“Editor-in-chief & managing director, Fast Company”
What does it mean to “lead the pack” in a world that is changing so quickly? How do we steer innovation in the right spots and avoid the pitfalls? What does it take to unlock today’s creative talent and uncover solutions to our increasingly complex challenges? Robert Safian has chronicled thousands of odds-defying organizations and leaders, getting inside access to their secrets of success. His ability to synthesize their lessons into insightful, compelling storytelling has made him one of the most sought-after speakers, moderators and interviewers in modern business.
Robert Safian is editor-in-chief and managing director of the influential, award-winning business magazine Fast Company, the world’s leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation, technology and leadership. Written for, by, and about the most creative business leaders, Fast Company and its affiliates inspire people to think beyond traditional boundaries and embrace a future that is evolving more rapidly than ever. Under Safian’s leadership, Fast Company has received numerous accolades, including the highly coveted National Magazine Award for Magazine of the Year in 2014. Named Editor of the Year by Adweek in 2009, Safian has also served as an executive editor for Time and Fortune and headed Money as its chief editor for six-years.
Safian has emerged as a leading voice in the Innovation Economy, propelled by a reputation for near-clairvoyant prediction. He was the first editor to put Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg on a magazine cover and covered Airbnb, Netflix and Uber long before they were household names. Whether assessing a startup in Detroit or the tech scene in Palo Alto, an innovator in Shanghai or an iconoclast in Cape Town, Safian is constantly translating what is cutting-edge to the mainstream. By presenting stories of the people behind innovative business thinking, he provides hope to millions of talented professionals, entrepreneurs and leaders that meaningful change is possible.