Ed Gillespie Keynote Speaker

Ed Gillespie is a highly successful American politician, strategist, and lobbyist with a wealth of knowledge and more than 20 years of experience in public and private sectors as a representative statesman. He is one of the most well-known and respected political speakers with significant insights on the inner workings of the White House, American politics and strategies, fundraising and communications.

In 2020, Ed joined the largest telecoms company in the world, AT&T, as an External and Legislative Affairs Senior Executive Vice President. Before the AT&T appointment, he served as Sard Verbinnen & Co.‘s public relations practice co-chairman.

In the 2017 election, Ed ran for Governor of Virginia, where he encountered a narrow defeat in the general elections despite winning the primaries. He campaigned for the United States Senate in Virginia in 2014 but was defeated by a razor-thin margin of 0.8 per cent. He served as a senior advisor to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in 2012 and headed Virginia’s winning gubernatorial campaign in 2009. From 2007 to early 2009, Ed served as Counsellor to President George W. Bush. Before he was appointed counsellor to the president, Ed was Chair of the Virginia Republican Party, former Chair of the Republican National Committee, and previously served as a consultant with American Crossroads.
Ed is the founder of the lobbyist group Ed Gillespie Strategies. The organisation was highly successful until its dissolution in 2017, shortly before his campaign for governor. He is also the co-founder of one of Washington’s leading public relations firms, Quinn Gillespie & Associates. Before that, Ed worked as a lobbyist with Barbour, Griffith & Rogers, advising Senate Republicans during Bill Clinton’s impeachment. Ed began his political career as an intern, then worked for the Republican National Committee as a telephone fundraiser and became a top aide to former House of Representatives Majority Leader Dick Armey.

Ed is the author of Winning Right (2006), a deep dive exploration into successes and failures in campaign preparation and execution. He also delves into political codes of ethics’ ideas and ideals and playing by the rules.

As a legislator and statesman, Ed is no stranger to the media, and his views and statements have been featured in large scale outlets such as the New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Fox 5 DC and the National Review.

Ed is a highly respected politician who has worked on many high-profile campaigns. As a keynote speaker, he has an engaging nature and draws on more than two decades of campaign tactics and national policy discussions to bring unique perspectives to current affairs, making him an invaluable resource to make a mark in today’s political landscape.