Sharon O’Dea is an international keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and panel chair specialising in digital workplace strategy, internal communications, employee experience, and the future of work. Named one of Onalytica’s top 10 future of work influencers and a LinkedIn Top Voice since 2016, she has keynoted conferences and events across the UK, Europe, Asia, and Australia — from intimate practitioner gatherings to global industry summits.
Sharon speaks on the topics organisations are grappling with right now: information overload and infobesity, employee advocacy, AI in the workplace, intranet strategy, and designing communication channels that employees actually use. Her talks combine sharp strategic analysis with practical frameworks, drawn from 20 years advising complex organisations including global banks, professional services firms and world-leading universities.
She is the co-author of Digital Communications at Work (Kogan Page, July 2026), a practical guide to designing communication channels for employee engagement and experience — and increasingly brings the book’s frameworks to her speaking engagements.
Sharon is also the co-founder of 300 Seconds, a not-for-profit that has helped hundreds of women and underrepresented groups in digital build their public speaking confidence since 2013.
Based in Amsterdam, she is available for keynotes, panel appearances, workshop facilitation, podcast appearances, and event hosting. Get in touch to discuss your event.
What organisers say:
“Sharon O’Dea is a massive value add for any event on the future of the workplace. Super smart analysis.”
— Steve Shepperson-Smith, Vodafone
“Your presentations captivated the audience and sparked meaningful conversations throughout the day. It also inspired our sales teams for their next pitches.”
“The level of insight and expertise you shared not only left a lasting impression but also highlighted actionable ideas that many of our attendees found truly inspiring. Your ability to connect with the audience and bring clarity to complex concepts was remarkable, and it added so much to the success of our event.”
— Elise Rostaing, LumApps
Forthcoming
Employee Advocacy
Workshop webinar, online, 22 April 2026
Employee advocacy is one of the most credible — and most underused — channels available to communications teams. But turning willing employees into genuine influencers requires more than a toolkit and a hashtag. In this live panel discussion hosted by Workshop, Sharon O’Dea joins Yanni Pappas (Workshop) and Micaela McGinley (Sprout Social)( to explore what actually works: how to identify the right people, give them the right support, and build a culture where sharing feels natural rather than coerced. Practical, honest, and grounded in real programme experience.(sign-up here)
300 Seconds: Lightning talks from first-time speakers (host/compere)
Camp Digital, Manchester, 7 May 2026
Sharon O’Dea returns to Camp Digital to host 300 Seconds, the lightning talk format she co-founded in 2013 to give women and underrepresented groups in digital a platform to find their voice. Each speaker gets five minutes — no slides required. Now in its 14th year, Camp Digital remains one of the UK’s most distinctive digital and design conferences, and 300 Seconds remains its most energetic session.
What GLP-1 Drugs Can Teach Us About Information Overload at Work
IABC Heads of Communications SIG, online, 14 May 2026
Many organisations are facing infobesity — a constant stream of emails, alerts, and updates competing for limited employee attention. The issue isn’t effort, but volume: when overwhelmed with information, people tune out. Sharon O’Dea uses the analogy of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs to explore what organisations can learn about communication overload, arguing that the answer lies not in better targeting, but in genuine information restraint — prioritising relevance, quality, and timing over constant output.
Panellist
Unily Ex Forum, Amsterdam, 27 May 2026
Sharon O’Dea joins senior IT, HR and communications leaders at Unily’s EX Forum Amsterdam — co-hosted with Lithos Partners and ASML — for a working session on unlocking business value from employee experience. As AI reshapes the digital workplace and budgets tighten, the conversation moves beyond adoption metrics to what actually changed for the business. A practical, peer-led format for leaders who need to demonstrate ROI, not just engagement.
If Infobesity Is the Problem, What’s Your Ozempic?: Information overload in internal communication
Unmute Events (online), 9 June 2026
The average knowledge worker is interrupted every few minutes by a notification, email, or alert — and spends over two hours a day just searching for information. Sharon O’Dea and her co-author Jonathan Phillips argue that the answer isn’t smarter tools or better segmentation: it’s organisational restraint. Drawing on the GLP-1 drug analogy, this session explores how communicators can shift from volume to value, and what it actually takes to change the culture of constant output.
Information overload
IABC World Conference, Toronto, 14 June 2026
Sharon O’Dea brings her infobesity session to the IABC World Conference, one of the global communications profession’s flagship gatherings. As organisations grapple with fragmented channels, AI-generated content, and exhausted employees, she makes the case for a fundamentally different approach to workplace communication — one that treats employee attention as a finite resource worth protecting.
Keynote – topic tbc
Omnia customer conference, Malmo, 27 November 2026
Past
The comms ROI playbook: How to get more budget for internal comms
Blink event, online, 18 March 2026
The Present and Future of Work
Navigating Disruption, Podcast, 22 January 2026, (listen on iTunes)
Internal communications and information overload
Swoop Analytics event, Amsterdam, 14 January 2026
Ten lessons from ten years as a LinkedIn Top Voice
Nagasaki, Japan, 30 October 2025
Guest interviewee
Cutting Through with Natasha Plowman, Podcast, 28 July 2025 (listen on iTunes)
300 Seconds: Lightning talks from emerging digital talent (facilitator)
Camp Digital, Manchester, 2 July 2025 (video)
The Intranet Renaissance: Building trust with high-quality content
Intranet Italia, Milan, 19 June 2025
Humanising work with the intranet
LumApps Bright, Paris, 3-4 June 2025
Personalising internal communications at scale
Cerkl Webinar, online, 28 May 2025 (watch on demand)
Humanising work with the intranet
LumApps Bright, Chicago, 29-30 April
Hotel design crimes
PowerPints, Amsterdam, 13 April 2025 (on YouTube)
Outlook 2025: Five Trends Shaping Hybrid Work
Modo Webinar, Online, 12 December 2024
How to optimise for adoption and sustained engagement (panellist)
HR Tech Meetup, Amsterdam, 13 November 2024
Employee Advocacy: unlocking the power of your most authentic marketing channel
Global Marketing Summit, Istanbul, 15 October 2024
Laugh n’ Learn: how to ensure failure in your intranet programme
Digital Workplace Brussels, Brussels, 12 September 2024
Laugh n’ Learn: how to ensure failure in your intranet programme
Social Now, Lisbon, 15-16 May 2024 (video here)
300 Seconds: Lightning talks from emerging digital talent (facilitator)
Camp Digital, Manchester, 8 May 2024
Integrating for Impact: creating a seamless Digital Employee Experience to unlock value from HR tech
HR Technology Europe, Amsterdam, 2-3 May 2024
Transforming comms: the urgent need for better business impact
Poppulo client event, Amsterdam, 21 March 2024
Unleashing your workforce with the digital workplace
CMSWire webinar series, Online, 18 October 2023
SharePoint Intranet Benchmarking Report
SWOOP Analytics webinar, Online, 4 October 2023
The future of Digital Employee Experience (panellist)
Unite, London, 13-14 September 2023
The Next Generation Intranet
Ragan Comms Leadership Council, Online, 17 July 2023
300 Seconds x Camp Digital
Camp Digital, Manchester, 13 July 2023
Building a successful business case (panel discussion)
IntraTeam Event, Copenhagen, 25 May 2023
Designing Digital Employee Experiences That Attract the 2023 Workforce
LumApps webinar series, Online, 23 May 2023
A Modest Proposal To Improve Visibility At Music Venues (again)
PowerPints, Amsterdam, 12 May 2023
A Modest Proposal To Improve Visibility At Music Venues
PowerPints, Amsterdam, 14 April 2023 (on YouTube)
Addressing employee needs and wants with a digital workplace
LumApps webinar series, online, 15 December 2022 (available on demand)
Getting your digital workplace fit for the future of work
LumApps webinar series, Online, 2 November 2022 (available on demand)
The Great Resignation and Tech’s Talent Drought: Reimagining How and Why We Work
World Summit AI, Amsterdam, 12-13 October 2022
The Four Day Week (debate)
World Summit AI, Amsterdam, 12-13 October 2022
The thin line between performance management and surveillance
LinkedIn Live, online, 15 September 2022 (available on demand)
Redefining social responsibility (moderator)
Fujitsu HR webinar series, online, 28 June 2022 (available on demand)
A human-centred future of work
Camp Digital, Manchester, 23 June 2022
Social communication in a hybrid world of work (keynote)
Social Now, Lisbon, 19-20 May 2022
Embracing the future of hybrid working (moderator)
Fujitsu HR webinar series, online, 18 May 2022 (available on demand)
Transforming the frontline (moderator)
Fujitsu HR webinar series, online, 5 May 2022 (available on demand)
Conference wrap-up (moderator)
IntraTeam Event, online, 10 March 2022
Connecting the frontline (moderator)
Fujitsu HR webinar series, online, 10 March 2022
Leader series (live webcast)
What Comes Next, online, 1 March 2022
Navigating predictions for the hybrid workforce (moderator)
Fujitsu tech webinar series, online, 22 February (EMEA) and 24 February (Oceania) 2022
The Hybrid Challenge: Collaboration Across the Digital Divide
Digital Workplace Experience, online, 2-3 February 2022
The future of work for frontline workers (moderator)
Gartner ReimagineHR Conference, Online, 16-17 September 2021
What does the future of work mean for you… and your intranet?
Interact Live, Online, 20 July 2021
Work and wellbeing (panel moderator)
Cisco Advochat, LinkedIn Live, 18 May 2021
Post-pandemic communications
Public Relations Oxford, online, 25 May 2021
Better Work (panel moderator/presenter)
Forward Democracy Forum, online panel , 8 April 2021 (watch the video here)
Disruption and Differentiation
Fujitsu Global, podcast, 12 March 2021 (listen here)
The road to remote first
IntraTeam Event, online conference, 8 March 2021
The future of work: will tech or experience lead?
CIPR London, webinar, 19 January 2021
Going truly remote
Welsh Government, webinar, January 2021
Bringing the Team Together: Collaboration Strategies for Remote and Hybrid Workforces
CMSWire, webinar, November 2020
Dealing with online trolls
CommsHero, online, 29 September 2020
The new normal: plotting the course from crisis mode to a distributed future of work
Digital Work Disruption, online, 26 August 2020
Will 2020 be the life or death of banking innovation?
Seamless Southern Africa, online, 14 August 2020
Ducks on wheels: the new abnormal of work
WB40, podcast, 29 June 2020
The future of work in the wake of Covid-19
CIPR, online, 16 June 2020
The intranet in a changing world of work (keynote)
Value Intranet, Brussels online, 28 May 2020
Digital Workplace Predictions
CMSWire Webinar, online, 22 January 2020
The future of work is already here… it’s just not evenly distributed yet (keynote)
Boye Conference, Aarhus, 4-7 November 2019
Swiss Army Knives: the changing world of collaboration at work
WB40, podcast, 28 October 2019
Spotting signals from the future of work
Boye & Co Future Workplace peer group, Amsterdam, 11 September 2019
Should you build or buy?
Intranet Now, London, 7 June 2019
The future of work is already here… it’s just not evenly distributed yet (keynote)
The Modern Workplace (conference track facilitator)
Boye Conference, New York, 7-9 May 2019
Driving the future of work
London Tech Week, Webinar, 4 April 2019 (available on demand)
FinTech Communication – how to build a sustainable brand and get your head above the parapet (panellist)
CIPR International, London, 25 March 2019
Shaping Tech’s Future Workforce (panellist)
Yolt Unthink Tank, London, 5 March 2019
Agile intranet strategy (workshop) and the digital workplace in the future of work (presentation)
IntraTeam Event, Copenhagen, 26-28 February 2019
The Digital Workplace in FinTech and Financial Services
DW24 Live, online, 27 February 2019
Workplace 2035 (track chair)
FinTechTalents, London, 30-31 October 2018
The Modern Workplace (conference track facilitator)
J Boye, Aarhus, 6-8 November 2018
AI and the intelligent workplace: what you need to know
IntraTeam Event, Stockholm, 4 October 2018
What impact will AI have on communications – and communicators? (panel moderator)
IABC Fusion, Melbourne, 10-11 September 2018
The Future of the Digital Workplace (panellist)
Post*Shift, London, 5 July 2018
How can CVCs more effectively support start-ups? (facilitator)
Global Corporate Venturing Symposium, London, 22-23 May 2018
Employee Experience Thinking For The Digital Workplace
Smile Expo, London, 21 May 2018
Chatbots and AI in the Enterprise
Intra.NET Reloaded, Berlin, 18-20 April 2018
Is Culture A Problem In Banking?
Rebank: Banking The Future Podcast, 17 April 2018
Employee Digital Experience Trends
SocialChorus breakfast event, London, 12 April 2018
Financial Wellness (Panel Moderator)
Innovate Finance Global Summit, London, 19-20 March 2018
Chatbots (Breakout Session Facilitator)
IntraTeam Event, Copenhagen, 27 February-1 March 2018
FinTechInsiders guest panellist
Podcast, 11 December and 30 October 2017, 13 August 2018
Taking Conversational Design to the Next Level
J Boye, Aarhus, Denmark, 7-8 November 2017
Relax or rule? Is governance dead? (panellist)
SMILE, London, 20 November 2017 (read about this session or watch the video)
Employee experience and engagement: triggers and enablers
Enterprise Digital Summit, London, 15-16 November 2017
Taking conversational interfaces to the next level
J Boye 17, Aarhus, Denmark, 7-9 November 2017
Content auditing best practices
Poppulo Communicators Forum, Amsterdam, 19 October 2017
Chatbots for the enterprise
SMILEexpo, London, May 23 2017 (read a review of this session)
Introducing mobile technologies inside the enterprise
IOIC Live, Bristol, May 11 2017
Chatbots 101: an introduction to conversational interfaces for the enterprise
Sessions at IntraTeam Event, Copenhagen, 28 February-2 March 2017. I also presented a session on using enterprise social networks to deliver an innovation culture
Meeting millennial expectations for the future of work
Keynote at Future of Work Conference, London, 23 November 2016
Utility and adoption of enterprise social networks
Keynote at Intranet Dagarna, Stockholm, Sweden, 15-16 November 2016
Managing risk on enterprise social networks
Keynote at Intranatverk, Stockholm, Sweden, 20 October 2016
The Future of Fintech is… boring
Pecha Kucha talk at ustwotalkies: Fintech, London, May 2016
How can brands adapt existing social media strategies to exploit new opportunities?
Panellist at Kantar Media Exchange/CorpComms Magazine event, London, March 2016
Please Collaborate Responsibly!
Keynote session on risk management on enterprise social collaboration platforms, Enterprise Tech Fest, Melbourne, Australia, February 2016
(I also presented one further session, on employee experience for millennials, and was on the closing panel)
Social media in financial services
Guest on the CIPR C-Suite Podcast, December 2015 (available on iTunes and Soundcloud)
How utility drives adoption of enterprise social networks
Presentation at Corporate Communications in Finance Conference, London, UK, September 2015 (presentation available on Slideshare)
Bridging the gaps: how utility drives adoption of enterprise social networks
Lecture at the Institute of Systems Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, June 2015 (see my presentation on Slideshare)
Intranet features you need right now
Short presentation at Intranet Now, London, September 2014 (on Slideshare)
The future’s beautiful: why design matters on intranets
Presentation at Interaction Intranet Conference, London, October 2013
Why Keep Calm Must Stop
Lightning talk at 300 Seconds at the Guardian, London, September 2013 (video available on YouTube)
Mobility and Connectedness: how intranets support mobile working
Keynote talk at Intranatverk, Gothenburg, 22 May 2013 (video available on Vimeo)
An introduction to 300 Seconds
Presentation at OpenTech, London, 18 May 2013
Using social media to gain business advantage
Keynote for the Brunei Economic Development Board, Brunei, 11-12 April 2013 (read about this in the media)
Gamification
Lecture at Brunei Darussalam University, Brunei, April 2013 (read the news story)
Intranets and mobility
Conference session at J Boye, Aarhus, November 2012
10 tips for improving intranet search
Ignite talk at Interaction 2012, London, October 2012
Making intranets mobile
Presenter and workshop facilitator at Advanced Intranets and Portals, Amsterdam, June 2012
The mobile intranet roadmap
Presenter at J Boye Benelux public sector event, Amsterdam, March 2012
Making the intranet mobile at the UK Parliament
Presentation at IntraTeam 2012, Copenhagen, February 2012
Intranets
Session faciliation and live blogging, UKGovCamp 2012, London, January 2012
Developing a mobile intranet for Parliament
Presentation at Interaction 2011, London, October 2011 (speaker)
Going mobile: the enterprise mobility roadmap
Workshop presentation at the J Boye, Austria/Switzerland Community of Practice, Bern, August 2011
Social media in a political context
Workshop facilitator for Harrow Council, July 2011
IBF24
Guest host for the IBF24 livecast, May 2011
Merging intranets from multiple organisations
Presentation at the IBF Member Meeting, London, January 2011
IBF Live
Presentation on the monthly IBF Live webcast, June 2010
Parliament’s intranet: before and after
Presenter at Intranetters , May 2010
Social media in local government
Panellist on the LocalGov.co.uk webcast, October 2009, Social Media Webcast