Born in India and growing up in a house with no electricity, Gurnek Bains arrived in Britain and built the first major psychological consultancy for business, YSC. When YSC started, psychological consulting barely existed in the UK. Two decades later, Gurnek and his colleagues were working with over half of the FTSE 100. His company became known as one of the best in the world for driving performance, improving cultures and unleashing the power of potential at work.

Gurnek completed his PhD in social psychology at Oxford University after achieving a top first in his BA in psychology from Sussex University. Following graduation, he worked briefly as a clinical psychologist before his restlessness led him to dedicating his work to harnessing the power of psychology in business.

Gurnek also has a strong commitment to politics and is a member of the Labour party. He said he came to know about the party during the post office strikes in the 1970s, where workers like his father received no pay for weeks in order to fight for better conditions. Gurnek has donated to the Labour Party and has worked with the Labour leader Ed Miliband and his team in the run up to the 2015 General Election. He continues to work with other senior political figures.

In 2019, Gurnek founded Global Future, a new bespoke consultancy designed to work with fewer clients with a closer focus on purpose and meaning. His clients have included the leaders of M&S, Sainsbury’s, The Body Shop, Diageo, Adevinta, AVON, The White Company and many more.

He also leads at NOUS Think Tank, a think tank dedicated to using ‘psychology for good’. He is also a published writer and commentator for Psychology Today, and has written a number of books on purpose, culture and the migrant experience in Britain.

Gurnek has always expressed huge gratitude to the UK for the opportunities it has given him, and feels a strong need to give something back. He has been named one of HR Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential People.