Keynote Speakers

Chad Hurley 

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, YouTube

 Chad Hurley is CEO and co-founder of YouTube, the world’s largest video sharing site. As CEO, Chad’s responsibilities include oversight of business development, marketing, and overall operations for the company. YouTube serves hundreds of millions of videos daily and has created a new market for discovering, sharing and distributing videos around the globe. 

YouTube was awarded “Best Invention of the Year” by Time Magazine and was the first Web site to receive “Entertainer of the Year” by Entertainment Weekly. From heads of state and major Hollywood studios to local politicians and independent artists, YouTube is an open, democratic platform where anyone can come, connect and share entertainment and experiences. Chad has received several prestigious honors and acknowledgements from the business and entertainment communities including: World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader, 2007 Webby “Person of the Year,” Time Magazine’s “Most Influential People of 2007,” Business 2.0’s 50 Most Influential People, GQ’s “Men of the Year,” and Fortune’s “Most Powerful People in Business.”

Prior to YouTube, Chad was the first user-interface designer at PayPal. He played a fundamental role in the early development of the payment service. Following eBay’s acquisition of PayPal, Chad consulted for several technology companies. Chad received a B.A in Fine Art at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Jim Balsillie (HBS 1989)

Co-Chief Executive Officer, Research In Motion

Since 1992, Jim Balsillie has been co-CEO at Research In Motion (RIM), maker of the world renowned BlackBerry wireless solution. At RIM, Jim is responsible for driving corporate strategy, business development, marketing, sales, and finance.

In 2002, Mr. Balsillie founded The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), a world-class global research institute focused on the restructuring of international governance. In 2007, Mr. Balsillie announced the creation of the new Canadian International Council (CIC) of which he is the Chair. In 2008, he founded the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

Mr. Balsillie is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Harvard Business School. He is a chartered accountant and a fellow of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants. He also holds numerous honorary doctorate degrees.