Rupal Patel

Rupal Patel’s high-octane career has taken her from the CIA and military briefing rooms in jungles and war zones, to being an inspiring speaker in corporate boardrooms and international stages. During her thrilling career at the CIA, she advised Four-Star Generals, earned War Zone Service Medals, and was recognized by the CIA Director for “superior support to the President of the United States.”

After leaving the CIA, Patel earned her MBA and started her first award-winning business over a decade ago. Called a “Power Woman” by Harper's Bazaar and a “super-strategist” by her clients, Patel is a sought-after international speaker, corporate consultant, and executive advisor who has spoken in front of thousands and delivered customized leadership and talent development programs for Fortune 100 companies around the globe and the White House.

Her trailblazing work has been incorporated into the MBA and Executive MBA programs at elite business schools across the U.S. and UK where she serves as visiting faculty, and has been featured in USA Today, Business Insider, CNBC and other prominent media outlets. In 2023, Patel was named “One of the Most Influential Women of the Year” and in 2024, she was awarded SUCCESS Magazine's Changemaker Award for her “relentless passion and innovative spirits” in creating “meaningful social, environmental and economic impact worldwide.”

Her commitment to developing the next generation of leaders and change-makers extends into her pro bono work for Virgin Startup and Techstars, her roles as Entrepreneur in Residence at London Business School and Alumni in Residence at the University of Chicago, and as a delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

She is the author of the international best-seller "From CIA to CEO: Unconventional Life Lessons for Thinking Bigger, Leading Better, and Being Bolder," which has been translated into multiple languages and been hailed as “one of the best business books” and “essential for bringing your ambitions to life,” and her TED talk explores the power of “owning your weird” to unleash personal excellence.