Rahaf Harfoush

Rahaf Harfoush is a Strategist, Digital Anthropologist, and Best-Selling Author who focuses on the intersections between emerging technology, innovation, and digital culture. She is the founder of Red Thread Inc., a boutique consultancy and think tank that supports organizations in transforming digital trends into strategic opportunities. She teaches “Innovation & Emerging Business Models” at Sciences Po’s MBA program in Paris. She is currently working on her third book, entitled “Hustle and Float: Balancing Execution and Inspiration in World of Constant Connection.” Formerly, Rahaf was the Associate Director of the Technology Pioneer Programme at the World Economic Forum in Geneva where she helped identify disruptive-startups that were improving the state of the world.

Rahaf is the co-author of The Decoded Company: Know Your Talent Better Than You Know your Customers.” It was published in early 2014 and was listed on both the New York Times and USA Today best seller lists. The Decoded Company explores how big data is providing an unprecedented opportunity for organizations to dramatically improve their decision making, increase their performance and, most importantly, intentionally create happy and vibrant work cultures.

Her first book, Yes We Did: An Insider’s Look at How Social Media Built the Obama Brand, chronicled her experiences as a member of Barack Obama’s digital media team during the 2008 Presidential elections and explored how social networking revolutionized political campaign strategy. Rahaf is a Global Ambassador for the HQ Network (a global community of 1,500 entrepreneurs under the age of 30), and sits on the Board of Directors of Taking it Global. She is on the Advisory Boards of companies like EnstituteU.com, OneLeap.to & SyriaDeeply.org.

Rahaf’s writing has been featured in Wired, The Globe and Mail, Fast Company, The Mark News, Techonomy and The Next Web. She has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Shaper, and by the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society as a Rising Talent for her thought leadership in the fields of digital culture and technology. In 2014, Rahaf was also named as a “Canadian Arab to Watch,” by the Canadian Arab Institute.