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Rohit Bhargava

Expert on marketing, branding, trends & disruption, innovation, storytelling
  • Adjunct Professor Georgetown University: Digital Strategy & Storytelling
  • Bestselling author of 6 books
Speaker Fee:
$30,000 - $50,000
Virtual Fee:
$20,000 - $30,000
Travels From:
District of Columbia
Rohit Bhargava
Book Rohit Bhargava
Speaker Fee: $30,000 - $50,000
Virtual Fee: $20,000 - $30,000

Rohit Bhargava Speaker Biography

Rohit Bhargava is on a mission to inspire more non-obvious thinking in the world. He is the 3-time Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of 10 books and is widely considered one of the most entertaining and original speakers on trends, innovation and marketing in the world.

Rohit has been invited to deliver sold-out keynotes and workshops in 32 countries around the world to change the way teams and leaders think at the World Bank, NASA, Intel, Novartis, Coldwell Banker, MetLife, American Express, Pizza Hut, Schwab, Disney and hundreds of other well-known organizations.  He has been a Featured Speaker at 5 previous SXSW events and also did a keynote at SXSW Sydney in 2023 (the first SXSW outside of America!).

Prior to becoming an entrepreneur and founding two companies, he spent 15 years leading brand strategy at Ogilvy (Global) and Leo Burnett (Australia) where he advised global brands on human behavior, marketing, and storytelling.

Outside his speaking and consulting, Rohit has taught persuasive speaking and global marketing as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, is frequently quoted in the global media and writes a monthly column for Inc Magazine about Non-Obvious books, hosts a podcast, and has been writing his award-winning email newsletter for the past six years.  At the end of every year, he also leads a program called the Inc Non-Obvious Book Awards where he selects the most fascinating books of the year for business people.

He is a lifelong fan of anything having to do with the Olympics (he’s been to five so far), and actively hates cauliflower (yuck!). Outside of work, Rohit believes that the most entertaining and impactful job he will ever have is being a great dad and teaching his two boys to be kind when no one expects it, curious about the things others take for granted, and confident enough to change the world.

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Rohit Bhargava | Sizzle Reel
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Speech Topics

INNOVATION
How to be a Non-Obvious Thinker (and See What Others Miss)
See What Others Miss and Shift Your Perspective

When every day brings constant disruption, it’s hard to know where to focus. With the right mindset, we can look to the future with informed optimism. In this candid and fast-paced session based on the bestselling book that has inspired more than 1 million readers, trend curator Rohit Bhargava will reveal the five habits of non-obvious thinkers that can help you become a “speed understander” who can see the opportunities others don’t, be more resilient and lead the future.

MARKETING
The Art and Science of Non-Obvious Marketing (In a Skeptical World)

Be more believable, persuasive and trustworthy.
We are living in a time when it is harder to earn trust than ever before. People skip ads, mistrust brands and demand transparency from the companies they buy from or work for. What does it take for any organization to be more believable? In this entertaining and eye-opening talk, renowned marketing expert and bestselling author Rohit Bhargava will reveal the five “non-obvious” secrets of building trust and what it really takes to stand out as real, human, authentic and trustworthy in a skeptical world.

TRENDS
7 Non-Obvious Trends Shaping the Future Normal: What are the world-changing trends that will actually shape the future?

From biophilic skyscrapers to generative AI to haptic interfaces, this keynote will offer a clear-eyed overview of not only the technology changing our world, but also explore the deeply human questions all this advancement will raise. This is not a boring academic talk or “futurist theater.” Instead, it’s a highly actionable (and deeply non-obvious!) glimpse into how you can anticipate and lead the future.

DIVERSITY
The Non-Obvious Method To Leading Diversity (When It’s Not Your Day Job)
How Leaders Can Actually Make Diversity & Inclusion Happen

This keynote offers an approachable introduction to diversity and inclusion for busy leaders. Inspired by the world’s most ambitious gathering of diversity experts at the Beyond Diversity Summit and the WSJ bestselling book Beyond Diversity, this talk is specifically for leaders who don’t spend all day working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Instead of blaming and shaming or focusing on a long list of “-isms,” this optimistic keynote candidly approaches some of the biggest myths and realities of diversity while offering practical suggestions to actually build a more inclusive and diverse team.

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“When we looked for a voice of inspiration on the power of innovation for our annual, global team meeting, Rohit was the natural choice. There are few speakers that deliver not only a vision for the future that are as clear as his, but the method to develop your own version of the same.”

COCA-COLA

“When we asked Rohit to create a custom keynote and training video to teach our team about digital, we expected it to be educational. What Rohit managed to deliver blew us away! His content and style makes digital and social media approachable. His non-obvious trends were perfectly customized for the insurance industry and his content and delivery received rave reviews from our entire team.”

PRUDENTIAL

“After a long day for our attendees, I was originally reluctant to have a post dinner address to our marketing executives. However, Rohit’s content and delivery had all of us hanging on his every word. He somehow feels the mood of the audience and tailors his message accordingly. This is not the first time we’ve used him, nor will it be the last.”

RICHMOND EVENTS

While I’d remained “connected” to Rohit over the years, after first meeting him at Ogilvy 7-8 years ago, we ran into each other yesterday at an event. Not only was it great to see him, but his gracious, generous and “High EQ” style was as if we’d been close professional friends. That’s important. Prior to our conversation, I sat in the event hall, as an audience member of many hundreds and listened to Rohit’s keynote address. Rohit’s deep knowledge, expertise, warm, personal style was evident to all of my table mates, and we each expressed our “a-ha! moment” as Rohit described “4 important” takeaways about thinking differently, “non obvious” trends, curating ideas, and predicting the future. I learned much, but I also learned about Rohit, and want to leave a recommendation for Rohit as an expert in branding, data analysis, “non obvious” trends, storytelling, and business strategy, but also a great person. Thanks again, Rohit, for an excellent keynote, and for being such a decent, thoughtful person.  Rohit is a perfect combination of professionalism and knowledge in this day and age of brevity and superficiality.

Chief Digital Officer ► Host of Award Winning, The Not Old – Better Show, Freelance Producer/Director/Voice Over

Rohit thank you again for contributing to the success of our 2017 Sage Impact Leadership Summit!  It was an absolute pleasure working with you.  Our attendees are still talking about your fantastic presentation and how much they enjoyed it.  From my years of planning there are speakers who run in and deliver and leave.  There are speakers who say “customize” and then do little of that.  Not only did you deliver, customize and stayed around to visit with our attendees, but you did so in a way that exceeded our expectations.  When speaking with our group it felt like you were a part of the team because you connected so well with everyone.  I overheard individuals say things like. “What a great presenter!”, “I want to be that guys best friend.”, “What a creative and smart presentation that was.”  You should think about marketing yourself not just as a “speaker” but as an “experience”, and a great one at that!   You have amazing energy, a great sense of humor and very relevant and interesting messages to share.  I look forward to working with you again in the near future. 

Sage Hospitality