Josh Comrie is the author of Two Commas and host of the Two Commas podcast. A founder, investor, and advisor, he has spent more than two decades building and leading high-growth, people and technology-driven businesses. His work bridges commercial performance, leadership, and business-value creation models - helping leaders unlock growth while maintaining connection and clarity.

In his keynote, The Connection Crisis, Josh reveals why genuine human connection isn’t a soft skill but a strategic advantage - and how leaders can restore it to drive retention, performance, and sustainable growth.

The Connection Crisis: Why Isolation is Killing Performance

We're facing a crisis that's hiding in plain sight. Despite being more digitally "connected" than ever, workplace isolation is silently eroding the foundation of high-performing teams. In this session, Josh Comrie draws on neuroscience, loneliness research, and hard business data to reveal why human connection isn't a soft HR initiative - it's a competitive imperative.

Through personal stories and compelling evidence, you'll discover why our brains are fundamentally wired for belonging, what happens when that need goes unmet, and how disconnection manifests as tangible costs: reduced innovation, increased turnover, quiet quitting, and leadership burnout. More importantly, you'll leave with practical, no-nonsense frameworks for rebuilding authentic connection in your organisation without resorting to forced team-building exercises or performative culture programs.

What You'll Take Away:

• The science behind the need: Understand the neurological and psychological foundations of human connection and why isolation triggers measurable decline in wellbeing and performance
• The business case for connection: Recognise the quantifiable impacts of disconnection on retention, innovation, mental health, and bottom-line results
• The real cost of doing nothing: Identify how disconnection shows up in your organisation - from disengagement and attrition to impaired decision-making and leadership exhaustion
• Actionable strategies that work: Learn field-tested frameworks for fostering genuine workplace connection that enhance both individua flourishing and organizational performance without gimmicks or corporate theatre

This session challenges leaders to confront an uncomfortable truth: you can't optimize your way out of a connection deficit. But you can rebuild it and when you do, everything else gets easier.