Geoff Colvin

Senior Editor-at-Large, Fortune Magazine & Bestselling Author

Geoff Colvin

Senior Editor-at-Large, Fortune Magazine & Bestselling Author

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Biography

The best companies and leaders win by confronting reality faster than the competition. Geoff Colvin of Fortune delivers valuable insights to help them do just that. His unique perspective stems from unparalleled access to top global business leaders who tell him what they’re seeing, thinking, and doing. As a result, Geoff can provide audiences with a clearer path for an uncertain future. Geoff unpacks actionable insights on the economic, market, political, and technological forces driving disruptive change. Geoff’s columns and cover stories in Fortune have earned him millions of loyal fans, many of whom also hear him on the CBS Radio Network, where he reaches seven million listeners each week. Geoff Colvin is author of four books including the groundbreaking international bestseller Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else. His latest book is The New York Times bestseller Humans are Underrated which looks at the future of work and how humans will fit into a workplace filled with robots and smart technology.

As Fortune magazine’s senior editor-at-large, Geoff Colvin is now in his fourth decade at Fortune. He is one of business journalism’s sharpest and most respected commentators on leadership, management, globalization, government regulation, corporate governance, competition, the economy, the InfoTech revolution, human performance and related issues.

In addition to his daily CBS Radio Network segments, Geoff has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, Squawk Box, CBS This Morning, ABC's World News Tonight, CNN, PBS's Nightly Business Report, and dozens of other programs. He also served as anchor of Wall Street Week with Fortune on PBS.

In addition to speaking, Geoff is also a brilliant panel moderator, emcee and interviewer whose subjects have included Jack Welch, Henry Kissinger, Richard Branson, the Prince of Wales, Bill Gates, Alan Greenspan, Steve Case, Tony Blair, Michael Dell, Ted Turner, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Henry Paulson, Ben Bernanke, and many others.

Geoff is a respected author whose groundbreaking international bestseller, Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else, has been published in a dozen languages. The Upside of the Downturn: Management Strategies for Difficult Times was named “Best Management Book of the Year” by Strategy + Business magazine. Geoff’s latest book is Humans are Underrated: What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will. It’s based on the idea in his wildly popular Fortune article “In the Future Will There Be Any Work Left for People to Do?” It looks at the trend of technology displacing more jobs than it creates, and the ways humans will create value for their organizations and their careers in the changing economy. The ideas he shares have profound implications for every business and industry.

A native of Vermillion, South Dakota, Geoff Colvin is an honors graduate of Harvard with a degree in economics and has an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Speaker Videos

A Video Profile: Preview of Speech Offerings

Geoff Colvin Speaker Reel

Serious Experience for Serious Times

Speeding Up the Legislative Learning Curve

Humans are Underrated: The Future of Work

China and the Global Economy

Winners are Winning Bigger Than Ever

Future of Global Business

Leading, Managing & Competing Overview

Economic Outlook: Overview

Hosting and Moderation: Overview Video

21st Century Corporation: Friction Free Product Design Manufacturing

Drivers of Business and Economic Change

See Fewer Videos

Speech Topics

3 Keys to Winning in an AI Economy

In an uncertain and fast-changing world, it’s tempting to hold on to the familiar. It’s also hazardous to the business. In this presentation, Geoff Colvin inspires audiences to stop protecting the past and invent the future by focusing on three interconnected priorities: how to find advantage in an environment of AI and automation; how business models and strategies must change to create value in new ways; and the future of workers and the role of people. In an upbeat and optimistic view of what’s ahead, Geoff draws on his relationships with CEOs across industries to arm audiences with insights and examples of what top leaders and their companies are thinking, seeing, and doing right now to win. In this presentation, Geoff shows leaders a path to making important change happen in their companies.

Humans Are (Still) Underrated

Head-spinning technological change is transforming work, leaving leaders and workers wondering how people fit in. Geoff Colvin has been foreseeing the future on this topic since before his groundbreaking book Humans are Underrated was released in 2015. He’s made the case, correctly, that empathy, collaboration, creativity, communication, storytelling, and creating relationships would be increasingly prized skills in this environment. Formerly called “soft skills”, they’re now referred to as “durable skills” because the skills of human interaction are eternal. Geoff comes before audiences with insights and hard data examples from the biggest private equity firms and preeminent executive search firms showing how organizations that make these skills a priority produce the best financial results. Geoff reveals what the best leaders and companies are doing now to prioritize them. In an AI world, the most valued skills and traits for people are changing fast. You can’t afford to be left behind.

Today’s Economy: Navigating What You Can’t Control

Economic, regulatory, and political risk have an outsized impact on every business and industry. Geoff Colvin brings his experience at Fortune to show the interconnectedness of these factors, empowering audiences with information they can use to anticipate and strategize effectively. Geoff’s approach is strictly non-partisan, and it’s not just a barrage of statistics. He presents the current economy as a story and urges leaders to confront reality as it is – not as they wish it would be. He weaves in real-world examples of how companies are responding successfully to the current environment with an eye for opportunities, not just dwelling on problems. Audiences benefit from Geoff’s experience as he takes two steps back and offers a long-view vision of a future which he believes is full of promise. Geoff’s insights help business leaders not only weather storms but also capitalize on emerging opportunities in today’s volatile environments.

Panel Moderator, Discussion Leader, Emcee/Host

Geoff Colvin’s unique gift is his ability to brilliantly moderate panels, lead onstage interviews, and host/emcee. He’s played these roles for more than three decades at Fortune conferences worldwide. Top companies and associations regularly utilize Geoff because he gets the most out of participants; he asks the right questions, listens intently to what’s being said on stage, and responds to that. He also connects ideas and insights across sessions, transforming a multi-part program into a satisfying, unified whole. He always keeps the discussion relevant and the energy high.

Testimonials

"Geoff, I truly appreciate you taking time to meet with the team and to listen to their discussions. The feedback from the clients thus far was that you made them think out of the box and more strategically than they have in a long time. What was most interesting is that two of the clients quoted you in the afternoon session so clearly you made an impression!"

- Chief of Marketing, PowerPlan, Inc.

"Geoff turned in two outstanding performances for Commonfund. His grasp of business issues is second to none and his engaging style consistently pulls the best comments from our panelists. What more could one ask? But actually Geoff delivers more without our asking. He is one of the most genuinely respectful and caring people on the speaking circuit. And despite his vast business knowledge and superior interviewing skill, he hasn’t a trace of ego."

- Producer, Lovett Productions

“We were thrilled, just thrilled with Geoff. They weren’t pleased, they were pleased squared! As the Marketing VP said 'Ese hombre es un sol!' It doesn’t translate that well (That man is a sun!) but they mean he was marvelous!”

- Client

"Geoff was an outstanding kickoff speaker: thoughtful and thought-provoking. He has a terrific delivery and engaging style and his message felt new and fresh to the audience. The feedback has been outstanding. Thanks so much for all your help. We are all still a bit giddy from what has been characterized as 'the best conference in years.'"

- Society of Automotive Engineers

"He was very well received and we could not be happier. Geoff did an outstanding job. The audience was very engaged and our panelists referred back to many of his concepts in subsequent sessions throughout the day. Geoff also maneuvered AV issues flawlessly and we were grateful to him for being so flexible."

- Baker & McKenzie

"I wanted to thank you again for speaking at our dinner. I cannot tell you how many people have commented on how nice the evening was, and especially how they enjoyed your remarks. I hope you know how much we appreciated having you with us, and the time you took to prepare your remarks for our group."

- Director of Program Management, Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe

"Once again your stewardship of the business sessions opened the door for a truly interactive and valuable dialogue for everyone. Your depth of understanding of the challenges these companies are facing and the opportunities that lie ahead added tremendously to our conversations."

- CEO, Cisco

“Thank you, once more, for making the time to moderate the Board and Governance Forum. Your thoughtful remarks, questions, and insights contributed to making this Forum a resounding success! Now that we have received formal input from our participants, I wanted to share that we are hearing tremendous feedback on the job you did and it is clear that your leadership was universally well-received.”

- Americas Alumni Leader, EY

“We were completely amazed with how incredible Geoff was with the five very unique sessions we had him lined up to moderate. He added a layer of additional perspective to each and every one of those sessions that we just would not have expected. Truly amazing.”

- Tax Senior Manager, National Growth Team, Deloitte Tax LLP

"Geoff Colvin was EXACTLY perfect for us. We loved his pace and his sense of humor...and his delivery was just great. BIG HIT!”

- Operation Manager, NewFirst Financial Resources LLC

“Geoff Colvin played an integral role in our FSI Forum and was a key contributor to making the event a success. He was a true professional and a pleasure to work with. In addition, he put the presenters at ease with his calm and confident manner, and he was quick on his feet when improvising questions or using poll everywhere technology. We also appreciated how flexible he was when we asked him to step in at the last moment to introduce the banking speaker and moderate Q&A. We could not have asked for a better moderator and were thrilled he could join us.”

- Senior Manager, Deloitte Services LP

“Thank you for inspiring my team! The feedback is unanimous, they loved your presentation, the Q&A that followed and how you inspired them and boosted their confidence. That was exactly my goal. Thank you.”

- CEO, Global Mortgage Group, Arch Capital Group Ltd.

“The feedback on your keynote and moderating of panel has been phenomenal. We truly appreciate it.”

- Enterprise Holdings

“Geoff was a rockstar. It went GREAT!”

- The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC)

“You were terrific and got rave reviews from our attendees! Amazing how you pulled together so much disparate information/insight delivered so coherently…and, with humor, too!”

- Ensemble IQ

“As always, you were very compelling. Many of our attendees told me how much they valued your insights and perspectives. And I very much appreciated your signature presentation style. Excellent.”

- Automation Anywhere

“You were so fantastic! I really enjoyed your talk and it was a big hit with the audience.”

- CapGemini

“Thank you again for a wonderful talk at our National Sales Meeting. Your talk hit the mark perfectly and will set the tone for our re-focus on deliberate practice as a sales organization in the coming years. Wishing you good health and much happiness in the coming year.”

- Fidelity

“I’ve heard nothing but praise from attendees. They loved your presentation and your blend of an economic update along all your insight as to what great leaders are doing to be successful. I especially loved your quote ‘They stop protecting yesterday and create tomorrow.’ So many great take-aways.”

- First Horizon Bank

“We got great feedback about your presentation from our members. Despite the difficult times, people felt like you had a very insightful and positive message. I expect that you’ll hear from us again.”

- National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED)

“Our members raved about your remarks. At the afternoon sessions and throughout last night’s event, all we heard were complimentary comments about your address. I know you speak to so many groups. Please count ours among those that are your biggest fans.”

- Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI)

“We sincerely appreciate you contributing to our AGM. The feedback we received from our investors and entrepreneurs was exceptionally positive. Your message really resonated with our CEOs who are looking for past precedents and analogies like the Tour de France to give them hope and motivation to continue to think and act creatively.”

- McRock Capital

“…the participants and their coaches have profoundly enjoyed the sessions. Without being prompted, you have hit all the key topics that have emerged throughout the week. It was a capstone in the true meaning of this word. Truly impressive.”

- AbbVie

“You hit it out of the park. We will ask you back.”

- American Pacific Mortgage