Learn more about Chad's bestselling book, Blind Ambition™
High-Impact Keynote Speaker
Ignite Your Success with Blind Ambition™
As an award-winning business leader, international keynote speaker,and bestselling author of Blind Ambition™, Chad explains the anatomy of resilience — providing tried and tested tools that empower people to emerge from setbacks stronger, sleeker, and resolute to succeed.
- Harvard-educated Executive Dealmaker, Billion$ Generator, Job Creator
- Change-Disruption-Mindset-Transformation
- Grit-Resilience-Accountability-Growth Through Adversity
Connecting inspiration to implementation™, Chad shares the insights gained from going blind at 21, and bouncing back to build massive enterprise value—enabling your team to embody the mindsets for success, adopting narratives that change the meaning of the challenges they face. They'll learn how to get comfortable with discomfort, equipping your organization to turn disadvantages into advantages, and obstacles into opportunities — creating a more resilient leadership culture and inviting diversity to drive business innovation.
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What Makes Chad Different?
Every organization is struggling with the current velocity of disruption, but what most leaders don’t realize, is that the current rate of change is the slowest it will be for the rest of our lives. Now, more than ever, organizations need to IGNITE people’s RESILIENCE, accountability, and INNOVATION—leading to resilient organizations that create more customer value by adapting and spotting the opportunities created by disruption.
Most people believe resilience is an idea, but it’s really a set of learned behaviors. Chad has spent the last TEN-plus years unpacking the anatomy of resilience — what allowed him to thrive after going blind at 21-years-old. He built software Oracle said was impossible; directed financial strategies that generated billions in revenue, industry-leading margins, and countless jobs; was the first blind executive to graduate Harvard’s leadership program; and became a black diamond downhill skier and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Practitioner — all with his eyes closed. Many thought leaders on resilience and change offer platitudes that create zero sustained impact on people’s behavior. Due to Chad’s firsthand experience with personal transformation while building massive enterprise value, Chad inspires action, ignites accountability, and unlocks potential by breaking down the anatomy of resilience at a practical level — providing tried and tested tools that empower people to emerge from setbacks stronger, sleeker, and resolute to succeed.
Connecting inspiration to implementation™, Chad enables your team to embody the mindsets and beliefs for success, while adopting the narratives and stories that will change the meaning of the challenges they experience. They’ll have the tools to remain comfortable in the face of discomfort, equipping your organization to turn disadvantages into advantages, and your obstacles into opportunities.
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Who is Chad E. Foster?
Can you imagine going blind in your early 20's? When most people were preparing for the adventure of adult life, Chad E. Foster was watching the world he grew up with fade to black. But that didn't stop him from becoming the first blind person to graduate from the Harvard Business School leadership program and climbing the corporate ladder as a successful Finance/Sales executive. Before his inspiration to move into speaking as a profession, he worked at Red Hat, one of the most innovative Tech companies and the world’s largest open source software company. With determination, ambition, and drive, he created what Oracle said would be impossible. He gave hundreds of millions of people the ability to earn a living by becoming the first to create customer relationship software for the visually impaired.
With speaking invites from London to Beijing, and the Atlanta Opera crafting a story inspired by his journey, Chad inspires people to overcome their own blind spots.
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To inquire about speaking, call 855-GET-CHAD and press Option 1 to connect with Brandy Gibson at Executive Speakers Bureau.
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The people unwilling to make excuses are those who make it to the top.
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Featured Program
Blind Ambition™
Chad will provide your audience with a framework for thinking that will enable them to:
- Live happier lives
- Adapt to change with greater success
- Lead teams through change
- Set ambitious goals while crafting the right mindset to achieve them
- Nurture resilience, which is the cornerstone of grit/tenacity and success
- Discover unforeseen opportunities
- Be more productive at work
Happiness is not a feeling, happiness is not an emotion, happiness is a decision that each of us make every single day when we wake up.
Chad E. Foster
Timeline
With speaking invites from London to Beijing, and the Atlanta Opera crafting his journey for the stage, Chad inspires people to overcome their own blind spots.
Lost Eyesight
Lost eyesight and forced to switch college major due to blindness.
First Dog
Received first guide dog.
Dean's List
Relearned how to learn without sight and made the Dean’s List.
Graduated College
Graduated with straight-A's in College of Business Administration.
Promotion
Promoted to lead multibillion dollar commercial outsourcing deals in record time.
Software Developed
Developed software thought impossible by Oracle.
New Position
Hired to work on multibillion dollar sales strategy.
New Position
Hired to spearhead most strategic and complex deals.
Promotion
Promoted from Senior Pricing Analyst to Senior Director while capturing over $45 billion in contracts with industry leading growth and best-in-class margins despite tightening market conditions.
Graduated Harvard
First blind person to graduate from Harvard Business School Executive Education leadership program.
Harvard
Voted as graduating speaker for Harvard Business School Executive Education leadership program.
Career Milestone
Led a team that landed largest (9-figure) deal in company history.
Career Milestone
Led a team that redesigned the company's pricing/discounting framework, improving operational efficiency by ~57% while increasing customer satisfaction.
Career Milestone
Tapped to serve as VP in charge of 200-person organization responsible for closing the integration with IBM - a $34 billion purchase that was the largest of its kind.
Launched Blind Ambition
Launched Blind Ambition, LLC to empower leaders at all levels using the anatomy of resilience.
Published Book
HarperCollins Leadership published Chad's first book - Blind Ambition.
Published Book
Co-authored a book with Les Brown - Ignite the Hunger in You
Launched Blind Ambition Foundation
Launched the Blind Ambition Foundation to bring resilience, hope, and optimism to underserved communities.
Life without obstacles removes opportunity for growth.
Chad E. Foster
Get a Free Chapter from Chad's Bestselling Book
Blind Ambition™
If you don’t feel like you’re reaching the levels of happiness that you see others enjoy, or your goals seem out of reach, you’re not alone. Life is too short for regrets. Learn how to use your mindset to reach your most daring dreams. Chad’s stories and lessons will inspire, empower, and prepare you to face uncertainty with hope and optimism. Want to be mentally tough, strong, resilient and prepared to adapt and thrive in changing circumstances? Self-confident to become your best you? It’s time to break free from the self-destructive thoughts that hold you back.
Ready To Turn Your Biggest Obstacle Into Your Biggest Advantage? The stories we tell ourselves either limit us or propel us towards our goals.