Dr. Keith Keating is the Chief Learning & Development Officer at BDO Canada, a globally recognized keynote speaker, workforce futurist, and author focused on the future of work, leadership, and the evolving role of learning in business. With more than 25 years of global experience spanning organizations including McKinsey & Company, HSBC, and General Motors, Keith has built a reputation for challenging conventional thinking in Learning & Development and helping organizations rethink how they create value through people.
Keith is the author of The Trusted Learning Advisor and Hidden Value: How to Reveal the Impact of Organizational Learning, two books that have helped reshape conversations across the L&D industry. His work challenges practitioners to evolve beyond content delivery and become Trusted Learning Advisors, value creators, and strategic drivers of business growth. At the center of Keith's work is a simple belief: Learning changes lives.
As someone who went from high school dropout to earning a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, Keith understands the power of learning firsthand. His personal journey continues to fuel his mission to encourage, enable, and empower others through lifelong learning. He also serves as a Lecturer in the Chief Learning Officer doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Keith's keynotes and programs blend research, business strategy, and human-centered leadership to help organizations build future-ready talent, strengthen credibility, unlock hidden value, and create cultures where learning becomes a competitive advantage. His work has earned the Brandon Hall Gold Award for Learning Leader of the Year, the ATD Speaker of the Year distinction, the Goody Award, and a place on the CLO Learning Elite.
Books
The Trusted Learning Advisor: The Tools, Techniques and Skills You Need to Make L&D a Business Priority
Hidden Value: How to Reveal the Impact of Organizational Learning
Keith's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Evolve. Or Else. — Keith's signature keynote on workforce transformation and the future of learning. Delivered as the opening keynote at DevLearn 2025
- Break the Box — A framework for challenging assumptions and building beyond conventional thinking (See It, Question It, Break It, Build Beyond It)
- Future-Preparing Excellence — Preparing organizations and their people for what comes next.
- What Do CFOs Really Think About L&D? — Based on Keith's doctoral research, this session equips learning leaders to speak the language of the C-suite
- Journey to Impact: Becoming a High-Impact Learning Organization
Official Feedback From In-Person & Virtual Events
"Keith has a remarkable ability to challenge assumptions while making complex ideas feel approachable. His keynote encouraged our community to think differently about the future of learning and the value we bring to our organizations, and our audience walked away inspired, energized, and equipped to lead with greater purpose and impact." - Lauren, Executive Director, Life Sciences Educators Network
"With his credibility and tactical ways to make us more strategic, I can't tell you how excited I am and inspired by Dr. Keating's keynote." - Kirsty, GE Head of Learning
"Dr. Keating is the leading voice of the industry and our go-to thought leader for the Future of Work. He's a great strategist and speaker; his message is compelling, relevant, and powerful." - Keith, General Motors Learning Leader
"Phenomenal! Dr. Keating had amazing experiences that he anchored to within case studies and he left us with actionable insights which I can't wait to implement." - Courtney, AstraZeneca, Head of Commercial Excellence
- 2026 - Chief Learning & Development Officer (CLDO), BDO Canada (first-ever appointment to this role)
- 2025 - Hidden Value published (JetLaunch)
- 2025 - Brandon Hall Gold Award — Learning Leader of the Year
- 2025 - Goody Award — Hidden Value (Leadership – HR & Employee Development)
- 2025 - International Business Book Award — Hidden Value
- 2024 - World Economic Forum — Keynote Speaker
- 2024 - OnCon Top 10 Learning Leader
- 2024 - getAbstract Readers' Choice — The Trusted Learning Advisor
- 2024 - NYC Big Book Distinguished Favorite — The Trusted Learning Advisor
- 2023 - The Trusted Learning Advisor published (Kogan Page)
- 2023 - Goody Award — The Trusted Learning Advisor
- 2020 - ATD Speaker of the Year
- 2019 - CLO Learning Elite #9
How to hire Dr. Keith Keating
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Dr. Keith Keating for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
