Erik Ronningen

Erik Ronningen has a captivating story to tell after he became the last person to escape the south tower of the World Trade Center after the horrific terrorist attacks on 9/11. After escaping the devastation, Erik developed a revolutionary database that identified victims still trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center by using the World Trade Center access control system. Now booked as a speaker for a range of corporate and public events, Erik has spoken at everything from international security venues to elementary schools and church groups sharing his moving story.

At the age of 17, Erik joined the National Symphony Orchestra performing in their summer season as an oboist. He later went on to study at the Valley Forge Military Academy, before beginning his professional career as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army Corps of Engineers. He has also worked as a commander of NATO nuclear weapons sites and architected the World Trade Center’s security control system. On the 11th of September 2001, Erik found himself in the south tower of the World Trade Center when the tower was struck by terrorist hijacked planes. As the buildings began to collapse around them, incredibly, Erik managed to escape the crumbling buildings and was the last person to escape the south tower.

After narrowly escaping the collapsing towers, Erik used his understanding of the buildings access control system to develop a photo-victim identification database that helped in the identification of who was still missing in the rubble of the towers. Delivering his findings to the 9/11 commission, Erik played a significant role in recovering victims and identifying those lost in the devastation. Since then, Erik authored the book From The Inside Out, Harrowing Escapes from the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, recounting his story. He has also developed a Personnel Assurance Security Programme and is the Principal of Consolidated Consulting Group LLC.

Now frequently booked to speak at a range of events, Erik tailors each of his presentations to the client, with the important theme of the 9/11 attacks and his story of survival lying at the heart of each talk. With some of his top themes including lessons learned when dealing with adversity, staying calm, never giving up, principles of leadership, thinking clearly and making the right decisions, Erik has insight that is transferable into many business scenarios. Also open to question and answer sessions, Erik Ronningen is a fantastic choice as a speaker for corporate or public events, guaranteed to leave audiences hanging onto every word of his moving account of 9/11.