Diane Hessan is a successful entrepreneur, marketer and author. She is an active angel investor and sits on numerous public, private and non-profit boards.

She is the former CEO of Startup Institute, which is dedicated to helping people transform their careers and find jobs they love. Via SI’s programs, people gain the skills, mindset and networks to succeed in the startup world. Since its inception only 4 years ago, over 1300 students have gone through Startup Institute programs, in Boston, New York, London, Chicago & Berlin.

She is Chairman of C Space (Communispace), the leader in helping companies achieve customer-inspired growth, where she was CEO for 13 years driving its exponential growth to over 600 employees, and offices in over 12 countries.

She is co-author of the book Customer-Centered Growth: Five Strategies for Building Competitive Advantage, a Business Week best-seller published in 11 languages.

Diane has received many awards and honors as an entrepreneur. She received her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and her B.A. in Economics from Tufts University. She has 2 grown daughters, and is founder of The Sound Bytes, an a cappella group that sings about business.