Katty Kay

•  Being British and based in Washington, D.C., Katty Kay offers a very different perspective on American politics and global affairs.
• Delivers current, topical and insight-filled update on the 2016 election, the issues facing the President and Congress, and what it likely means to her audience.
• Her work on Womenomics and confidence inspires women to take action and engages business with the prospect of pink profits.

Katty (pronounced CAT-TEE) Kay is the lead anchor for BBC World News America. She is seen in America on nearly 300 Public Broadcasting Stations which carry BBC World News America broadcasts. Katty’s reports on the latest U.S. economic and political news are also carried by BBC News channels globally, giving her a vast international audience. In addition, Katty is also a frequent guest commentator on NBC’s Meet the Press as well as a regular guest and substitute co-host on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
The daughter of a British diplomat, Katty grew up all over the Middle East. Her career with the BBC began in Zimbabwe in 1990 where she started filing radio reports for BBC World Service radio. From there she also covered the end of apartheid in South Africa. Katty then went on to work as a BBC correspondent in London, and later Tokyo, reporting on stories including the Kobe earthquake and the Japanese economic recession. She settled in Washington in 1996 where she took some time out from broadcast journalism to join The Times’ (the British newspaper) Washington bureau before returning to the BBC in 2002.
Katty is a popular speaker who addresses both current political events and issues impacting women. Katty’s talks on American politics and global affairs offer the fresh perspective of someone who has lived in and reported from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and now Washington, D.C. She looks beyond the headlines and provides valuable insights on the top stories making news right now — the challenges facing the President and Congress, the outlook for the next major U.S. election, global economic news, world trouble spots, diplomatic dustups, terrorism, and more.

Additionally, the challenges of juggling a demanding career and a family with four children led her to speak and write on two topics that strongly resonate with women: confidence and something she calls “Womenonics.” Katty Kay is co-author (with Claire Shipman) of two New York Times bestsellers. Her latest, The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance—What Women Should Know, inspires women to understand that confidence – the lynchpin of success – is a choice. She shows ways to break out of comfort zones and take risks that pay off. In her first book, Womenomics: Write Your Own Rules for Success, she 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.
Katty studied modern languages at Oxford from where she went on to work for a brief period with the Bank of England. She speaks fluent French and Italian and also what she describes as ‘rusty Japanese’. Katty is married to Tom Carver, a strategic risk consultant. They live in Washington, D.C. with their four children.

WASHINGTON FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE
Katty Kay offers a fresh perspective on American politics that only an outsider can provide. The veteran BBC anchor – based in Washington since 1996 – has the experience and reliable sources to talk about the story behind today’s headlines from Washington and provide valuable context for her audiences. This speech can be tailored to focus on a mix of topics such as: how the 2016 Presidential campaign is shaping up, health care, industry regulation, the debt ceiling and economic wrangling, jobs, immigration, tax reform, foreign policy, gun control and more. Katty delivers solid insights with charm and good humor. She also suggests lessons Washington’s leaders can learn from other countries – but will they set aside their ever-more partisan battles to find a way to compromise and meet the urgent challenges of today? Katty suggests America’s problems are not economic – but political – and they can be fixed.
A GLOBAL UPDATE
Global times call for global perspective. As someone who has lived in and reported from North America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe, Katty Kay’s speech offers rich observations on the global news making headlines right now and what world leaders are doing. The world is changing at lightning speed and understanding the complex issues requires a constant refresh of perspective. It’s a world where many of the fastest growing economies are in Africa; where 300 million micro-bloggers challenge the supremacy of the Chinese state; and where one-third of the population of the Middle East is under thirty. It’s a world where big challenges abound – economically, politically and in terms of security and safety. And the landscape changes on a daily basis. Where is it headed? Katty Kay offers insights on what the future holds globally and how it will impact you.
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.
WOMENOMICS
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, IMF Chief Christine Lagarde called the advancement of women the greatest economic opportunity of our time. She was recognizing what Katty Kay calls Womenomics, the extraordinary value of women in the workforce. Global studies show that companies who employ more senior women make more money. But too many women in their mid-thirties hit the brick wall of kids vs. career and decide to leave the workforce. We can’t afford to keep losing them. Katty marshals evidence from employers large and small to show how it’s possible to help women meet the demands of family and career and keep these valuable contributors in the workforce. What starts as talent retention initiative becomes a profit bonus any company would be happy to have. Katty’s talk inspires women and provides a practical guide to employers.
MODERATOR, DISCUSSION LEADER & INTERVIEWER:
Katty Kay has interviewed scores of political dignitaries and business leaders for her news broadcasts. The skills, grace and humor she brings to the live stage as a panel moderator, discussion leader and interviewer help create memorable events.