IRIS BOHNET

Harvard Professor, Behavioral Economist and Author of “What Works: Gender Equality by Design”


  • Professor of Business and Government and the co-director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School
  • She is a behavioral economist, combining insights from economics and psychology to improve decision-making in organizations and society 
  • She is the author of the award-winning book What Works: Gender Equality by Design and advises governments and companies on the topic around the world
  • Professor Bohnet served as academic dean of Harvard Kennedy School from 2011-2014 and 2018-2021
  • She was appointed to the Gender Equality Advisory Council of the G7 in 2021 

Iris Bohnet is the Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government and the co-director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School. She is a behavioral economist, combining insights from economics and psychology to improve decision-making in organizations and society, often with a gender or cross-cultural perspective. Her most recent research examines behavioral design to debias how we live, learn and work. She is the author of the award-winning book What Works: Gender Equality by Design and advises governments and companies on the topic around the world. She was appointed to the Gender Equality Advisory Council of the G7 in 2021 and named one of the Most Influential Academics in Government and one of the most Influential People in Gender Policy by apolitical. 

Professor Bohnet served as academic dean of Harvard Kennedy School from 2011-2014 and 2018-2021. She is also the faculty co-chair of the executive program “Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century” for the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders. She serves on the boards, advisory boards or as a patron of Credit Suisse Group, Applied, Edge, We Shape Tech, Women in Banking and Finance, and the UK Government’s Equalities Office, and is the recipient of several awards and honorary degrees. Iris is married and the mother of two children.

Professor Bohnet tailors each presentation to the needs of her audience and is not limited to the topics listed below. Please ask us about any subject that interests you;

  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Gender Equality
  • Leadership
  • Behavioral Economics

What Works: Gender Equality by Design

“Compelling, lucid, and filled with actionable insights, What Works draws from a deep well of research to explain how we can end gender inequality.”
―Adam Grant, author of Give and Take and Originals

“A pathbreaking work, packed with insights on every page… The best book ever written on behavioral science and discrimination.”
―Cass Sunstein, coauthor of Nudge

A Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award Finalist

Gender equality is a moral and a business imperative. But unconscious bias holds us back, and debiasing people’s minds has proven to be difficult and expensive. Diversity training programs have had limited success, and individual ef-fort alone often invites backlash. Behavioral design offers a new solution. By debiasing organizations instead of individuals, we can make smart changes that have big impacts. Presenting research-based solutions, Iris Bohnet hands us the tools we need to move the needle in classrooms and boardrooms, in hiring and promotion, benefiting businesses, governments, and the lives of millions.

What Works is built on new insights into the human mind. It draws on data collected by companies, universities, and governments in Australia, India, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, Zambia, and other countries, often in randomized controlled trials. It points out dozens of evidence-based interventions that could be adopted right now and demonstrates how research is addressing gender bias, improving lives and performance. What Works shows what more can be done―often at shockingly low cost and surprisingly high speed.

  • Travels from: Boston, USA

  • Fee Range: USD 50.000 to USD 60.000

  • Virtual: USD 20.000 to USD 30.000