NSB Logo Katty Kay Katty Kay

Katty Kay

Speaker

Washington, D.C., USA

Award-winning Journalist & Anchor, Bestselling Author

Katty (pronounced CAT-TEE) Kay is an award-winning journalist and anchor for BBC World News. Her weekday evening broadcasts provide an update on Washington politics and global affairs to an enormous audience worldwide. Her podcast with Carlos Watson, When Katty Met Carlos, shares fresh perspectives on America and the world. She is also a regular guest and substitute co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe program. Katty has reported on six U.S. presidential elections, financial crashes, wars, and much more. 

Keynote Speeches

Virtual Keynotes & Webinars
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Washington From a Different Angle

America has been rocked by COVID-19, the economic shock it created, and political polarization so deep it’s hard to imagine coming together on a way forward. The Biden administration will have a decidedly different approach to these challenges than Donald Trump. What are the odds President Biden will bridge the gap and make progress on the most important issues: jobs, the environment, trade, immigration, healthcare, and more? Will traditional allies consider America to be trustworthy after four years of foreign policy uncertainty? Can Congress and the new administration find a way to work together for the common good of America? As a British journalist living in Washington, DC since 1996, Katty Kay instinctively looks at these stories through a different lens than her American counterparts. The insights she provides audiences are fresh and impartial – in keeping with the standards of the BBC World News organization where she’s an anchor.

A Global Update

The pandemic arrived three years after America began pulling back its global influence. New alliances formed in the vacuum and then the virus further reset relations between nations and within nations. The shift in global power structure caused by COVID-19 cannot be overestimated. Nationalism, already a force before the pandemic, increased not just in America but in most developed nations. Leaders and political systems were under the spotlight and authoritarian politicians used the crisis to seize control. It also accelerated the tense trade stand-off between China and America. Meanwhile, Russia was Europe’s biggest concern. Katty Kay has covered the drivers of global political change for her BBC broadcast audience for over two decades. She regularly interviews policymakers, business leaders, and other experts from around the world. This talk unpacks insights that help audiences understand more clearly the forces at play around the world and how they will impact their future.

The Confidence Code

Confidence! With it, we can take on the world; without it, we don’t ask for raises, request that important meeting or take risks. In the success equation, research shows that confidence is even more critical than competence. But what is confidence? Where does it come from? Are we born with it or do we acquire it? And why do women have less of it than their talents deserve? In this speech Katty Kay inspires audiences with the latest scientific research and anecdotes from her own career and the many women she interviewed for the book. “Neurologists have isolated a ‘confidence gene,’” says Katty “and when I was tested, I learned I am not genetically predisposed to being confident.” Her experience is like that of so many women, even senior women, whose lack of confidence is what really holds them back. But confidence is also art – impacted by how we choose to live with our genes. The good news then is that being confident is a choice. Katty’s talk inspires audiences to take action — to go outside their comfort zones, to try new hard things, to take risks, to be prepared to fail and to discover the secret to success.

The Power Code – More Joy. Less Ego. Maximum Impact For Women (And Everyone)

New research shows women don’t want power – the cost of getting it is too high and power itself looks unappealing. But companies do better with more women in leadership. Countries do better with women in political office. Everyone does better with more women in power. So, what will it take for women to overcome their reluctance and take the reins? Rather than women changing themselves, Katty Kay suggests we need to change the meaning of power and the routes that lead to it. When we do that – when women can focus on using power to make positive changes, with a clear understanding of why power is important – power becomes more accessible, appealing and impactful for women. This new model, designed by and for women, empowers women to become their most powerful selves and lead fuller and more satisfying lives, and helps men do the same. 

Platform Plus Presentations

Unique formats and ways to connect with audiences.
Moderator, Discussion Leader & Interviewer
Katty Kay has interviewed scores of political dignitaries and business leaders for her news broadcasts and at top live events. The skills, grace and humor she brings to the live stage as a panel moderator, discussion leader and interviewer help create memorable experience for the audience.

Audience reviews:

  • FYI – Katty is killing this presentation! She is so natural and easy going, yet professional. Really enjoyed her. Thank you for another great pick! - Kestra Financial
  • The conversation was absolutely lovely. Katty is such a joy to listen to and so relatable and understandable…I think this is the 4th or 5th time we have had Katty speak at Toyota, and we definitely will look to have her again soon. - Toyota
  • The rapport that you established through the conversation was just wonderful and the panelists were both extremely candid in their views which our members appreciated (and commented on). The difference in ensuring this was executed at a high level was all the preparation you undertook and your willingness to tailor the discussion for actionable ideas for the audience. I was thrilled with the outcome and it was a real honor to have you join us.

    - Founder, NMS Management
  • She did a great job of creating a current events message geared to our group’s primary areas of interest and her presentation style was very polished and professional. Her humor provided a welcome balance. Perhaps the highest point was the Q&A session. She is obviously very well informed and quick minded. We would certainly book her again.

    - Managing Director, Ruzek Management
  • Our audience loved Katty Kay for her warmth, genuine connection and substance. Her presentation will absolutely help us shift our focus as an organization and reach more women long-term!

    - Chattanooga Women's Leadership Institute
  • Your presentation touched our entire membership. The way you set the table with your message of where America fits in today’s Global Economy, was quite skillful and eye opening for those attending. They felt reassured that the USA was still the world leader that they all grew up believing and yes … better days are on their way!

    - Education Consultant, Florida Public Pension Trustees Association
  • I can’t begin to describe how well Katty connected with our audience. She really resonated with the group ... She was engaging, confident and yet self-deprecating at the same time. - President/CEO, NABCA

Speaker Biography

Katty Kay is an award-winning journalist and news anchor who brings an instinctively global perspective to her observations on American politics and global affairs –a result of having grown-up living and traveling all over the Middle East, as well as reporting from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. throughout her career. During her nearly30-years with BBC News, she was a reporter and then news anchor, bringing important news from America and around the world to a huge global audience from her studio in Washington, D.C. Katty has reported on six U.S. presidential elections, Washington politics, financial crashes, world trouble spots, sex scandals, global affairs, and much more. She is a regular contributor and substitute host of Morning Joeon MSNBC. Katty also writes on the art and science of self-assurance in women and girls. She is co-author, with Claire Shipman, of four New York Times’ bestselling books: Womenomics, The Confidence Code, The Confidence Code for Girls, and Living the Confidence Code. Katty is an engaging keynote speaker on a wide range of topics as well as a brilliant moderator, interviewer, and host –for both in-person and virtual events.

Helping women turn thoughts into action and master a more confident mindset is one of Katty’s passions. She is co-author of five books with Claire Shipman, including four New York Times bestsellers –two were #1.Their first two bestsellers focus on women, success, and work. Womenomics: Write Your Own Rules for Success examined the workplace revolution and inspired women to take control, dream big and discover a different way of weaving work into their lives –and in the process create more profitable companies with happier and more productive employees. They followed up with The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance—What Women Should Know, which inspired women to understand that confidence –the lynchpin of success –is a choice.

After The Confidence Code was released, parents everywhere asked about confidence and girls. That led to three more books co-authored by Katty with Claire Shipman and Jill Ellyn Riley. The Confidence Code for Girls: Taking Risks, Messing Up, and Becoming Your Amazingly Imperfect, Totally Powerful Self, was released in April 2018 and debuted at the #1 spot on The New York Times bestseller list. The empowering, entertaining guide gives girls the essential yet elusive code to becoming bold, brave, and fearless. The follow-up, The Confidence Code for Girls Journal: A Guide to Embracing Your Amazingly Imperfect, Totally Powerful Self, is based on their in-depth research and helps teens and tweens tackle any challenge. Their most recent book, Living the Confidence Code: Real Girls, Real Stories, Real Confidence, debuted at #1 on The New York Times best seller list (Children’s Middle Grade) and is a collection of 30 true stories of real girls pursuing their passions, struggling and stumbling, but along the way figuring out how to build their own special brand of confidence. Katty and Claire are currently co-authoring their sixth book.

On the fun side, Katty had the distinction of being immortalized in pop culture in 2018 when her name was the answer to a question on the Jeopardy game show. In the same week, she was portrayed in a skit on Saturday Night Live which satirized a moment from MSNBC’s Morning Joe program.

Katty Kay settled in Washington, DC in the mid-90s where she lives with her husband, two cats, and a dog. They have four grown children.