Rick Smith

Rick Smith is the founding CEO of World 50, recognized as one of the world’s most influential senior executive networking companies, and the co-founder and CEO of Fast Radius, a pioneering industrial 3D printing company. He is known for his expertise in leadership and technology-driven disruption, frequently addressing these themes at various forums.

Rick Smith is the bestselling author of "The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great" (Portfolio), and co-author of the "Wall Street Journal" and "Business Week" bestseller "The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers", which has been sold into 13 languages and remains one of the top-selling professional career books of all time. He has also authored "The Great Disruption: Competing and Surviving in the Second Wave of the Industrial Revolution", further establishing his prominence in the field of disruptive innovation.

A leading commentator on careers, professional, and personal success, Smith has been featured by more than 50 media outlets, including CNN, Time, "The Wall Street Journal", "The Economist", "The New York Times", Harvard Business Review, Sirius Satellite Radio, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Forbes, Fortune, and Chief Executive. His insights into leadership and disruption were notably shared during his keynote speech at TED 2015 in Vancouver on "How Industrial 3D Printing Will Change the World Forever".

Smith’s entrepreneurial ventures extend beyond World 50 and Fast Radius, having founded three other companies that each introduced significant innovations to their respective fields. His diverse experience and engaging speaking style have made him a sought-after speaker, sharing stages with notable figures like Guy Kawasaki and Dr. Philip Kotler. Smith's topics of expertise include Business Strategy, Change Management, Disruption & Digital Transformation, and Leadership.

Given his entrepreneurial, not-for-profit, and writing commitments, Smith selects a discrete number of keynotes each year. In each, he presents core insights on improving life through work and inspires participants to apply these insights in their lives.