

Future of Work Expert, Author and Media Commentator
Peter Cosgrove brings the latest insights and research from across the world of work, technology, diversity and talent and does this in an entertaining, exciting and passionate manner. His messages are delivered through memorable stories and experiences which leave the audience excited, inspired and informed.
Biography
Peter Cosgrove is the founder of Futurewise, a future of work insights company. He is a regular media commentator and conference speaker. He is a much sought-after speaker on the topics of the future of work, talent, AI and the machine age, and gender diversity.
His testimonials regularly have Peter as the best speaker at conferences as he mixes a witty, entertaining and energetic style with some excellent research and knowledge of his topics.
He leaves audiences excited, inspired and informed as he delivers messages through powerful stories and anecdotes. Peter works with senior management teams to help them with their future outlook.
Peter is passionate about the skills of the future and has published two books called “Fun Unplugged” and “Family Fun Unplugged” to help get families off their screens and interacting more.
Topics
- How to Futureproof Your Workplace
- Future Trends/ The Future of Work
- How Long will Your Job Last – The Future of Talent
- Diversity – The Business Rationale is not enough
- Workshop – Engaging Men in the Diversity Conversation
- The Technology dangers – how it affects society and the workplace
The challenges and opportunities with a remote/hybrid workforce
- How will companies address the new hybrid landscape and work out the best strategy for success
- How to build a strong team culture in a hybrid workforce where employees are rarely in the office
- How to communicate effectively using the best combination of in-person and technology tools
- How to motivate and ensure strong productivity from hybrid teams
- How to address the issue of employee burnout in an “always on” work environment
- How to ensure diversity can thrive
- Lessons learned from companies who operate distributed workforces and the difference between remote-first and remote-forced companies
Future-Proofing your organisation
Taking into account emerging trends, shifts in macro trends, and volatility and uncertainty in areas outside of their industry, this masterclass delivers practical research solutions for executive teams as they make critical decisions about their future when that future increasingly seems shaped by disruptive forces such as AI, climate change and more. Peter Cosgrove helps you to futureproof your workplace. Topics covered include technology disruption, the rapidly changing jobs market, the impacts of globalisation, the futurist view, culture, people, innovation and diversity.
Videos
Resources
Books


Testimonials
“Peter provided an energetic and flawless presentation to our broker audience. The feedback received following the event was hugely positive and we look forward to working with Peter again in the future.” Richard Gallagher, Irish Life
“Peter is an excellent speaker. He engaged the room with relevant and topical content, delivered in an energetic and enthusiastic manner. There was a palpable buzz in the air after the presentation and the team feedback was extremely positive. Peter’s messages are already triggering important conversations about how we need to innovate and adapt to future work trends.” Ailbhe Casserly, Project Manager, Boston Scientific
“Peter was the headline speaker at The AIB Future Sparks Festival with over 7500 5th and 6th year old post primary students In attendance. He captivated both students and teachers with his dynamic take on the Future of Work and the skills required to prepare and navigate the years ahead. During the talk, you couldn’t hear a pin drop and afterwards, the feedback was exceptional. I would have no hesitation in recommending Peter, totally professional and insightful speaker.” Aideen O’Reilly, Managing Director Real Nation
“As President of Network Ireland I asked Peter to address our annual national conference on the topic of the Future of Work. Feedback from the attendees was that Peter’s presentation was thought provoking, fascinating, engaging and relevant. He had the audience (225 women in business from across Ireland) in the palm of his hands throughout his presentation! From the beginning, as the organiser, when I contacted Peter he was responsive to my requests and on the day of the conference he delivered on time and on topic.” Helen Wycherley, President of Network Ireland
“Peter’s presentation on diversity to the board was absolutely superb. He’s a compelling speaker who delivers essential information in an articulate and humorous way. His connection with his audience is riveting, and his techniques for challenging previously held conceptions is extremely thought provoking. His address to the board resonated long after the presentation itself and I am still receiving positive feedback.” Eleanor McEvoy, singer-songwriter and Chairman of the board of IMRO
“The Board of the National Parents Council post primary was delighted to be able to have Peter give a keynote at the National Parents Council post primary (NPCpp) conference in October. The NPCpp gives a national voice to parents of students in post primary schools in Ireland. Peter spoke about the future skillsets needed in the new world of work and the feedback from his talk was excellent, it was thought provoking while being hugely entertaining.” Carmel Kelly, Board Member NPCpp
“Peter delivered a great session in DIT on International Men’s Day 2019 that reinforced this year’s theme ‘Positive Male Role Models’ for an inclusive work culture. He successfully engaged participants in this important issue with an energetic presentation combining humour, data evidence and a call to action for men and women to contribute to a culture of equality and inclusion.” Ashley O’Donoghue, Head of Staff Development, DIT
“As keynote at Ireland’s leading EdTech conference – The Learnovation Summit – Peter drew the audience in with an excellent, thought-provoking presentation on the future of work balancing shock and awe with humour and pragmatism to keep the audience intensively engaged to the final slide. As one of Europe’s leading learning technology research centres in Trinity College Dublin, we needed a speaker who could present evidence-based data using stories and metaphors that resonated with our audience of 300 senior learning professionals, educators and researchers. With the amazing attendee feedback we received on Peter’s keynote, we look forward to having him back at future events (if we can get him!)” Niamh Walsh, Head of Marketing, Learnovate
Peter spoke at the 2017 KPMG Management conference on the topic of the future of work and how to future proof your workplace.
Peter’s presentation was engaging, interesting and entertaining. Feedback from those attending was excellent. I would have no hesitation recommending him as a conference speaker. Shaun Murphy, Managing Partner KPMG
I invited Peter to speak to a group of ~200 C-level and other senior executives in aviation finance — a group not easily moved on the matter of D&I — at the 4th annual Advancing Women in Aviation Roundtable (AWAR) luncheon in Dublin. Peter delivered a riveting talk entitled “Diversity & Inclusion: What About the Men?” Peter’s high-energy, rat-a-tat delivery and funny anecdotes disarmed the skeptics, and his insights around unconscious bias and gender inequality were spot on. Well done Peter! We hope to have you at another AWAR event soon! Amelia Anderson, Managing Director, American Airlines
“I recently engaged Peter to deliver a keynote speech at our management conference on the subject of the changing nature of work. From the outset Peter put time and energy into understanding our requirements and outputs. On the day he delivered an excellent presentation showing how the workforce of the future is changing and what this means for our particular industry, our firm and for our managers. A highly engaging speaker and a subject matter expert, Peter is able to take an extensive subject and distil it into how it affects his audience. His talk was informative, interesting, thought provoking and well received by our management group.” Ann Hogan, HR Director, BDO
Peter provided a keynote address on the Future of Work at IDA Ireland’s annual conference last week. The feedback from the entire IDA global team and Board members on Peter’s energetic and knowledgeable keynote was exemplary. Peter has the rare ability to engage with a diverse audience, distill vast analysis into useable and thought-provoking messages and deliver them in an entertaining and accessible way. Sarah Jane Hutchinson, Business Development, I.D.A
Peter presented at QQI’s Conference – The Digitalisation Agenda: Rethinking Qualifications and Skills – on 24 October 2017 to over 300 policy makers, education and training providers and industry representatives. His presentation on the Future of Work was powerful. Peter is an excellent communicator. Barbara Kelly, Director QQI
Peter delivered a talk on the future of work to the Abbott Ireland Senior Management team at our recent Leadership conference. He was compelling, insightful and engaging speaker. He articulated a clear vision of the workplace of the future which proved thought provoking with the conference participants. Overall feedback from the management team was positive who rated Peter highly effective. Margaret Morrissey, Country HR Director, Abbott
“Great presentation to the wider DAA leadership/management group by Peter Cosgrove on in Malahide Castle. Terrific energy and really great insights and one of the best reactions from our team to any external speaker! He left us with a few things to think about!” Kevin Toland, CEO DAA
Peter spoke at Legal-Island’s Annual Reviews on ‘The Future of Employment’ and topped our delegates’ poll as best speaker of the conference series. His presentation was funny, engaging and thought-provoking. It was also frightening and doubtless prescient. Scott Alexander, Head of L&D, Legal Island
Peter delivered a talk on the future of work to the Abbott Ireland Senior Management team at our recent Leadership conference. He was compelling, insightful and engaging speaker. He articulated a clear vision of the workplace of the future which proved thought provoking with the conference participants. Overall feedback from the management team was positive who rated Peter highly effective. Margaret Morrissey, Country HR Director, Abbott
“Great presentation to the wider DAA leadership/management group by Peter Cosgrove on in Malahide Castle. Terrific energy and really great insights and one of the best reactions from our team to any external speaker! He left us with a few things to think about!” Kevin Toland, CEO DAA
Peter spoke at Legal-Island’s Annual Reviews on ‘The Future of Employment’ and topped our delegates’ poll as best speaker of the conference series. His presentation was funny, engaging and thought-provoking. It was also frightening and doubtless prescient. Scott Alexander, Head of L&D, Legal Island
Peter presented at a Diversity summit in Intel and again to the site managers where I am located. He has a very engaging style and provides some great insights around diversity, the evolving workplace and the challenge and opportunities facing organisations as that evolution happens. Great feedback from all those who attended his session on site. – Kevin O’Dwyer, Vice President, Inside Sales EMEA at Intel Security
The 30% Club Ireland has had two really valuable presentations by Peter in the last few months – to our Chair/CEO supporters and to the 30% Club Ireland Council. The theme was ‘Future Work: Delivering through diversity’. Peter outlined a compelling and challenging view of the future for the workplace and for business and why better gender balance makes sound business sense. – Brid Horan, Non Executive Director
Peter is an exceptional leader, trainer, and public speaker. He is extremely well regarded in the recruitment industry and holds the reputation of a top class communicator and mentor. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the recruitment industry and has presented at many Master Classes and seminars with superb feedback from every event therefore making him a much sought after speaker and presenter. He is very approachable and at the same time highly professional and his skill and ease with people is well known. He is very organised and sets clear goals and realistic targets. Friendly and good humoured he makes it very easy to work with him. I have had the pleasure of working with peter during his 5 years on the NRF Committee (2 of these as President) and I know first hand he is a Trojan worker who delivers on everything he promises. He is a team player with a strong set of values and sets high standards for himself and the team he works with and also has a great flair for developing new ideas. – Geraldine King, Director at National Recruitment Federation
Peter recently presented on the topic “How to Hire and Hold Top Talent” to 5th cycle participants of Going for Growth at their National Forum. The reaction was universally positive. From the participants’ feedback it is clear that all those present found the presentation of great value to them and virtually all made a decision for their business based on what they heard. – Paula Fitzsimons, National Director at Going for Growth
Peter has been an invaluable source of knowledge and expertise in the area of job seeking for our Jobnet programme (an initiative which helps jobseekers improve their chances of finding a job). He is committed to sharing this knowledge in order to train and motivate people in their jobsearch. Peter is an excellent speaker whose presentation style is highly engaging and approachable. Time after time our participants have rated his presentation as insightful, genuine and practically very helpful. – Niamh Curtis, Trainer at Jobcare Limited
“Peter recently spoke at an Invesco briefing on the future trends in the workplace and how companies need to respond and he was engaging, informative and I would highly recommend Peter as a presenter.” Paddy Swan, Director at Invesco Ltd (Ireland)
Peter presented to my global senior leadership team and they found it engaging, interesting and I would certainly recommend Peter. – Ella O’Keeffe, Snr Director Global Business Services EMEA at EMC
Peter spoke at an internal training event with my sales team giving significant insights based on his experience and expertise. His delivery is clear and concise while also personalising his approach to resonate with his audience. Peter brings credibility based on his tenure in leading teams which adds substance to his message. –Ronan Mooney Director, Indeed.com
“Peter recently presented on the topic “How to Hire and Hold Top Talent” to 5th cycle participants of Going for Growth at their National Forum. The reaction was universally positive. From the participants’ feedback it is clear that all those present found the presentation of great value to them and virtually all made a decision for their business based on what they heard.” Paula Fitzsimons, National Director at Going for Growth
“Peter spoke at TaxAssist’s Annual Conference this year. He gave an excellent talk on how to hire in the current marketplace. He was informative and entertaining keeping the whole room thoroughly engaged throughout! His talk prompted lots of questions and a very interesting discussion afterwards.” Marketing Director at TaxAssist Accountants Ireland
“Peter gave an entertaining, informative and thought-provoking presentation at the Legal-Island HR Conference 2013 on the development of social media use in recruitment. He handled all questions in a refreshingly candid way. He certainly knows his stuff. Highly recommended.” Head of Training and Development at Legal-Island
“Peter spoke at our CIO conference in January 2013. He delivered an energetic, entertaining and knowledgeable presentation to an audience of CIOs. He received excellent post-event feedback from the attendees.” Douglas LeachProduction Director at The Network Group
“Peter recently supported the Trinity Alumni Career Network event – aimed at alumni of TCD looking for job hunting advice. His presention on ‘effective interviewing’ recevied the following feedback in our survey of attendees: 74% rated Peter’s talk as ‘excellent’ and 84% rated it as ‘very informative’. The stats speak for themselves!” John Dillon, Alumni Director at Trinity Foundation
“I can highly recommend Peter who spoke at our recent National Digital Education Summit on the future employment trends in the digital space. His talk was entertaining, informative and the feedback from the audience was very positive. ” Greg Carew, Business Development Manager, iQuest
“We would like to particularly thank Peter as his presentation helped make the event a huge success. His presentation was so relevant and thought evoking for all the participants. We are receiving a lot of really positive feedback.” Sharon Hennessy, Adult Education Officer, Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board