Keynote Presentations

There’s Always A Way: How to Cultivate Resilient, Focused, And Energized Teams During Uncertain Times

Alex Banayan, Best Selling Author and Renowned Keynote Speaker

Monday, November 8, 2021 | 4pm - 5pm EST

The pace of change in the business world is faster than ever before. It has never been more critical to an organization’s survival for teams to cultivate a DNA of resiliency, perseverance, and solution-orientated problem-solving. In this empowering keynote, bestselling author Alex Banayan masterfully decodes the most critical and elusive skills needed for any organization to cultivate the mindsets of exponential growth, particularly during times of rapid change and uncertainty.

After interviews with Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, and dozens more of the world’s most innovative leaders, Banayan uncovered that there are fundamental skills that every organization needs—but that most people don’t talk about—to achieve their biggest goals during disruptive times. How do you transform persistence from being an esoteric word to being a living, breathing part of your day-to-day culture? What are the unspoken dangers of over-persistence and how can you prevent them at your organization? Why is the opposite of success, not failure—and how does that shift in mindset help your employees take more risks and grow exponentially? What’s the surprising difference between fearlessness and courage—and why does that critical difference lead to consistent breakthroughs in organizations of all sizes? Alex Banayan will show us the way.

About the Speaker

Alex Banayan is the author of the national bestseller The Third Door, which chronicles his five-year quest to track down Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, Warren Buffett, Maya Angelou, Steven Spielberg, and dozens more of the world’s most successful people to uncover how they broke through and launched their careers. Banayan has been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, Business Insider’s Most Powerful People Under 30, and been featured in major media including Fortune, Forbes, Businessweek, Billboard, Bloomberg TV, CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC, and CBS News. He has presented the Third Door framework to business conferences and corporate leadership teams around the world. Microsoft declared that Banayan “cracked the code for success.”

Intentional Leadership: Currency, Change, & Creating A Powerful Presence

Carla Harris, Vice Chairman, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor, Morgan Stanley

Tuesday, November 9, 2021 | 8:30am - 10am EST

What does it take to be an outstanding leader in today’s environment? In this inspiring keynote, Carla Harris will explore the concepts of performance currency vs. relationship currency, managing through and creating change, and how to be an impactful and influential leader.

In this transformative keynote, Carla asserts that if anyone chooses to take on the leadership seat, then one must be intentional about 8 things: Authenticity, Building Trust, Clarity, Creating other Leaders, Diversity, Innovation, Inclusivity, and Voice. She will discuss the power of perception in the workplace, the key relationships that can drive your success, and the importance of authentic leadership. Named one of Fortune Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America, Carla will leave you inspired and energized as she shares the proven strategies that have helped her succeed.

About the Speaker

Carla Harris is a Vice Chairman, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, responsible for increasing client connectivity and penetration to enhance revenue generation across the firm. She formerly headed the Emerging Manager Platform, the equity capital markets effort for the consumer and retail industries and was responsible for Equity Private Placements. In her 30 year career, she has had extensive industry experiences in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial, and healthcare sectors.

She has received innumerable honors over the years, including Fortune’s Most Influential List, U. S. Bankers Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance, Black Enterprise’s Top 75 Most Powerful Women in Business, Essence Magazine’s “50 Women Who are Shaping the World” and many others. In August 2013, Carla Harris was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council.

#NoMatterWhat — The 5 Systems to Achieve Breakthrough Results in Your Business & Life, Regardless Of Circumstances

Sterling Hawkins, Internationally Recognized Thought Leader and Founder, #NoMatterWhat Movement

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 | 8:30am - 10am EST

After coming back from the brink to sell companies, finish ultra-marathons and achieve results #NoMatterWhat it took, Sterling Hawkins has integrated those experiences with extensive research to create a system that unlocks the potential inside of any one and any company. This empowering keynote will provide a unique perspective that will forever change how you approach business and life.

Through heart-wrenching personal stories, hilarious anecdotes and inspirational videos, Sterling will share the five practices it takes to realize even the most audacious growth under the most difficult circumstances. Learn how to avoid the pitfalls of transformational growth. Discover that a breakthrough isn’t a place to get to, but a place to come from (and how). Learn the brain science behind this radical new approach. Master how to use the 5 #NoMatterWhat systems to create transformational growth regardless of the circumstances.

About the Speaker

Sterling Hawkins is an internationally recognized thought leader and has given a TED talk with over 55,000 views on the topic of discomfort being necessary for innovation. He is a top-rated keynote speaker on the #NoMatterWhat approach to driving growth innovation and results, regardless of what’s happening in the world. His keynotes share meaningful strategies delivered with the inspiration to leave attendees in action.

His journey has been non-traditional right from the beginning. Sterling grew up a 5th generation retailer, having to master the intersection of technology and extreme competition. In 2004, Sterling co-founded, launched, and sold his first technology company, Convena. He went on to be involved with the launch, growth, and/or investment in over 50 companies. Today, Sterling reviews over 1,000 new companies every year further refining the keys to realizing breakthrough results regardless of circumstances. He is the co-founder of CART, a platform to drive the adoption of emerging technologies at Fortune 500 companies. And he speaks and runs workshops around the world for clients such as Samsung, Criteo, Synchrony Financial, and the United Nations.