I Write Speeches For Global Leaders Who Need To Be Heard.
Executive speechwriting and ghostwriting for international organizations, governments and industries.
Photo Courtesy: Kiara Worth - COP28 - 2023
I’m Brent Kerrigan, an executive speechwriter and communications strategist based in Geneva.
For more than two decades I've helped leaders at the highest levels of government, business and international organizations find the right words — and deliver them with impact.
That might mean preparing a keynote for a policy or product launch, refining a message to stakeholders, or turning complex material into an op-ed, strategic narrative or public-facing message.
My background includes years of executive speechwriting and strategic communications across governments, the private sector and the United Nations — including serving as Head Speechwriter at UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other UN organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
I’ve also supported clients with ghostwriting, messaging development, and presentation prep for high-visibility events and publications.
My approach is collaborative and calm — built around deep listening, strategic insight, and helping leaders tell a clearer story about who they are and the impact they make.
Strategic Support for High-Stakes Communication
I work with leaders and organizations at critical moments;
when the message needs to be more than polished. It needs to be right.
I offer three categories of service:
Executive Speechwriting
Keynotes, summit addresses, panel talks and high-stakes speeches for international leaders and organizations. Crafted for impact, written in your voice, delivered with precision.
Ghostwriting
Op-eds, articles, lectures, and long-form pieces that bring your ideas to life — in your voice, with clarity and strategic intent.
Narrative Strategy & Messaging
Advisory sessions, message development, and story shaping for leaders and organizations navigating complexity, change and big moments.
Six Years at the Centre of
Global Climate Communication
From 2017 to 2023, I served as Head Speechwriter at UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) — a role that went far beyond speeches.
In those six years, I helped shape, steer and sustain the organization’s internal and external narrative through some of its most turbulent and high-profile transitions:
The first U.S. withdrawal from — and return to — the Paris Agreement.
The emergency relocation of COP25 from Santiago to Madrid.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on diplomacy and public communication, including the organization-wide shift to video-based messaging.
A leadership transition across three Executive Secretaries.
The formal adoption and launch of the Paris Agreement Work Program.
Sensitive messaging shifts during a serious health challenge faced by an Executive Secretary.
In moments like these, the challenge wasn’t just what to say — it was how to communicate effectively in times of crisis.
That experience informs how I work today: helping leaders and organizations find clarity inside complexity, and craft narratives stronger than any single moment.
That includes with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU): the United Nations agency for digital technologies, covering everything from artificial intelligence to quantum, from satellites and submarine cables to advanced mobile and wireless broadband networks.
These years have shaped how I approach every assignment — because when the stakes are real, the words have to be right.
Experience That Informs the Story We’ll Tell Together
I’ve spent my career helping leaders, organizations, and institutions find the story behind their message — and shape it into something powerful, clear and human.
For more than six years, I served as Head Speechwriter at UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), where I helped craft the organization’s narrative arc and messaging — supporting three Executive Secretaries through high-visibility speeches.
I continue to support the UN through my current work writing speeches for the International Telecommunication Union.
Before that, I spent nearly two decades developing communications for governments, NGOs, multilateral institutions, and senior executives.
Across all of it, I’ve seen the same pattern: leaders doing meaningful work — but struggling to express it clearly, especially when the audience is complex or the moment is critical.
My role is to bridge that gap — turning dense material, scattered insights, and competing messages into a story that connects and endures.
Today, I support clients located throughout the world — from Geneva to Berlin to Mexico City to Washington.
Crafted Together, Delivered with Impact
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, Petersberg Climate Summit, 2020
“These are dark days, but they are not without hope.”
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UNFCCC, 5th Anniversary of the Paris Agreement
“The Paris Agreement is a covenant of hope with humanity.”
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary, UNFCCC, Munich Security Conference, 2023
“Investment in climate action is an investment in personal security and, ultimately, peace throughout the world.”
Mafalda Duarte, Executive Director, Green Climate Fund, IIED Barbara Ward Lecture, 2024
“While national sovereignty may provide rights of self-determination for nations to pursue their own paths, we cannot sever the threads that bind us on a fundamentally human level.”
Neerja Birla , Founder and Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Education Trust & Global Chair for Mental Health, 2025
“True prosperity means more than money. A nation’s prosperity is measured in health, quality of life, security, education systems, and so much more — but each of those is built on a foundation of mental health. ”
Who Turns To Me And Why
Photo Courtesy of Kiara Worth - 2024
Every message has an audience. I work with leaders who want theirs to land: clearly, credibly and at the moments that matter most.
Government Officials, Diplomats & Multilateral Leaders
Strategic narratives and speech support that cross borders, build trust and move complex conversations forward.`CEOs & Business Leaders
Clear messaging for high-stakes speeches and visibility moments; especially for leaders communicating in English as a second language.Sustainability & NGO Leaders
Messaging on climate, development, biodiversity and global sustainability — crafted to resonate with funders, partners and public audiences alike.`Leaders Communicating in English as a Second Language
I’ve worked extensively with UN senior leaders who speak English as a second language, ensuring their speeches and communications products are customized to their individual needs and delivery styles.
Read Unscripted: Reflections on Clarity, Story
and Leadership Communication.
I write about clarity, voice and how leaders communicate with meaning — on the page, on the stage and in the moments that count.
Let’s Make Your Message Land
Whether you’re preparing for a keynote, shaping a bigger story, or bringing clarity to a complex message — I’d be glad to hear more.
I offer short advisory sessions, speechwriting and editorial support, and longer-term consulting partnerships.
I’m based in Geneva and work globally.
Use the form below to get in touch. No mailing lists, no pressure.
I respond personally to all inquiries within 24 hours — and your confidentiality is always respected.