Barry O’Reilly helps leaders unlearn outdated thinking, scale innovation, and build agile organizations ready for constant change.
5.00 of 5
Top rated!5 of 5
“Creating a global community of business and technology leaders has been one of the most rewarding achievements during a uniquely challenging moment in business transformation.”
Stephen Franchetti
CIO at Slack
Barry O’Reilly is a globally recognized entrepreneur, bestselling author, and keynote speaker helping organizations unlock innovation by challenging outdated ways of thinking. As the author of Unlearn and co-author of Lean Enterprise, Barry equips leaders with practical tools to drive transformation, embrace agility, and scale innovation across complex organizations. His insights are shaped by years of advising high-growth startups, Fortune 500 companies, and global institutions navigating disruption and change. Through engaging and actionable keynotes, Barry inspires leaders to rethink success, build adaptive cultures, and create organizations designed for the future.
Keynote speaker Barry O’Reilly is known worldwide for helping organizations rethink how they innovate, lead, and grow. His work focuses on one essential idea: success in the future requires the ability to unlearn outdated assumptions, behaviors, and strategies that no longer serve the business.
Barry combines the mindset of an entrepreneur with the experience of a trusted advisor to some of the world’s most ambitious organizations. His keynotes challenge leaders to move beyond legacy thinking and embrace experimentation, agility, and continuous transformation.
Organizations book Barry O’Reilly for events because he delivers more than inspiration. He provides practical frameworks, actionable strategies, and real-world examples leaders can immediately apply inside their own companies. His presentations are engaging, energetic, and deeply relevant for businesses navigating disruption, innovation, and cultural change.
Whether speaking to executives, innovation teams, entrepreneurs, or large global organizations, Barry delivers content that inspires action and long-term impact.
Barry O’Reilly is the author of Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results, an international bestseller that has become essential reading for leaders looking to thrive in rapidly evolving markets.
The concept of unlearning sits at the center of Barry’s work. Many organizations struggle to innovate because they continue relying on strategies and habits built for past success. Barry helps leaders identify these limiting behaviors and replace them with new approaches designed for modern business realities.
His keynote presentations explore how organizations can:
Barry’s approach is practical and grounded in execution. He shares methods leaders can use to test assumptions, validate ideas faster, and build organizations capable of evolving alongside customer needs and market shifts.
For companies facing digital transformation, changing customer expectations, or increasing competition, Barry’s insights provide a roadmap for sustainable innovation.
Barry is also the co-author of Lean Enterprise, another internationally bestselling book recognized by Harvard Business Review as a must-read for CEOs. The book is part of Eric Ries’ respected Lean Series and has helped shape how organizations think about innovation at scale.
Through his work on Lean Enterprise, Barry became known for helping businesses combine startup speed with enterprise execution. His frameworks help large organizations become more adaptive while maintaining operational excellence.
Barry’s keynotes explore topics including:
What makes Barry particularly valuable as a keynote speaker is his ability to bridge strategy and execution. He understands the realities organizations face when trying to transform large teams, legacy systems, and established cultures.
His sessions are filled with examples, case studies, and practical insights that resonate with both leadership teams and operational decision-makers.
Barry’s expertise extends far beyond theory and consulting. He is also the co-founder of Nobody Studios, an ambitious venture studio with the goal of launching 100 companies in five years.
The studio is built around rapid experimentation, crowd-powered innovation, and entrepreneurial execution. This hands-on experience gives Barry direct insight into how successful companies are built in today’s fast-moving business landscape.
By actively creating and scaling new ventures, Barry remains deeply connected to the realities of innovation, uncertainty, and growth. This practical perspective makes his keynote presentations especially relevant for organizations seeking modern approaches to leadership and innovation.
Audiences appreciate that Barry speaks from direct experience. He understands the challenges of testing ideas quickly, adapting to feedback, and making bold decisions in uncertain environments.
His entrepreneurial background brings authenticity, credibility, and energy to every stage.
Barry is also the creator of ExecCamp, an immersive leadership experience where executives build real startups under pressure. The program is designed to help senior leaders break away from conventional thinking and develop entrepreneurial capabilities.
ExecCamp reflects Barry’s belief that transformation cannot happen through theory alone. Leaders need hands-on experiences that challenge assumptions and force new ways of thinking.
This philosophy carries directly into his keynote presentations. Barry encourages leaders to:
His sessions often inspire organizations to rethink how leadership teams operate, collaborate, and make decisions.
Barry’s ability to connect leadership development with innovation strategy makes him a sought-after keynote speaker for conferences, leadership summits, corporate events, and transformation initiatives worldwide.
Organizations book Barry O’Reilly because his message is highly relevant for modern business challenges. In markets defined by constant disruption, companies need leaders who can adapt quickly, innovate effectively, and build resilient organizations.
Barry delivers keynotes that combine strategic thinking, entrepreneurial experience, and practical execution. His engaging presentation style keeps audiences inspired while delivering clear takeaways leaders can apply immediately.
He has worked with startups, global enterprises, and leadership teams across industries, helping organizations create cultures where innovation can thrive.
Book Barry O’Reilly for your event if you want to inspire leaders to embrace change, rethink outdated assumptions, and build organizations designed for long-term growth and innovation.
5 of 5
“Creating a global community of business and technology leaders has been one of the most rewarding achievements during a uniquely challenging moment in business transformation.”
Stephen Franchetti CIO at Slack
5 of 5
“I must say ‘think big, start small’ 40 times a day – it’s a strategy that’s helping not just our technology group, but our entire business become more successful.”
Steven Leist VP, Customer Technology at American Airlines
5 of 5
“Now we set goals in terms of outcomes, not just outputs. We talk hypotheses and test them with quick experiments before architecting solutions. The result? Positive impact for our customers and business.”
Secil Tabli Watson EVP, Head of Digital Solutions for Business at Wells Fargo
Keynote by Barry O'Reilly:
In a world of constant change, what made you successful in the past can hold you back today. In this provocative and practical keynote, Barry O’Reilly explores the power of unlearning, a systematic process to let go of outdated mindsets and behaviors to achieve breakthrough performance. Drawing from real-world case studies of leaders and organizations who have transformed through unlearning, Barry shows how to embrace uncertainty, experiment with new ideas, and build the courage to lead differently.
Audience takeaways
Keynote by Barry O'Reilly:
Traditional enterprise thinking can no longer keep pace with today’s dynamic markets. In this keynote, Barry O’Reilly unpacks the core principles of Lean Enterprise, showing how to build a culture of experimentation, continuous delivery, and high performance. Based on the bestselling book co-authored with Jez Humble and Joanne Molesky, this talk provides a blueprint for leaders who want to scale innovation without sacrificing execution.
Audience takeaways
Keynote by Barry O'Reilly:
AI isn’t just for data scientists, it’s for every executive looking to lead in the next wave of innovation. In this keynote, Barry O’Reilly demystifies AI for business leaders, helping you craft an actionable, strategic approach to adopting and scaling AI inside your organization. From mindset shifts to organizational models, Barry shares how the best companies experiment with AI safely, unlock productivity, and build enduring competitive advantage.
Audience takeaways
Keynote by Barry O'Reilly:
Everyone is talking about AI, but few companies have a clear plan to unlock its potential. In this practical and high-impact keynote, Barry O’Reilly walks executives and leadership teams through how to craft an actionable, company-wide AI strategy that drives real business value. Blending strategic insight with hands-on experience from helping global leaders experiment and scale with AI in just five weeks, Barry shows how to move beyond hype and build a repeatable playbook for AI adoption.
Audience takeaways
Watch Barry O'Reilly in action!
Watch Barry O'Reilly in action!
