Damian Hughes

Damian Hughes is a bestselling author, organisational psychologist and high-performance expert joining a world-class Pendulum Summit 2027 line-up that includes Amal Clooney, Diana Nyad, Professor Michael Wooldridge, Amy Brann and David Meade. Best known as co-host of The High Performance Podcast, which has achieved more than 300 million downloads, Damian combines practical experience in elite sport with an academic background in organisational development and change psychology.

He is the co-host of The High Performance Podcast, the acclaimed interview series exploring the psychology behind sustained high performance across business, sport and the arts. The podcast has achieved more than 300 million downloads.

Across hundreds of conversations with elite performers, Damian has explored the habits, behaviours, cultures and mindsets that separate good performance from great performance, turning those lessons into practical insight for leaders, teams and individuals.

Damian is the author of eight bestselling business books, including Liquid Thinking, Liquid Leadership, How to Think Like Sir Alex Ferguson and The Five STEPS to a Winning Mindset. His books High Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming Your Best and How to Change Your Life both became number one Sunday Times bestsellers, while his latest book, MicroHabits: Tiny Changes That Supercharge High Performance, was released in 2026. His work has been translated into fifteen languages.

His expertise is grounded in elite performance environments. Damian has served as part of the coaching teams for England Rugby League, England Roses and Scotland Rugby Union, as well as a wide range of national and international sporting teams.

He was appointed Visiting Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Change at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2010, further combining academic insight with the realities of leadership, culture and performance under pressure.

At Pendulum Summit 2027: A Future Without Limits, Damian will bring the lessons learned from elite performers, world-class teams and more than 300 million podcast downloads to the stage, challenging audiences to think differently about what high performance really requires.