Lavin Exclusive Speaker
The world is changing...fast. Stephanie Mehta has the tools to help us keep up. Stephanie knows where we are and where we’ll go next because of her natural gift for innovation—and because picked the brains of the most creative and successful people in the world. She’s combined the lessons she learned into a road map for how leaders can prepare their companies for tomorrow’s changes and build disruption into their plans for the future.
Whether she’s investigating the prodigious rise of Silicon Valley, the domino effect of technology on our lives, or what makes a workplace truly innovative in the post-pandemic world, Stephanie Mehta has her finger on the pulse. With over twenty-five years of experience in business journalism, Mehta first served as editor-in-chief of Fast Company—the publication that businesses all over the world turn to for inspiration and guidance—before being promoted to CEO of its parent company Mansueto Ventures. The magazine has a storied history of eschewing traditionalism, rules, and the “old way” of doing things, instead showcasing the people, teams, and organizations inventing the future of business. Today, the company operates a number of franchises that highlight the world’s most progressive leaders and companies, including “Most Creative People,” “Most Innovative Companies,” and “World Changing Ideas.”
With a prolific career that includes long-term posts at Vanity Fair, Fortune, Bloomberg LIVE and The Wall Street Journal, Mehta has come to value a human-centered approach to her work, modeled by her commitment to thoughtful storytelling. “[Businesses] are part of an ecosystem that includes more than just their shareholders—they are part of communities, they have employees and customers,” Mehta explains. In her dynamic keynotes, she draws on those stories to show the next generation of business leaders how to push creative boundaries, nurture a radical vision, and make innovation happen.
Prior to Fast Company, Mehta was Deputy Editor at Vanity Fair, where she coedited the influential New Establishment ranking, curated the New Establishment Summit, and oversaw the Founders Fair conference for women entrepreneurs. Previously, she was editor of Bloomberg LIVE, and Bloomberg Media’s global conference division. Mehta spent 14 years as a writer and editor at Fortune, where she rose to the No. 2 position on the masthead. While at Fortune, she directed the magazine’s technology, management, Washington, and international coverage, and helped set its overall editorial direction. Mehta also spent six years as an editor and writer at The Wall Street Journal. She received a BA in English and an MS in journalism from Northwestern University.