Neri Karra Sillaman is a leading entrepreneur and business advisor who has spent a decorated career in academic roles, such as Entrepreneurship Expert at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Focusing on helping organisations to make profits with purpose, Neri is on a mission to contribute to a better world. Awarded the Thinkers50 2025 Radar Award, Neri is now a highly sought-after keynote speaker, engaging audiences with speeches on business longevity, resilience in times of change and creating purpose-driven businesses.
Born to a persecuted Turkish ethnic minority in Bulgaria, Neri’s story is one of remarkable resilience. Leaving her home as a child refugee, Neri’s family moved to Istanbul, and there they founded Neri Karra, a luxury leather goods manufacturer that is now B-Corp certified. Thanks to her work with the family company, Neri has over two decades of experience in entrepreneurship and navigating the complexities of business. Educated with a PhD in Management Studies from the University of Cambridge and a Certificate of Economics and Quantitative Economics from LSE, Neri’s stellar education has seen her work as a Research Fellow at LSE, a Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer at the London College of Fashion and a Programmes Director at Imperial College London.
In 2010, Neri was the Founding Director of the Luxury Brand Management MA at Regent’s University London, bridging academia with real-world luxury brand dynamics. Her other academic appointments have included being an Adjunct Professor at the Stern School of Business at NYU, a Visiting Lecturer at the Conde Nast College of Fashion and Design, and a Professor of Practice in Strategy and Entrepreneurship at IÉSEG School of Management. Amongst these responsibilities, Neri also founded Moda Métiers and was a contributor to Harvard Business Review and Fast Company. Most recently, in 2025, Neri authored Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs, which was highly acclaimed as one of the Thinkers50 Top 10 Best New Management Books and the Financial Times Reader’s Choice for Best Book of 2025.
When hired as a keynote speaker, Neri focuses on the intersection of entrepreneurship, sustainability and long-term impact. A seasoned speaker, Neri has previously spoken at events such as the Forbes Sustainability Summit and TEDx, delivering the talks Fry In Your Own Oil and A Five Step Recovery Program for Sustainable Fashion. Also the author of Fashion Entrepreneurship: Creation of the Global Fashion Business and featured in Fortune and the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Neri is a trusted authority on embracing resilience, innovation and purpose. Named on the 2024 Thinkers50 Radar list of the 30 Most Influential Up-and-Coming Management Thinkers, hire Neri Karra Sillaman when looking for an expert speaker on balancing profit and purpose, resilience in times of change, creating purpose-driven business and business longevity.
Books
Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Fashion Entrepreneurship: The Creation of the Global Fashion Business
Neri Karra Sillaman's official speaking topics are listed below:
- The Power of the Outsider - How to turn not belonging into your greatest advantage. Drawing from immigrant entrepreneurs who’ve built billion-dollar businesses, Neri explores how “outsider” thinking unlocks resilience, innovation, and long-term success.
- Business Longevity: Lessons from Immigrant Entrepreneurs - What does it take to build a business that lasts? Neri distils lessons from pioneers who’ve thrived against the odds—revealing strategies that combine vision, purpose, and sustainable impact.
- Creating Purpose-Driven Businesses in a Fast-Paced World - Purpose isn’t a branding exercise—it’s a foundation for growth. Neri shares how leaders can anchor organisations in purpose to inspire teams, foster loyalty, and drive enduring impact.
- Resilience in Times of Change - As someone who rebuilt her life from the ground up, Neri teaches how to navigate uncertainty, adapt to challenges, and transform obstacles into opportunities for growth.
- Balancing Profit & Purpose - Sustainability, strategy, and success aren’t mutually exclusive. Neri helps leaders embrace business models that align profit with long-term purpose and values.
- 2025 - Winner of the Thinkers50 Radar Award
- 2025 - Author of "Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs"
- 2024 - Named a Top 30 Management Thinker by Thinkers50
- 2023 - Delivered the TEDx Talk "Fry in Your Own Oil: Solving Fashion’s Sustainability Problem"
- 2022 - Contributor to Harvard Business Review
- 2022 - Contributor to Fast Company
- 2021 - Professor in Practice in Strategy & Entrepreneurship at IÉSEG School of Management
- 2021 - Founder of Moda Métiers
- 2017 - Entrepreneurship Expert at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
- 2016 - Associate Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at IÉSEG School of Management
- 2013 - Visiting Lecturer at Conde Nast College of Fashion & Design
- 2013 - Adjunct Professor at Stern School of Business, NYU
- 2010 - Founding Director of the MA in Luxury Brand Management at Regent's University London
- 2008 - Programmes Director at Imperial College London
- 2006 - Senior Research Fellow & Lecturer at the London College of Fashion
- 2005 - Research Fellow at LSE
- 2000 - Co-Founder & Creative Director of Neri Karra
How to hire Neri Karra Sillaman
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Neri Karra Sillaman for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
