Athena Peppes is an economist and futurist who helps leaders raise their AI-Quotient (AI-Q) for the human + AI era. Her forthcoming book, AI-Q: The New Leadership Imperative for the Human+AI Era (Practical Inspiration Publishing), sets out how organisations can build the mindsets, abilities and practices that AI readiness demands. Across her advisory work, writing and speaking, she examines how artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are reshaping economies, work and society.
She is a Director at Beacon Thought Leadership, a thought-leadership advisory firm, where she specialises in foresight and economic research, and Head of AI Research at BossUp.AI, a startup pioneering benchmarks for AI readiness.
Athena has more than 15 years of experience advising senior executives on emerging trends across industries including automotive, insurance, consumer goods, energy, consulting and government. She spent over a decade at Accenture, where she worked with Fortune 500 companies and public institutions. Shea co-founded Accenture’s Business Futures workshop approach used at innovation hubs, which not only inspired executive teams into action but also led to strategy engagements of at least $30m and helped a semiconductor company triple its revenue and profitability.
Her insights and thought leadership have contributed to 50+ reports, articles and points of views on topics related to the future of business. Her work has featured at global forums including the World Economic Forum, B20, W20, IBEC and the CBI, and published in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Rotman Magazine, Thunderbird International Business Review and The European Business Review.
She is a sought-after speaker at international conferences and leadership forums, with appearances at SXSW, Global Marketing Summit, KIMRA Conference, The Forward Institute and Rialto’s Board Briefing series. Her audiences have included senior leaders from organizations such as BCG, BT, Bupa, Centrica, EY, Fortnum & Mason, Microsoft, Nationwide, Primark, Virgin, the UK Space Agency, and government departments. She is also a regular radio and business podcast guest, where she unpacks what AI and emerging technologies really mean for everyday life and business.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and holds an MSc in Economics from the University of York. She lives in London.
