Nilofer Merchant

Nilofer Merchant is an award-winning author, speaker, consultant, and corporate director. She is the author of five books, including the international bestseller, The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy and The Power of Onlyness: Make Your Wild Ideas Mighty Enough to Dent the World.

Merchant is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, where she has written more than 30 articles on topics such as the power of collaboration, the new rules of engagement, the power of onlyness, and the future of work. She is also a sought-after speaker, delivering keynotes and lectures around the world.

Merchant has an extensive background in both corporate and entrepreneurial environments. She held executive positions at Apple, Autodesk, Go.com, and many other technology companies. She has also founded two companies, Rubicon Consulting, and Starling, and served as a venture partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures. She is currently a board director at Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, Splunk, and CoreSense.

Merchant is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She is the founder of the award-winning No Office Required, a movement to create workplaces without walls or limits. She is a board member of the National Center for Women & Information Technology. She is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on New Growth Models.

Merchant is a graduate of Stanford University with an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Thinkers50 Future Thinker Award, the Women’s eCommerce Advocate of the Year Award, the Women in Technology Leadership Award, and the Women in Technology Hall of Fame Award.