Emily M Austen

Emily M Austen is an accomplished female business leader, renowned as the Founder and CEO of EMERGE, an award-winning PR agency. With a proven track record in securing editorial coverage, generating brand awareness and driving business growth for clients such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Huel and Spanx, Emily boasts over a decade in the PR field. Today, Emily is passionate about supporting social causes and empowering women, along with being a sought-after keynote speaker who is using her platform to share her messages on the evolution of ambition, sustainable leadership and how to define success on your own terms. 

Following her graduation from Manchester University with a BA Hons in Criminology and Criminal Law, Emily followed her vision of broadening PR activity by founding EMERGE and working as CEO. Since 2012, Emily has worked tirelessly to craft and land stories that sit across traditional and emerging editorial structures to bring brands fame. Recently, Emily authored her Amazon bestselling book SMARTER: 10 Lessons for a More Productive & Less-Stressed Life. In her book, Emily has transformed the cliché phrase “Work smarter, not harder” into a cultural movement – a message that has seen her book sell over tens of thousands of copies and translated into Japanese, Polish and Vietnamese.

When she is not working as the CEO of EMERGE or sharing the SMARTER Method, Emily can be found acting as the Strategic PR Advisor to UN Women UK, working on challenging issues like domestic violence and championing gender equality. She is also the host of The Smarter Podcast, on which she has had the opportunity to speak with celebrity guests, including Dylan Lauren, Bobbi Brown and Amanda Baldwin. Emily has also shared her expertise as a guest lecturer at Harvard University and achieved a Diploma in Venture Finance from Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. 

Now hired as a leading keynote speaker, Emily is sought after to share her expertise on how to build success without burning out. Commended for delivering honest and research-driven speeches, Emily reframes productivity for a generation who are questioning hustle culture and focuses on the evolution of ambition and how to define success. Resonating with audiences, Emily explores topics such as hustle culture, resilience and reinvention in business and life, female leadership and identity, high-performance spaces, working smarter and the psychology of balance and ambition. An inspirational woman who created her esteemed company at 22 from a laptop at her kitchen table, Emily also shares her success as an entrepreneur and her top tips for running a business. If you are looking for an inspirational businesswoman to speak at your next event who challenges the idea of over-productivity equalling success, hire Emily M Austen today.