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Innovation & Future of Work keynote speakers

Duncan Wardle

Innovation & Creativity Expert, Former Head of Innovation at Disney

Speaking feeFee on requestConfirmed for your date on request
  • Keynote · Workshop · Fireside chat
  • English
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Headliner can arrange a booking with Duncan Wardle or their representative. This profile is compiled from public sources; availability and fees are confirmed on request. A listing here does not imply endorsement, affiliation, partnership, or exclusivity.

Signature keynotes

What your audience walks away with

  • Outcome

    The Theory of Creativity™

    "Everyone has the power to be creative." How structured education and corporate process suppress our innate creative thinking — and the Disney-honed tools (including the famous "What If?" method) that unlock dormant creativity and apply it to real business challenges. High-energy, hands-on, and immediately usable.

  • Embed Innovation Into Everyone's DNA™

    How to build a systematic, organization-wide culture of innovation — creating the psychologically safe space where people take creative risks, and giving every team a creative-problem-solving tool they keep using long after the event. For leaders who want innovation to be a habit, not an offsite.

  • Delivering Customer Experience Magic™

    How Disney turns customers into fans. Moving from product-centric to customer-centric thinking, turning problems into revenue opportunities, and using technology to elevate the guest/customer experience — with real Disney examples.

  • The Magic of Storytelling

    How Disney-caliber storytelling makes ideas, brands, and change land — the narrative craft that gets an audience to feel something and act on it.

  • Working in Harmony With AI

    Why the most employable human skills of the next decade — imagination, creativity, curiosity, empathy, and intuition — are precisely the ones AI struggles to replicate, and how people and teams pair those human strengths with AI instead of competing with it.

The story

Who Duncan actually is

Duncan Wardle is an innovation-and-creativity keynote speaker and the former Head of Innovation & Creativity at The Walt Disney Company, where he spent more than 25 years. He joined Disney as an intern in London in 1987 and, over a long career, held VP-level roles in global public relations and international marketing and sales before building Disney's Innovation & Creativity function from scratch — founding the company's Creative Catalyst Team and deploying it across Imagineering, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Disney Parks.

Since leaving Disney, Duncan founded iD8 & innov8, a design-thinking consultancy that works with Fortune-500 companies around the world — including Apple, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, the NBA, IBM, NBCUniversal, and Spotify — helping them make creativity tangible and innovation a shared, everyday capability. He teaches Innovation Masterclasses at Yale and Harvard, contributes to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company, and sits on the Fast Company Executive Board.

In 2024 he distilled his methodology into the book _The Imagination Emporium: Creative Recipes for Innovation_, a practical toolkit that went on to win the 2025 Goody Business Book Award, a 2025 Nautilus Book Award (Gold), and a 2025 Next Generation Indie Book Award (Gold). His recognitions include a White House "American Citizen Award" and an honorary doctorate from Edinburgh Napier University. He is based in Orlando, Florida.

The receipts

Books & publications

  • The Imagination Emporium: Creative Recipes for Innovation

    2024

    a practical, visually-rich toolkit that packages Duncan's Disney-honed method into recipes any team can follow to think differently and bring ideas to life. Winner of the 2025 Goody Business Book Award, a 2025 Nautilus Book Award (Gold), and a 2025 Next Generation Indie Book Award (Gold).

Gravity

Career highlights & recognition

  • Milestone1987

    Former Head of Innovation & Creativity, The Walt Disney Company

    25+ years (joined 1987); founded Disney's Creative Catalyst Team across Imagineering, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm & Parks

  • Credential

    Founder, iD8 & innov8

    design-thinking consultancy for Fortune-500 clients (Apple, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, NBA, IBM, Spotify, NBCUniversal)

  • Award2024

    Author, *The Imagination Emporium: Creative Recipes for Innovation

    * (2024) — winner of three 2025 book awards (Goody; Nautilus Gold; Next Generation Indie Gold)

  • Milestone

    Teaches Innovation Masterclasses at Yale and Harvard

  • Award

    White House "American Citizen Award"

    · Honorary Doctorate, Edinburgh Napier University

  • Milestone2022

    2022 Nordic Business Forum Speaker Contest winner

    · TEDx speaker

  • Milestone

    Harvard Business Review, Forbes & Fast Company

Booking with confidence

What to expect when you book Duncan

  • 01

    Compiled from public sources

    This profile is built from public, verifiable material and stamped with the date it was last reviewed. Nothing here is a claim we cannot trace to a source.

  • 02

    Availability and fees, confirmed

    Tell us your date and brief, and we confirm Duncan's availability and current fee on request. We never publish a fabricated figure or imply an exclusivity we do not hold.

  • 03

    Managed end to end

    From first inquiry to the day itself, Headliner handles briefing, contracting, and logistics, so your team can focus on the event.

Answers

Booking questions, answered

What is Duncan Wardle's speaking fee?

Duncan's fee is provided on request. It varies by date, location, format, and whether the engagement is in person or virtual. Share your brief and we'll come back with current pricing and availability.

Is Duncan Wardle available for my event date?

Availability changes with Duncan's schedule and the season. Tell us your date and we'll confirm whether Duncan is open, and hold the slot while you decide.

How do I book Duncan Wardle for my event?

Duncan Wardle is booked through Headliner. Tell us your event date, audience, and goals, and we'll confirm availability and the next steps — typically within four business hours.

How much does Duncan Wardle charge to speak?

Duncan's fee depends on date, location, format, and whether the session is in person or virtual. It is provided on request, so share your brief and we'll confirm a precise figure and availability.

Can I hire Duncan Wardle for a corporate event?

Yes. Duncan is represented for speaking engagements through Headliner on a non-exclusive basis and regularly takes corporate keynotes, conferences, and leadership events. Share your brief to check availability.

Can I book Duncan Wardle for a virtual keynote?

Yes. Duncan presents virtual keynotes as well as in-person sessions. Virtual fees are typically quoted below a live keynote, so tell us your format for a precise quote.

What formats does Duncan offer?

Duncan is available for Keynote, Workshop, Fireside chat, Moderation and Virtual engagements. We'll match the format to your audience and run-of-show.

What does Duncan speak about?

Duncan's keynote themes include Creativity & Innovation and Transformation. Each talk is tailored to your audience and outcomes.

What languages does Duncan present in?

Duncan presents in English.

Where does Duncan travel from?

Duncan is based in Orlando, FL and travels internationally for engagements; virtual sessions are also available.

Profile updated . Compiled from public sources — confirm current fees and availability with Headliner.

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