Ryan Patel is widely regarded as a thought leader in global business and in scaling companies and brands. He currently serves on several advisory boards and boards of directors across different sectors from social responsibility to technology and a CNN International Newsroom Contributor. As a global executive, he has worked for startups to publicly traded companies; his deep knowledge in global economies, innovation, strategy, and consumer trends has made him an expert in growing businesses worldwide. He has been featured in CNN, Entrepreneur, WWD, Yahoo, Los Angeles Business Journal and many others. He was awarded the 2015 Executive of the Year by the LA Business Journal and Special United States Congressional Recognition for outstanding services to the community.
Patel recently served as the Vice President of Global Development for Pinkberry, which was one of the fastest growing retail brands globally during his tenure. The opportunity to help grow a young company into a global leader enticed Patel to Pinkberry. During his tenure, the company had gone from less than 95 locations to over 270 stores in 23 countries (North America, Europe, MENA, Asia and Latin America) at the time of the company being sold. Patel has been vital in providing valuable strategy and leadership in developing domestic and international growth plans across multi-cultural and cross-functional teams. He has been a key player at some of the world’s most innovative companies including Pinkberry, Wet Seal Retail, Inc. (Arden B and West Seal), Jamba Juice, BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. and Panda Restaurant Group Inc. (Panda Express).
Patel has a unique and diverse view of the changing nature of trends impacting business, shoppers, employees, competition, economics, technology to management, and offers a corporate to franchise perspective. He has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs and helped companies grow into world-renowned brands. Patel is a strong believer in giving back to the community and paying it forward, and serves as a Board of Director at the American Red Cross LA. His passion in combining social responsibility and business has led him to discuss relevant and real-world situations which is accessible to both students and professionals alike.
Patel is a frequent speaker at conferences, company meetings and universities; in the United States and around the globe. He received his Bachelors from University of California, Berkeley and received his MBA from the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California, Irvine. He most recently received his Corporate Governance and Board of Directors Certification from University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management Executive Program.
