Canadian-born Gladwell is the author of such widely read books also popular in Hungary as The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, and David and Goliath. Gladwell has been named one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people, and Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers. 

Gladwell’s talk at MOME was specifically directed at artist teachers and students in Hungarian primary and secondary education and covered the personal requirements for unlocking talent and creating innovations, as well as the role of society, including universities, in talent management.  

“Malcolm Gladwell presented the characteristics required for driving successful innovations through the example of Hungarian-born Emil J. Freireich, a researcher who developed groundbreaking therapies for childhood leukaemia and Steve Jobs.  He underlined the role of the environment in the development of innovations, which needs to be open and promoting free thinking, at the time involving a sense of urgency of solving a problem.  When it comes to the development of creativity at school, he stressed the importance of laying the foundation of all-round education and skillset and advises against the pressure of early specialisation on children. He regards talent and motivation as skills that can clearly be improved, with education that encourages creativity playing a major role”, said head of MOME’s Design and Visual Arts Teacher training programme Judit Bényei, summing up her impressions. 

 Gladwell is highly preoccupied with exploring the correct role of businesses, education institutions and society in talent management. He does not believe that talents needs to be fawned over or that gifted youth should be entitled to quick success. According to his widely publicised theory, the talent myth, in our age, it is narcissistic personality types that rise through the ranks fastest, while making the worst leaders. Organisations with long-term success continue to reward experience over talent.