Speaker Profile

Meet Hansini Gunasekara, an organisational behavior specialist, leadership researcher, and management consultant with a passion for fostering psychological safety in the workplace. Growing up, Hansini was fearless and curious, unafraid to ask questions and often shared ‘out-of-the-box’ ideas. Once she entered the workforce, she experienced a range of leadership and organisational factors that, at times, increased her sense of psychological safety and, at other times, shattered it. Hansini’s curiosity in organisational behavior and leadership began during this time, as she saw firsthand the positive and tangible impacts of meaningful employee and leader development strategies.

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After completing a Bachelor of Psychology with first-class honours at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA, Hansini moved to the UK to pursue a Master of Research Methods in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, where she received the Faculty of Science and Technology Scholarship. Following the completion of her Master’s, Hansini spent nearly a decade working in leadership and management consulting prior to embarking on a Ph.D. She also has extensive experience in research methods, having taught the subjects at the university level. 

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In her industry and academic work, Hansini has created strategies around a range of areas, including psychological safety, leadership, employment relations, change management, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Upon receiving the prestigious AUT Doctoral Scholarship, Hansini embarked on her Ph.D. in management in 2023 at the School of Management at the Auckland University of Technology, researching the role of leaders in fostering psychological safety among diverse employees in Aotearoa New Zealand. Hansini is committed to helping organisations create environments where all people can thrive. Today, via her work at Upthrive Leadership, Hansini collaborates with organisations to develop effective, people-centric management strategies, aiming to create research-backed, everyday psychological safety for all.