Belinda Parmar OBE

Belinda Parmar OBE is the Chief Executive Officer of The Empathy Business, an award-winning consultancy helping global organisations embed empathy into their leadership, culture, and customer experience. With over two decades of experience transforming workplaces, Belinda is recognised as a leading authority on the intersection of empathy, technology, and business performance.

Belinda brings unique insight from her work with some of the world’s largest companies across finance, energy, and technology including Barclays Bank, Lloyds, AGL, OVO, Aston Martin, Toyota, and AB InBev. Her global work spans diverse regulatory, cultural, and operational contexts, giving her a deep understanding of how leadership behaviours translate across markets. Her results-driven approach to emotional intelligence in business has delivered measurable impact: her work with AGL, one of the world’s largest energy companies, led to a 20.9% reduction in customer complaints and $1.7 million in cost savings, proving that empathy drives both human and commercial outcomes.

A strong advocate for the responsible use of AI, Belinda is currently leading Empathy & AI pilot programmes in major organisations to explore how technology can support more human-centric
business practices. Her philosophy is grounded in the belief that the future of work lies in enhancing human connection through the smart application of technology.

Beyond her corporate work, Belinda serves as a Non-Executive Director for the UK Ministry of Defence and has just been shortlisted for Woman of The Year for the Stevie Awards. She received an OBE for Services to Women in Technology, and her company, The Empathy Business, was recently shortlisted for Best Innovation in Customer Service at the ECCCS Awards 2025.

Recently trained as a barrister, Belinda’s career reflects her core belief; that magic happens when head meets heart, when logic is fused with emotion, and when AI is designed to serve humanity.

Belinda is currently writing a book for Penguin Random House on turning empathy into a practical leadership toolkit.

Speech Topic: 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?