The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau
A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.
In a city grappling with poisonous water, award-winning photographer and MacArthur Genius LaToya Ruby Frazier found hope. She first travelled to Flint, Michigan in 2016 to document how the city’s water supply was contaminated and poisoning the residents. There, she teamed up with community members to document not only the injustice and environmental racism, but more […]
Greenhouse gases. Rising sea levels. Extreme weather conditions. Our Climate Change Speakers ask hard questions: how have human beings influenced the Earth’s temperatures? How will these changes affect communities and species across the globe? And, importantly, is there still time to change our ways? These top climate change speakers say yes, vibrantly outlining what we must do on a personal, […]
Cultures of Growth—the revolutionary book on company-wide growth mindsets that’s already been featured in Forbes and more—is out now!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Lavin’s cutting-edge speakers offer new perspectives on the 2024 theme: “Where to Start: Mental Health in a Changing World.” They reveal how to become your own best coach (instead of your worst critic), how to design cities that bring us together, and more.
Every March, International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month give us the chance to be inspired by the women of the past, and to let their stories light the way towards our shared future. Lavin is proud to represent the world’s top IWD speakers: from literary icon Margaret Atwood to civil rights legend Minnijean Brown-Trickey, and many more.
2024 promises to be a blockbuster year for our exclusive speakers: from groundbreaking new books to Museum of Modern Art exhibitions, their ideas are poised to catch fire nationwide. Here’s a sneak peek at just three of the releases you’ll see from our speakers this year.
Congrats to Raquel Willis, co-founder of the Trans Week of Visibility and Action, on the release of her highly anticipated memoir The Risk It Takes to Bloom: a “bold, brave, poignant story” (Alicia Garza, Black Lives Matter co-founder) of collective liberation.
Just as the internet brought business into the Digital First and then Mobile First eras, breakneck advances in Artificial Intelligence are quickly bringing us into an “AI First” era, says Wavelo CEO and top AI strategy speaker Justin Reilly.
“We are at a crucial inflection point where the power of AI is beginning to outpace our ability to understand its far-ranging impacts,” says Kate Crawford, author of Atlas of AI and one of the TIME100 AI. She demystifies the inner workings of AI, and helps us use these tools to build a more just and democratic world.
Bias has a real cost for your company in productivity and success—which is why fighting it is your organization’s superpower, Jessica says. She’s spent a decade studying bias, and her talks are packed with concrete methods to reduce it and unlock radical success.
Want to build a environment of radical risk-taking and powerful collaboration? “Never play it safe, play to win,” says Greg Hoffman. As Nike’s former Chief Marketing Officer, Greg’s insight-packed keynotes on leadership and innovation have lit up stages everywhere from Instagram to Adobe to EA Sports.
With every industry—including Hollywood—in a massive state of flux, how do leaders get (and stay) ahead? As one of Hollywood’s most prolific female producers ever, Lynda knows the surefire way to establish authority, the trick to balancing huge creative and financial pressures, and why you should never look nervous in public.
In an age of rapid automation and innovation, creativity is the only thing that sets successful organizations apart from the rest. These speakers illuminate the many different facets of creativity—they explain why you should never sit down and try to be creative, why your most creative ideas come after you get stuck, and much more.
At the Cirque du Soleil, one of the world’s most famously creative companies, Caitlan worked on almost every groundbreaking show for two fast-paced decades. Now she shows you how to learn the skill of creativity—and unlock radical innovation and teamwork.
Are you the right person in the wrong job? Have you stayed up all night debating politics, music, civil rights and social justice, old philosophies, new technologies, the media, the economy—or, better yet, the intersection of them all? A real debate where minds get changed, including your own? Yes? Then maybe we’re the home you […]
Good health, both mental and physical, isn’t just nice to have in the workplace—it’s the key to increased productivity, motivation, and creativity for workers and leaders in every context. Our TOP HAPPINESS AND WELLNESS SPEAKERS offer innovative, practical strategies that you can use to help everyone in your organization perform at their highest level, all the time. […]
More than anything else, culture is what makes organizations great. A good workplace culture empowers people at every level to learn from their mistakes, collaborate with people who are different from them, and bring their authentic selves to work. Lavin’s TOP CORPORATE CULTURE SPEAKERS—from psychologists to the C-suite—have hands-on experience in creating resilient, healthy organizations. They’ll give you […]
Diverse perspectives in the workplace make your ideas better, your teams stronger, and your company far more successful. Our TOP DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION SPEAKERS don’t just show you how DEI can benefit you—they give you practical strategies for implementing true belonging in the workplace. If you’re looking to leverage the power of diversity, build a more […]
What does it really look like to recognize—and improve—an unhealthy workplace? Jamie Fiore Higgins, author of the acclaimed memoir Bully Market, has firsthand experience from her 18 years at a toxic Wall Street company. Today, Jamie draws on her experience to show us what it takes to change our workplace cultures, promote inclusion and diversity, […]
Bill Strickland grew up in a rough neighborhood. He estimates that 30% of his friends “ended up dead or in the penitentiary by the time they were 30 years old.” But a chance encounter with an art teacher and a pottery wheel put him on a lifelong journey of learning—one that he’s now replicating with his […]
World-renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky was awarded a Sony World Photography Prize for outstanding contribution to photography, and he dedicated the award to the Ukrainian photographers diligently documenting the war launched by Vladimir Putin. At the event, Edward said: “As a Canadian-Ukrainian, I would like to share this award with the artists of Ukraine, many of […]
Virtual environments aren’t the end of human connection—as long as we communicate effectively.
Upon hearing of the passing of immensely influential biologist
In her deeply personal book The First, the Few, the Only (forthcoming), Deepa Purushothaman reveals her experience as an Indian-American woman in the corporate world. Joining The Lavin Agency as a new speaker, she offers this real-world experience as a guiding light for organizations looking to evolve—creating diversity, equity, and inclusion measures that actually work. […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history. Not only that, but this crisis is exacerbating pre-existing education disparities for many of the most vulnerable students. How are higher education institutions carrying on with teaching during this socio-economic, cultural and health crisis, and what do we know about the future of […]
Lavin’s Top 10 Social Activist Speakers are the thought-leaders and advocates pushing for a better world. Whether it’s through art, history, education, or humanitarian efforts, these speakers are not only calling for change, but actively making it happen. LaToya Ruby Frazier: LaToya Ruby Frazier treats art as activism. With her powerful images of post-industrial towns […]
There is no real substitute for in-person contact. That’s true. But it doesn’t mean that our video conferencing and telework has to be completely alienating, either. In his latest article, futurist and author Douglas Rushkoff offers practical tips for making our work-from-home feel engaging. Over the last few years, Douglas Rushkoff has been steadily […]
Once the stuff of dystopian nightmares, artificial intelligence has become an essential part of our daily lives. Today, AI recommends our products, routes our taxis, predicts our Internet searches. Tomorrow? It will be a tool as fundamental as electricity. Lavin’s Top 10 artificial intelligence speakers help us navigate the changes to come. Radhika Dirks: There […]
This week, BlackRock—the world’s largest money manager—announced that it will begin adjusting its investment strategies with climate change in mind. Rotman professor Sarah Kaplan joined CBC’s Front Burner to discuss how this move will impact the company’s bottom line. In his letter to CEOs, BlackRock’s Larry Fink wrote that “we are on the edge […]
Everyone wants to be happy and healthy—but it doesn’t come easy. The pressure of performing well at work and having a fulfilling personal life can often be hard to manage—and that’s where Lavin’s Top Happiness & Wellness Speakers come in. Experts in how to actively enhance our inner lives and outer selves, they inspire audiences […]
Shoshana Zuboff, Jared Diamond, David Wallace-Wells, and Naomi Klein are undoubtedly some of the most interesting thinkers of our time—and Prospect recently named their newest books to their prestigious Best of 2019 series. Shoshana Zuboff’s groundbreaking The Age of Surveillance Capitalism—called “an epoch-defining international bestseller” by Guardian—is also one of Prospect’s picks for the Best […]
The Anthropocene Project—the cumulative work of a years-long exploration of humanity’s impact on the world—is embracing the future with a new VR app. A multidisciplinary endeavor combining a feature documentary (directed by Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal, and Nicholas de Pencier), art photography, scientific research, and now VR, The Anthropocene Project engages viewers with its in-depth […]
In a new op-ed, Martin Ford—acclaimed author of two books on the impact of AI on the labour market—explains why AI-driven automation should be a top-of-mind issue in the upcoming election, and why Andrew Yang is the only candidate willing to speak out about it. “The Democratic Party’s agenda increasingly is being shaped by the […]
Based on professor Sarah Kaplan’s Rotman business school course, The 360° Corporation offers us a new way of understanding modern business. Trade-offs can’t be avoided, especially in today’s socially conscious environment—so how do we deal with them? Different stakeholders want different things. Millennials want to work for companies that share their social values. Investors want […]
Tarah Wheeler, a cybersecurity policy fellow at New America, joined Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia to discuss how regulatory policies, as well as the U.S.-China mini trade deal, could impact the tech sector. Andy Purdy, Chief Security Officer of Huawei, recently said the company plans to spend 2 billion dollars over the next five years on security. […]
A year ago, Greta Thunberg was an unknown Swedish teenager striking from school once a week to protest climate inaction. Today, she’s a global icon and climate activist that’s inspired a nation. Alongside Greta, these top Climate Change speakers are united in the fight to save our planet, and they show us—beyond activism—what we must […]
As students, workers, and people from all walks of life around the world are striking in the name of climate reform, bestselling author and renowned journalist Naomi Klein has released a hot new title—On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a New Green Deal. A longtime prominent figure calling for international attention to the climate crisis, […]
In an in-depth interview with The Guardian’s Ian Tucker, author and journalist David Wallace-Wells follows up on his recent hit book, The Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future. Where does he stand now on his predictions and analysis of our impending climate crises, and what do we really have to do now to save […]
With the global economy in crisis, bitcoin should be in a position to prove itself as an asset immune to political effects. Michael Casey explores how the currency war might affect it in his latest article for CoinDesk. Something may or may not come out of Trump’s decision to label China a “currency manipulator,” but […]
This year’s historic Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize goes to Anthony Jack for his first book, The Privileged Poor. Bestowed by Harvard University Press, the prize acknowledges an exemplary first book manuscript, and is judged for its outstanding style, content, and presentation. It also highlights the author’s special contribution into illuminating a major problem in […]
Corporate culture has become a hot-button topic frequently discussed by CEOs and leadership teams. But, according to a new paper by Adam Bryant and David Reimer, a company’s most powerful cultural signals are communicated less by talking, and more by who gets promoted and financially rewarded. Compensation and bonus frameworks typically rely on financial results […]
We absolutely love it when two Lavin speakers get together to share world-changing ideas, and that happened on Douglas Rushkoff’s most recent episode of his Team Human podcast, “The Power of Panic,” when he and The Uninhabitable Earth author David Wallace-Wells got down to brass tacks around climate change, and the power of human anxiety […]
Economist Daron Acemoglu has produced influential research in government, innovation, labor, and globalization. Thanks to his groundbreaking contributions to the field, this year Acemoglu has been named Institute Professor, the highest faculty honor awarded by MIT. Daron Acemoglu has spent over 25 years at MIT grappling with large and complex economic questions. Over the […]
With the climate crisis rapidly snowballing, how can we afford to house the 3 billion people who will need homes in the next twenty years? For sustainable architect Michael Green, the answer is building with wood. Almost half of our energy use and greenhouse gas emissions are related to the building industry. The materials of […]
Much like the environment on Earth, conditions in space are worsening. Today, 20,000 pieces of debris are threatening the safety of our planet’s orbit. MIT Space Lab Director and Lavin Speaker Danielle Wood is leading the charge on a new Space Sustainability Rating developed to solve the problem. There is a startling amount of debris […]
Nina Tandon’s company EpiBone has received FDA clearance to begin its first clinical trial—making it one step closer to providing patients with precision-fit skeletal implants grown from their own cells. Nina Tandon believes we are close to unlocking the regenerative capabilities of our own bodies. As the founder and CEO of EpiBone, Tandon uses stem […]
More and more people, globally, are choosing not to have children. And this projected decline in near-future populations has far-reaching consequences. In his just-released 2019 TED Talk—which has amassed nearly half a million views in just 24 hours—Wajahat Ali makes a compelling case for having kids, and the importance of raising them with kindness, generosity, […]
Three eagerly-anticipated books drop today from Pulitzer Prize-winner Jared Diamond, MIT President Emerita Susan Hockfield, and National Book Award-winner George Packer. Here’s what’s being said about these brilliant new releases, and the speakers who wrote them. Jared Diamond | Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis In his international bestsellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, […]
South by Southwest (SXSW) is a conference that has dedicated itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Since 1987, the festival has attracted the brightest stars on the forefront of their fields to give talks and have candid conversations about the future and their industry. This year twelve Lavin speakers were invited to speak. […]
“If we think of life as one big game,” says psychologist turned poker champ Maria Konnikova, “the question becomes, how do we play it optimally?” Just like in poker, leaders, managers and CEOs are dealt a set of important decisions every day. How can you ensure that you’re always making the right one? “You need […]
It’s a month into 2019, do you know where your New Year’s resolutions are? These speakers—behavioral scientists, grit experts, and psychologists—help audiences define and stick to their goals, both at work and at home. Angela Duckworth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit—her landmark work on the importance of passion, perseverance and […]
This year Titus Kaphar and Vijay Gupta join a whopping SIX other Lavin Speakers in receiving MacArthur “Genius” Grants—a prestigious honor awarded to those who are forging truly significant progress towards “building a more just, verdant and peaceful world.” Get to know Lavin’s “geniuses”: Titus Kaphar’s sculptures, paintings, and installations create new and striking ways […]
An image has the power to show us the world anew—something we need now more than ever. In captivating keynotes, award-winning artists and speakers LaToya Ruby Frazier, Titus Kaphar, and Teju Cole take audiences into the concepts and ideas behind their photographs, paintings, and critical vocabulary, changing the way we see the world. LaToya Ruby Frazier: “Photos can change […]
LaToya Ruby Frazier—photographer, MacArthur “Genius” and one of Lavin’s most compelling speakers on the entanglement of race, labor, family, and the environment—was described by influential New York Magazine art critic Jerry Saltz as a, “36-year old oracle … one of the strongest artists to emerge in this country this century.” (Vulture). What do LaToya Ruby […]