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Leadership Speakers

What makes a great leadership speaker? A great leader, of course. We’ve chosen only the speakers who can articulate the leadership experience: how to appreciate leadership skills in others, and how to develop them yourself.

 

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Greg Hoffman

Nike's Former Chief Marketing Officer | Author of Emotion by Design

Creative and empowering—these are the qualities today’s leaders need to thrive in the post-pandemic future. As the former Chief Marketing Officer at Nike, Greg Hoffman stood at the helm of one of the world’s most innovative companies. Under his creative leadership, Nike drove themes of equality, sustainability, and empowerment through sport—inspired in part by Hoffman’s role as a leader of the Nike Black Employee network. In timely and engaging talks, as well his forthcoming book Emotion by Design, Hoffman reveals how leaders can cultivate a diverse and creative culture in their organizations.

 

 
Stephanie Mehta

CEO of Mansueto Ventures | Former Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company

What makes the world’s most creative people—and companies—tick? The most qualified person to answer the question is Stephanie Mehta. As Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company—the influential magazine championing creativity, innovation, and thriving workplace cultures for a new generation of business— Mehta is the rare editor who talks to pure creatives and corporate leaders in equal measure. In talks, she draws on her decades in business journalism to show leaders how they can reinvent the future of their organizations.
Sukhinder Singh Cassidy

Founder of theBoardlist | Former President of StubHub | Author of Choose Possibility

Sukhinder Singh Cassidy is one of the most well-respected female tech executives in Silicon Valley. She’s served as president of StubHub, helped scale companies like Google and Amazon, and founded theBoardlist: a premium talent marketplace for diverse leaders. But despite her success, her path hasn’t always been linear. In her new book Choose Possibility, Singh Cassidy reveals the poor choices, misfires, and unexpected headwinds she’s encountered along her path—providing a thoughtful new perspective on risk-taking: what it is, what it isn’t, and how to master it to achieve lasting success.
Loran Nordgren

Behavioral Science Expert | Renowned Management Professor | Author of The Human Element

How do you get people to embrace a new idea or initiative? Most people assume that the best (and perhaps only) way to convince people to embrace change is to heighten the appeal of the idea itself. In his new book The Human Element, Loran Nordgren reveals a revolutionary new way of leading by example, and how to apply it to your latest product, service, or idea. Equipped with the second half of the marketing equation, audiences will walk away with the skills to overcome the barriers to change and make a real impact. 
 
Deepa Purushothaman

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader | Former Senior Partner at Deloitte | Author of The First, the Few, the Only

Despite being one of the fastest-growing segments in the corporate workforce, women of color remain underrepresented—often among the first, few, or only ones in a department or The first Indian-American woman to make partner at Deloitte, Deepa Purushothaman knows this first-hand. Today, she uses her experience as a senior executive specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion, to provide disruptive solutions for businesses that need to evolve. Her empowering talks, as well as her upcoming book, help us redefine power and profitability in corporate America.
Jason Feifer

Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine | Author of Build for Tomorrow

The world has never been in a greater period of change. It’s an exciting time, offering opportunities for innovation, shifts in culture, and a general reevaluation of the way we live. Unfortunately, many people will miss out on the benefits of change because they feel threatened. As the editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur and author of the upcoming book Build for Tomorrow, Not for Yesterday, Jason Feifer has a unique window into the most innovative minds of today. His keynotes will electrify and inspire leaders, teaching them how to counter our primal fear of change by getting them excited about its possibilities.
Jamie Fiore Higgins

Former Goldman Sachs Managing Director | Author of Bully Market | Life coach

It has never been more essential to build a healthy workplace culture, ensuring that everyone in our organizations can thrive and contribute to their full potential. Over 18 years at Goldman Sachs, Jamie Fiore Higgins climbed the ranks to become a Managing Director, one of the most elusive roles on Wall Street. It gave her firsthand experience in what it takes to change the culture and break out of the status quo. As the author of Bully Market, Jamie shows us how to spot the signs of an unhealthy workplace, promote inclusion and diversity, and create workplaces that we want to be a part of.
Neil Hoyne

Author of Converted | Chief Measurement Strategist at Google | Senior Fellow at Wharton

Too many companies have a short-term strategy when it comes to data: focusing on the point-of-purchase moment with a customer, rather than building their business around long-term relationships. A Senior Fellow at Wharton and Google’s Chief Measurement Strategist, Neil Hoyne has led over 2,500 engagements with the world’s biggest advertisers—helping them acquire millions of customers, improve conversion rates by over 400 percent, and generate billions in incremental revenue. In his debut book Converted, he shows us how to sharpen our long-term marketing strategy and unleash true value.
Yaël Eisenstat

Former National Security Official | Former Facebook Elections Integrity Head | Berggruen Institute Future of Democracy Fellow | Anti-Defamation League VP

Over the last two decades, Yaël Eisenstat has been a CIA Officer, a U.S. Diplomat, and a special advisor to Vice President Biden. Noticing that more and more Americans were having a hard time finding common ground, she switched her focus from counter-extremism overseas to the dangers back at home—starting with Silicon Valley. Eisenstat’s national security expertise landed her at Facebook, where she had the opportunity to work inside a company playing a major role in one of the biggest threats to our democracy.  Today, Eisenstat helps us navigate the choppy intersection of ethics, technology, society, and politics to create a better future.
Alex Kantrowitz

Reporter and Founder of Big Technology | Author of Always Day One

How do the tech titans—Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft—stay on top? Alex Kantrowitz, one of the world’s most prolific tech reporters, has made it his mission to find out. In his debut book Always Day One, he explores the precedent-setting culture and leadership practices these companies have built to spark invention and move beyond the status quo. In his talks, Kantrowitz reveals how you, too, can use the tech titan playbook to invent and reinvent in a rapidly-changing economy.
David Cote

Leadership Keynote Speaker | Former Chairman & CEO of Honeywell | Author of Winning Now, Winning Later

When it comes to manufacturing, David Cote stands in a league of his own. The most successful leader of a Fortune 100 industrial conglomerate of his era, Cote joined Honeywell after a 25-year-career at GE. Under his leadership, Honeywell’s market capitalization climbed about an astonishing 100 billion dollars. Rather than fixating on either long-term strategies or quarterly results, Cote empowered his organization to pursue both simultaneously. In talks, he shows how leaders can sustain long-term investment, even when pressures to deliver in the present are at their most intense.
Mark Johnson

Co-Founder of Innosight | Author of Lead from the Future and Reinvent Your Business Model

How can you reinvent your business in the face of disruption—and come out stronger, more resilient, and more profitable than before? Just ask Mark Johnson, award-winning business author and co-founder of the innovation consultancy Innosight. There, he helps leaders and organizations develop the visionary ideas that lead to breakthrough change, and execute them with startling efficiency. As practical as it is creative, Johnson’s work not only stimulates new growth, but manages company-wide cultures of transformation. 
Sarah Kaplan

Director, Institute for Gender and the Economy at Rotman School of Management | Author of The 360° Corporation

Today’s businesses have to answer to more than just shareholder demands. Stakeholder pressures have companies pulled in many different directions, from employees who want meaningful work; to consumers who want sustainable products; to activists monitoring companies’ social and environmental footprint. In talks, as well as her book The 360° Corporation, Rotman professor Sarah Kaplan shows us how the trade-offs we make to fulfill these pressures—along with shareholder demands—can be an opportunity for innovation, organizational resilience, and business transformation.
Shabnam Mogharabi

CEO and Executive Producer of SoulPancake | New York Times Bestselling Author

In a world of political propaganda, online extremists, and social media clickbait, SoulPancake stands apart. A platform recognized for its positive, uplifting media, it aims to celebrate humanity and explore life’s big questions. As its CEO and Executive Producer, alongside The Office’s Rainn Wilson, Shabnam Mogharabi is responsible for inspiring and growing an online community of over 10 million fans. Her riveting talks explore everything from fostering creativity and finding your authentic voice, to why purpose is the most powerful asset a business can have.  
Luke Burgis

Entrepreneur | Author of Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life

How can we create things that benefit us as people? That is the question that author, entrepreneur, and investor Luke Burgis asks. His people-first perspective stems from a lifetime of unique experiences: working on Wall Street, founding companies in Silicon Valley, even studying theology. Today, Burgis applies mimetic theory—the idea that desire is a social mechanism—to business. In talks, he shows us the hidden forces behind why we want things, how to break free from destructive desires, and how to cultivate the intentional desires that build a better world.
Jay Van Bavel

Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at NYU | Author of The Power of Us

One of our amazing qualities as human beings is our ability to work together—yet that doesn’t mean it always comes easily to us. In fact, many organizations today prioritize competition over cooperation in an effort to increase their bottom line. NYU Professor Jay Van Bavel studies group identity, team performance, cooperation, and decision-making. His work reveals the benefits of cooperation, and in talks, he shows leaders how to build a cooperative culture that boosts performance and well-being.
Major MJ Hegar

Author of Shoot Like a Girl | Leadership Speaker | Foreign Policy 100 Leading Global Thinker

Major MJ Hegar is a force to be reckoned with. While piloting her third tour of Afghanistan, she took a bullet to her helicopter’s windshield. Badly injured, and under heavy fire, she flew her team to safety, conducting a near-impossible landing. An incredible story—soon to be a major motion picture—Hegar’s bravery inspires audiences to persevere through change, hardship, and any obstacles in their way.
 
Maureen Chiquet

Former Global CEO of Chanel | Former President of Banana Republic

As Global CEO of Chanel—and, earlier, as President of Banana Republic—Maureen Chiquet steered global brands through a decade of disruption, and she did so with traditionally ‘feminine’ skills of empathy and communication. Now, she speaks on the value of having women in top leadership positions—and what we can all learn from injecting more compassion and collaboration into the workplace.
 
Ethan Kross

Leading Expert on the Conscious Mind | Author of Chatter

Overthinking can fuel our anxieties and impair our ability to make decisions—but we can learn to harness our inner voice and turn it into our own personal motivational coach, becoming healthier, wiser, and more resilient in the process. Award-winning psychologist and author of the instant national bestseller Chatter, Ethan Kross shows how the conversations we have with ourselves can improve our lives in surprising ways: from our health and our job performance to our relationships and decision-making.
Sue Gardner

Executive Director of The Markup | Former Director of Wikimedia Foundation

The fight to keep the internet democratic and easily-accessible is one of society’s most urgent battles. Sue Gardner, the former Executive Director of Wikimedia, offers a clear-eyed take on why a robust, transparent, and unobstructed internet, with the free flow of ideas and information, is essential to a healthy democracy. 
Michael Pinball Clemons

CFL Legend | General Manager of the Toronto Argonauts

CFL legend Michael “Pinball” Clemons is an icon of sporting excellence, community leadership, and personal integrity. With boundless energy and moments of quiet introspection, he talks about teamwork and the potential each of us has to achieve anything we set our minds to. 
Waneek Horn-Miller

Olympian, Activist, and Speaker on Indigenous Health and Reconciliation

Waneek Horn-Miller has overcome discrimination and trauma to emerge as one of North America’s most inspiring activists and Olympians. She empowers our communities to overcome adversity, and helps us turn reconciliation—justice, healing, and dialogue—into a cornerstone of our national institutions. 
Minette Norman

Business Culture Expert | Former VP of Engineering Practice, Autodesk

At Autodesk—a world leader in software tech—the most qualified person to lead 3,500 engineers and transform company culture isn’t yet another male engineer. It’s Minette Norman, a Liberal Arts major and living proof that women are transformative leaders. In talks, she demonstrates how radical empathy and diverse teams can demolish silos and unlock entrenched attitudes—especially in the STEM fields. 
Yvonne Camus

A Motivational Speaker on Grit and Performance

How can an average businesswoman and mom outperform US Navy Seals? Through grit, determination, and resilience. Yvonne Camus is one of the world’s most trusted speakers on teamwork and perseverance. Deeply relatable, Camus interweaves her personal experiences into revelatory talks.
 
David Fleischer

Director of Leadership Lab | Community Activist

Prejudice is on the rise. Isn’t it? If so, then speaker David Fleischer is doing the impossible: reducing prejudice by knocking on strangers’ doors and offering them the opportunity to form new opinions. The effect is tangible—real, data-verified change. And he’ll teach you how to make it happen, too.  
 
Tom Wujec

World Renowned Expert on Innovation | Former Chief Disruptor at Autodesk | Author of The Future of Making

New disruptive technologies are permanently changing the way we conceive, design, manufacture, and sell products. To veteran innovator Tom Wujec—Autodesk’s former ‘Chief Disruptor’—this revolution isn’t intimidating, but an exciting opportunity. As each industry is forced to adapt and learn new skills, they’ll need a guide—and Wujec is our most valuable. 
 
Bill Strickland

An Extraordinary Business and Community Leader

Bill Strickland created an empire by stoking genius in those who believed they had nothing. The Founder and Chairman of Manchester Bidwell—an arts and training center with a $10 million annual budget—Strickland fuels hope, generates jobs, and empowers underprivileged citizens to become experts in any field. With his company tied with Apple for most Harvard Business Review case studies (four), Strickland confidently shows us how to pursue social restoration and profit with a conscience.
Bonnie Brooks

CEO of Chico's FAS | Former CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company

“Leadership is about finding ways to get things done,” says Bonnie Brooks, the first female President and CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company, who, with sweeping, institutional changes, brought North America’s oldest company back from the brink of failure. Brooks’ impactful talks instruct on anticipating customers’ needs and desires—never following them. 
Adam Bryant

Decade-Long Author of The Corner Office Column in The New York Times | Managing Director, The ExCo Group

What happens if you interview over 500 of the world’s top CEOs, and instead of asking them about their companies (about share prices or bottom lines), you ask them expansive questions about how they lead, motivate, and hire employees? You get Adam Bryant’s decade-long “Corner Office” column in The New York Times.    
 
Karl Subban

Leadership Speaker, Educator, and Father of NHL Star P.K. Subban | Author of How We Did It

Karl Subban is a former school principal in one of Toronto’s toughest neighbourhoods, and the father of five children, including three NHL players. In his gregarious, powerful talks, he explores teamwork and leadership and offers a fresh take on what it means to succeed. 
 
Lewis MacKenzie

One of the World’s Most Respected Military Heroes

Lewis MacKenzie has commanded troops from dozens of countries in some of the world’s most dangerous places, from Vietnam to the Gaza Strip. Considered the most experienced peacekeeper on the planet—he has not one, but two Meritorious Service Crosses— the retired Major-General shares the practical and enduring leadership lessons that arise out of crisis: how to negotiate, make challenging decisions under pressure, and manage conflict with ease.