What topics does Ken Corey speak about?

Ken speaks about leadership and management, the epidemic of bad bosses and how to fix it, AI's impact on the way we work, building engineering cultures that last, and employee experience. His talks draw on decades of hands-on experience as an engineering leader, CTO, and co-author of Bad Bosses Ruin Lives.

What types of events does Ken Corey speak at?

Ken speaks at conferences, company events, leadership offsites, and podcast recordings. He has spoken at events across Europe including Iceland and Croatia.

How do I book Ken Corey as a speaker?

The best way to reach Ken to discuss speaking opportunities is via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kencorey/. He is happy to discuss topic fit, format, and availability.

Speaking — Ken Corey

What I Talk About

I speak at conferences, company events, and on podcasts about the things I've spent my career figuring out — why leadership is so hard, why bad bosses are so common, and what technology can and can't fix.

Bad Bosses Ruin Lives

Our research found that 99.5% of people have had one or more types of bad boss. That's not anecdote — it's a crisis. This talk explores why bad management is so persistent, what it costs organisations, and what managers can actually do about it. Based on the forthcoming book co-authored with Step It Up HR.

What AI Is Actually Doing to How We Work

Not the hype, not the doom — the honest picture from someone building with AI tools every day. What's changing in how engineering teams work, where the real productivity gains are, and what managers need to think differently about as AI becomes part of the team.

Building Engineering Cultures That Last

From leading 43 engineers at a fintech startup to running the Android team at Santander (2.2 million monthly active users), I've seen what separates engineering cultures that scale from those that fall apart. This talk covers hiring, onboarding, psychological safety, and what "culture" actually means in practice.

The Spaghetti Career — and How to Navigate It

Careers don't go in straight lines — and that's fine. Based on my own path from the US Army to Sun Microsystems Labs to fintech to authoring a book on management, this talk is for anyone who has taken the scenic route through their working life.

Where I've Spoken

Conferences across Europe, including events in Iceland and Croatia
Company leadership offsites and all-hands events
Podcast appearances on leadership, HR, and technology topics

Format

I'm comfortable as a keynote speaker, panelist, or workshop facilitator. Talks can be tailored for leadership audiences, HR and people teams, or engineering and technology teams. I'm based in the UK and available for travel.

Press & Media

Ken Corey and Bad Bosses Ruin Lives have been featured in:

Forbes — expert comment on leadership and team relationships (February 2024)
People Management (CIPD, 400K monthly readers) — leadership and bad boss research (February 2024)
Stylist — embracing bad boss traits and spotting management failures (January 2024)
Metro — the 10 types of bad boss (January 2024)
i News — types of bad bosses and what to do about them (January 2024)
The Sun — managing up: what you can do about a bad boss (January 2024)
Maddyness — how to inspire an unmotivated team (February 2024)
HR Dive — interview on HR leadership research (January 2024)
CEO World — enabling staff to do their best work (February 2024)
Training Journal — book review and article on blocker bosses (March 2024)
Entrepreneur Middle East — how to avoid the traps of being a bad boss (February 2024)
BBC Radio Newcastle — interview for Employee Appreciation Day (February 2024)
Down to Business, Newstalk (788K weekly listeners) — interview on bad boss research (January 2024)

Get in Touch

The best way to reach me is via LinkedIn. Tell me about your event, the audience, and what you're hoping to leave them with — and we'll figure out if there's a fit.