Ryan Patel is a global business executive who is widely regarded as a thought-leader in global business and an expert in growing and scaling companies. His deep knowledge of economies, innovation, strategy, and consumer trends has made him an expert in growing publicly traded businesses—as well as startups—worldwide.
At CGU, in addition to serving as a senior fellow with the Drucker School of Management, Patel also serves on the Drucker School’s advisory board and teaches the course Global Leadership through the university’s Transdisciplinary Studies Program.
Patel notably helped turn the once-young frozen yogurt brand Pinkberry into a global leader, expanding its stores into 23 countries during his tenure as vice president of global development. He combines his passion for business and giving back to the community by sitting on numerous boards, such as Red Cross Los Angeles, and he is a trainer at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. Patel is a frequent keynote speaker and has spoken at the World Government Summit, Osaka University, the London School of Economics, and at companies such as Salesforce and Edison.
In addition to Pinkberry, he has been a key player at some of the world’s most innovative companies such as Wet Seal Retail, Inc. (Arden B and Wet Seal); Jamba Juice; BJ’s Restaurants, Inc.; and Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. (Panda Express). In 2017, Inc. Magazine listed Patel as one of nine executives and innovators who serve as inspiration for how all businesses can make a difference. He received the SoCal Business Leader of the Year “Connect” Award from the National Association Asian American Professionals of Southern California and was named “Executive of the Year” by the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Patel is a multigenerational communicator who breaks down complex global business issues in a digestible way as a contributor for numerous media outlets, including CNN, BBC, Fox Business, The Hill, Yahoo Finance, and CGTN, and he has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, WWD, Inc., Nasdaq, TD Ameritrade, and more. He is an advisory board member of the Mastercard Innovation Collective and a part of “The Collective” at the Washington Post BrandStudio. He also has delivered a number of domestic and international keynote appearances at company meetings and universities such as Salesforce, Mastercard, Hewlett-Packard, LEGO, Money 20/20, World Government Summit, Edison International, Nasdaq, Economic Times, FIS, London School of Economics, Wharton School of Business, and more.
Patel received his BA from UC Berkeley, his MBA from the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business, and his corporate governance and board of directors certification from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.