I speak to audiences about decoding the future
Forbes named Mitch Joel one of their “Speakers Worth Catching”
When brands like Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Cisco and Unilever want to understand what’s next for their business, people and customers, they call Mitch Joel, Executive Director of the Next Era Institute.
The Next Era Institute is a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders navigate disruption, understand emerging technologies and rethink how organizations create value. Mitch brings that work to life on stages around the world.
Every industry is wrestling with rapid transformation, new technologies and rising customer expectations. Organizations want to know how to innovate, stay relevant and rethink what comes next in ways that are meaningful… not theoretical. Mitch helps audiences distinguish signal from noise, understand the wider significance of change and move forward with greater clarity.
Called “one of North America’s leading visionaries” by Strategy Magazine and honored with the prestigious Top 40 Under 40, Mitch has been on the front lines of media, culture and technology for more than thirty years. Since 2005, he has delivered thousands of keynote presentations to organizations around the world, across both B2B and B2C industries. His style is engaging, entertaining, thought-provoking and deeply customized, leaving audiences with practical insights they can use immediately.
Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, both published by Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group). He also hosts Thinking With Mitch Joel (one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world) featuring weekly conversations with the world’s leading thinkers and business leaders. His articles, essays and weekly radio appearances explore the intersection of business transformation, technology, artificial intelligence and culture. Together, this publishing and media work expands the ideas, conversations and strategic intelligence developed through The Next Era Institute.
Mitch’s perspective is grounded in nearly three decades of experience as a technology and media executive, entrepreneur and builder. He published music magazines, launched a record label, built media sales for one of the first search engines (before Google), marketed early mobile content platforms (before smartphones) and ultimately built and sold his own global marketing agency to WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with close to 3,000 employees.
In 2019, Mitch was named to Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s “100 Coaches,” celebrating the world’s top leaders, thinkers and executive coaches. Thinkers50 included him in their Radar class of 2021, recognizing the thinkers set to shape the future of business.
Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class Thinkers into team meetings, events and off-sites in surprising and meaningful ways.
If your next event is focused on understanding what comes next, embracing disruption, exploring how intelligent technologies are reshaping business or rethinking what leadership and marketing look like in an accelerated world, Mitch’s keynotes are designed to meet audiences where they are… and take them somewhere new.
Post-Keynote VIP Debate (L to R): Ron Tite, Simon Sinek, Malcolm Gladwell & Mitch Joel
Topics - updated & new for 2027!
Disrupting Disruption
How leaders turn change into opportunity… and build what comes next.
Disruption used to be a moment in time. Now it’s the operating system. Emerging technologies, shifting customer expectations and new business models are changing the conditions for success… and opening possibilities for organizations willing to rethink how they work and where they create value. Which assumptions still serve your business? What could you create that wasn’t possible before? And how can leaders help their people see opportunity in the changes reshaping their work? Through industry-specific examples, Disrupting Disruption makes the forces transforming business tangible and connects them to the decisions leaders face today. Audiences will discover opportunities to challenge familiar approaches, expand creative ambition and turn emerging possibilities into meaningful value for customers. Drawing on the P.A.C.E. framework from the Next Era Institute, Mitch offers a new approach to questioning assumptions, exploring opportunities and turning fresh thinking into purposeful action. This keynote gives leaders a clearer perspective on what is changing, a stronger sense of where their organizations can create value, and the confidence to help shape what comes next.
Present Future AI
Rethinking work, value and competitive advantage in the age of AI.
AI is expanding what organizations can accomplish… and opening new possibilities for the people within them. As machines take on more of the work we once considered uniquely human, leaders have an extraordinary opportunity to rethink where human expertise and imagination create value. What becomes possible when people can use AI to bring more ambitious ideas to life? How can organizations turn new capabilities into more meaningful customer experiences? And how can leaders help their people see a bigger role for themselves in what comes next? Through industry-specific examples, this keynote makes emerging AI capabilities tangible and connects them to the real decisions leaders face today. Audiences will discover opportunities to rethink strategy, expand creative ambition and apply their knowledge and experience in ways that were previously out of reach. Mitch explores where human contribution matters most: choosing what is worth pursuing, understanding what people need, building trust and taking responsibility for the results. Drawing on the P.A.C.E. framework from the Next Era Institute, Mitch offers a practical approach to questioning assumptions, exploring opportunities and turning experimentation into purposeful action. This keynote gives leaders a clear understanding of what AI makes possible, a fresh perspective on the value their people bring, and the confidence to build the future… starting now.
Marketing Forward
How the next era of marketing moves beyond attention… into intimacy, intelligence, and impact.
Marketing is undergoing its most profound shift since digital began. The Attention Economy is dead. Welcome to The Intimacy Economy, shaped by context and relevance. This new opportunity extends far beyond personalized messages to products, services and experiences that make people feel understood. AI is expanding what marketers can understand, create and deliver… and opening new possibilities for how brands connect with people. As content and personalization become easier to produce, what makes an experience worth someone’s attention? What helps a customer feel understood? How can marketers use these new capabilities to build relationships that become more valuable over time? Through industry-specific examples, this keynote demonstrates how the greatest brands expand creativity, rethink storytelling and create more meaningful customer experiences. Drawing on the P.A.C.E. framework from the Next Era Institute, Mitch offers a practical approach to exploring opportunities and turning customer understanding into purposeful action. This keynote gives leaders a fresh perspective on where marketing is going, a clearer understanding of how their brands can matter more, and the confidence to move marketing forward… starting now.
Behind The Headlines… And Inside The Machine
How algorithms, AI and infinite content shape what we see, what we believe… and who we become.
We’ve been taught to question the headlines… but what if the real story is the system behind them? Algorithms curate our feeds, platforms influence what gets discovered and AI expands what can be created. These systems open extraordinary possibilities for learning, expression and connection… while changing how people form opinions, decide what to trust and understand organizations. What shapes the information that reaches us? What happens to our messages as they move through these systems? And how can understanding the machine help us communicate with greater clarity, credibility and impact? Through examples drawn from media, technology and business, Mitch Joel takes audiences inside the systems shaping how information is discovered, shared and interpreted. He explores how personalized feeds, AI-generated content and increasingly conversational technology influence what people encounter and what they believe. Audiences will discover what these shifts mean for leadership communication, organizational reputation and the ability to reach employees, customers and communities with messages that matter. This keynote offers audiences a clearer understanding of the media they consume and create, a sharper sense of their own influence, and the confidence to communicate more thoughtfully and effectively. Because understanding the machine changes how we listen… and how we make ourselves heard.
Go Beyond The Keynote…
Decoding Leaders
Executive Storytelling Through Conversation
Some of the most memorable moments at an event aren't the speeches. They're the conversations that reveal the person behind the leadership. Every leader has stories, experiences, and ideas worth sharing. The difference lies in how those stories are uncovered. Drawing on more than three decades of conversations with some of the world's most respected CEOs, innovators, bestselling authors, and business thinkers, Mitch Joel creates professionally prepared, deeply engaging conversations that captivate audiences from the opening question to the closing insight. What makes these conversations different is that Mitch isn't simply an interviewer. As an entrepreneur, business leader, podcaster, and broadcaster, he brings unique perspectives that allow him to ask sharper questions, connect ideas in real time, and help leaders articulate their best thinking while keeping your audience on the edge of their seats. Every conversation is carefully researched and developed in collaboration with your organization and featured guest, ensuring it reflects the audience, the moment, and your objectives. Combining thoughtful preparation with genuine curiosity, Mitch creates the pacing, depth, and energy of a world-class long-form conversation. This is executive storytelling through conversation. Whether interviewing your CEO, an executive, a customer, an industry pioneer, or another influential voice, Mitch helps leaders communicate with clarity and impact while giving audiences a rare opportunity to understand not only what exceptional leaders do, but how they think. And because meaningful conversations create lasting value, the experience doesn't have to end when the audience leaves the room. Captured by your production team, these conversations can continue to inform and engage through podcasts, executive communications, internal channels, social media, and other content... extending their impact well beyond the stage.
Available as a standalone experience or as a powerful complement to any Mitch Joel keynote.
Thinking Together
An Executive Salon Where Leaders Think Out Loud
Some of the most important breakthroughs don't happen on stage. They happen when thoughtful leaders have the time and trust to think together. Thinking Together is a professionally curated executive salon designed for intimate groups of senior leaders who want to move beyond presentations and into meaningful dialogue. Drawing on decades of experience as a keynote speaker, entrepreneur, advisor, and long-form interviewer, Mitch Joel creates the conditions for conversations that are intellectually rigorous, strategically relevant, and deeply engaging... without ever becoming academic. Each salon is thoughtfully designed around your organization's objectives and the questions that matter most to the participants. Conducted in a trusted and confidential environment, the salon gives leaders something increasingly difficult to find: permission to think out loud. There are no cameras to perform for, no audience to impress, and no expectation that someone already has the answer. Instead, participants explore ideas, challenge assumptions, share experiences, build on one another's thinking, and discover perspectives that rarely emerge in traditional conference environments. The intimacy matters. Designed primarily for approximately 8 to 12 leaders, each salon creates enough diversity of perspective to make the conversation rich while remaining small enough for every participant to meaningfully contribute. The result is not simply better thinking. It's stronger connections between participants, greater understanding, new perspectives, and ideas leaders can carry back into their organizations.
A salon can be designed as an invitation-only executive experience, offered as a series of intimate conversations throughout a larger event, or added as a powerful extension to a Mitch Joel keynote or Decoding Leaders conversation.
Testimonials
“We were supposed to move right into the next section of our meeting, but you blew up the room (in a good way). People asked for a ten minute break to pull themselves together!”
Johnson & Johnson
"Congrats on the phenomenal session at the Gartner Conference! I just got the speaker scores, your scores exceeded most of the Gartner analyst scores! You received a 4.8 out of 5.”
GARTNER
“We have been inviting Mitch to present to our top clients and internal teams for close over twenty years. His material is always fresh and cutting edge. As you can imagine, Google has a constant flow of speakers coming in and out of our global doors, Mitch’s ratings are always through the roof. He’s one of our top-rated speakers, because he delivers actionable content with amazing visuals and stories. He’s become a true friend to Google, and has helped out our B2B and B2C clients all over the world.”
Google
“Starbucks often invites inspirational leaders and subject-matter experts to come in and share their thoughts, insights, and ideas on how we can continue to connect with our consumers in a meaningful way, and Mitch Joel is one of the best speakers we’ve seen. Mitch brings a terrific perspective on how our organization engages with our consumers, and our team was extremely impressed by his extensive knowledge, entertaining delivery, and obvious passion for what he does. We would highly recommend Mitch as a speaker for any sized event, especially if you’re interested in learning not only what works today, but also what’s going to work tomorrow.”
Starbucks
“I am constantly trying to better understand how innovation, technology and marketing can help us be better - do more and do it faster. As such, I often host events for the tech community and our team members here at Shopify HQ. Mitch Joel is one of the best speakers we have had. Deep insights, packed with real and tangible skills that we all can use to become better business people. I can’t recommend him enough. I love Mitch!”
Shopify
Harley Finkelstein, President
“Whether it’s the National Retail Federation’s Big Show stage or a smaller industry event for technologists or marketers, Mitch Joel always delivers. We consistently get incredible audience feedback on how relevant, timely, inspiring and actionable his content is. Whether you need him to open an event as the morning keynote, wake an audience up in the sometimes dreaded after-lunch slot, or as your perfect closing keynote, Mitch will nail it each and every time. If you’re looking for someone to passionately deliver content about innovation, consumer behavior, and marketing, look no further. He also happens to be wonderful to work with, is always interested in hearing about your audience breakdown to customize the content, and that he is a rare, humble and authentic leader. I’m proud to know Mitch and call him a friend, and I am even luckier to have him on my go-to speaker list for top notch show education for the retail industry.”
National Retail Federation and Shop.org
Artemis Barry, Vice President, Digital Retail
“Mitch Joel’s presentation helped us to see that we needed to change the paradigm of how we interacted with our customers. His ideas and insights have led us to new concepts in the development of our brands.”
Pfizer
“We had really great feedback on your talk, spanning both our participants and our leadership team. Our teams all have rather high expectations for events like this – and you surpassed them.”
Accenture
“Mitch brings a musician’s timing and keen instincts to hold an audience mesmerized as he opens up their minds to where brands, marketing, and technology are going today. He was one of our top-rated keynote speakers at the BRITE conference, after 9 years in New York. I highly recommend him for any business event and audience!”
Columbia School of Business
David Rogers, founder, BRITE conference
“Mitch Joel thinks big. But he makes his bigger concepts feel accessible, which is a gift of any true teacher. Mitch is simply one of the best presenters I’ve ever hired — which is why I hire him again and again and again!”
MarketingProfs
Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer
“For the past five years we’ve consistently invited Mitch Joel to speak at Content Marketing World. Mitch delivers every time and always scores among the highest of our 200+ speakers every year. Always compelling, inspiring and actionable. As long as we have an in-person event, Mitch will be invited to speak.”
Content Marketing World
Joe Pulizzi, Founder
“We have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of world-class speakers, and Mitch Joel is definitely at the top of this list. Fascinating content. Dynamic delivery. Above all, Mitch is just a great person to work with. Whether it’s The Art of Marketing, The Art of Sales, The Art of Leadership or some of our other day-long programs, Mitch always makes his content relevant to our audiences.”
The Art Of...
Scott Kavanagh, Co-Founder
“Mitch Joel is one of CMA’s highest rated speakers. A dynamic and inspiring speaker, Mitch consistently delivers high-energy presentations with cutting-edge information that his audience can use!”
Canadian Marketing Association
“Mitch Joel is one of the very best in the business marketing world. When he walks on stage, the audience quickly slides to the edges of their seats. Not only did Mitch deliver what he promised when I asked him to join us as the closing keynote at nextMEDIA, he was also an incredibly supportive partner both before and after the event.”
nextMEDIA
Amber Mac, Executive ProduceR
“To be candid: I was beginning to despair just slightly - I’m afraid I found many of the earlier sessions really quite disappointing. I’d deliberately avoided getting too deep into the obvious topics in my opening remarks, thinking that the early speakers would cover all the basic ground for me. By the time we got to lunch, I was starting to think we had a complete flop on our hands. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that you pretty much saved the first day. In fact - the whole thing would have been a much different and much better event if we’d had you as keynote.”
Canadian Institute
Mitch in Action
Full speaking reel available by request.