Best Public Speakers Series: Larry Fink
- Stephanie Bickel
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
by Kat Evans
Larry Fink is one of the most powerful and influential leaders in the world. His journey, from a career-defining loss to building the world’s largest asset management firm, is a masterclass in resilience and vision.
Born in 1952 in Van Nuys, California, Fink earned his BA in Political Science and an MBA in Real Estate. Early in his career at First Boston, he founded the Financial Futures and Options Department and led the Mortgage and Real Estate Products Group, growing assets by $1 billion. In 1986, a $100 million loss became a turning point.
After taking time to reassess, Fink co-founded BlackRock under the corporate umbrella of Blackstone. By 1994, BlackRock had separated and gone on to become the world’s largest asset manager, with Fink still leading it today.
What Makes Larry Fink a Best Public Speaker
1. Passion:
Fink’s delivery, whether sharing good news or bad, is consistently charged with conviction. His energy helps audiences trust both his confidence and his candor.
2. Casually Direct:
Despite his status, Fink communicates with ease. His tone is conversational, approachable, and unpretentious, creating a sense of accessibility that makes complex financial topics easier to digest.
3. Complexity Made Accessible:
Fink embraces complexity without oversimplifying. He fluidly discusses economic policy, history, and human behavior while connecting perspectives from shareholders to consumers.
How could Fink improve?
Better gestures:
Fink's gestures tend to be light, bouncy, and repetitive. More follow through and weight for the gestures will create far greater impact.
Camera Training:
Fink keeps his eyes trained entirely on his interviewers and rarely acknowledges the camera, missing opportunity to connect with viewers.
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