Speakers

Professor, author, speaker, podcaster, and cofounder of Givitas

Emmy-nominated writer, producer, New York Times best-selling author, director and actor Mindy Kaling has been named one of the brightest voices of her generation. At 24, Kaling joined the eight person writing staff at NBC’s “The Office”. During her eight seasons at the show, she wrote twenty-six episodes (more than any other writer) and was nominated for an Emmy—the first for a woman of color in any writing category.

Next Kaling created the “The Mindy Project” for Universal Television, a show that she starred in and executive produced from 2012 to 2017. Kaling wrote 25 episodes of the 117 episodes created for the six season series.

In 2012, Kaling was named to the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World List. She was honored with the 2014 Glamour Women of the Year Award and most recently was a 2019 ELLE Women In Hollywood honoree.

Kaling’s latest release is the critically acclaimed series, “Never Have I Ever” for Netflix. Season 1 reached 40 million homes in its first four weeks of release and has been picked up for a second season by Netflix. Recently, it was announced that Kaling will write, produce and star in an untitled comedy for Universal opposite Priyanka Chopra, co-written with Dan Goor. The duo are also currently penning “Legally Blonde 3” which will star Reese Witherspoon. Kaling is also currently working on her HBO Max series, “The Sex Lives Of College Girls”.

In between all her ventures, Kaling has released two New York Times bestselling comedic memoirs⁠: “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)” and “Why Not Me?”, and in Oct 2020 she released a new collection of essays in partnership with Amazon called “Nothing Like I Imagined.”

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Professor, author, speaker, podcaster, and cofounder of Givitas

Adam Grant has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for seven straight years. As an organizational psychologist, he studies how we can find motivation and meaning, and lead more generous and creative lives. He has been recognized as one of the world's 10 most influential management thinkers, Fortune's 40 under 40, and Oprah’s Super Soul 100.

He is the author of multiple #1 New York Times best-selling books that have sold over 2 million copies and been translated into 35 languages: Give and Take, Originals, Option B, and Power Moves. His books have been named among the year’s best by Amazon, the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, and the Wall Street Journal and praised by J.J. Abrams, Richard Branson, Bill and Melinda Gates, Malcolm Gladwell, and Malala Yousafzai. His new book is THINK AGAIN: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know (February 2, 2021).

Grant's TED talks on original thinkers and givers and takers have been viewed more than 20 million times. He received a standing ovation at TED in 2016 and was voted the audience's favorite speaker at The Nantucket Project. His speaking and consulting clients include Google, the NBA, the Gates Foundation, and the World Economic Forum, where he has been honored as a Young Global Leader. He hosts "WorkLife", a chart-topping TED original podcast; writes on work and psychology for The New York Times; and serves on the Defense Innovation Board at the Pentagon. He has over 3 million followers on social media and shares monthly insights in his newsletter, GRANTED.

Grant was profiled in The New York Times Magazine cover story, "Is giving the secret to getting ahead?" He was tenured at Wharton while still in his twenties, and has received the Excellence in Teaching Award for every class that he has taught. He is the founder and host of the [email protected] speaker series, and co-director of Wharton People Analytics. He curates the Next Big Idea Club along with Susan Cain, Malcolm Gladwell, and Dan Pink, handpicking two new books each quarter for subscribers and donating 100% of profits to provide books for children in under-resourced communities. He is also the cofounder of Givitas, a knowledge collaboration platform that makes it easy to give and receive help in five minutes a day, and an angel investor in startups in HR and culture, technology, and consumer products.

Grant earned his Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan, completing it in less than three years, and his B.A. from Harvard University, magna cum laude with highest honors and Phi Beta Kappa honors. He has received awards for distinguished scholarly achievement from the Academy of Management, the American Psychological Association, and the National Science Foundation. His pioneering research has increased performance and reduced burnout among engineers and sales professionals, enhanced call center productivity, and motivated safety behaviors among doctors, nurses and lifeguards. He is a former magician and Junior Olympic springboard diver, and lives in Philadelphia with his wife, two daughters, and son.

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