Erik Qualman

Erik Qualman has forged a distinguished career as a keynote speaker and 5 x bestselling author, a renowned motivational figure across 55 countries and to over 50 million people. Voted the 2nd Most Likeable Author in the World behind JK Rowling, Erik has had a highly successful career, generating vast amounts of knowledge and expertise in all thing’s social media, digital trends, and digital leadership. A key topic in Erik’s keynotes is ‘focus and how to focus in an unfocused world’, taking inspiration from his latest book, ‘The Focus Project’.

Graduating from Michigan University with a BA in Marketing, Erik began his career working on digital and direct mail pieces for Pontiac & Cadillac. This grew his knowledge in the marketing world, enabling him to move into more significant positions at BellSouth, Yahoo!, Earthlink and Travelzoo – such as Senior Marketing Manager for Yahoo! and Head of Marketing for Travelzoo. Erik later became the Global Vice President of Digital Marketing at EF Education, and this experience helped him write his #1 bestselling book ‘Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business’ - which reached the bestselling list in the UK & USA just 3 weeks after publishing. This book inspired Erik to become the Founder of Socialnomics.com, an online blog designed to keep readers in the know how on the latest technology information -  ranked as a Top 10 Social Media Blog by PC Magazine.

Today, Erik is the #1 digital leadership speaker, collaborating globally with a number of high profile clients including, Disney, IBM, Sony, Starbucks, Cartier, FedEx and many more. He has shared the stage with many CEO’s and notable people such as Al Gore, Tony Hawk & Jay Leno. Having previously been ranked in Forbes’ Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers, Erik has an excellent understanding of the social media landscape and has witnessed its evolution from the very beginning, providing invaluable information to impart. In 2017, Erik received an Honorary Doctorate in International Business from Lake Superior University for his groundbreaking work as an author with college students. His contributions to academia have also been significant, becoming a professor in Digital Marketing at Hult International Business School in 2010, he went on to become a Teaching Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, a Sitting Professor at MIT and Harvard’s edX Labs and a Professor of Digital Leadership at Northwestern University.

In 2021 Qualman became the first male speaker to address the audience at the Indy Women in Tech Summit and, having been highlighted in countless media outlets such as The New York Times, Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal, he is one of the most qualified and sought-after motivational/ digital leadership speakers in the world. When looking for an experienced & entertaining motivational speaker, don’t hesitate to hire Erik Qualman.

In September 2023 we sat down virtually with Erik Qualman and discussed the importance of social media and focus in business. Watch our Exclusive Interview with Erik Qualman.