Rana Florida
As Chief Executive Officer of the Creative Class Group, Rana Florida manages new business development, speaking events, marketing, consulting, and research serving such diverse clients as Facebook, BMW, Converse, IBM, Cirque du Soleil, Audi, Zappos, and Starwood Hotels. In this role, she helped found and launch, CityLab, a new digital platform for The Atlantic where she also worked on events and programming for The Aspen Ideas Institute and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
As former Vice President of Marketing for HMSHost, the world’s largest airport developer, she brings to this leadership role more than two decades of experience in corporate strategy, communications, and marketing.
Well known as a writer on business and leadership – for Fast Company, Inc.com, the Huffington Post, and the Miami Herald – Rana has also served as a guest business analyst on The Today Show and MSNBC’s, The Cycle. Her one-on-one high profile business interviews have covered notables – from President Bill Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama to Andre Agassi, Nelly Furtado ,Tory Burch, and many more.
Rana serves as a Board Member for the New York based Silver Art Projects, a non-profit organization that provides artists with free studio space and career development. She is also an Ambassador for GEM, the Toronto based girls’ mentorship program and on the Board of the New York based nonprofit, LetGrow.
Rana has served as a chair or on committes for The United Nations Global Network on Digital Technologies and Sustainable Urbanization for UN Habitat, The Olympics Committee, Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, Silver Art Projects, The National Ballet of Canada, St. Mike’s Hospital Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit, Luminato Festival, Travel & Leisure Rebel Awards, Le Miami, The Design–Exchange, Isabella Blow Foundation, Girls E Mentorship, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Airports Council International, Council for International Visitors, and The Founders Junior Council of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Rana holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and an MBA in marketing and management. Her book, Upgrade—Taking Your Work and Life From Ordinary to Extraordinary was a ‘Business Best Seller,’ by Tattered Cover, the largest independent bookstore retailer in the U.S. and The Globe and Mail, Editor’s Pick.