Dr Chris Pineda, PhD, is an organisational psychologist and transformative keynote speaker who helps teams and communities reconnect with purpose and build cultures that last. Creator of Marked by Purpose™ and the 7 Conditions of Transformation™, his biggest achievement is guiding leaders to turn clarity of purpose into measurable performance across healthcare, corporate, nonprofit and public sectors.
Chris’ early path blends rigorous study with lived practice, which gives his message real bite. He earned a PhD in Industrial and Organisational Psychology, following an MS in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and a BA in Intercultural Peacebuilding, then taught and facilitated on peace, conflict and storytelling. Chris’s Filipino heritage grounds his work in the values of community, shared purpose, and empathy, shaping his transformative approach to leadership and organisational change.
Across his career, Chris has delivered results in complex environments where culture and performance must move together. He is Founder of Groundwork Leadership and Founder of The Rooted Leadership Institute, where he authored the 7 Conditions of Transformation™ and the Culture of One methodology. In healthcare he served as CEO of Paradise Creek Health & Rehabilitation, and CEO of Secora Health & Rehabilitation, driving rapid turnarounds that lifted EBITDAR margins and halved staff turnover, proving that purpose led culture changes outcomes on the ground. Earlier, he was Director of Leadership and Impact at Mountain West Investment Corp, leading large scale philanthropic initiatives and training across thousands of housing units, and taught as an Adjunct Professor in Intercultural Peacebuilding. He is a TEDx Speaker and hosted The Rooted Leadership Podcast with more than ten thousand downloads.
Event planners hire Chris because he unites executives and frontline teams around a common why, then equips them to act. He speaks on Purpose Driven Leadership and Culture Transformation, The Psychology of Performance and Change, and Building a Culture of Trust, Safety and Belonging, topics that matter because retention, engagement and execution live or die on culture. His keynotes are experiential, combining indigenous wisdom, research backed psychology and the Marked by Purpose™ Portrait Experience, so delegates leave with language, artefacts and behaviours that reinforce change.
Dr Chirs Pineda’ official speaker topics are listed below:
- Marked by Purpose - When Purpose Becomes Permanent
- Building a Culture of Trust, Safety and Belonging
- Community Transformation: Cross-Sector Purpose in Action
- Culture of One™: Engagement, Safety and Accountability
- Purpose-Driven Leadership & Culture Transformation
- The Psychology of Performance & Change
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
"Chris is a phenomenal leadership development consultant; his focus on transformational change inspires measurable impact." - Executive Director, Maps Community Foundation
"An exceptional speaker who shares vulnerability and sparks genuine inspiration across the room." – Director of Operations, Open Earth Foundation
"Chris’ knowledge and passion for developing leaders has catalysed my own leadership journey." - Executive Director, Bader Leadership Foundation
"He captives rooms with story and substance; our teams reached new heights.” - Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach, Boston College
"This was a transformational experience for me; dynamic, engaging and practical." - Participant, Regional Maps Credit Union
- 2025 - CEO of Secora Health & Rehabilitation
- 2025 - CEO of Paradise Creek Health & Rehabilitation
- 2024 - Operations Director of Cascadia Healthcare
- 2023 - Adjunct Professor at Intercultural Peacebuilding, Brigham Young University–Hawaii
- 2020 - Host of The Rooted Leadership Podcast
- 2019 - Founder of Groundwork Leadership
How to hire Dr Chris Pineda
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Dr Chris Pineda 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.
