Our Guest Hosts
The CXO/RISE Dinners and Events are carefully curated to create truly exceptional experiences. These gatherings provide our Members with opportunities to build deep, authentic, and meaningful relationships that foster the growth of our C-level community. Our Guest Hosts play a pivotal role in this process, offering unique and thought-provoking discussions that set our events apart.
Our Guest Hosts
The below is a preview of some of the amazing Guest Hosts
that have agreed to support our CXO/RISE Member Dinners & Events.
Alex Pall
MantisVC & The Chainsmokers
Alex is the Founder of The Chainsmokers & Mantis Venture Capital.
Keith Ferrazzi
Author & Founder of Ferrazzi Greenlight
#1 NYT Bestselling Author of "Never Eat Alone | Keynote Speaker | Executive Team Coach | Founder, Chairman, & CEO, Ferrazzi Greenlight.
Cynthia Frelund
NFL Network On-Air Personality & Predictive Analytics Expert
Cynthia is an On-Air Predictive Analytics Expert at National Football League (NFL).
Jedidiah Yueh
Founder of Avamar, Delphix, Software.com, SustainableIT.org
Jed is the bestselling author of Disrupt or Die, a book on innovation. He’s put his frameworks to the test at his own software companies, where he has shipped two products, Avamar and Delphix, that have both generated over a billion in revenues.
Erik Barnes
PGA Pro Golfer
Erik is a 2x winning Profressional PGA Golfer. Erik turned Pro in 2011.
Dave Sanderson
Leadership Speaker & Inspirational Survivor
Dave is a speaker and inspirational survivor of "The Miracle on the Hudson" - as the last passenger off of Flight 1549 which landed in the Hudson Bay on January 15, 2009.
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​Dave speaks internationally about "Defining Moments" and how to take that first step to find opportunities out of their own uncertainty.
Peter High
President of Metis Strategy, Host of Technovation podcast, columnist at Forbes, author, and keynote speaker.
Peter High is a strategist, lecturer, columnist, and author of "Getting to Nimble", "Implementing World Class IT Strategy" and "World Class IT: Why Businesses Succeed When IT Triumphs". Additionally, Peter moderates the "Technovation with Peter High" podcast, in which he interviews CEOs, CIOs, other executives, and academics who are shaping the technology landscape.
Specialties: Business Strategy
Dan Curran
Dan Curran is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Chapters.io, an innovative, AI-driven publishing ‘voice to text’ platform
Dan's entrepreneurial journey includes multiple successful exits, notably from Manifest.com, a leading content publishing company. Dan has also held prominent leadership roles with the American Advertising Federation and Entrepreneurs’ Organization.
Beyond his business achievements, Dan directed and produced the acclaimed documentary Saving St. Louis. He is also the author of the forthcoming book Chaos is a Ladder, which explores chaos not as an adversary but as a ladder—a transformative force that turns setbacks into opportunities, disruption into progress and uncertainty into a competitive edge.
Val Wright
Val is an Internationally acclaimed innovation and growth expert and was named as one of the top 50 resources for Chief Operating Officers by ClickSoftware.
Val has advised global clients including Amazon, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Starbucks, Lenovo, and the LA Lakers. She brings experience from high-growth roles at Amazon, BMW, Microsoft, Harrods, and Xbox. Her book Thoughtfully Ruthless: The Key to Exponential Growth (Wiley, 2016) earned multiple awards and was a UK Amazon bestseller. She has trademarked her unique leadership approach as Thoughtfully Ruthless®.
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Chris Laping
Author & Founder of People Before Things
Best-Selling Author of People Before Things | Keynote Speaker | Executive Advisor | Founder of the Executive Business Studio | 4x CIO & Transformation Leader
Chris Smith
Partner, McKinsey & Company
Chris Smith is a Partner at McKinsey & Company based in Southern California. He leads Leap by McKinsey’s generative AI platform, focusing on building and scaling ventures that integrate AI and technology into core business strategies. His background includes leadership roles such as Chief Digital Officer at the AA (a UK roadside assistance company), multiple CTO positions, and founding a startup called Discussion Point. He also led the venture investment team at KPMG. Chris began his career as a software engineer in San Francisco and has experience across various industries, including media, mobility, entertainment, banking, health and wellness, and retail.
Mike Overly
Foley & Lardner LLP
Michael Overly, a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, specializes in IT, outsourcing, and privacy law. He holds multiple top industry certifications, including CISA, CISSP, and CIPP. Known for his expertise in drafting technology contracts and addressing workplace tech issues, he frequently speaks, publishes, and is cited in major media. He has testified before Congress on internet legal matters and authored several books, including Big Data: A Business and Legal Guide and A Guide to IT Contracting. His work bridges legal, technical, and business concerns in today’s digital landscape.