Sam Zolfagharian
- Author of Disrupt It
- AI Strategist
- President & Co-Founder @ YegaTech
Sam Zolfagharian Speaker Biography
Dr. Sam Zolfagharian is an AI strategist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author who helps executives lead with clarity and confidence in the age of intelligent disruption.
She is the Co-Founder and President of YegaTech, a tech advisory firm that partners with CEOs, boards, and senior leadership teams to build AI strategies, governance systems, and innovation cultures that are designed for business transformation, not technical complexity.
With over 20 years of experience in tech, design, and construction, including seven years leading manufacturing and construction product platforms at Autodesk in Silicon Valley, Sam blends deep domain expertise with executive-level insight. She holds a Ph.D. in Design Computing and Construction Management from Georgia Tech and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed research papers cited globally.
Her latest book, “Disrupt It: How Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Executives Can Transform Their Organizations in the Age of AI Disruption”, is a clear, actionable guide written specifically for non-technical CEOs and board members. It outlines how leaders can prepare their culture, business model, and operating model for a future shaped by AI, without needing to become technologists themselves.
Sam speaks regularly at global conferences and executive summits and advises organizations across sectors on how to use AI as a tool for strategic reinvention, not just efficiency. Her frameworks and playbooks help organizations avoid hype, embrace responsible innovation, and create long-term value in fast-changing markets.
Whether she’s building governance systems, facilitating board retreats, or delivering executive keynotes, Sam’s mission is simple: to empower executives to turn uncertainty into strategy and disruption into leadership.
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Speech Topics
Disrupt The Default : What if your legacy systems are your biggest threat?
This keynote reframes disruption as a leadership challenge, not a future risk. Audiences leave with a new lens for sensing disruption early, and systems for building resilient, next-gen organizations.
Key takeaways:
-Decode the patterns behind today’s most successful disruptors
-Build organizations that thrive in uncertainty, not stability
-Shift from risk-avoidance to opportunity-sensing leadership
The Future of Work in the Age of AI: Turning automation into strategic differentiation
This keynote dives into the new human + AI dynamic. It’s about rethinking roles, redesigning collaboration, and leading teams where trust, adaptability, and capability matter most.
Key takeaways:
-Identify critical skills and capabilities needed in a hybrid human-AI era
-Understand the emerging shifting workforce dynamics
-Transform AI from a tech issue into a strategic leadership opportunity
The Innovation Leader’s Playbook: Rewiring how we lead, decide, and create value
This high-energy session gives leaders the frameworks to drive experimentation, accelerate learning, and build cultures that evolve as fast as the world around them.
Key takeaways:
-Decode the DNA of resilient, learning-driven organizations
-Discover frameworks for rapid adaptation and experimentation
-Lead with the mindsets and mechanisms that foster innovation at scale
