Why neurodiversity belongs on the global agenda (Conversations from Davos)

Neurodiversity is officially part of the global conversation at the 2026 World Economic Forum. In this episode of Minds at Work, host Nathan Friedman speaks with Dr. Maureen Dunne, neuroscientist, author of The Neurodiversity Edge, and founder of the Davos Neurodiversity Summit. They discuss how the summit came to be and how cross-sector collaboration can move organizations beyond accommodation toward system-level progress.

In the episodes ahead, Dr. Dunne will take the mic to host conversations examining the leadership and inclusion themes that shaped this year’s summit.

This special season of Minds at Work is brought to you by Understood.org and the Davos Neurodiversity Summit.

Nathan Friedman: Welcome to "Minds at Work", the podcast for leaders who embrace neurodiversity in business. I'm Nathan Friedman, Co-President and Chief Marketing Officer of Understood.org, the leading nonprofit focused on helping people who learn and think differently thrive.

I'm here today to introduce a special season of "Minds at Work", brought to you by Understood.org and the Davos Neurodiversity Summit. As many of you know, Davos, officially known as the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, brings together leaders from business, government, society, and academia for conversations about the most pressing global issues and to set priorities for bold action.

And what happens at Davos often sets global agendas for the rest of the year. This year, neurodiversity is on that agenda, and thanks in no small part to Dr. Maureen Dunne. Dr. Dunne is a global neurodiversity expert who has advised top brands, Fortune 500 companies, schools, foundations, government officials, and others on how to embrace neurodiversity.

She is the author of the award — winning book "The Neurodiversity Edge", and she's also the founder of the Davos Neurodiversity Summit, which is in its second year. I'm thrilled that Understood is partnering with the summit, and together we're convening special conversations with neurodivergent leaders and allies from across the globe.

We've asked Dr. Dunne to host these conversations from Davos. So in this episode, I want to introduce you to her and to talk about the summit and its goals. Maureen, welcome to the special season of "Minds at Work".

Dr. Maureen Dunne: Thank you so much, Nathan. It's a pleasure to be here, and thank you for that kind introduction.

Nathan: You're welcome. And I think one of the times we first met was when I first attended Davos in 2024. And during that year's meetings, I had a lot of conversations, whether it be on panels or informally, about how do we close the gaps in support for neurodivergent kids and adults.

These were a part of a broader conversation on inclusivity, but now that you've created this summit that puts neurodiversity at the front and center, I'd like to understand more about how you came up with that idea.

Maureen: The summit evolved really from a recognition from my part realizing that there were so many amazing leaders that were missing from these incredible conversations that are always happening in Davos. And kind of just realizing, well, some of the questions and the conversations being had, I could think about all these people around the world that could add so much value to these conversations but are not currently being included.

So the first year in 2024, before the Davos Neurodiversity Summit was more formalized, I basically invited a hundred — plus neurodivergent leaders across the world to participate in a panel that I was invited to speak on — unconscious leadership. And it was a really productive conversation.

And then from there, it evolved into a much more formalized summit where it's something now that we're doing every year. And the idea is just, you know, can we create a space where not just neurodivergent leaders, but neurodivergent leaders and allies and people of all neurotypes, where we can really join together and problem solve together and have these important conversations during Davos.

And I guess I see it as now it's evolved into something that's much more of like a living laboratory, where it's not just about conversations, but then also like, you know, what can we do year — round that really produces results that is driving things forward and really making a positive impact.

Nathan: When you were kicking this off, did you have to get buy — in, or how did that work with the entire summit in conjunction with WEF? There's a lot of different pieces and moving pieces, so some of our audience may be interested in how that all took off.

Maureen: And of course, with anything new, it's a process and it evolves. But I would say that I was surprised at how quickly there were many key players, right, in the neurodiversity community and also within corporations globally, where there's a lot of champions for neurodiversity.

People that are already in leadership roles — I think a lot of people don't realize how large of the population already is that are neurodivergent. So we've kind of brought together a really amazing group of people that really truly believe in the importance of neuro-inclusivity and neuro-inclusive leadership. But I've actually been surprised at the response in that I think there's been a more positive response overall than I maybe initially expected.

Nathan: I think you're very humble, but I think you were a lot of the driving force to get this summit and raising awareness in the field. And so we're going to get back to the summit in a minute, but let's back up one second for a bit of background on you. And I'm wondering if you could tell us a little bit more about yourself.

We know you're a cognitive scientist, and as I mentioned, you wrote the best — selling book "The Neurodiversity Edge". What led you to become this neurodiversity expert that you are today?

Maureen: We'd like to say there was one story about that, but I would say that there were several stories that kind of intersected that really drove me to make this my life purpose. My story in itself kind of is reflective of my generation. When I started doing this work decades ago, there was a very different understanding of neurodiversity than we have now.

And so I simultaneously had these interesting experiences where I from a very young age was very super interested in science in general, and that led me to ask some difficult questions. Maybe challenging some of the existing theories of the time about how we were seeing the mind and the brain and it being maybe more plastic than we've understood today.

And so then simultaneously the neurodiversity movement started to take out. But then, you know, just my own personal background — so these things kind of intersect. But I over time realized my own neurodivergence. And so it is deeply personal, but at the same time I'm a trained professional. I did my PhD at Oxford, postdoctoral training.

This has been my life purpose. And so it's been a combination of my personal experiences and as a professional and my research, and these things, I think they've made me understand this topic from a really multidisciplinary, cross — sector way that helps me propel this mission in a way that maybe more difficult if I was coming at it from one discipline in particular.

(07:14) The importance of intergenerational dialogue in reimagining leadership

Nathan: I want to turn to this year's summit and talk about the overarching theme, which is reimagining leadership through neurodiversity. Can you tell us more about the panels and conversations you're going to be having and anything you're really excited about?

Maureen: Broadly speaking, I think one of the things I'm really excited about is one of the themes this year is intergenerational conversations, alongside how do we reimagine leadership through the lens of neurodiversity. And I think this is just so incredibly important because I think the more we can have these conversations and listen to one another, I think the more progress we can make.

This year I'm excited about the number of Global Shapers — World Economic Forum Global Shapers that are involved and also established leaders and CEOs and policymakers. I think we tend to talk more and listen less, but I think my hope anyway in this summit is that it's more of a living laboratory in how do we learn to communicate better across neurotypes.

And how do we learn to problem solve and build those empathy and communication bridges?

Nathan: You mentioned Global Shapers. For those who may not be familiar with what that group is, can you explain a little bit?

Maureen: The World Economic Forum Global Shaper program is meant to bring together some extraordinary young leaders that are making a huge impact in the world. So we have a number that are involved in our summit and trying to bring together the Global Shapers with more established CEOs or vice presidents of companies or educational institutions.

I think it's incredibly important just because we can learn so much from each other. And also just given how fast things are changing. So we have a panel I'm excited about at the summit too that's really about exponential change.

And I think that's incredibly important because this is the first time in history where we've had this level of cognitive work being taken over in — there's a lot of change happening that's just in terms of pace, just accelerating in a way that maybe a lot of us have not seen in the past.

And I think it's so incredibly important that leaders come together and have these conversations and they're proactive conversations, right, again, not reactive conversations. And neurodiversity, I believe, is very much a part of that conversation and thinking about skill sets, thinking about the future, thinking about all the problems we have to solve and how we really need all kinds of minds, all perspectives.

And so that's a big part of the summit too is trying to bring together different perspective, different voices, people from different skill sets and problem — solving capabilities and showcase how important that framework is and including people that maybe aren't normally invited to these leadership tables.

(10:23) The need for proactive infrastructure that fosters a sense of belonging for all neurotypes

Nathan: There's a lot of great topics, and I think with all of these topics and discussions and Global Shapers and leaders being present, what are some of the outcomes you want to see?

Maureen: Well, I think our goal has always been that we're not just a summit or a conference, that the goal is for us to be having these proactive conversations so that we're not reacting to these massive changes that we're all experiencing with technology, with AI, with questions about inclusion and neurodiversity.

So I think it's incredibly helpful to bring together people from many different walks of life — the corporate world, the education world, the policy world, really cross — sector systems change — and have these conversations and come up with a framework that moves beyond just purely accommodation to what kind of infrastructure do we need to be developing, cross — systems, that is going to allow everyone to thrive and do their best work.

And feel a sense of belonging and have the tools they need to succeed. Really Davos is the starting point of those conversations. And the real goal, I think, is that we have a community of leaders and supporters that are aligned in seeing where the world is going and seeing the importance of us all working together collaboratively.

Being open — minded too — I think we can all learn from the week that we're going to have together in Davos to just become better listeners, especially when we're talking about like working cross — neurotype.

So my goal is bringing together leaders across the world and without having a rigid agenda, really just inviting these conversations where we can together proactively be developing some kind of blueprint of where we'd like as a society, as humanity, where we'd like things to go rather than just be reactive.

Nathan: I think there are so many paths forward from here. I want to thank you so much for taking the torch and representing all of neurodiversity at Davos. And thank you for joining us today.

Maureen: You're welcome. It was amazing to be here.

Nathan: You've been listening to "Conversations from Davos", a special season of "Minds at Work" hosted by Dr. Maureen Dunne and brought to you by Understood.org and the Davos Neurodiversity Summit. If you want to know more about our guest today, please check the show notes.

For those looking for resources to better advocate for themselves and others at work, visit understood.org/work. And to learn more about the summit and Dr. Maureen Dunne, visit davosneurodiversitysummit.com.

"Minds at Work" is brought to you by Understood.org. Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give.

The show is produced by Julie Subrin and Alison Hoachlander. Mixing is by Justin D. Wright, with production support from Andrew Rector. Briana Berry is our production director.

From Understood.org, our executive directors are Laura Key and Scott Cocchiere. And I'm your host, Nathan Friedman.

Please join us next time. We'll continue unpacking the most important themes from this year's summit to shape a more inclusive and creative future.