Keynote Speaker
Bringing 30 years of executive advisory experience to stages, boardrooms, and leadership summits across the country.
30 Years of Boardroom Experience. One Framework. Every Stage.
Eric Mahler doesn’t speak from theory. He speaks from three decades of building, selling, and advising organizations through complexity, disruption, and transformation. His keynotes and executive sessions are designed for C-suite leaders, boards of directors, senior finance executives, and high-potential leaders who need more than inspiration. They need frameworks they can use Monday morning.
Recent engagements include FEI Twin Cities, PDA Minnesota, and CEO Roundtable — 200+ senior finance and governance executives, March 2026.
Each engagement is customized for your audience, whether a corporate leadership summit, board retreat, professional association conference, or executive offsite.
CORE TOPICS
What Eric Speaks About
Leading from the Center — Steadiness, Coherence, and the Leader Who Holds
The most expensive gap in any organization isn’t the strategy gap or the talent gap. It’s the gap between what the leader says they believe and what their decisions actually reveal. This keynote shows leaders how to hold their center under pressure, create coherence throughout the organization, and lead with the kind of steady conviction that builds trust when everything else is moving. Drawn from the framework behind The Center of the Compass, Amplify Publishing, December 2026.
Disruption is a Sorting Machine — The Diagnostic Every Board Needs
Disruption doesn’t create leadership crises. It reveals them. The leaders emerging strongest from overlapping crises: pandemic, geopolitical chaos, AI upheaval, talent disruption, aren’t the ones who saw it coming. They’re the ones who had already done the inner work. This session helps boards and executive teams assess whether they’ve built the right kind of leadership for what’s coming and what to do if they haven’t. Themes drawn from The Center of the Compass, December 2026.
AI, Judgment & The Human Premium — What Leaders Must Not Delegate
AI can analyze faster, model better, and communicate at scale. What it cannot do is be trusted. What it cannot do is hold its center under moral pressure. What it cannot do is give people a reason to believe the work matters. As AI raises the floor on what’s possible, it simultaneously raises the premium on what’s distinctly human. This keynote helps leaders understand what they must protect, develop, and never delegate in the age of intelligent systems. A core theme of The Center of the Compass, December 2026.
Advancing Your Board Journey — Governance Across Every Ownership Structure
A practical guide to board governance across PE, private, public, ESOP, and nonprofit ownership structures. Designed for senior executives pursuing their first or next board role, this session cuts through the noise and gives leaders a clear framework for where to focus, how to position, and what boards actually need from independent directors. Most recent engagement — FEI Twin Cities, PDA Minnesota, and CEO Roundtable, March 2026, 250+ attendees.
What People Are Saying
From the Room
“For the first time I heard governance presented through the lens of different ownership structures. It changed how I think about board roles.”
— CFO, FEI Twin Cities Member
“The subject matter was rich and the stories were insightful. Eric covered ground I hadn’t heard before in this context.”
— VP of Finance, PDA Minnesota Member
“The best association presentation I’ve attended. Experience-based and led, no theory.”
— Controller, Manufacturing Company, CEO Roundtable Member
“The information was immediately useful. It helped me narrow down exactly where to focus my board search efforts.”
— Senior Executive, FEI Twin Cities Member
“The stories and key questions Eric highlighted are going to be directly useful as I step into my first nonprofit board role.”
— Financial Executive, Private Equity, PDA Minnesota Member
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What Event Planners Ask
1. How long are typical keynotes?
Eric’s standard keynote runs 45 to 60 minutes with time for Q&A. Half-day executive sessions and board workshops of 2 to 3 hours are also available for organizations that want deeper engagement with the framework and tools.
2. Are topics customized for each audience?
Yes, every engagement is customized. Eric invests time before each event understanding the audience, the organizational context, and the specific outcomes the client wants. No two sessions are identical.
3. Does Eric speak virtually as well as in person?
Yes. Eric is available for both in-person and virtual engagements. In-person is preferred for full-day sessions and board retreats where interaction and discussion are central to the value.
4. Is there a workshop or half-day format available?
Yes. In addition to keynotes Eric offers half-day executive workshops and board sessions that go deeper into the Compass framework, leadership diagnostics, and governance topics. These formats work well for leadership offsites and board retreats.
5. How does the book tie into the keynote?
The Center of the Compass – published by Amplify Publishing, December 2026, is the intellectual foundation behind Eric’s primary keynote. Many organizations choose to combine a keynote engagement with a bulk book order for attendees, creating a richer learning experience before and after the session.
6. How far in advance should we book?
Eric’s calendar fills quickly particularly for fall and spring conference seasons. Reaching out 3 to 6 months in advance is recommended to secure your preferred date.
7. Can we speak with past event organizers?
Yes. References from past engagements are available upon request. Eric is happy to connect prospective clients with event organizers who can speak to the experience and impact of his sessions.
8. How do we check availability and fees?
Use the booking inquiry form below or email directly at eric.mahler@aretosadvisory.com. Eric’s team responds within 48 hours to all speaking inquiries.
SPEAKER RESOURCES
Download Eric's Speaker Kit
Everything your team needs to present Eric to your planning committee: bio, topic descriptions, headshot, and technical requirements.
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