In a world that’s constantly evolving, leaders need to stay ahead of the curve. That’s why it’s essential to keep up with the latest trends and insights from top industry experts. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the most influential and sought-after leadership speakers of 2024. These individuals have captivated audiences with their thought-provoking ideas, inspiring stories, and practical advice. Discover who’s making waves in the world of leadership and learn why their insights are essential for success.
Joe Theismann: Former NFL MVP & Super Bowl Champion | Emmy-Winning Analyst | Motivational Speaker on Leadership & Overcoming Adversity
The most successful quarterback in the history of the Washington Redskins, Joe Theismann is also a world-class entrepreneur whose positive, high-energy presentations provide audiences with strategies for handling trying circumstances and dealing with unforeseen change. Losing his successful football career at 35 to a serious injury, Joe Theismann learned firsthand how to think, analyze and reinvent in the face of adversity and change. A successful businessman, he always challenges audiences to recognize the potential that lies within—as individuals and as members of a team.
Andrea Hollingsworth: Author, Keynote, Therapist, Global Expert on Compassionate Leadership & Radical Self-Compassion
Dr. Andrea Hollingsworth is an acclaimed keynote speaker, prolific author, and seasoned psychotherapist who’s spent decades studying the transformative power of compassion and self-compassion. Her articles have been published more than a dozen times in peer-reviewed journals, and she has taught at prestigious institutions like Princeton, Boston University, and Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Andrea’s new book—The Compassion Advantage: How Top Leaders Build More Humanizing Workplaces—will be published in August, 2024.
Shola Richards: Founder & CEO, Go Together Global & Best-Selling Author
Shola Richards is a dynamic keynote speaker, the best-selling author of “Making Work Work”, and “Go Together”, an in-demand workplace civility expert, and a prolific writer with a passionate worldwide following. His articles and wildly-popular Monday morning “Go Together Movement” email series have impacted people in over 160 countries, and his work has been featured on the Today Show, CBS This Morning, Forbes, Black Enterprise, Complete Wellbeing India, and Business Insider Australia.
Renee Maugborne: Affiliate Professor of Strategy
Renée Mauborgne is the INSEAD Distinguished Fellow and a professor of strategy at INSEAD. She is also the Co-director of the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute in Fontainebleau, France. She is the co-author of the recently released book, Beyond Disruption: Innovate and Achieve Growth without Displacing Industries, Companies, or Jobs (Harvard Business Review Press, May 2023) and the over 4 million copy global bestseller Blue Ocean Strategy, which is recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful strategy books ever written, and The New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, Blue Ocean Shift.
Dan Heath: Author of ‘Switch’ & ‘Made to Stick’ | Senior Fellow at Duke University’s CASE | Renowned Speaker on Change Management and Innovation
Dan Heath is a renowned keynote speaker and bestselling author. He co-authored four New York Times bestsellers, including “Made to Stick” and “Switch.” Dan’s work focuses on making complex ideas understandable and actionable. His engaging talks have inspired leaders worldwide to drive impactful change. Recognized for his clarity and insight, Dan is a sought-after speaker at major conferences and corporate events.
Greg McKeown: CEO of THIS, Inc, Bestselling Author, Innovation and Creativity Expert
Greg McKeown has dedicated his career to discovering why some people break through to the next level—and others don’t. The definitive treatment of this issue is addressed in McKeown’s latest project: the instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. McKeown is the CEO of THIS Inc, a company whose clients include Airbnb, Apple, Google, Facebook, Pixar, Salesforce.com, Symantec, Twitter, VMware and Yahoo!.
Patrick Lencioni: Founder of The Table Group | Author of ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ | Speaker on Leadership and Teamwork
Patrick or Pat Lencioni is a renowned business consultant, bestselling author, and keynote speaker, known for his expertise in organizational health and team management. He is the founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to helping organizations improve teamwork and leadership. Lencioni has authored 13 books, including the influential “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” which has sold millions of copies worldwide. His practical, approachable advice has made him one of the most sought-after speakers in the corporate world.
Juan Bendana: Keynote Speaker & Confidence Expert
Confidence Coach to top CEO’s, Olympians, Actors and Peak Performers across every industry, Juan Bendana is an internationally recognized keynote speaker that helps leaders navigate uncertainty and exponential change by developing the unwavering confidence to thrive in any environment. One of the most engaging and high energy keynote speakers in North America, Juan brings a decade of experience on stage presenting to category leading companies such as Disney, Sotheby’s International and Sony Pictures. His Science-backed Framework, the Confidence Cycle, has helped over 250,000 leaders thrive both personally & professionally.
Urs Koenig: Leadership Expert, Bestselling Author, UN Peacekeeper, and Ultra Endurance Champion
Urs Koenig is a bestselling author, one of the world’s leading experts on humble leadership, a former UN peacekeeper and NATO peacekeeping commander, a highly accomplished ultraendurance champion, a widely published professor, and a seasoned executive coach and keynote speaker with more than three decades of experience helping hundreds of leaders and dozens of executive teams unlock new levels of achievement across four continents.
Rick Williams: Board of Director to B2B Mid-Market Tech Firms | Leadership Success Expert | Speaker | Author of Create the Future | Sailboat Racer
Rick Williams is an inspiring writer and speaker sharing his experience as a company founder, CEO, scientist, management consultant, and board member. His new book Create the Future is a guidebook for making more creative and better decisions for your company and yourself. www.CreateTheFuture.solutions
Peter Sheahan: Founder & Group CEO of Karrikins Group
Founder & Group CEO of Karrikins Group, Peter Sheahan is known internationally for his innovative business thinking and thought leadership.
Adam Mendler: Entrepreneur, Thought Leader, and Keynote Speaker
Adam Mendler is a nationally recognized authority on leadership and is the creator and host of Thirty Minute Mentors, where he regularly elicits insights from America’s top CEOs, founders, athletes, celebrities, and political and military leaders. He has interviewed more than 500 of America’s most successful leaders and has written extensively on business and leadership, having authored more than 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc., and HuffPost. Adam draws upon his unique background and lessons learned from time spent with America’s top leaders in delivering perspective-shifting insights as a keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has built and led businesses across a variety of industries and previously worked for prominent companies in finance, entertainment, and sports. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA, serves on the board of UCLA’s Master of Applied Statistics & Data Science program, is an emeritus member of USC’s Board of Governors, and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.
Barbara Corcoran: Founder of The Corcoran Group & Shark on ABC’s “Shark Tank”
Barbara is an investor/shark on ABC’s reality hit Shark Tank. She’s also a frequent small business and real estate contributor on every major network. Barbara is the author of three books including her most recent, Shark Tales, detailing her inspiring true story and her best advice for anyone starting a business. With her signature tell-it-like-it-is attitude, Barbara shares one-of-a-kind insight on the importance of leadership, innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit in today’s business environment and tips for staying relevant and competitive.
Cynthia Marshall: CEO of Dallas Mavericks
Cynthia Marshall has been a dynamic force for inclusion and diversity within the Mavericks organization and over a 36-year career at AT&T. When Cynt was hired as the new CEO of the Mavs in March 2018, she set her sights on a culture transformation. Her vision was for the Mavericks organization to become the NBA standard for inclusion and diversity, and brought transparency, trust and her values-based leadership style that evolved the company culture in her first 100 days. She was also named one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America” by the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit.
Carla Harris: Managing Director of Morgan Stanley
Carla Harris is a Vice Chairman, Wealth Management, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley. The breadth of her industry experience enables her to move effortlessly from topics of technology, retail, or media sectors to healthcare, telecommunications, and transportation. With audiences, Carla is applauded for her grace and humor, as well as what she calls “Carla’s Pearls,” delightful bits of evergreen wisdom. Carla’s belief is that “we are blessed so that we can be a blessing to someone else.” As a result, she remains actively involved in her community and carries the energy of that empowering spirit to each presentation.
Jeff Salzenstein: Professional speaker, success coach, world-class athlete, and seasoned entrepreneur
As a former top 100 world-ranked tennis player, 2-time Stanford All-American national champion, and team captain, I’ve had to refocus on specific pro fundamentals many times in my life in order to deal with adversity and setbacks — and to sustain peak performance. Whether it was my serve, a painful losing streak, feeling alone on the tennis circuit, or career threatening injuries that almost ended my pro career prematurely, I learned — time and time again — that there was so much more to success than lifting a trophy. As a coach and entrepreneur, I’ve also experienced my fair share of setbacks — but each time I’ve learned and refined how to access my zone of excellence by dialing in my physical, mental, and emotional health.
Molly Fletcher: CEO, Author & Former Top Sports Agent
Molly Fletcher is a trailblazer in every sense of the word– a rare talent of business wisdom, relationship brilliance and unwavering optimism. She was hailed as the “female Jerry Maguire” by CNN as she recruited and represented hundreds of sport’s biggest names, including Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, PGA TOUR golfer Matt Kuchar, broadcaster Erin Andrews, and basketball championship coaches Tom Izzo and Doc Rivers. As she successfully negotiated over $500 million in contracts and built lasting relationships, she also observed and adopted the traits of those at the top of their game.
Garry Ridge: Chairman Emeritus and Former CEO of WD-40 Company, World-Renowned Expert in Creating Top Organizational Culture
Garry Ridge spent 25 years as CEO building one of the world’s most beloved and recognized branded companies – WD-40 Company – starting with creating a culture of leaders and individual contributors who are genuinely joyful in their work. He refers to this time of his career as his apprenticeship. And now, he fulfills his life’s purpose by transforming his learnings into teachings, extending his guidance as a coach to companies and executives worldwide.
Emily Lampkin: Advisory Council Member, WDN
Emily Lampkin is the Founder of the Women Leaders Series and is a sought-after speaker and advisor known for her pragmatic style and effective counsel to women in corporate, WLS non-profit, education and political spheres. The Women Leaders Series is the culmination of more than 25 years of experience advising women leaders on ways they can perfect their skills to maximize opportunities. Emily has trained thousands of women across the country and around the world in this one-of-a-kind workshop.
Mike Sarraille: CEO of Talent War Group | Best-Selling Author | Decorated Navy SEAL Officer | Expert on Leadership & High-Performance Teams
Mike Sarraille is a decorated U.S. Navy SEAL officer, CEO of Talent War Group, and best-selling author. With over 20 years of military service, including ten combat deployments, he is an expert in leadership and high-performance team building. Sarraille also founded Legacy Expeditions, an adventure firm honoring fallen heroes, and is a popular keynote speaker on leadership, resilience, and personal growth.
