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Erik Qualman
Transform digital leadership with Erik Qualman, speaker and bestselling author. Erik works with global organizations to master social media strategy and digital innovation, delivering actionable insights trusted by Fortune 500 companies across 55 countries.
Erik Qualman is a renowned author and speaker whose insights into digital leadership and innovation have captivated audiences worldwide. With five #1 bestselling books to his name, Qualman has shared his expertise across more than 55 countries, reaching more than 50 million people. His groundbreaking work in social media and digital influence, coined “Socialnomics,” has gained attention from 60 Minutes to The Wall Street Journal, and is widely referenced across industries, including by organizations like NASA and the National Guard. Erik serves as a professor of Digital Leadership at Northwestern University, where his materials are used in over 500 universities.
His expertise is sought by top-tier companies; through his animation studio, he has collaborated with global brands such as Disney, Oreo, Chase, and Cartier to enhance their digital presence. Erik’s commitment to teaching also includes previous positions at MIT and Harvard’s edX labs, where he worked on shaping the future of digital education. In recognition of his contributions to the field he has been awarded an honorary doctorate. Beyond the classroom and boardroom, Qualman is also known for his creativity and connection with audiences.
He is the creator of the bestselling board game Kittycorn, and was once voted the world’s second most likable author after J.K. Rowling. Erik’s talks and live presentations are designed to inspire leaders to embrace digital transformation in practical and impactful ways. As a pioneer of video storytelling, he uses immersive media to engage and inform, making complex digital concepts accessible and relevant for audiences of all backgrounds.
Topics, sessions and talks
Erik Qualman demonstrates how organizations can leverage tools like artificial intelligence, IoT and blockchain to stay agile and relevant in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Drawing from his expertise as a futurist and professor, he explores AI's potential to boost efficiency while maintaining a human-centered approach, addressing ethical challenges, job adaptation, and security. By understanding how AI, IoT, social media, and blockchain work together, Qualman shows how organizations can create adaptable, future-ready strategies that drive lasting success.
For Erik Qualman, great digital leaders aren’t born—they’re made through deliberate practice and understanding. By balancing rapid tech advances with human nature, he shares his five digital leadership habits to create success and happiness for teams and customers. From Posting-It-Forward to Socialnomics™, Qualman’s techniques prepare organizations to stay ahead of competitors and aligned with markets, empowering leaders to harness technology while preserving the value of personal connection.
To ensure you are the disruptor versus the disrupted, you must understand societal shifts and instill a culture of creativity around them. This session looks at key future trends and their impact on your organization. Erik Qualman provides the roadmap for your organization’s continual transformation by fostering a culture of daily innovation. After all, most innovation is evolutionary versus revolutionary. Leap over the competition by landing on a foundation of progressive and practical innovation principles. Future forward.
Based on his #1 Bestseller, Erik Qualman dives into the powerful concept of Socialnomics. Word of Mouth is on digital steroids and has transformed into World-of-Mouth. Organizations must learn the new rules of social, mobile, and beyond or they will miss this once-in-a-generation opportunity to earn customers’ loyalty and drive long-term success. Socialnomics is the key to winning customers’ hearts, minds, and wallets.
In this age of constant distraction, Erik Qualman argues that focus is the key factor separating success from failure. Drawing insights from The Focus Project, he explains how distinguishing between “big” and “busy” tasks can become a daily habit that fuels achievement. Qualman shares practical techniques for overcoming distraction and focusing on meaningful goals, showing how focus can act as a modern superpower that drives personal and professional growth.
Book Erik Qualman to inspire your team with his dynamic insights on digital leadership and storytelling. With a global reach and a proven track record, he transforms complex ideas into engaging narratives. Elevate your organization’s vision and strategy with a speaker who captivates and motivates audiences worldwide.
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frequently asked questions
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To book Erik Qualman, email erik.qualman@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Erik's availability and speaking fee. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and about your audience.
Erik Qualman structures his presentations around immersive video storytelling, using custom-produced animation and media — developed through his own animation studio — to translate complex digital concepts into accessible, visually driven narratives for live audiences.
Erik Qualman's sessions cover artificial intelligence and its organisational applications, digital leadership habits, and innovation culture and disruption strategy. He is a professor of Digital Leadership at Northwestern University, a five-time number one bestselling author, and the originator of the Socialnomics framework, which has been referenced by organisations including NASA and featured on 60 Minutes.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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