Rachel Botsman

When the world feels complex and fast-moving, trust becomes a powerful source of clarity and confidence. It gives people the courage to take smart risks, collaborate across teams, and lean into change instead of resisting it. Yet despite how often we use the word, trust is still clouded by myths. In this keynote, Rachel deconstructs those misconceptions and invites audiences to rethink trust as something they can actively shape. With her ‘Risk–Trust Lens’ framework, she shows why the balance between risk and trust is the hallmark of adaptive leadership and shares practical tools leaders can use to build cultures where people feel safe, supported, and ready to step into the unknown.

Participants will learn:

• Why trust is the foundation of resilience in uncertain times.
• How to use the ‘Risk–Trust Lens’ to make smarter decisions under pressure.
• The four traits every leader must consistently demonstrate to earn trust.
• Why cultures built on trust consistently outperform those built on control.

Why do some innovations fail while others succeed? The difference is rarely the technology; it’s whether people trust it enough to make the leap. Every breakthrough depends on what Rachel calls a Trust Leap: the decision to embrace a new way of working, creating, or connecting. Yet too often, innovators obsess over features and functions and overlook the trust conditions that truly determine adoption. Drawing on 15 years of work with Fortune 500 companies and start-ups, Rachel shares her ‘Trust Leap’ framework, showing why designing for trust is as essential as designing for usability or beauty. Through stories that span from historical inventions to today’s disruptive start-ups, she reveals how trust is the hidden design layer that allows ideas to take root and grow.

Participants will learn:

• Why trust is the bridge that makes people willing to take risks on new ideas.
• The design principles that encourage people to make a ‘Trust Leap.’
• How to identify and close the trust gaps that quietly block adoption.

AI is rapidly reshaping how we make decisions, create, work, and even trust one another. But here’s the challenge: most of the questions about trust and AI are framed incorrectly. The real issue is not whether people should trust AI, but how we design AI systems to be genuinely trustworthy. Rachel uses her ‘Trust Shift’ framework to show how every major leap in history has required new forms of trust, and why AI marks a fundamentally different moment that forces us to rethink the rules altogether.

Participants will learn:

• Why the real question is not “should we trust AI?” but “when is it trustworthy?”
• The challenges and possibilities of shifting trust from people to intelligent systems
• How the AI Trust Matrix reveals where different systems stand on trustworthiness
• The four dimensions that determine whether an AI system earns or loses confidence.

Trust is both the foundation and the result of strong relationships. It is fundamental to meaningful interactions with employees and customers. Yet, there are misconceptions about how trust really works. How do you earn trust in the early stages of a relationship and sustain it over time? What does it mean to be a trustworthy leader or brand? Does transparency lead to more trust? Can trust be fixed when it breaks down? In this session, Rachel will help participants rethink what trust is and why it’s so critical in the digital age.

Please note that this keynote can be customized to focus on leadership, culture or innovation. e.g., ‘Rethinking Trust & Leadership.’

Why do some innovations fail, and others succeed? Trust is often the key differentiator. You can only get people – employees or customers – to use a new product or service if they’re willing to take what Rachel calls a ‘trust leap’ – to take a risk to do something new or different. Based on a decade of research and teaching with Fortune 500 companies and start-ups – Rachel will map out the principles of how you ‘Design for Trust’ in ways that help new ideas succeed. She also shares how designers, entrepreneurs and leaders can improve practices to ensure new technologies are trustworthy.

A profound trust shift is happening in our workplaces – the old hierarchal rules of trust are no longer relevant. As employee and cultural dynamics evolve faster than ever before, how can we lead with trust amid all this uncertainty and flux? What does it take to be a trustworthy leader? In this talk, Rachel explains the trust shift underway and how leaders can navigate and adapt to new employee expectations.

Trust is fundamental to a high performing teams and cultures. It provides people with a sense of belonging and a feeling of safety. However, with the dynamics of teams in a state of flux, there are many questions around how best to keep people connected and engaged. How can people feel more trusted to take risks? How can trust enable disagreement and difficult conversations? And what does a high trust culture look like in the modern world? In this session, Rachel will help participants rethink what trust is and why it’s critical to learning and growth at work.

As AI rapidly expands its role in our lives, an important question is being asked: what level of trust can – and should – we place in AI systems? Renowned trust expert Rachel Botsman brings a different perspective to panels and leadership discussions on what trusting AI really means. She will explain why we need to think differently to earn and maintain trust in AI – and propose how we can make AI systems more trustworthy.

Trust is both the foundation and the result of a strong culture, and it’s fundamental to creating a better world of work. Yet, with the dynamics of teams in a state of flux, it has never been more challenging to keep people connected, engaged and aligned with company values – and with each other. In this dynamic keynote, leading expert Rachel Botsman will challenge your assumptions and reframe how trust really works. You’ll walk away with clear frameworks and actionable ideas on how to put trust at the heart of your leadership and culture.

How do we lead with trust amid all this uncertainty and flux? In this keynote, leading expert Rachel Botsman reveals how leaders can develop a ‘confident relationship with the unknown’: the essence of trust. She explains why we need to rethink our assumptions about what makes a trustworthy leader, including why being comfortable with doubt and humility are critical skills for the 21st century.

Why do some innovations fail and others succeed? Trust is the key differentiator. You can only get people – employees or customers – to use a new product or service if they’re willing to take a ‘trust leap’ – to take a risk to do something new or different. Based on a decade of research and teaching with Fortune 500 companies and start-ups – Rachel Botsman will map out the principles of how you get teams to design for trust in ways that help new ideas succeed and be trustworthy. She also shares how designers, entrepreneurs and leaders can improve practices to consider the unintended consequences of new technologies.