Ken Schmidt is widely respected as one of the business world’s most outspoken, provocative, and entertaining thought leaders on competition, brand management, positioning, reputation management, human behavior, and loyalty.

As a leadership advisor and keynote speaker for business and education groups around the globe, Ken draws from his newest book, Make Some Noise: The Unconventional Road to Dominance, and teaches how to improve business and personal competitiveness, as always, with his extraordinarily unexpected point of view. The longtime motorcycle enthusiast’s formal association with Harley-Davidson began in 1985. As a specialist in corporate positioning and media relations, he was asked to work with the struggling company to help restore its image, improve its competitiveness, and create demand for its motorcycles. Within a few short years, as sales of its motorcycles rocketed upward, Harley-Davidson became one of the most respected, competitively dominant, profitable, and frequently reported-on companies in the world.

In 1990, Schmidt became director of Harley-Davidson’s corporate and financial communications, and served as its primary spokesperson to the media and the financial communities, offering insights on nontraditional communications, customer attraction, and brand-building. Since leaving Harley-Davidson to help other businesses improve their competitiveness, he’s worked with a Who’s Who of the world’s best-known brands while combining his two greatest passions, motorcycling and speaking. He also co-wrote a book, 100 Years of Harley-Davidson, the best-selling motorsports book of all time.