Fiona Passantino

Most organisations have announced AI strategies that their non-technical employees cannot act on. Adoption stalls not because the tools are inadequate but because the majority of the workforce has no framework for integrating AI into the work they actually do. Leaders are caught between a small group of early adopters running unsupervised and a larger group that has quietly opted out, and neither is being served by communications built for engineers.

Fiona Passantino is an AI integration specialist who helps non-technical professionals and their organisations close the gap between AI awareness and practical, embedded adoption, drawing on a 15-year corporate career in HR and communications and an AI-focused MBA from the University of Amsterdam.

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Why organisations work with Fiona Passantino

  • Her AI Integration Roadmap gives organisations a structured, sequential process for embedding AI across teams, not a list of tools, but a governance-aware framework that accounts for readiness, culture and communication at each stage
  • She addresses the segment most AI programming leaves behind: the competent, non-technical professional who is capable of meaningful AI adoption but has no entry point designed for them
  • Her 15 years inside major European multinationals – including Philips, NN-Group and Danone – means she understands the internal resistance, governance gaps and anxiety that follow AI announcements from the inside
  • AI-Powered Professional and the Comic Books for Executives series (2023 UK Business Book Award) are practical, illustrated resources audiences leave with, extending the impact of a session beyond the room
  • She connects AI adoption directly to the disciplines organisations already invest in: internal communications, employee engagement and culture; making the case for AI readiness in language leadership teams already use

Biography highlights

  • Creator of the AI Integration Roadmap, a structured framework for practical, organisation-wide AI adoption
  • Author of AI-Powered Professional (2025) and the Comic Books for Executives series; Handbook for Post-Covid Engagement won the 2023 UK Business Book Awards and a Goody Award for Thought Leadership
  • MBA in Management with an AI concentration from the University of Amsterdam
  • 15 years in corporate HR and internal communications at Danone, Philips, NN-Group, PostNL and Achmea
  • TEDx speaker; has addressed audiences at events for the European Commission, Business Insider and Vodafone
  • Host of the Working Humans podcast; founder of Executive Storylines
  • Delivers sessions in English, Dutch and Italian

Biography

Most AI adoption programmes are built for the technically literate. Fiona Passantino built her practice around everyone else – the HR director, the communications lead, the team managers – the non-technical majority on whom successful AI integration actually depends.

After fifteen years in corporate HR and internal communications at companies including Philips, NN-Group and Danone, Passantino understands what AI announcements look like from inside an organisation: the anxiety, the governance gaps, the employees who wait to be told what to do. Her MBA from the University of Amsterdam, with a concentration in AI, gave her the technical vocabulary. Her career gave her the people knowledge. The AI Integration Roadmap, her signature framework, brings both together in a structured, staged process that organisations can apply without a technical team leading it.

Her books make the argument in concrete form. The Comic Books for Executives series won at the 2023 UK Business Book Awards; AI-Powered Professional (2025) is a practical, illustrated guide for the professional who has no technical background and limited tolerance for abstraction. As host of the Working Humans podcast and a speaker at events including the European Commission and TEDxLuxembourgCity, she consistently speaks to the audience most AI commentary bypasses.

Her sessions cover AI adoption, communication, employee engagement and organisational culture, connecting AI readiness to the disciplines serious organisations already understand. She delivers in English, Dutch and Italian.

Key speaking topics

  • AI integration for non-technical professionals
  • Human-AI collaboration and co-creation
  • AI literacy and organisational readiness
  • Employee engagement and culture in the age of AI
  • AI and internal communications
  • Workforce upskilling and future skills
  • Professional communication and storytelling

Ideal for

  • HR directors and people teams leading AI adoption or workforce readiness initiatives
  • Internal communications and employee engagement leads managing AI change programmes
  • L&D professionals designing AI upskilling curricula for non-technical workforces
  • Senior leadership teams navigating the cultural and communications challenges of organisation-wide AI integration

Audience outcomes

  • A clear mental model of how AI applies to non-technical roles and everyday workflows, reducing anxiety and increasing practical confidence
  • Working familiarity with the AI Integration Roadmap and how to begin applying it within their own team or organisation
  • Practical strategies for managing employee resistance and uneven adoption across a workforce
  • Sharper understanding of how to communicate AI initiatives in ways that land with non-technical colleagues and teams
  • A concrete resource, AI-Powered Professional, that extends the value of the session beyond the event itself

Talks

The Robots are Coming: The Future of Embodied AI

Examines the emergence of AI-powered humanoid robots and what it means for workplaces, workforces and business strategy in the near term.

Key takeaways:

  • Understanding the technological foundations of embodied AI, including AI-assisted learning, self-improvement, and current capability limits
  • Business implications for industries facing labour shortages, cost pressure and difficult working environments
  • Leadership considerations for workforce planning, reskilling and cultural adaptation as physical AI enters the workplace
The Business Case for Quantum Computing

A non-technical introduction to quantum computing that equips business leaders with the context to evaluate its relevance to their industry and risk landscape.

Key takeaways:

  • A practical understanding of quantum computing fundamentals; qubits, superposition and entanglement without requiring a technical background
  • How quantum computing intersects with AI, pharmaceuticals, finance and cybersecurity, and what early adoption signals look like
  • Clarity on real-world use cases and how leading organisations are beginning to apply quantum technologies
Standup Comedy for Professional Communication

A practical keynote drawing on stand-up comedy technique to strengthen business communication, presentation impact and audience engagement.

Key takeaways:

  • Specific techniques from stand-up, timing, crowd work, and use of silence, applied to professional presentation contexts
  • How to use body language, vulnerability and relatability to build trust and sustain attention in business settings
  • Tools for creating memorable moments, improving recall and delivering presentations with greater confidence and energy
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Testimonials

The team was wildly enthusiastic about the workshop Fiona gave, so thank you very much for your engaging energy and your willingness to share your extensive knowledge with us. Personally, I also admire your ability to remain flexible and calm under pressure.
F. Fransen
Sr. Category Director, deSter Annual Communications Training
Loved your points on, enjoy the moment, co-creation model, mixture of experts, anxiety decision tree, where the human steps in. I am looking forward to the full book when it's ready. And your insights on principles, ethics, values, bias, content credentials, traceability, and internal AI that is ring fenced, maybe 🤔.
F. Dias
Internal Communications Manager, AI Summit Conference
We were also treated to an amazing workshop by Fiona Passantino on Stand-Up Comedy for Business Communication. 😂🎤 The audience was captivated and left in stitches, all while learning how humor can enhance our communication skills. It was both enlightening and entertaining!
Barbara Jan
President Toastmasters the Hague, Toastmasters, the Hague annual event
It was a great experience; we all learned from your talk. We've received fantastic feedback from customers on your session. Thank you once again for the valuable insights you brought for our audience.
M. Lowe
Marketing Manager, Barry Callebaut UK&I
Thank you again, Fiona absolutely nailed it (as moderator of our event). The way she held the room, brought her humour in just the right doses, and made space for everyone to feel seen and comfortable… It really set the tone for the evening. So many people told me afterwards how comfortable and open the space felt!
B. Rajendran
Women in AI Benelux
Thank you so much Fiona Passantino. An excellent session where you taught us so much in such a short time! Really enjoyed it and so did our cities!
O. Shafqat
Energy Transition Manager, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences & the Royal Institute of Technology Netherlands 
How wonderful and thank you! I am truly a novice at AI; but no more after your great presentation to the WESCO HR team. Your talk has fostered within me a plan to dig in and learn much more! Love, too, your “stay human” closing statement ..on that I am an expert in all its joys and messiness both professionally and personally! Wishing you continued success. Renewed thanks.
S. Bruno
Manager, Wesco Supply
Thank you for doing such a great job as our MC — your presence really elevated the session, and we’ve already received good feedback.
P. Tsouroukidis
Marketing Manager, ComEx | FPS
I thought the presentation was great! I love how passionate and relatable she is.
S. Riley
HR.com
The AI presentation was much appreciated! Personally I learned much more about AI and, thanks to her clear explanation, I have a better idea of how it works and if how it can be applied!
N. Morelli
Rotary Club The Hague
The facilitator was so very knowledgeable and I would recommend this presentation to anyone who is a novice in AI; she was excellent!! You all will need to invite her back again for another similar presentation.
L. Carola
HR.com
The team thoroughly enjoyed the keynote speech and the interactive session that followed. It was a great meeting for learning more about AI.
F. Baily
HR Lead CLL
Fiona Passantino's masterclass was so inspiring and educational for Sales Marketers! It is indeed exciting to see how AI is transforming our understanding of the world and enabling us to develop new skills. It was particularly instructive in sharing knowledge and exploring the potential of AI. This is crucial in our rapidly evolving technological world. Here's to more inspiring and educational experiences in the future!🤓
D. Van Damme
Salesmarketeer.nl
Fiona has the unique ability to balance practical tips on ChatGPT and Mid Journey with a wealth of knowledge on AI. I had the chance to witness her powerful presence when she gave a workshop held for 70 people with the aim of encouraging female leadership, where she successfully translated the theory of Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning into a captivating message with a wonderful sense of humour met with enthusiasm from the participants. We are grateful Fiona volunteered her time and gave a workshop for Female Ventures.
V. Veleva
Female Ventures NL
Thank you Fiona for a really thought provoking session. Left me with a lot of thoughts around the role of AI in speeding up what we do, and how we can use it to improve the visual nature of our messages. It's always been the costliest part of comms to create visually engaging stories but as you say Fiona, so much opportunity if we do.
H. Simpkins
Senior Internal Communications Business Partner, AXA UK
***** (5/5 stars) Fiona coordinated internal communication and engagement efforts at Philips Design with strong hands-on knowledge and a positive attitude. In particular, we worked together on creating a storytelling course aimed at designers and innovators for pitching their projects. She brought insightful and targeted content on story ingredients and structure, but she also impressed me with her use of narratives and visuals to make the course engaging, and her mesmerising presentation skills.
E. Talgorn
Senior Design Strategist, Philips Experience
Fiona is a great trainer and presenter, someone able to break down complex concepts and topics into an easy-to-follow, engaging flow. While listening to her online seminar, time flew by very quickly, and I walked away with actionable steps and ideas on how to improve my work and day-to-day commitments. I warmly recommend Fiona as a trainer, speaker, educator, in both online and offline engagements!
M. Nenadovic, PhD
I thoroughly enjoyed Fiona’s presentation at the Hr Network conference yesterday. Some really useful advice which I know I can use with my clients.
Dr R. Williams
NHS Stress Management
Really inspiring keynote at #hrnc23 from the amazing Fiona Passantino on how to be engaged, focused, and how to prioritise the 'human' in 'human resources’. I especially loved how she talked about real fun vs forced fun at work, so much of it resonated with me! 
K. Male
Roffey Park Institute
Great keynote by Fiona Passantino about how one can drive engagement in jobs with lower autonomy, or lower org commitment. Her thoughts on gamification and encouraging a healthy competition to foster performance as well as engagement in such jobs is a very interesting approach. 
S. Sachdeva
University of Strathclyde 
Fiona was brilliant. I really enjoyed the visuals and the insights. Evidence based, inspiring and practical - thank you! 
F. Martin
National HR Network Awards, Glasgow Caledonian University
I loved this from Fiona Passantino We all talk about encouraging a diverse range of opinions but that can mean we need to learn to handle creative Rebels.
C. Moore
INSEAD 
Fiona Passantino, thank you for your fantastic and engaging presentation! Thoroughly enjoyed the event and the presentations by all the speakers at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium. 
A. A. Sheikh
Strand Solicitors
I was great listening to Fiona's keynote presentation yesterday! I was thoroughly taken by what she had to say and really got me thinking about my own organisations short comings (and positive aspects!) with regards to focus and engagement! Absolutely delighted to have been introduced to her and her work. Thank you! 
G. Hunter
The Chartered Banker Institute 
Great talk, Fiona; very inspirational.
Dr. A. Egan
Chief Executive Officer, Roffey Park International
Fiona, thank you for such an engaging session this morning at the conference, you really brought the subject to life. I look forward to reading your book soon also!! 
S. Macfarlane
SSEN
I thoroughly enjoyed Fiona's session; it was extremely thought provoking (I was quoting some of her stats to my partner last night around burnout as he works too hard!).
A. MacDonald
Coaching Culture Ltd.
I really enjoyed Fiona's presentation (and her boots!). I will definitely be taking some learnings on conscious workload reduction back to my team. I intend to keep up with her work. 
S. Kincaid
Leading Kind
Just wanted to say thanks again for your brilliant contribution to the panel. You brought such energy and interesting discussions.
G. Wilkinson
TheTruthWorks
Really great and insightful presentation.
T. Pavlova
Learning & Development Manager, Yara International
***** (5/5 stars) Stimulating, to the point, with humor.
W. de Ruijter
Executive Director, VMAGROUP
I really enjoyed Fiona's session in particular; I've already used the 'flow' concept in two conversations already - one with my son and one with a friend.
P. Deaken
CMI
Thank you again for a fantastic presentation. 
A. Killick
Leading Kind
I'll have to say one of my favourite speakers was Fiona Passantino who had the most engaging animated presentation. 
N. Tukur
Leading Kind
I loved Fiona’s presentation! Hugely engaging!
K. McNab, MCIPD
SSE L
Really great and insightful presentation!
K. van den Berg
Head of Talent, ABN AMRO bank bv
So interesting! Far more information that I've had in other presentations on AI.
M. Shortle
HR.com

Books

AI-Powered Professional: Awareness and Integration Guide for Non-Technicals
AI is transforming the way we work, communicate, organise and create. Rationally, we understand the need to successfully integrat…
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Handbook for Post-Covid Communication: A Comic Book for Executives (Post-Covid Handbook)
The Covid-19 pandemic showed us what it meant to be isolated, disconnected and alone. It was a devastating experience to our soci…
Handbook for Post-Covid Engagement: A Comic Book for Executives (Post-Covid Handbook)
This book is about the new, balanced lives we hope to grow into once we get used to our new normal. It is a road map for leaders …

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