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Esteemed global leader and former Secretary-General of the United Nations BAN KI-MOON stopped by the HWA offices to discuss his ongoing projects and global advocacy work. Heralded for his leadership on a wide range of issues—from sustainability and world peace, to women’s rights and global health— Ban has brought his breadth of expertise from the United Nations to a series of new leadership roles. Recently named Chair of the International Olympic Committee’s ethics commission as well as the Global Public Leaders Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School, Ban is dedicated to furthering an equitable and sustainable global agenda. Having launched the Ban Ki-Moon Centre for Global Citizens, he is also poised to impact the next generation of global leaders.
Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz MOHAMED EL-ERIAN discussed renewed market volatility, the global economic landscape, and how to interpret new tech and digital disruption at a recent visit to HWA. Shedding light on the developments and messages business audiences need to hear, El-Erian unpacked how blockchain technology will fundamentally impact companies across industries, why Amazon is so good at “disrupting itself,” and the global trends that are shaping markets and economies worldwide. Peppering his remarks with plenty of humor and personal anecdotes, El-Erian kept HWA staff thinking and laughing. A Former Chair on President Obama’s Global Development Council, and former CEO of PIMCO, El-Erian is an internationally respected economist and financier with extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. A Bloomberg View columnist, and regularly sought-out for his shrewd market and economic policy analysis on CNBC, Bloomberg, and more, El-Erian’s commentary regularly makes headlines worldwide. Having worked exclusively with HWA for several years, participating in dozens of speaking engagements from Barclay’s Asia Forum to the SALT Conference, El-Erian provides audiences with genuinely engaging and substantive insights into what to expect from the global economy.
SULLY SULLENBERGER talks to HWA about the movie Sully, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks. He also shared with us that Flight 1549 is not just an experience that defined him as a leader; it is proof positive that flawless execution comes through years of focus and preparation for such an event. When it comes to being prepared for the ultimate challenge, there is no better speaker than Captain Sullenberger, and you will be in sheer awe to meet the man who exemplifies the kind of leadership and character that we would hope every leader could possess in a time of crisis.
Drawing on his experience during the “Miracle on the Hudson,” as well as the wide range of roles he’s held as a trusted safety and risk-management expert since, Captain Sullenberger provides game-changing takeaways on what it takes to thrive under pressure both in business and life, how to build a team that can manage risk, and how to lead by example. It’s a message he’s shared with audiences worldwide, always receiving rave reviews: “There was not one sound in the room the entire time that he spoke... When you book a speaking engagement with Captain Sullenberger, you will definitely get more than your money’s worth" (Cox Media Group).
Former President of Planned Parenthood and New York Times bestselling author CECILE RICHARDS visited the Harry Walker Agency, sharing incredible insights on civic engagement, women in the workforce, and the current political and cultural moment. Richards emphasized that we are at a point where women are going to be a majority of the workforce; are the majority of medical and law school classes; and are turning out to vote in record numbers. She highlighted that businesses are really in the position to be leaders of change, where the government is lagging behind. The business community is—and has the opportunity to continue to be—innovative and dynamic, evolving to the reality of demographics, while the government is stuck in gridlock or the past. Richards noted that when it comes to the workplace, more issues unite us than divide us, such as affordable child care, health coverage, and positive, productive work environments—and so businesses have the power to be unifiers amid particularly divisive political times. Named to TIME’s “100 Most Influential People in the World,” Richards has addressed audiences everywhere from Talks at Google to Harvard University, and offers messages of empowerment and actionable advice to business audiences nationwide. She’s headlined both the Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) Conference on “How Business Leads” and the groundbreaking MAKERS Conference, and always receives rave reviews such as: “Cecile Richards was a fascinating, engaging, and charming speaker. With humor, grace and first-rate storytelling, she kept an audience of 800 New Yorkers - women and men, old and young - engaged and excited during an important and stimulating conversation. Her appearance was one of the “hits” of our season.” (Temple Emanu-el Streicker Center).
From the highlights of his tenure as Speaker of the House, to the players to what's next in Washington, Speaker JOHN BOEHNER kept us riveted during his visit to HWA's offices. Speaker Boehner offers audiences an unmatched perspective on Washington and the world today. He is consistently heralded for his refreshingly candid insights on leading policy issues. As one major trade association raved: "The Speaker rocked as our keynote….for the rest of our convention I had people coming up to tell me how much they enjoyed him….mostly because he was so candid. That’s Boehner!" With unparalleled experience as Speaker of the House (2011-2015), a House Minority and Majority Leader, and a current Senior Strategic Advisor at global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, Boehner translates his expertise into “insightful, amusing and thought-provoking” (Edison Electric Institute) keynotes that stand out for their welcome honesty. Following one recent engagement, his remarks even resulted in a Washington Post article entitled, “The audacious honesty of John Boehner.” Audience members from both sides of the aisle can’t get enough of Boehner’s fresh, no-holds-barred analysis, and willingness to engage in substantive, bipartisan debate.
Editor-at-Large and Founding Editor-in-Chief of WIRED UK DAVID ROWAN visited the HWA offices to share insights on the break-neck speed of technological advancements and how businesses and organizations can innovate to avoid disruption. A renowned journalist, Rowan reports on the major shifts, disruptions and advances in tech first-hand, decoding what is happening at the edges of our culture for a wider business audience. Having met, interviewed and spent time with titans of the tech and business world—such as Elon Musk, Niklas Zennstrons, Jack Dorsey, Larry Page, Reid Hoffman, and more—Rowan brings his readers and audiences in close proximity to the people changing the very nature of how we work, interact, and live. In his engaging presentation, Rowan shared with HWA the research he is doing for his new book, which examines and decodes real-world examples of true innovation—from a museum in London, to officials in Abu Dhabi, to a hospital in Switzerland—and what lessons they provide for the world at large. Having taken over 130 flights in the past year to see first-hand what’s happening at the world’s most influential tech hubs, Rowan has observed advances in research labs from Boston to Zurich, and reports from the frontlines of innovation.
Investigative reporter RONAN FARROW was both awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and named to TIME's "100 Most Influential People of 2018" for his culture-shifting reporting for The New Yorker on Harvey Weinstein, sexual harassment, and abuse of power. Awarded along with Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor of The New York Times, the Pulitzer Prize committee recognized Farrow's, “explosive, impactful journalism... spurring a worldwide reckoning about sexual abuse of women,” and as the TIME tribute cited, "Their hard work and impeccable journalism have changed attitudes, behavior, conversations, norms, laws and policies, yielding enormous personal and public good." Beyond his grounbreaking work with The New Yorker, Farrow has also signed an exclusive three-year deal with HBO to develop and be featured in a series of investigative documentary specials, and just released a book War on Peace, which is a harrowing exploration of the collapse of American diplomacy. The book was an instant Amazon and New York Times #1 Bestseller, and Farrow has been making headlines in virtually every major outlet as he's been sought-out for interviews by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ABC's Good Morning America, CBS' This Morning, TIME, The New Yorker, SLATE, NPR, Preet Bharara's podcast and more. He has taken his powerful message to audiences nationwide, delivering compelling speeches at Colgate University, Globoforce’s WorkHuman 2018, Gonzaga University, and more. His recent commencement address at Loyola Marymount University made headlines in The Washington Post, Forbes, TIME, and Fast Company thanks to his inspiring message on rising up and trusting your inner voice.
Game-changing workplace strategist ERICA KESWIN stopped by the Harry Walker offices to share insights from her Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Bring Your Human to Work: Ten Surefire Ways to Design a Workplace that is Good for People, Great for Business, and Just Might Change the World, and her insights left the entire HWA office thinking and energized for the rest of the workday ahead. Having worked with some of the most iconic organizations in the world, from the NFL to NASA, Keswin reveals what it means to build a “more human workplace,” and how it translates to more engaged employees, boosted creativity and innovation, and increased profits. As Keswin and her work highlight, honoring relationships is the most essential component to building a thriving workplace. She unpacks exactly how organizations across industries can do it, sharing hard science, actionable takeaways, and engaging anecdotes with passion, concision, and a sense of humor. She breaks down everything from how to get company values “off the walls and into the halls,” to how to empower employees and foster breakthrough thinking. With her insights regularly featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur and Business Insider, Keswin is in-demand by media outlets and hosting organizations alike. In the coming weeks she is set to address thousands of audience-members, delivering keynotes at the Elliman Summit, the Star Staffing Talent Summit, the TIAA HR Forum in three different cities, and more.
Former COO and CEO of Twitter DICK COSTOLO is a management expert who has taken numerous tech startups from inception to success. In his five years as CEO at Twitter, Costolo led the social media platform through an explosive, uncertain future, taking it from a private company with 300 staff valued at $3.7bn to a public company with 3,600 employees valued at $23.5bn. Making headlines in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The LA Times, Tech Crunch and Inc. for his famously thoughtful, unique, and engaging leadership style, Costolo’s speeches and interviews are chock-full of actionable insights on what it’s like to be at the helm of “the fastest growing, most disruptive communications platform in the world” and what it takes to survive in tomorrow’s tech future. Costolo credits his background in improv comedy for his talent for bold thinking and thriving in “unscripted” situations. He became known, and made headlines, for personally leading a management course at Twitter in order to create a cohesive environment and effective strategy for his fast-growing and ever-evolving workforce, highlighting what it takes to build trust, transparency, and resilience even as a company’s role in society changes. Currently, as a Partner at Index Ventures, a VC firm that invests in tech-enabled companies and ambitious, cutting-edge entrepreneurs, and Board Member at Patreon—a platform similar to Kickstarter that provides continual funding and support for freelancers—Costolo is at the 50-yard line of the future of work, developing the next wave of disruptors.
Watch Dick Costolo's HWA Chat >>
STEVEN KOTLER, Co-Founder of the Flow Genome Project and New York Times bestselling author of books such as Bold and The Rise of Superman, visited the Harry Walker Agency to discuss the groundbreaking research behind his new book: Stealing Fire. Receiving rave reviews for its invaluable insights into how to "Do the Impossible," harness creativity, and send productivity sky-rocketing, Stealing Fire reveals the ultimate shortcut titans of their respective fields, whether at the Googleplex or the United Nations Headquarters, are using to solve critical challenges, outperform the competition, and lead richer, more productive, and more satisfying lives. The message of Kotler’s book is clear: if you are not aware of the revolution, prepare to be left behind. Engaging our staff with a riveting, behind-the-scenes look at his research following top human performers across industries—from Elon Musk to the Navy SEALs—Kotler left us inspired and empowered to tackle challenges in our own lives.
Watch Steven Kotler discuss his newest book, Stealing Fire in his HWA Chat >>
Renowned journalist and author PEGGY NOONAN visited the Harry Walker Agency offices recently, delighting our staff with her remarkable stories and commentary on her time working in the White House, the current political climate, and more. Famed for her work as a speech writer for President Ronald Reagan, and the recipient of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Distinguished Commentary for her Wall Street Journal Column Declarations, Noonan drew from her wealth of experience in answering our questions about how she finds the right words at the right time, the need for bipartisanship, and her thoughts on the role of the media today. After a riveting (and at times hilarious) round table discussion with the full staff, Noonan also sat down for a special session of HWA Chats to discuss what it takes to report during tense political times, presidential speechwriting, today’s media climate, and more.
Chief International Advisor for President Barack Obama BEN RHODES visited the Harry Walker Agency offices to tell us about his new book, The World as It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House. From starting off as a 29 year-old working on Barack Obama’s campaign, to walking out the door of the White House on the president’s last day, Rhodes is one of the longest-serving members of the Obama administration, and The World as It Is takes readers behind-the-scenes of his remarkable career, providing a revelatory, and unique, account of Obama’s presidency. An aspiring novelist before he got involved in politics, Rhodes path to the White House was a unique one, and The World as It Is is filled with the vivid details and sharp language that showcase Rhodes’ writer’s-eye. Rhodes shared with HWA staff how the book provides a rare look into the most pivotal moments of Obama’s career—from waiting out the Bin Laden raid to secret (and never before detailed) negotiations with the Cuban government.
Mixing in plenty of humor with his sharp analysis, foremost conservative commentator and strategist KARL ROVE stopped by the Harry Walker Agency to share his candid perspective on today’s political climate and discuss his new book, due for release at the start of 2019. A history that will explore six major presidential decisions of the 19th and 20th centuries, Rove’s new book will provide powerful lessons on leadership and decision-making from the oval office that will resonate with readers regardless of industry. Drawing fascinating parallels between political partisanship today and divisive politics in our country’s history, Rove highlighted the resilience of America’s democracy and offered lessons on today’s political climate.
Emmy Award-winning journalist ANN CURRY stopped by the Harry Walker Agency to share updates on her latest projects and a powerful message on what people need to be reminded of in these politically divisive times. A former national and international correspondent for NBC, Curry revealed how her experiences covering war-torn countries in the Middle East and Africa help inform her outlook today and dedication to continue unearthing stories of human resilience and generosity even in the direst of circumstances. Her new series on PBS We’ll Meet Again—for which Curry serves as a reporter and co-executive producer— is an example of exactly this kind of journalism, and reveals the human side of major world events such as the Vietnam War, 9/11, and Japanese internment during WWII. Engaging HWA’s staff with powerful anecdotes about the incredible people she’s spoken with over the years, Curry also provided crucial insights into journalism today and what can be done to address the public’s growing lack of trust in the press. Curry emphasized the need for integrity, humility and judgement in journalism, as well as what is lost when we fail to take time to listen to the other side. “Human beings are only because of each other,” Curry said, “… We’re different only because of our ideas.”
Watch Ann Curry's HWA Chat, where she discusses journalism and human connection >>
My Speaker List