About Penny Abeywardena

Soft Power and Smart Power Frameworks

Penny Abeywardena defines soft power as the ability to shape outcomes through influence, culture, and persuasion rather than coercion, drawing from her advisory work, workshops, and forthcoming book Smart Power: Lead with Influence, Persuade with Purpose [1][4]. Her company, Soft Power Strategies (SPS), delivers offsites and consulting grounded in these ideas [3][4]. In Forbes, she analyzes cultural phenomena like the gay hockey romance Heated Rivalry as a 'soft power masterclass' for advancing LGBTQ+ acceptance through storytelling [5][7], and Diane von Furstenberg's memoir as 'unwrapping soft power' via personal narrative [6].

Leadership and Character in High-Stakes Teams

Abeywardena explores how character defines success when technical brilliance is a given, as in NASA's Artemis II mission crew, where interpersonal dynamics become 'the mission' [8]. Her podcast Power Play highlights her two decades affecting change across sectors, emphasizing principled leadership [2]. NYU McSilver Institute fellowship and NYC Commissioner role underscore her focus on character-driven impact [1].

Cultural Influence and Social Impact

Culture is a vehicle for soft power: sports rivalries [5], romance media [7], fashion memoirs [6], and music/arts drive social change. Abeywardena's topics—AI/ML, climate/energy, education—intersect with these, using soft power for philanthropy and policy [3].

Philanthropy, Government, and Global Affairs

With leadership in non-profits, government (NYC International Affairs Commissioner), and multilaterals, she bridges sectors for international cooperation [1][2][3]. SPS extends this to strategic advising on social impact [4].