Economist and Aerospace Engineer, Former Head of Strategy at Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, Financial Times Writer and Sky News Commentator
Sinéad O’Sullivan
€15k–€25k
UK (incl NI)
Sinéad O’Sullivan
Economist and Aerospace Engineer, Former Head of Strategy at Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, Financial Times Writer and Sky News Commentator
Why book Sinéad O’Sullivan?
- Sinéad O’Sullivan brings together aerospace engineering, economics and strategy, with experience spanning NASA, the US military, MIT and Harvard Business School.
- She makes complex global trends understandable, combining deep analytical expertise with experience as a writer and broadcaster for the Financial Times and Sky News.
- Sinéad connects the dots between economics, technology and geopolitics in a way that explains what changing conditions mean for business, government, innovation and the workforce.
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Biography
Sinéad O’Sullivan is an economist, aerospace engineer and writer who examines the economic, technological and geopolitical forces reshaping the world.
She writes for the Financial Times and the Irish Times, and appears regularly on Sky News, where she analyses economics, technology, business and geopolitics. Her writing has also appeared in The New Yorker, Vogue Magazine and the FT Magazine.
Sinéad’s work sits at the intersection of economics, technology and strategy. She examines how major shifts in technology, capital, geopolitics and institutions translate into consequences for businesses, governments and society — from innovation and investment to competitiveness, workforce planning and economic growth.
She trained as an aerospace engineer, working on next-generation technology for NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the US Air Force and the US Navy, before moving into economics and strategy. She subsequently led research at MIT on emerging technology, national security and democracy and served as Head of Strategy to Professor Michael Porter at Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness.
Her advisory work spans governments, financial institutions, companies and public institutions across the US, UK and Europe.
Sinéad holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, and a First-Class degree from Queen’s University Belfast. She is a Presidential Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering.
She is also the author of Good Ideas and Power Moves, published by Penguin.
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Topics
Sinéad helps audiences understand the major economic, technological and geopolitical forces reshaping the world, and what they mean for business, government and society.
Her talks connect big-picture trends to practical questions: how organisations should think about innovation, investment, workforce planning, competitiveness and strategic risk. Audiences leave with a clearer framework for understanding what is changing, why it matters, and how to respond.
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The World Is Changing Faster Than Organisations Can Adapt
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Economic, technological and geopolitical change is reshaping the environment in which organisations operate. This talk examines the forces driving that change and what they mean for business, government and the workforce.
Takeaways
- Understand the major structural trends reshaping the economy
- Identify which changes are temporary and which represent deeper shifts
- Translate global trends into implications for organisational strategy and workforce planning
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The New Geography of Power
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The global economy is being reshaped by changing relationships between countries, technology, capital and supply chains. This talk explores how geopolitics increasingly affects economic decisions, from investment and innovation to industrial strategy and corporate risk.
Takeaways
- Understand how geopolitical shifts are changing economic incentives
- See how technology, trade, energy and capital are becoming increasingly interconnected
- Think more strategically about geopolitical risk and opportunity
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The Economics of Innovation: What Happens After the Breakthrough?
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Technological breakthroughs attract enormous attention, but the economic impact depends on what happens afterwards: investment, infrastructure, talent, markets, institutions and adoption. This talk examines what determines whether innovation becomes genuine economic transformation.
Takeaways
- Understand what makes new technologies economically significant
- Identify the barriers between technological potential and widespread adoption
- Think differently about innovation, investment and the future of work
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What the Future of Work Actually Looks Like
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AI and technological change are transforming how organisations work — but the implications go far beyond automation. This talk explores how changing technology, demographics, productivity and economic conditions will reshape jobs, skills and organisational structures.
Takeaways
- Understand how technological change is likely to alter work and skills
- Think beyond simple narratives about “jobs being replaced”
- Develop better frameworks for workforce planning and organisational adaptation
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Masterclasses
Reading the World: A Framework for Strategic Decision-Making
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A 90–120 minute interactive masterclass on how to understand the economic, technological and geopolitical forces shaping an organisation’s operating environment.
Participants learn how to identify structural trends, connect developments across seemingly unrelated sectors, assess their implications for markets and organisations, and distinguish meaningful change from short-term noise.
The session uses real-world examples across technology, economics, geopolitics, business and government.
Participants leave with a practical framework for:
- Understanding major economic and geopolitical trends
- Assessing technological and market disruption
- Thinking about innovation and investment
- Planning for changes in skills and the workforce
- Turning external change into strategic decisions
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Videos
CHAOS THEORY, CREATIVITY + TAYLOR SWIFT: Sinéad O’Sullivan in conversation | Ireland's Edge 2020
Fmr. Harvard Researcher on the Economics of SpaceX
Books
Good Ideas and Power Moves: Ten Lessons for Success from Taylor Swift (Penguin, 2025)
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Enquire about Sinéad O’Sullivan today!
Economist and Aerospace Engineer, Former Head of Strategy at Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, Financial Times Writer and Sky News Commentator
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