Fernando Sanchez-Arias is an international leader in talent development, organizational innovation and lifelong learning. Since 2016, he has served as The Home Depot’s Chief People Officer of Global Custom Commerce, where he also is Co-Founder and Dean of Academic Affairs of the Institute for Leadership, Innovation, Advancement and Development (ILIAD). He is a recognized leader in work-based learning and training, and frequently publishes and speaks on the topics of leadership, training and talent development. As an immigrant and first-generation college student, Sanchez-Arias offers a powerful perspective on the role of education in social mobility and the responsibility of organizations to lead effective change. A leading voice in workforce training and development, he is part of the Work-based Learning Leadership Program organized by the Graduate School of Education and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (known as PennCLO), and is currently writing his dissertation.

Sanchez-Arias is the author of the personal and professional leadership book Learning to be a Dolphin in a Sea of Sharks: 13 Steps to Obtain Transcendental Achievements in Times of Crisis, Change and Growth, published in Spanish and Portuguese. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations).

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations).