Biography
Bethany McLean is a columnist for Slate and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. She joined Slate in October 2010 and Vanity Fair in July 2008 after spending thirteen years at Fortune, where she was an editor-at-large. In early 2001, McLean was one of the first reporters to raise questions about Enron, with her story Is Enron Overpriced? She and fellow Fortune senior writer Peter Elkind exposed the Enron scandal and wrote the national bestseller The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron, which went on to become an Oscar-nominated documentary.
McLean has also written in-depth pieces about the credit rating agencies, Goldman Sachs, President Clinton’s global philanthropy, Australia’s Macquarie Bank, and more. Before joining Fortune, she spent three years as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. She graduated from Williams College in 1992 with a double major in mathematics and English.
Videos
Ten Years Hence Lecture: Two Decades of Covering Business: A Journalist’s View
Bethany McLean Has Something To Say, and You Should Listen
Bethany McLean at 2020 UW-Stevens Point Business and Society Lecture
The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis
Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more
Author of Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It’s Changing the World, Bethany McLean shares her expertise on fracking with audiences. McLean shares her insights on the issues surrounding fracking as well as its causes and effects on other areas of our society – how low-interest rates are driving fracking, the shifting world of energy, and changing relationships between Russia and Europe. She discusses the issue of the development of fossil fuels not aligning with the math of the Paris climate accord, posing the question of what might be next for fossil fuels and how we can protect the environment in finding the answer.
From her experience as an analyst at Goldman Sachs through her work at Fortune exposing the Enron scandal, Bethany McLean gives audiences a look into what it means for a business to be ethical. In her talks, she delves into the discrepancies between morality and illegality and offers insight into the corruption that occurs when the people at the top take on all of the reward and none of the risk. In these talks, McLean draws on her published works and her personal findings as a member of the business world.
This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.
This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.
This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.
This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.
This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.
Blog Posts
Seven Archetypes of Success Every High Achiever Must Know
Learn the seven archetypes of success from triple Emmy-winning speaker Gaby Natale and how her Virtuous Circle framework can help you get there.
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Fear Is Your GPS, and Michelle Poler Shows You How to Follow It
Keynote speaker Michelle Poler shares how to navigate fear, take brave action, and build authentic brands in this episode of The Keynote Curators Podcast
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Women's History Month demands more than applause; discover keynote speakers who create recognition that drives real change.
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Keynote speakers need more than craft to get booked. Learn the mindset shift that builds sustainable speaking careers.
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Happiness at Work Is the Performance Strategy You Need, with Jessica Weiss
Happiness at work is a performance strategy, not a perk. Learn how Jessica Weiss helps teams build real, sustainable happiness.
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Emotional Intelligence Skills That Hold Up Under Pressure
Emotional intelligence is more than a buzzword. Here's what real EQ looks like under pressure, and the keynote speaking voices building it on stages in 2026.
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