Nik Gowing

Nik Gowing is an international broadcaster, analyst and leadership expert whose work has shaped global understanding of crisis, disruption and geopolitics. As Founder and Director of Thinking the Unthinkable, he is a keynote speaker trusted by senior leaders who face unprecedented uncertainty, particularly around climate, security and systemic shocks. His biggest achievement is building a globally respected platform that helps decision makers confront uncomfortable realities, challenge denial and develop the courage to act ahead of crisis. Nik’s authority comes from decades at the heart of breaking news, live on air, when events really mattered.

Nik’s early career began in regional journalism in Newcastle and Manchester, alongside studying geography at the University of Bristol, where he first discovered the power of live broadcasting. That grounding in local reporting and radio sharpened his instincts for evidence, clarity and pace. He then joined ITN as Rome Correspondent and later Warsaw Correspondent, covering Italian and Vatican affairs before moving into the heart of the Soviet bloc. In Poland he reported on the rise of Solidarity and the imposition of martial law, secretly smuggling material out of the country. This work earned a prestigious BAFTA for coverage of the crackdown, and firmly established Nik as a trusted foreign affairs specialist with the courage to report from the front line of history.

From there, Nik’s career accelerated into some of the most influential roles in global journalism and policy. At Channel 4 News he became Foreign Affairs Correspondent, then Diplomatic Correspondent, and ultimately Diplomatic Editor, Channel 4 News, reporting on the Cold War endgame, the fall of the Soviet Union and conflicts in former Yugoslavia. He then joined the BBC as Main Presenter, BBC World News, where he anchored coverage of defining moments including the death of Princess Diana and the 9/11 attacks, reaching audiences of around half a billion people. Nik created and hosted the BBC World Debate, contributed to programmes such as HARDtalk and Dateline London, and helped the BBC win the Hotbird Award for its 9/11 coverage. Alongside broadcasting he built a parallel career as a thinker and practitioner on modern leadership, publishing the peer reviewed study ‘Skyful of Lies and Black Swans’ and co authoring the influential book ‘Thinking the Unthinkable’. His wider roles include Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard, Visiting Professor, King’s College London, Distinguished Fellow, Royal United Services Institute, and senior positions with Chatham House, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, Wilton Park and other major institutions.

Event organisers bring Nik in because he combines the authority of an award winning international broadcaster with the insight of a strategic adviser to top level leaders. He speaks on leadership in disruption, climate, nature and biodiversity risk, information management in crises, geopolitics, security and organisational resilience. These topics are critical as boards, governments and institutions face rising volatility, public scrutiny and the accelerating impacts of the climate emergency. Through Thinking the Unthinkable, Nik helps leaders build new ‘mind muscle’, confront denial, and move from incremental change to bold, purposeful action.