About Rory
A lifetime spent working on the creative side of the advertising agency Ogilvy has provided Rory with the perfect environment for developing a fascination with the vagaries of human decision making - indeed he sees the world of advertising and marketing as a sort of Galapagos Island for behavioural science.
An accidental Tik Tok star as well as a celebrated speaker and writer, Rory has found his blend of wit and behavioural insight resonates with audiences far beyond the boardroom. It's the same passion that inspired him to found Ogilvy's Behavioural Science Practice, a team of psychology graduates who look for unseen opportunities in consumer behaviour.
He has variously been the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, President of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) in the UK, Chair of the Judges for the Direct Marketing Jury at Cannes and a TED Global speaker. Rory co-wrote Transport for Humans (with Pete Dyson) and is the technology correspondent for the Spectator Magazine.
Follow Rory
Events and Appearances
Catch Rory in person or online during his appearances around the world
TOMAS
KILKENOMICS Festival
ECONOMICS & COMEDY
6th November 2026 Ireland
Monday.com
Conference
24th November 2026 London, UK
Ubiq X Live 2027
Live
3rd March 2027 London, UK
Appetite for Alchemy
Live
24th March 2027 Australia
Rory on Stage
Watch Rory on stage at conferences, festivals
and live events, exploring behavioural science, business, advertising and the wonderfully
irrational ways people make decisions.
The Welcome Conference New York 2025
In this talk at Will Guidara's 2025 Welcome Conference talk, Rory explores why reverse benchmarking often creates more value than copying best practice ever could. A sharp, entertaining case for the hidden power of behavioural science in hospitality.
Watch & Listen to Rory
Podcasts, interviews and video clips featuring Rory in conversation, sharing ideas, insights and the occasional perfectly timed tangent. A collection of thoughts and perspectives best understood by hearing him think aloud.
The Bottleneck Podcast
Why do smart people, strong ideas and good organisations still get stuck? The Bottleneck Podcast looks at the irrational, overlooked and often very human reasons progress slows down - and how better thinking can get things moving again.
Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
Chris Williamson
Imogen Bhogal Everything Electric
Books by Rory
Explore Rory’s books on original thinking, behavioural science and the irrational logic that shapes everyday life — including Alchemy and Transport for Humans.
Alchemy
Discover the secret power of irrational thinking to create magic in branding, business, and life.
'Revelatory and entertaining'
Sunday Times
Transport For Humans
People are not cargo. We choose how and when to travel, influenced not only by speed and time but by habit, status, comfort, variety - and many other factors that engineering equations don't capture at all.
Read Rory
Essays, columns and sideways observations from Rory's writing life - from behavioural science and advertising to business, technology, transport and the curious ways people actually make decisions.
Rory's regular writing for The Spectator explores the strange, revealing and often counterintuitive ways people, organisations and societies make decisions. From behavioural science and advertising to politics, technology, transport and everyday human absurdity, his columns apply sideways thinking to the things most people take for granted.
Learn with Rory
Go deeper into Rory's world of behavioural science, creative thinking and commercial imagination through courses and learning experiences designed to challenge the way people see problems, make decisions and generate ideas.
What if five minutes of conversation with Rory could change how you think?
Enjoy a 1:1 conversation with an AI version of Rory about your own questions, problems or ideas. Challenge conventional wisdom, explore unexpected possibilities and discover why the right answer is not always the obvious one.
Continue the conversation with Rory
Rory Sutherland’s CPD-approved course for people who want to think more creatively, use behavioural science more effectively and solve business problems in less conventional ways.
Get in Touch
