilitator, Speaker & Author
Australia
Focus area:
#Facilitation#Audience engagement#Team connection#Workshop design#Leadership communication
Leanne Hughes is a keynote speaker, facilitator, author, and creator of the First Time Facilitator podcast. She helps leaders design engaging experiences that build connection and participation.
Hughes designs keynotes and workshops…
Lisa Even
Leadership & Team Culture Speaker
United States
Focus area:
#Team culture#Employee engagement#Leadership#Ownership#Change management
Lisa Even is a leadership and team culture keynote speaker, bestselling author, and former Fortune 500 operations leader. She has a deep experience in engagement, retention, performance, and change.
Even draws on…
Tia Graham
Happiness & Leadership Author
Irvine, United States
Focus area:
#Happiness at work#Employee wellbeing#Positive psychology#Leadership#Team culture
Tia Graham is a keynote speaker, bestselling author, Certified Chief Happiness Officer, and founder of Arrive At Happy. She has 14 years leading sales and marketing teams in luxury hospitality.
Graham applies…
Mark C. Crowley
Human-Centered Leadership Author
Focus area:
#Employee engagement#Human-centered leadership#Employee wellbeing#Leadership#Workplace culture
Mark C. Crowley is a leadership author, keynote speaker, and host of the Lead From The Heart podcast. He has 25 years of experience in financial services to advance human-centered workplace leadership.
…
Selection Methodology
I selected the leaders on this list based on their relevance, demonstrated expertise and impact, professional credibility, and ongoing contributions to the field.
I look for evidence such as leading meaningful initiatives or delivering notable results within their organizations, developing influential ideas or practices, publishing research or educational resources, speaking or teaching, and other contributions that demonstrate impact within their work or the broader field.
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