Rupal Patel’s high-octane career has taken her from military briefing rooms in jungles and war zones to corporate boardrooms and international stages. During her thrilling career as an analyst and field agent at the CIA, she advised Four-Star Generals, earned War Zone Service Medals, and was recognized by the CIA Director for “superior support to the President of the United States.”

After leaving the CIA, she earned her MBA and started her first award-winning business over ten years ago. Called a “Power Woman” by Harper's Bazaar Magazine and a “super-strategist” by her clients, Rupal is a sought-after international speaker, consultant, and corporate advisor who has spoken in front of thousands and delivered leadership and talent development programs for Fortune 500 companies around the globe and the White House.

Her trailblazing work has been incorporated into the MBA and Executive MBA programs at elite business schools across the US and UK, and her commitment to developing the next generation of leaders and change-makers extends into her pro bono work as an Advisor for Virgin Startup and Techstars, and as Entrepreneur in Residence at London Business School.

She is the author of the international best-seller From CIA to CEO: Unconventional Life Lessonsfor Thinking Bigger, Leading Better, and Being Bolder, which has been translated into two Chinese-language formats and been hailed as an “essential manual” and “one of the best business books,” and her recent TED talk explores the power of “owning your weird” to unleash personal excellence.