Vice President of Cross Industry Sales Development for IBM subsidiary Red Hat, Chad Foster, who is also an executive dealmaker, billion-dollar generator, blind Black Diamond skier, motivational speaker, and author of “Blind Ambition,” is a featured guest this week on the Impact Podcast with John Shegerian. The show is hosted by Shegerian, Chairman/CEO of ERI, the nation’s leading fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company.

Although Foster lost his eyesight in his early 20s, that didn’t stop him from becoming an executive for Red Hat, the world’s largest open source software company and securing over $45 billion in contracts throughout his career. He is the first blind graduate of the Harvard Business School leadership program and did what Oracle said could not be done; he built a software solution that created job opportunities for hundreds of millions of people. His direct and confident style, combined with a go-for-it inspiring belief system (and incredible achievements as a blind downhill skier) have made him a high-impact speaker for leaders at companies such as Google, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, GE and Microsoft.

The Atlanta Opera has commissioned an opera inspired by Foster’s life story and his first book, “Blind Ambition: How to Go from Victim to Visionary,” is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Bookshop, Books-A-Million, Google Play, and other retailers where books are sold.

“I just loved my conversation with John Shegerian on the Impact Podcast,” said Foster. “John naturally connects with people and enriches the conversation with his preparation. I enjoyed sharing the lessons I’ve learned about resilience, accountability, happiness, and success, and I’m blown away by the remarkable service that John and his team provide.”

“It was an honor to have Chad on our show,” said Shegerian. “Chad is a hero to me for many reasons, not least of which is the example he is setting for others. As an impactful executive of an exciting business that is part of the iconic IBM brand, and with his fantastic book ‘Blind Ambition,’ Chad is breaking down barriers to help change the way people with disabilities in executive leadership positions are seen by the media and general public. It’s important that people hear Chad’s story, and I’m excited that we are able to share it on the Impact Podcast. Chad is an absolute inspiration!”

Every week, guests are invited as thought leaders to share with listeners first-hand accounts of how they are able to make the world a better place on a daily basis.

Recent guests have included leaders from Verizon, Best Buy, General Motors, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, JetBlue, Comerica Bank, Goodyear Tire, Virgin, Dell, GE, Timberland, The Hershey Company, Nestle Waters, Intel, New York City, Beyond Meat, Lipton Tea, Patron Tequila, Dell, Panasonic, Molson Coors, Seventh Generation, the US Tennis Association, Waste Management, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and a number of fascinating thought leaders and game-changers, including Martin Luther King III; real estate powerhouse and television personality Ryan Serhant; writer/comedian/author Jeannie Gaffigan; softball legend and ESPN baseball anchor Jessica Mendoza; PTSD treatment pioneer, Dr. Rick Doblin; ESPN radio personalities Sarah Spain and Israel Gutierrez; ultra-endurance athlete Rich Roll; the late, legendary actor Ed Asner; and hundreds more.

The Impact Podcast with John Shegerian is available for listening on ImpactPodcast.com, Apple’s iTunes, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, libsyn, and as part of iHeartRadio’s digital broadcast, reaching over 120 million users.

To book a guest on the show, contact producer Linda Ramos at Linda.Ramos@impactpodcast.com.

For more information, visit ImpactPodcast.com.

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