"I have been coming to our conference for 47 years and I've never met a man like him; heard a story like his or witnessed an impact like the one he had on us. A good man made great by his goodness."
Steve Pemberton
Chief Human Resources Officer, Workhuman & Best Selling Author
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Steve Pemberton
Biography
Considered one of America's most inspiring business and HR leaders, Steve Pemberton's triumphant life story is about defying seemingly insurmountable beginnings as a child orphaned into foster care. As told in the major motion picture and acclaimed, best-selling memoir, A Chance in the World, adversity only fueled his desire to become a man of resilience, determination and vision. Steve went on to find success as a corporate executive, innovative diversity and inclusion thought leader, visionary youth advocate and acclaimed speaker devoted to inspiring and helping others. Steve's keynotes, like his life story, amplify his highly motivational messages: Believe in your dreams, rise above obstacles, create opportunities for others, and most of all, persevere.
Armed with a warrior spirit and a servant's heart, Steve has made equality, access and opportunity pillars of both his professional and personal life. He currently serves as Chief Human Resources Officer for Globoforce, a leading provider of social recognition and continuous performance development solutions. In this capacity, he is responsible for all aspects of people function from talent acquisition and human resource systems to performance management. Prior to that, he served as the first-ever Global Chief Diversity Officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance, the first global, pharmacy-led health and wellbeing enterprise in the world. Under Steve's leadership, Walgreens reached record levels of performance on nearly every measure of diversity and inclusion, ranging from representation to supplier diversity spend. An extended part of his responsibility was to further the companies' pioneering efforts to employ people with disabilities. In that capacity, he frequently represented Walgreens' employment model at the White House and on Capitol Hill. In 2015, he was appointed by United States Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez to serve on the Advisory Committee for the Competitive Integrated Employment of People with Disabilities.
As the best-selling author of A Chance in the World, Steve has shared his beginnings as a ward of the state and extraordinary life journey to Boston College and the corporate world with millions. Featured in People Magazine, The Washington Post and on CBS Evening News, amongst many others, the book has been translated into multiple languages and continues to inspire audiences around the world. The movie adaption of his life, starring Tom Sizemore and Nick Turturro, is set to be released on-demand in December, 2018. Steve's tireless advocacy for the disenfranchised has earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious Horizon Award by the United States Congress, presented to individuals in the private sector who have contributed to expanding opportunities for all Americans. He also created his own foundation, A Chance in the World, that specifically focuses on helping young adults who age out of the foster care system.
As a keynote speaker, Steve has earned high praise for his highly collaborative style, working closely with clients to seamlessly customize his content to the messaging goals for each event. A gifted communicator and powerful storyteller, Steve consistently receives stellar reviews for his ability to connect with a wide spectrum of audiences, ranging from business and healthcare organizations to education and community groups. As one client raved, "He was the best keynote speaker we could have gotten and I was sincerely praised for it.
Steve Pemberton
Featured Keynote Programs
A New Take on Diversity
Moving from Labels to Experiences
After growing up in foster care and being labeled as a boy “without a chance in the world” Steve Pemberton has never cared for labelling people. Drawing upon his experience as the former Chief Diversity Officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance, Pemberton discusses how the conversation on diversity should move away from a sole emphasis on classifying people by their visible characteristics. Instead, we should focus on who they are and the life experience they bring. Pemberton will outline how this approach brought increased shareholder value to Walgreens and Monster—and how it can be implemented by any company. By shifting the paradigm, you won’t just get more out of your employees. You’ll increase focus, company morale, customer engagement and top-line revenue.
A Chance to Lead
Navigating Adversity with Strategies from Everyday Heroes
Steve Pemberton has discovered invaluable life lessons and leadership strategies in the stories of everyday heroes that have triumphed in the face of adversity. These inspiring people do not necessarily fit America’s ideas of a traditional hero. Instead, they’re redefining what heroism truly means through their character and values, as well as the humility, strength, courage and perseverance that they’ve shown in challenging circumstances. Drawing from these inspirational stories and his own odds-defying personal and professional journey, Steve shares strategies that any leader, team or organization can use to navigate adversity, overcome obstacles and bring the best out of every employee.
A Chance in the World
Steve Pemberton’s inspirational story, A Chance in the World, has touched the hearts of millions. In this inspiring presentation, Steve tells how he defied seemingly impossible odds as an orphaned boy navigating the foster care system—all while trying to solve the mystery of his own identity and destiny. Steve also provides valuable lessons on self-empowerment, breaking negative cycles, creating a vision and achieving your goals—even when everyone says you don’t have a chance in the world. This unforgettable keynote from an exceptional speaker can be customized to reflect your organization’s focus, culture, objectives and specific challenges.
A Chance to Lead
Recognizing Potential to Maximize Performance
As an orphaned foster child, Steve Pemberton was “given a chance” by a teacher that saw his potential. This life-changing event would later shape his leadership as a human resources executive and diversity officer at Monster.com and Walgreens. In this compelling keynote for executives, hiring managers and recruiters, Pemberton lays out strategies for leaders that recognize hidden talent and create an organizational culture that gives each team member their best chance at success. Pemberton shares real-life examples of employees and executives that saw the potential in people by looking beyond what others would see as disabilities or liabilities. He also shows how micro cultural changes can grow to become cultural norms within your entire organization.
Steve Pemberton
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