Dr. James Hewitt

At a time when leaders and organizations worldwide are aiming for peak performance but feeling the strain of balancing employee wellbeing, business demands, and rapid technological changes, Dr. James Hewitt offers a radical proposition: Peak performance and human thriving don’t compete—they complement each other. James’ journey from professional cycling to pioneering workplace research has revealed what elite athletes know, but businesses often overlook: sustainable success thrives on the strategic balance of effort and recovery. With a PhD in Performance Science and as the founder of the Knowledge Work Lab, James combines academic rigor with actionable insights to transform organizations’ approach to performance and wellbeing. At the heart of his work is ‘Regenerative Performance,’ a revolutionary framework that empowers organizations to achieve high performance while actively improving employee wellbeing. Through this approach, James has delivered results for Fortune 500 companies, Formula 1 teams, and leaders at three World Economic Forum Annual Meetings in Davos. His insights have also shaped thinking at leading business schools such as IMD, Duke CE, and St. Gallen. Where others see a trade-off between performance and wellbeing, James reveals opportunities for mutual enhancement. Supported by extensive research with some of the world’s highest-performing organizations, his work demonstrates how leaders can create self-reinforcing cycles of success and thriving. A sought-after speaker, James addresses the critical challenges of today’s workplace: maintaining focus in a world of constant distraction, sustaining performance without burnout, and fostering innovation in the face of unprecedented demands. His keynotes inspire action, combining science-backed strategies with real-world experience to help organizations transform their workplaces from sources of depletion into engines of sustainable growth and exceptional outcomes.