Benjamin Kelly is a keynote speaker on behavioural finance and decision making under pressure, known for connecting elite sport, psychology and financial markets. Currently Head of Behavioural Economics and Social Impact at Kavedon Kapital, Benjamin combines academic expertise with more than two decades of investment experience, including senior roles at BlackRock Investment Institute and Columbia Threadneedle Investments. His biggest achievement lies in translating complex behavioural research into practical frameworks that help investors, executives and leadership teams make clearer, more rational decisions when the stakes are highest.
Benjamin’s professional journey began at the University of St Andrews, where he first studied science before moving into economics and international relations. He completed a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry, followed by an M.Litt in Economics, International Relations and Management, before earning a PhD in Economics. His doctoral research explored how sunk cost bias influences corporate acquisitions and financial market behaviour, examining why individuals and institutions persist with failing strategies. These formative academic experiences shaped Benjamin’s long term interest in decision science and behavioural economics. Early in his career, Benjamin applied this research directly to financial markets, building a reputation for understanding how psychology shapes investment decisions and how structured processes can reduce costly errors.
Across the next two decades, Benjamin developed an accomplished career within global asset management. At the BlackRock Investment Institute, he worked as an Investment Strategist and Economist, advising major institutional investors and analysing global macroeconomic trends. He later joined Columbia Threadneedle Investments, where he served as Director of Impact Investing and later Fund Manager, helping to integrate sustainability, behavioural insights and long term investment strategy. In 2024, Benjamin was appointed Head of Behavioural Economics and Social Impact at Kavedon Kapital, where he develops evidence based approaches that help portfolio managers minimise behavioural bias in investment processes. Alongside his work in finance, Benjamin contributes thought leadership to the Leaders Performance Institute, publishing articles including ‘The Invisible Opponent: Why Our Own Cognitive Biases May Present the Most Formidable Challenge’ and ‘How the Science of Decision Making Under Pressure Explains Both Successes and Failures at the Ryder Cup’. In 2025, Benjamin also became Co Founder of PrepUp, an educational consultancy focused on structured decision making for families navigating school selection.
As a keynote speaker, Benjamin offers a distinctive perspective that blends behavioural economics, financial markets and elite sporting performance. Benjamin demonstrates how the same psychological pressures faced by investors and executives also shape decision making in golf, tennis, football and the Ryder Cup. His presentations translate academic research into practical tools, including decision checklists, pre mortem analysis and structured frameworks designed to reduce bias and improve judgement. By drawing on examples from investment strategy and elite sport, Benjamin shows audiences how organisations can build stronger decision processes and perform more effectively under pressure. For businesses navigating volatility and uncertainty, Benjamin delivers practical insight into risk, judgement and leadership when it matters most.
Benjamin Kelly's official speaking topics are listed below:
Decisions at the Edge: What Elite Sport Teaches Boards About Risk & Reward
How Ryder Cup captains, F1 strategists and NBA coaches handle pressure – and what CIOs, CEOs and investment committees can copy to improve capital allocation and strategic bets. Ideal for: Board meetings, executive leadership teams, investment committees, and corporate strategy sessions.
Behavioural Finance in the Real World: Turning Biases into Process
From loss aversion to overconfidence, I show how investors systematically misprice risk – and present practical checklists, pre-mortems and “decision hygiene” routines that improve portfolio and corporate outcomes. Ideal for: Investment conferences, CFA societies, hedge funds, asset managers, financial services firms.
Clutch Decision-Making: Reducing Errors When the Stakes Are Highest
Lessons from Grand Slam tennis, F1 strategy walls and NBA clutch time on how to build teams that stay rational under stress, combining evidence from sports psychology with investment and leadership case studies. Ideal for: Corporate conferences, sales teams, sports organizations, high-performance teams.
When the Wind Changes: Iran, Geopolitics and Markets
The escalating Iran conflict has reshaped the macroeconomic landscape, driving energy prices higher, fuelling inflation and introducing fresh volatility into global markets. In this keynote, Benjamin Kelly explains the key transmission channels linking geopolitics and financial markets, from the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz to the reaction of central banks and global investors. Audiences learn how investors and leadership teams can recognise bias, stress-test strategies and build governance frameworks capable of navigating the next geopolitical shock.
Official Feedback From In-Person & Virtual Events:
“I have known Ben for a number of years. Our first interaction was when he delivered the keynote address at a CFA UK Behavioural Finance Conference, where he excelled in sharing valuable insights with a touch of humour, setting a positive tone for the day. More recently, he presented a well-received webinar—again on behavioural finance—this time drawing compelling parallels between golf and investment decision-making. I very much look forward to having Ben present to our members again in the future.” – Gerhard Sogl, Head of Content Strategy and Analysis, CFA Society of the United Kingdom
"Dr Ben Kelly has been a regular guest speaker on our Behavioural Finance module at the University of St Andrews Business School. He brings valuable industry experience to the classroom, showing students how behavioural biases play out in organisational settings and offering practical strategies to overcome them. His sessions consistently receive excellent feedback, with students citing his talk as one of the highlights of the module. We very much hope to welcome Dr Kelly back in the years to come." - Dr Christian Engels, Lecturer in Banking and Finance, University of St Andrews Business School
“This week I was lucky to spend some time with Benjamin Kelly who has worked with some of the greatest traders out there and at some of the best universities in the world. Ben is an expert in helping people to understand how our behavioural biases impact decision-making. It is incredible how common it is and how blissfully unaware we are that we all do it in some form. Just being aware of it can help you to make sure you’re making the right decisions. I am very excited to continue having these chats with Ben and look forward to him presenting this to our members in the near future!” – Aaron Goodwin, Founder, Caddi Club
"Ben and I have collaborated on a series of projects for approaching a decade now and he has always been an absolute pleasure to work with. I work for the Leaders Performance Institute. It’s an organisation that serves the sports performance community (with more than 500 member organisations on five continents) through a combination of summits, roundtables, seminars and written/audio/visual content. Ben’s insights have been well received by coaches and practitioners in teams and leagues as diverse as the Premier League, NFL, NBA and the AFL in Australia and so we always welcome him back with open arms. It is not just that he is an expert in his field, it is his ability to tailor the message to the audience in a way that conveys the central points and resonates with the reader or listener. They walk away with actionable ideas, which is critical to the work of the Leaders Performance Institute. Ben’s versatility is another strength, as evidenced through his written series and podcast appearances. He is just as comfortable discussing golf, football, tennis, rugby or F1 (and surely several other sports), which is perfect for our audience. On top of it all, and most importantly, he is friendly and open to feedback and has proven his resourcefulness and adaptability. Any organisation would be fortunate to work with someone of Ben’s calibre." - John Portch, Editor, Leaders Performance Institute at Leaders in Sport
- 2026 - Published 'Even the Best Tennis Players in the World Are Worse When the Stakes Rise – and it’s Not Just Down to Random Variance or Bad Luck' article for the Leaders Performance Institute
- 2026 - Published 'The Invisible Opponent: Why our Own Cognitive Biases May Present the Most Formidable Challenge' article for the Leaders Performance Institute
- 2025 - Published 'How the Science of Decision-Making Under Pressure Explains Both Successes and Failures at the Ryder Cup' article for the Leaders Performance Institute
- 2025 - Published 'What Behavioural Finance Teaches us about (Bad) Decision Making in Golf' article for the Leaders Performance Institute
- 2025 - Co-founder of PrepUp
- 2024 - Head of Behavioural Economics and Social Impact at Kavedon Kapital
- 2023 - Fund Manager at Columbia Threadneedle Investments EMEA APAC
- 2022 - Director of Impact Investing at Columbia Threadneedle Investments EMEA APAC
- 2017 - Senior Thematic Analyst and Behavioural Economist
- 2017 - Managing Director at CastleCliff
- 2013 - Investment Strategist/Economist at BlackRock Investment Institute
- 2007 - Account manager and business developer across strategic Nordic institutions for BlackRock Investment Institute
- 2002 - PhD in Economics from University of St Andrews
- 2001 - M.Litt, Economics, International Relations and Management from University of St Andrews
- 1997 - BSc (Hons) Chemistry from University of St Andrews
How to hire Benjamin Kelly
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Benjamin Kelly 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.
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