Susan MacKenty Brady
Deloitte Ellen Gabriel Chair for Women & Leadership
CEO, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership
Susan MacKenty Brady is a global leader committed to fostering a future of respect and human connection through genuine, human-centered leadership. As the founding CEO of the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership and the Deloitte Ellen Gabriel Chair for Women and Leadership, she aids organizations in developing high-performing cultures driven by respect. A sought-after speaker with over 25 years of experience, Susan has consulted for more than 500 organizations worldwide, instructing leaders on cultivating environments where individuals thrive and businesses succeed. She is the lead co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Arrive & Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership, along with three other books, and her insights have appeared in ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and others.
Her next book, All the Difference: How the Best Leaders Transform Complex, Strife-Filled Teams into Their Organization’s Most Powerful Strength, co-authored by General Leslie Smith and Stuart Kliman, is set to be published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2026.
Professional Experience
Prior to joining Simmons, Susan was Executive Vice President at Linkage, Inc. a global leadership development consulting and training firm. She founded Linkage’s Women in Leadership Institute™ and launched Linkage’s global practice on Advancing Women Leaders and Inclusive Leadership, and led the field research behind the 7 Leadership Hurdles Women Leaders Face in the Workforce™.
Publications
Featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, Susan is the author of Mastering Your Inner Critic and 7 Other High Hurdles to Advancement: How the Best Women Leaders Practice Self-Awareness to Change What Really Matters (McGraw-Hill, 2018), The 30-Second Guide to Coaching Your Inner Critic (Linkage, 2014), and co-author of Arrive & Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership (McGraw-Hill, 2022).
See Susan’s Insights below for more details.
Public Speaking & Consulting
A celebrated speaker, Susan has keynoted or consulted at over 500 organizations around the world. She is host of the popular “Better Understanding” podcast series and a sought-after guest expert on leadership across media platforms, including The Gallup Podcast with Mohammand Younis on The Most Important Leadership Skill? Listening.
Download Susan’s speaker kit to learn more about her work and impact and book her as a keynote speaker at your next event.
