Carly Fiorina Speaking Topics

• Getting Down to Business: How Corporate America Can and Must Change Washington

  Carly Fiorina is one of the world’s best known business leaders from her days at AT&T, Lucent, and as Chairman and CEO of HP. She chose to enter the political fray, first as Victory Chair for John McCain’s bid for the Presidency, and later, in her own campaign for the Senate challenging California four-term Senator Barbara Boxer. With no regrets and valuable lessons learned, Carly provides a business person’s view on politics and an insider’s view on political campaigns, a strikingly rare and valuable combination. She offers a peerless perspective on why business and politics must mix, why the private sector needs to take a more active role in politics, and how businesses can be more effective in engaging with Washington. As people seek solutions amid the din of partisan politics and ploys, Carly deftly demonstrates why we must return to a citizen government vs. allowing politicians to play politics as usual.

• From Secretary to CEO: Lessons from a Lifetime of Effective Leadership

  Leading an organization, effectively empowering employees, and maintaining industry dominance simultaneously is not an easy task but is the daily challenge organizational leaders must conquer to be prosperous and profitable. As CEO of the world’s first $100 billion information technology company, Carly Fiorina is all too familiar with the complex, arduous path these individuals tread and the far-reaching strategic decisions they must make with finesse and fortitude.

  A passionate business evangelist who made tough choices in the pursuit of growing her organizations, Carly delivers a powerful, pragmatic presentation on what leaders must do to achieve their desired results including the critical steps they must take to turn failing situations into successes. Carly began her business career as a secretary and achieved the pinnacle of corporate success. Drawing on this experience, she highlights the importance of unlocking potential in others. She passionately believes that leaders are made, not born, and that leadership potential exists at every level of an organization. “Anyone can lead, at any time, from anywhere. Leadership is not about title, position or wealth. It is about making a positive difference.”

Building a High Performance Culture in Uncertain Economic Times Getting Down to Business: How Corporate America Can and Must Change Washington

As the CEO of HP, Carly Fiorina tackled issues of product focus and innovation, merger and integration, structure and process, reward and recognition all of which significantly impact an organization’s culture. Her efforts played out during the dot.com boom and bust and the worst technology recession in 25 years. Her phenomenal success of transforming the complacent culture at HP into a dynamic, innovative environment that rose to become the industry leader is a testament to the solid management philosophy and practices she instituted while there. From this experience, Carly shares her personal account of what it takes to create a high-performance culture and organization. She also openly discusses the difficult path of major acquisition and transformational change. With many organizations adjusting to the new realities of what the financial crisis has wrought, navigating uncertainty, managing change and building a high performance culture are critical to a motivated, focused and productive workforce.

Capitalism in Crisis: Effectively Managing Short-Term Gains with Long-Term Success

In this century of advanced technology and globalization, sustainable growth is increasingly being sacrificed for short term profits by myopic business leaders and corporate boards beholden to share price and market fluctuations. However, this strategy is placing companies – and entire economies in peril and is untenable for a secure economic future. Faced with this rapidly developing danger, what needs to happen for capitalism to survive – and thrive?

Carly Fiorina began her career as a secretary for a small business. She became the first woman to lead a Fortune 20 company and was named Fortune’s Most Powerful Woman in Business for six consecutive years. She has also served on the boards of the Kellogg Company, Cisco Systems, Merck and Taiwan Semiconductor. Her hard-earned experience gives her unmatched insights on the challenges of balancing short• term profits and long-term sustainable growth. Drawing from first-hand knowledge, Carly offers a realistic, practical perspective on the smart business of good citizenship so business leaders and board members can fulfill all their responsibilities to shareholders, employees, customers and communities.

The Crossroads of Commerce: Where Business, Politics, and Public Policy Collide

In this high-stakes political year with ramifications for every business regardless of election outcome, the perspectives of a unique leader with exceptional experience in business, politics and policy is critical to future planning. Can government policies keep pace with technology and globalization? Is regulation striking the right balance to ensure economic growth?

Carly Fiorina is one of those rare individuals who has been Chairman and CEO of a Fortune 20 company, served on corporate boards, run for political office, and provided trusted policy advice to federal agencies including the Departments of State, Defense and Commerce. This career span and set of experiences bestows her with an unparalleled perspective on our nation’s most complex issues. With deep knowledge and brilliant insight, Carly discusses the role of the private sector in restoring confidence, the vital nature of small business, and how organizations can successfully capitalize on the opportunities of a dynamic global marketplace.

Not Politics as Usual: Bold Perspectives and Astute Insight on Today’s Political and Economic Issues

As Washington throws more money, and fewer good solutions, at long standing social and economic problems, Americans are quickly losing patience, as well as their jobs and homes, with an inefficient public sector and stagnant economy. Growth of government has been energetically advocated as a solution to economic distress and capitalism has been cast as the villain of the economic downturn.

In a rousing, compelling, and enlightening discussion, former U.S. Senate candidate and McCain Republican Victory Chair, Carly Fiorina demonstrates how the government needs to address the right problems to achieve the right results for issues that are vital to America’s future. A credible voice for business and a tireless champion of the private sector, Carly speaks passionately on free enterprise, job creation and individual initiative, believing that people will make better choices for themselves and their families than others can make for them. Her authentic, adroit advocacy is indispensable in the current context of economic recession and political stalemate.