Alain Hunkins helps high-achieving people become high-achieving leaders. A sought-after keynote speaker, group facilitator, writer, and executive coach, he connects the science of high performance with the performing art of leadership. Alain helps leaders unlock their potential and expand their influence, leading to superior results, increased engagement, higher levels of retention, and greater organizational and personal satisfaction. He has a gift for translating complex concepts from psychology, neuroscience, and organizational behavior into simple, practical tools that can be applied on the job.
Over the course of his 25+ year career, Alain has worked with tens of thousands of leaders in 27 countries and served clients in all industries, including 42 Fortune 100 companies. Some of his clients include Microsoft, Pfizer, Citigroup, State Farm Insurance, the National Basketball Association, Roku, and NASA. He designs and delivers dynamic keynotes, seminars, and workshops covering a variety of leadership topics including communication, team building, conflict management, peak performance, motivation, and change.
Alain distilled the insights he’s learned into his bestselling book, Cracking the Leadership Code: Three Secrets to Building Strong Leaders (Wiley, March 2020). Barry Z. Posner, Ph.D., Professor of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, Co-author, The Leadership Challenge has named it “One of the most practical books on the planet when it comes to leadership and how to make a difference.”
With his Master’s in Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Professional Theater Training Program, and a BA from Amherst College, Alain also serves on the faculty of Duke Corporate Education, ranked by Financial Times in 2022 as the #1 customized Executive Education program in the United States. Alain has lectured at UNC Kenan-Flagler’s business school, Pepperdine and Columbia University. He is currently serving on the Academic Board of Advisors of the New Delhi Institute of Management (India). Alain has been honored to be selected as a 2023 “Top 200 Power List of Leaders” by LeadersHum.
Alain is a regular leadership strategy contributor to Forbes and has authored over 400 articles on leadership. His work has also been published by Fast Company, Chief Learning Officer, The Association for Talent Development, CEO Refresher, American Management Association, Inc., Training Industry, Chief Executive, and Business Insider.
Born in New York City into the third generation of a family of professional musicians, Alain studied the violin starting at age five.
He performed with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of New York in Carnegie Hall on his 13th birthday and went on to become the concertmaster for the orchestra at the acclaimed LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts. Alain is a certified co-leader for ManKind Project International, a non-profit whose mission is to help men lead lives of service to their families, communities, and workplaces. Serving as the CEO of Hunkins Leadership Group, Alain is currently living in Western Massachusetts with his wife and two children. A former collegiate rower, he enjoys finding new ways to sweat daily.
"Alain led a different program for the US Wholesale team. His extensive preparation and boundless enthusiasm made the event a success. In fact, the response was so positive and the impact so lasting, that he was brought “back by popular demand’ to lead the event this year. Expectations were high, and they were exceeded again."
"Alain led a different program for the US Wholesale team. His extensive preparation and boundless enthusiasm made the event a success. In fact, the response was so positive and the impact so lasting, that he was brought “back by popular demand’ to lead the event this year. Expectations were high, and they were exceeded again."