Robert Safian

Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director

Fast Company Magazine

Robert Safian is editor and managing director of the award-winning monthly business magazine Fast Company. He oversees all editorial operations, in print and online, and plays a key role in guiding the magazine's advertising, marketing, and circulation efforts. Safian was named 2009 Editor of the Year by Adweek and recognized as a 2008 Innovator of the Year by B-2-B Media. Under his leadership, Fast Company has received numerous accolades, including a two-time National Magazine Award Finalist in 2009, Magazine of the Year honors from the Society of Business Editors and Writers in 2008, and the prestigious Gerald R. Loeb Award for Distinguished Business Journalism in both 2007 and 2008, among many others. The publication was named to the Ad Age A-List in 2008 and to the Adweek Hot List for two consecutive years.

Under Safian’s direction, Fast Company has garnered a reputation for highlighting the “new” in business while keeping reverence to “tried and true.” Whether exploring a cubicle in Detroit or a garage in Palo Alto, a skyscraper in Singapore or the streets of Mumbai, Fast Company consistently adopts a fresh and honest take on business. By presenting stories of the people behind innovative business thinking, it gives hope to millions of workers, entrepreneurs, and leaders that meaningful change is possible.

Safian came to Fast Company in 2007 from Fortune, where he served as executive editor. Prior to that, he was an executive editor at TIME and headed Money as its managing editor for six years. Safian was honored in 2000 by Crain's New York Business as one of the “40 Under 40” top young business executives in New York City and was named to New York Magazine's “35 Under 35” the previous year. Safian has appeared on CNN and other TV networks and has been a featured speaker at events ranging from the Cisco Systems CIO Summit to Chicago’s City of the Year luncheon with Mayor Richard Daley. Safian began his career with a seven-year tenure at The American Lawyer, where he rose from summer intern to executive editor. He joined SmartMoney in 1994 and moved to Fortune in 1997. Money was a National Magazine Finalist four times under Safian's leadership. He also played key roles in securing National Magazine Awards for The American Lawyer, SmartMoney, and TIME.

Speaking at: The Secrets of Generation Flux