Parisa Khosravi

Parisa Khosravi is a keynote speaker, a strategic adviser, and a multi-award-winning veteran journalist and news executive. With over three decades of experience on the global stage, Khosravi has first-hand experience dealing with world leaders, dignitaries, and high-ranking officials across the globe, and opening doors to difficult and dangerous parts of the world where freedom of speech is in no way guaranteed.

Khosravi speaks on the topic of compassionate leadership to audiences across private and public sectors. Her speeches, which often emphasize giving a voice to the voiceless, draw in audiences by sharing personal and historic stories, focusing on empathy, compassion, and the power of finding one's voice. Her motto is: you never know what is inside someone until you give them a chance. She has also spoken at events such as the OC Global Women's Conference and NAZC, highlighting her expertise on leadership, crisis and risk management, cultural competency, and women in leadership.

Throughout her career as Senior Vice President for international newsgathering, national newsgathering, global relations and the first ever ambassador for CNN Worldwide, Khosravi directed historic coverage of countless award-winning news stories. This included Tiananmen Square, the live coverage of both Iraq Wars, the Fall of the East Bloc, the End of Apartheid, the genocide in Rwanda, 9-11, and Hurricane Katrina. She led CNN’s coverage of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the earthquake in Haiti, the attempted airline terror attack over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009, and the tsunami disaster in South Asia. She also oversaw the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning coverage of the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, including the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. She left CNN in 2015.

Khosravi has a reputation for being a strategic leader who managed CNN’s international affiliate operation with more than 200 affiliates worldwide and increased CNN’s international newsgathering capabilities by expanding the number of bureaus and correspondents globally. She is a recognized expert on crisis and risk management, particularly known for safely leading teams through conflicts and natural disasters. Khosravi served on the board of the International News Safety Institute and the International Women’s Media Foundation and continues to influence through her insights on compassionate leadership and strategic communication in journalism and media.