Keith Ferrazzi

Keith Ferrazzi is a best-selling author and renowned business consultant. He has written six books, including his most recent work, Never Eat Alone, which was an international best-seller. In addition to his work as an author and consultant, Ferrazzi served as founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a management-consulting firm that worked with major companies including Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google.

Ferrazzi was born and raised in upstate New York. His family was devoutly Catholic and his father was a steel executive. Keith was an achiever from a young age, working full-time at his father's steel mill while earning a degree in philosophy and religious studies from Villanova University. After graduation, he reached out to network with high profile individuals across different sectors, garnering jobs in finance, branding, and public relations. This networking capacity would become the basis for the deep connections he was eventually able to forge with leaders across industries.

He continued to develop his networking abilities while earning his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he served as class president. His ambition and networking abilities landed him a job at Deloitte Consulting, a leading consulting firm. Here, he quickly rose through the ranks to become the youngest partner in the history of the firm. After five successful years at Deloitte, he formed Ferrazzi Greenlight in 2004.

Ferrazzi’s writings, products, and presentations have been widely acclaimed. In the year 2006, he joined the faculty of UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he published the New York Times Bestseller Never Eat Alone, which was an extension of his own networking, relationship-building, and collaboration philosophies.

The success of this book further established Ferrazzi’s public profile, as he quickly became a sought-after speaker and corporate consultant. He presented lectures at Ted and SXSW, consulted with large firms such as IBM and LinkedIn, and created virtual programs and educational tools to help entrepreneurs and businesspeople build meaningful relationships with others.

In 2011, Ferrazzi published his second book, Who’s Got Your Back, which explores the power of reciprocal relationships to enhance productivity and success. His third and fourth books, Never Eat Alone & Other Secrets to Success, and Who’s Got Your Back, continued to be widely praised and featured on dozens of national media outlets and publications.

Ferrazzi’s latest work, The American Dream and How to Make it Real, addresses how Americans can harness the skills and resources within ourselves to overcome economic and social injustice. This book is informed by Ferrazzi's personal experiences, from his childhood through his journey to high-level corporate consulting roles. Through anecdotes and analyses of his own life, he outlines a path to success that is accessible to many.

Overall, Keith Ferrazzi is an accomplished business consultant and author. His books, public appearances, and consulting work have earned him a reputation as a thought leader and innovator in the business and leadership fields. Throughout his career, Ferrazzi has sought to empower and motivate people to become the best versions of themselves through smart, meaningful relationship building--and he has succinctly articulated his advice on how to do so in a number of successful books.