Youngest person named among Australia’s 100 Most Influential Women
2012
Leadership lessons for turning no into yes
Holly Ransom is a globally recognised expert in leadership and high-performance cultures, but she is more likely to be the person asking the questions than giving answers.
It’s an approach rooted in Ransom’s leadership philosophy: seek first to understand before you seek to be understood – a principle she learned as a 24-year-old on the world stage, trying to persuade world leaders and central bank governors to take youth issues seriously.
Ransom, founder and CEO of international consulting company Emergent Global Leadership Development, realised early in her career that no one ever hands over the leadership keys; it’s a role you can choose to step into at any given moment.
But Ransom didn’t just take a step – she catapulted into her first major leadership role, being appointed co-chair of the 2014 G20 Youth Summit in Australia. The experience wasn’t just formative; it was foundational for the young woman from Western Australia.
“I often think that you learn the most about leading change when you have the least inherent power in a situation,” she says.
“One of the great questions that I learnt and deployed a lot during that year, that I’ve carried with me ever since is, ‘if I was to turn your no into a yes, what would I have to do?’ And the gift of that question is that, in some instances, someone has given you a no, because the no is easier to give, and by asking that question and someone not being able to answer it, the ball comes back into play.
The power of asking questions has stayed with Ransom throughout her work with some of the biggest companies in the world, including Microsoft and Virgin, and in interviews with political and business leaders such as former US President Barack Obama and Sir Richard Branson.
It’s important to understand the context of the specific business or industry, Ransom says. “I have learned no two situations are the same, and what questions allow you to do is to come up with answers that are appropriate or contextual for you.
“I often think we don’t talk enough about context when it comes to leadership, because leadership is so inherently contextual.”
Ransom says deeply analysing a specific environment, versus coming in with a prescriptive solution based on previous experience with a similar issue, is critical to achieving successful change.
“It’s deeply understanding that, if we fail to appreciate the context and the stakeholder landscape in which this exists, it doesn’t matter how pristine and how logically sound a strategy is or a piece of work looks to be; it will be dead on arrival because it hasn’t been moulded for the cultural context it’s got to ultimately succeed in.”
Leaders are operating in volatile and uncertain times, facing tough issues with no easy answers. In this environment, Ransom says successful leaders need to build a tolerance for discomfort and manage the tension between having a strong set of guiding principles and remaining open-minded and willing to change their view.
One of these discomforts is leaders stepping outside their comfort zone, being a beginner and learning new skills.
“In the industrial age of leadership, time and service equalled rank. The more answers I accumulated, the higher I rose up the ranks, so the expectation of a leader was I had the answers,” she says.
“That’s not the world we live in any more. We need leaders that are asking the right questions and then are really comfortable leading a process to help us determine the answers, but there’s still a little bit of legacy of that mindset that I think hamstrings us.”
One of the challenges facing leaders is the change in workforce demographics, with five generations working side by side.
To ensure all ages are being heard, Ransom suggests companies should consider looking at engagement survey data not just by different teams but also by generation. Because then the questions can start.
“What’s our split in leadership? Does that feel healthy? Are we prepared from a talent pipeline standpoint, and are there any sleeper issues? As a leadership team, do we realise our engagement score and our effective communication is 10 points lower with Gen Z than it is with our baby boomers? I wonder if we can interrogate that a little bit more,” says Ransom, quickly summarising key questions for further discussion.
“When I come into workplaces, there’s often intergenerational tension, and that intergenerational tension is often based on assumptions, a lack of clarity around expectations, and as a result, we end up missing each other.”
At the top of Ransom’s agenda right now is thinking about human leadership in the age of AI.
“How do we help leaders navigate through this period?” she says. “How do we help guide emerging leaders, whose careers are going to be the most significantly disrupted by this, around the skills that are going to matter most in this future world and help build them?”
If leaders are not engaging with AI, they won’t understand what is underpinning the Fourth Industrial Revolution and will be unable to make informed decisions for their businesses, Ransom says.
“I’m still surprised when I meet people that – aside from maybe getting ChatGPT to help them write emails – are not really playing with understanding the use cases of this technology, for better and for worse,” she says.
“You need to work on building your adaptive muscle, and you need to be thinking about how am I creating the conditions to build that with the people that I work with, too.
“We need to understand that our ability to adapt is going to be absolutely critical.”
Ransom’s aim is to help leaders and teams build their own capability.
“In certain situations, my job is to come in as a provocateur and to paint some really interesting pictures of things that you might need to pay more attention to or that, I think, could be versions of the truth for a particular industry but with the intended goal of sparking a conversation and really getting into a debate and teasing some interesting ideas apart and then ultimately deciding, what does this mean for us?
“You’re not allowing a culture to get stronger if they’re reliant on someone coming in to tell them how to think through something or how to do it.
“My goal is to equip leaders to do better at navigating these situations themselves and to have the tools and frameworks where they can lead their teams and their organisations through these sorts of challenges moving forward.”
Spotlight
“But as I learned and was humbled by many times over in the G20 process, there were very good reasons we were getting told no, and then that became my to-do list.
“You’ve told me all the things that are problematic, all the things that we haven’t provided you with, or that we’ve got to get more information on. That’s my homework – off I go with a very clear sense of what it would take to get you to yes.”
As CEO of Emergent Global, Holly Ransom partners with Fortune 500 companies and governments to build leaders who thrive in complexity. Her research-backed methodology transforms traditional leadership development into high-impact experiences that close the knowing-to-doing gap. Ransom is also a renowned keynote speaker, MC, moderator and high-profile interviewer who ignites stages worldwide. Whether she’s facilitating boardroom breakthroughs or conducting conversations with global icons like Barack Obama, Brené Brown, Sir Richard Branson or Simone Biles, Ransom brings her trademark curiosity and ability to ask the questions that matter most.
Company Profile
850+
SESSIONS DELIVERED ACROSS 25+ COUNTRIES
9.8/10
SPEAKER SCORE IN 2024
100%
Repeat business as MC
100+
DISCUSSIONS LED WITH GLOBAL LEADERS AND CELEBRITIES
96%
Participant confidence in leading after working with Ransom
Bio
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Accolades
Company Profile
CONFERENCE LEADERSHIP
Co-founder of Canada’s
#1 conference –
Energy Disruptors: Unite
PUBLISHED WORK
Bestselling author of The Leading Edge
Favourite quote
“Any hand you’re dealt can be a winner; it all depends on how you play it”
Holly Ransom
CEO at Emergent Global
Holly Ransom has partnered with some of the world’s leading organisations, yet her leadership philosophy remains remarkably straightforward
Read on
“We need leaders that are asking the right questions and then are really comfortable leading a process to help us determine the answers”
Holly Ransom, Emergent Global
“When I come into workplaces, there’s often intergenerational tension, and that intergenerational tension is often based on assumptions”
Holly Ransom,
Emergent Global
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Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2019
2021
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2012
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2015
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2016
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2019
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2021
Fundserv is the indispensable connectivity hub for the Canadian investment industry. Headquartered in Toronto, we electronically connect Manufacturers, Distributors, and Intermediaries, enabling them to buy, sell, and transfer investment funds. With more than 100 employees, Fundserv serves hundreds of members—executing up to 63 million yearly network transactions—and provides online access to more than 70,000 investment fund products.
Established in 1993, Fundserv is a private corporation that is owned by the industry we serve. Our 10 shareholders are a cross-section of Manufacturers, Distributors, and Service Providers who represent our members.
We operate using a cost-recovery model, meaning any unused profit may be rebated back to our members. In addition to our network and applications, we lead and facilitate industry committees and working groups that promote automation initiatives and establish the industry’s electronic standards.
By ensuring every trade is processed timely, accurately, and securely, Fundserv has rightfully earned a reputation for service excellence—a hallmark of more than 25 years in the investment industry.
Company Profile
1983
SESSIONS DELIVERED ACROSS 25+ COUNTRIES
9.8/10
SPEAKER SCORE IN 2024
100+
PROPORTION OF WOMEN AMONG FUNDSERV EMPLOYEES
100%
PROPORTION OF WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
63,514,128
NUMBER OF ORDERS PROCESSED IN 2019
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
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Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2019
2021
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2012
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2015
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2016
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2019
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2021
Fundserv is the indispensable connectivity hub for the Canadian investment industry. Headquartered in Toronto, we electronically connect Manufacturers, Distributors, and Intermediaries, enabling them to buy, sell, and transfer investment funds. With more than 100 employees, Fundserv serves hundreds of members—executing up to 63 million yearly network transactions—and provides online access to more than 70,000 investment fund products.
Established in 1993, Fundserv is a private corporation that is owned by the industry we serve. Our 10 shareholders are a cross-section of Manufacturers, Distributors, and Service Providers who represent our members.
We operate using a cost-recovery model, meaning any unused profit may be rebated back to our members. In addition to our network and applications, we lead and facilitate industry committees and working groups that promote automation initiatives and establish the industry’s electronic standards.
By ensuring every trade is processed timely, accurately, and securely, Fundserv has rightfully earned a reputation for service excellence—a hallmark of more than 25 years in the investment industry.
Company Profile
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
IN Partnership with
In Partnership with
In Partnership with
2012
2014
2016
2018
2019
2021
Youngest person named among Australia’s 100 Most Influential Women
2012
Appointed co-chair of the G20 Youth Summit
2014
Youngest director appointed to an AFL club (Port Adelaide Football Club)
2016
Personally requested by former US President Barack Obama to interview him on stage during his only Australian engagement
2018
Receives US Embassy’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Leadership Excellence
2019
Graduates from Harvard Kennedy School as a Fulbright Scholar
2021
Milestones
Context is key
Tough issues with no easy answers
Published 07 Oct 2025
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– Holly’s grandma
Intergenerational teams
Leadership in the age of AI
Empowering leaders
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Copyright © 2025 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd.
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Best in HR
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Subscribe
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Copyright © 2025 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd.
