Nik Gowing

Global thought leader and former BBC World News anchor helping leaders build the Mind Muscle needed to navigate disruption and uncertainty.

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“Nik was far more than a co-host, presenter or moderator at Unleashed. He was a co-creator, constantly challenging with a mission to improve, enhance and to create the best possible outcome for us. The outcome was fantastic, and we are still surfing the waves of its success”

Peter Sandberg

Deputy CEO, Stockholm Chamber of Commerce

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Non-binding request for Nik Gowing

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Why book Nik Gowing for your next event

Nik delivers tailored keynotes, moderation and workshops shaped precisely to leadership challenges, drawing on decades of experience at the highest global levels.
He helps leaders build new “Mind Muscle” through candid, closed-door conversations that confront accelerating risks with clarity, honesty and urgency.
Trusted by governments, Fortune 500 companies and global forums, Nik brings unmatched authority, insight and gravitas to complex discussions.

Non-binding request for Nik Gowing

Global thought leader, futurist, award-winning moderator and former BBC World News anchor

Nik Gowing is widely commended as a global thought leader, futurist, keynote speaker, and award-winning event moderator. He works with leaders across business, government and institutions to help them navigate disruption and uncertainty by developing the new “Mind Muscle” required to confront unthinkables head on. As Founder and Director of Thinking the Unthinkable, Nik has spent more than a decade engaging with senior decision-makers to uncover why so many struggle to adapt to the pace, scale and complexity of change. With a rare combination of journalistic authority, academic rigour and frontline leadership insight, Nik challenges audiences to rethink assumptions, face uncomfortable truths and lead with greater clarity and courage.

Nik Gowing – How to Lead Boldly in Our Disrupted World

Nik Gowing is Founder and Director of the Thinking the Unthinkable (TTU) project, launched in 2014 to explore how leaders respond when familiar systems, assumptions and strategies no longer hold. His work focuses on empowering leaders to navigate uncertainty, disruption and crisis by developing the mental resilience and openness required in a rapidly changing world. Through deep engagement with organisations and senior leadership teams, Nik reveals why adaptation has become so difficult, even at the highest levels.

Thinking the Unthinkable and Building New Mind Muscle

At the heart of Nik’s work is the concept of building new “Mind Muscle”. Through confidential interviews, presentations, workshops and mentoring, he encourages leaders to speak frankly behind closed doors about the realities they face. Thinking the Unthinkable draws on direct access to senior figures across business, public service and government, creating rare insight into the unpalatable risks and unspoken pressures shaping decision-making today. Nik’s approach enables leaders to confront disruption with greater honesty, urgency and understanding.

A Career at the Centre of Global Events

Nik was a main news presenter for BBC World News from 1996 to 2014, anchoring the BBC’s international 24-hour news channel during some of the most defining moments of recent history. He presented programmes including The Hub with Nik Gowing, BBC World Debates and Dateline London, alongside extensive live coverage from major global events. He is particularly remembered for his live reporting of Princess Diana’s car crash in Paris in 1997, including the announcement of her death, and for anchoring coverage during the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States.

Award-Winning Journalism and International Authority

Before joining the BBC, Nik spent 18 years at ITN in senior editorial roles, including Bureau Chief in Rome and Warsaw, and Diplomatic Editor for Channel 4 News. In 1982, he received a prestigious BAFTA award for his coverage of the imposition of martial law in Poland. His journalism has consistently focused on power, diplomacy, conflict and the realities behind official narratives, themes that continue to inform his work with leaders today.

Academic Insight and Global Advisory Roles

Nik has served two terms on the councils of leading think tanks including Chatham House and the Royal United Services Institute. He is a Visiting Professor at King’s College London and previously held a similar role at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His advisory experience includes membership of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Geo-Economics and advising the President of the UN General Assembly on leadership challenges.

Anticipating the Age of Disruption

In 2009, Nik authored the peer-reviewed Oxford University study Skyful of Lies and Black Swans, which anticipated what is now widely known as “fake news”. The study identified the growing vulnerability and brittleness of institutional power within an all-pervasive public information space. This research underpins much of his current thinking on trust, authority and leadership in a fragmented media environment.

Recognition and Ongoing Impact

Nik holds Honorary Doctorates from Exeter University and Bristol University, recognising his distinguished career in international journalism and his continued contribution to global leadership thinking. Since 2021, he has been a Distinguished Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. Today, Nik Gowing remains a trusted voice for leaders seeking to understand disruption, confront uncomfortable realities and lead more boldly in an unpredictable world.

Customer Reviews

Peter Sandberg Deputy CEO, Stockholm Chamber of Commerce

"Thinking the Unthinkable and then acting on it...Nik Gowing put it so beautifully - we need to Think the Unthinkable and then design systems to tackle them. We can so often avoid the hard conversation: bury our heads in the sand, avoid the elephant in the room and where does that get us? Unprepared and out of time. Being brave enough to Think the Unthinkable needs elevation in every boardroom."

Kylie Porter Chief Executive Officer, Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3)

“A big thank you for your superb chairing of both the Sustainable Innovation Forum and Hydrogen Transition Summit. It was a pleasure working with you and we’ve received numerous compliments on your excellent moderating throughout both events. As ever, your ability to engage the audience and dig deeper into topics with panellists helped ensure everyone involved – from speakers to attendees to virtual viewers – left with more. We look forward to working with you again. You smashed it, mate”.

Thom Marx Programme Director, Climate Action

"Your work with Thinking the Unthinkable, - challenging leaders to confront uncomfortable realities, rethink entrenched assumptions and build strategic resilience - clearly struck a chord. Several members have commented on how energising it was to be pushed to think, to reassess and to challenge. In a room full of senior business and thought leaders, that is no mean feat, and you delivered it with clarity, provocation and real authority."

Janine Stow Founder, The Quorum Network

"Your guidance and skillful facilitation were central to the success of the session. The way you steered the discussion, highlighted key insights, and created space for diverse perspectives greatly enriched the conversation and elevated the overall quality of the event. Your presence not only fostered a dynamic and meaningful exchange but also inspired participants to reflect critically and act purposefully...It was an honor to have you with us as moderator for this important event."

Dino Patti Djalal Founder, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia

"Prompting and challenging us was the wonderfully charming and incisive Nik Gowing - a born compere if there ever was one. The SCC had brought together around 40 C-Suite and senior representatives from both Swedish and UK business, and it was cheering to see bilateral debate in full flow throughout the evening, and in the best of spirits."

Sunny Mann Global Chair, Baker McKenzie

Keynotes

Keynote by Nik Gowing:

Thinking the Unthinkable

This urgent and engaging keynote presentation helps audiences gain a deeper understanding of how to positively navigate geopolitical shifts, technological disruption, and climate risk - both now and in the future.

Nik Gowing delivers a tailored, thought-provoking keynote engagement that challenges conventional wisdom and inspires action.The session cuts through orthodoxies to reveal the unthinkable realities dramatically reshaping how we do everything.

Leave with a renewed sense of urgency, purpose, and confidence in facing the new realities now. Develop new 'Mind Muscle' to help you and your team predict and navigate future disruption.

We tailor each keynote event for your participants and sector. This ensures maximum relevance and impact. Our involvement blends real time global insights on geopolitical developments and trends with interactive engagement and compelling story telling. This will ensure participants are not overwhelmed, but think differently and positively about the new disruptions.

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Workshop by Nik Gowing:

Thinking the Unthinkable - Building New Mind Muscle

Thinking the Unthinkable workshops provide a private, confidential space where leaders tackle their most pressing challenges. Leaders can question their own assumptions, and generate for themselves bold, actionable strategies.

Our workshops can be of any size. They are designed to be highly engaging, encouraging active participation and collaboration through hands-on activities and discussions. Focused on real-world challenges, we provide actionable insights and strategies that participants can consider to implement immediately in their organisations.

Each workshop is tailored to the unique needs of your organisation. This ensures that the content is relevant and directly applicable to what you face.

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Keynote by Nik Gowing:

Thinking the Unthinkable (Moderation)

Nik Gowing facilitates in-depth conversations that tackle complex topics. This allows for a thorough and frank exploration of new options for tackling the most pressing issues. Our event moderation is designed for organisations hosting high-level discussions that require depth, engagement, and clarity. Whether you are leading a global conference, a private executive roundtable, or a thought leadership event, we ensure discussions are positive, engaging and solution-driven.

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