This year’s Summit theme was, “Intergenerational Dialogues in the Intelligent Age.”
DAVOS, CH / ACCESS Newswire / February 5, 2026 / The 2026 Davos Neurodiversity Summit (DNS) convened in January alongside the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, bringing global leaders, neurodivergent changemakers, and cross-sector allies together for a series of high-impact dialogues on leadership, inclusion, and human-centered systems change in the age of artificial intelligence. Now in its second year as a formal annual gathering, the Summit has evolved from earlier Davos-based conversations into a distinctive leadership platform-one that centers neurodivergent insight as a strategic advantage for organizations, societies, and future-ready systems.
“DNS is the first forum of its kind led by neurodivergent leaders-bringing together voices across neurotypes, generations, and sectors to model empathetic dialogues, collaboration and neuroinclusive leadership in action,” said Dr. Maureen Dunne, Founder of the Davos Neurodiversity Summit. “This isn’t just about talking differently-it’s about urgently designing spaces where all kinds of minds can contribute meaningfully to the problems that matter most.”
This year’s theme, Intergenerational Dialogues in the Intelligent Age, brought together established leaders and emerging voices to explore how collaboration across career stage, sectors, and neurotypes can reshape the future of work, education, and civic life.
On January 20, DNS hosted its flagship Leadership Dinner in a neuroinclusive setting at the Waldhotel Davos, followed by a week of workshops, curated dialogues, and informal community gatherings designed to prioritize depth, psychological safety, and meaningful connection over performative visibility.
“Neurodiversity is not a niche issue or a special interest-it’s a leadership and systems issue and central to our collective future,” continued Dunne. “What we’re seeing now is a shift from awareness to real action in redesigning systems so that everyone can thrive. The future belongs to leaders and institutions that know how to design for all kinds of minds-and to listen across generations and neurotypes as technology reshapes how we live and work.”
A defining feature of the 2026 Summit was the DNS Leadership Wall, recognizing neurodivergent leaders and allies from around the world whose work is driving real-world impact across business, education, technology, public policy, and culture. Honorees and award recipients will be formally celebrated during a virtual ceremony held during Neurodiversity Celebration Week, extending the Summit’s reach beyond Davos.
“What matters most to me is not scale for its own sake, but integrity,” Dunne added. “DNS is intentionally built as a platform where people can show up fully-where leadership is measured not by sameness or conformity, but by moral courage, collaboration, listening skills, tolerance, empathy and the ability to hold complexity with care.”
The 2026 Summit was presented by Neurodiversity + Opportunity Drives Innovation (NODI), with additional support from partners and sponsors across sectors. Conversations launched at the Summit will continue throughout the year via publications, partnerships, and a forthcoming documentary series inspired by DNS dialogues. In addition, this year, the Davos Neurodiversity Summit is teaming up with the nonprofit Understood.org to release “Conversations from Davos,” a special edition podcast series of Minds at Work featuring Dr. Dunne as the host in conversation with Summit participants.
As planning begins for DNS 2027, the Summit’s organizers report strong global interest from leaders, institutions, and sponsors seeking deeper engagement in neuroinclusive leadership and systems change. “This is no longer about proving the case for neurodiversity,” concluded Dunne. “It’s about building the structures that allow different kinds of intelligence to thrive and collaborate -together. DNS exists to support that work, year after year.” Registration for the 2027 Davos Neurodiversity Summit will open later this year.
About the Davos Neurodiversity Summit
Across generations, neurotypes, sectors, and lived experiences, leaders from around the world come together each year at the Davos Neurodiversity Summit alongside the World Economic Forum to explore how empathetic dialogue and human-centered design can reshape workplaces, education systems, and institutions. More than a series of events, DNS is a leadership circle and supportive community-one that models authentic inclusion in practice and embraces all kinds of minds, including neurodivergent and nonlinear thinking, as humanity grapples with its most pressing challenges. DNS 2026 focused on “Intergenerational Dialogues in the Intelligent Age” and was livestreamed to a global audience across 42 countries and six continents.
For more information, visit: www.davosneurodiversitysummit.com
Media Enquiries: Davos Neurodiversity Summit Press Office
contact@davosneurodiversitysummit.com
SOURCE: Autism Community Ventures PBC
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