I build growth into
the DNA of your business.
Permanently.
Closed $100M+ in sales. Built and sold multiple companies. Delivered keynotes in 17 countries. Wrote the books others assigned as required reading. Now I embed inside executive teams and build the systems, the mindsets, and the culture for Always-On Growth — and right now, AI is the most powerful lever in that system.
The wiring behind
how Chris builds growth
Always-On Growth isn’t a framework imposed from outside — it emerges from the inside out. These are the five innate strengths Chris brings into every engagement, every keynote, every transformation. They’re not a methodology. They’re the reason it works.
CliftonStrengths® is a registered trademark of Gallup, Inc. Assessment completed 2019.
I won’t show up
with answers.
Answers pollute the learning.
The past is not a predictor of your future success — not anymore. The game changed. The instincts that built your company are now the instincts slowing it down. I’m not here to confirm what you already think. I’m here to help you find what you can’t see yet.
I’ll cure you of the addiction to being right.
Every leader I work with is hooked on it. Showing up with answers feels like leadership. It’s actually a ceiling. I run teams through a detox that breaks the habit — quietly, and permanently. When the answers stop leading the room, the real work begins.
My job is to eliminate the froth. Not pile on.
I’m not going to give you a longer to-do list. I’m going to cut it. The meetings, the initiatives, the performative motion that substitutes for actual progress. Strip it out. What’s left is the work that only your team can do.
Stop optimizing to not fail. Take more attempts.
The teams that win are the ones that attempted the most. Perfection is a myth — it always was. But now holding out for perfect isn’t just inefficient, it’s fatal. Take the shot. Learn. Adjust. Take another. That is the only loop that works when the rate of change is this high.
Every organization has one thing only they can do.
Most can’t see it — too close, too distracted by what the competition is doing. My job is to help you find it. Once we find it, you stop spreading thin and start investing asymmetrically in the one capability that is impossible to replicate. Technology built from the inside out, not imposed from the outside in.
Both. Simultaneously. Non-negotiable.
People don’t take risks inside organizations because the personal cost of failure is too high. Fix that culture. Extreme ownership means your team owns the outcome fully. Extreme permission means they’re actually allowed to chase it. One without the other is theater.
What problem do you actually solve?
Not the one on your website. The absolute, commercial-truth version — the one your best client actually pays for. If you can’t say it in one sentence, you don’t know what to build. And if you don’t know what to build, the AI systems we create together will accelerate you in the wrong direction.
“I will push you to experiment, discover, and learn. This is radically different from what you’re used to — because the world is changing radically. The rate of change is high. Past precedent is not your best compass anymore. More experiments. More partners. More shots on goal. That is how you win.”
Built it.
Sold it.
Now building it inside yours.
Chris Dessi is not a consultant who studied AI. He’s an operator who built Silverback Social, sold it, went on to become CRO at Diamond Standard, VP Americas at Productsup (acquired by Buddy Media, sold to Salesforce for $1B), and has spent the last 15 years showing up on national television explaining where technology is actually headed.
He founded Torque AI because he was exhausted watching smart companies stall out on AI adoption — not from lack of tools, but from lack of a real system. Torque is the 90-day implementation partner for executive teams who are done debating and ready to build.
He also produces and hosts AI Summit NYC and is a Founding Partner of the NY AI Alliance. He holds an Executive Certificate from MIT Sloan, an MS from NYU, and a BA in Psychology from Loyola — which, in retrospect, explains the empathy.
7 books.
Two hit #1 on Amazon.
The books came before the keynotes, before the TV appearances, before Torque. They’re the reason people in the room already trust Chris before he says a word.
See the catalyst in action.
17 countries.
One consistent outcome.
The stuff worth reading
Most small and mid-size businesses are treating AI like a magic button. They’re not falling behind because of lack of tools — they’re falling behind because they haven’t fixed the real bottleneck: themselves. Here’s the 2-step framework I’ve been teaching to audiences in 17 countries.
The receipts
Chris has a unique ability to make complex AI concepts feel immediately actionable. Our team left the session with real tools deployed — not a deck to review.
I’ve seen a lot of AI keynotes. Most are hype. Chris walks in with operator credibility — he’s closed deals, run teams, and built companies. The room felt it immediately.
Within 90 days of working with Chris, our marketing team cut content production time in half and 3x’d output. This is what AI adoption actually looks like when done right.
Ready to stop talking
and start building?
Whether you’re booking Chris to speak, exploring Torque AI for your organization, or just want to have an honest conversation about where AI fits — this is how you start.
info@torqueapp.ai“One fifteen-minute meeting with Chris made me millions.”
How to get more productivity
out of every day with AI
One operator. Four ways to work together.
Keynote Speaker | Executive Catalyst | 4X Best Selling Author
Chris Dessi.
CEO, Torque AI · MIT Sloan Executive Certificate · TEDx Speaker
The rooms that book Chris aren’t looking for someone to explain AI. They need someone who will walk in and say the thing everyone already knows — and then show them exactly what to do about it.
See Chris is Action
The operator who will say what your team needs to hear
Keynote Topics
Four talks engineered to produce decisions, not just inspiration.
Every keynote is custom-built for your audience — industry-specific, role-appropriate, and designed to shift what happens after people leave the room.
“Your competitors already made the decision you’re still debating.”
The keynote that breaks the spell. Chris walks executive audiences through exactly where they are in the AI adoption curve, why 90% of companies are stuck in the same three failure modes, and the specific moves that create competitive separation right now.
Best For: C-suite teams, leadership offsites, annual conferences, industry events
45–90 min · Workshop add-on available
“The Remarkable Leader: Building Authority in the Age of AI”
As AI commoditizes tasks, what makes a human leader irreplaceable? Chris draws on a decade of personal branding expertise and work with thousands of executives to reveal what distinguishes the leaders who rise from those who get passed by.
Best For: Leadership development, HR conferences, executive onboarding
45–60 min · Coaching follow-up available
“Stop Talking About AI. Start Using It.”
A hands-on session for revenue teams where AI theory meets real workflow change. Attendees leave with specific tools, prompting frameworks, and productivity systems they can use the next business day.
Best For: Sales kickoffs, revenue team offsites, B2B conferences
60–90 min · Workshop format available
“The AI Gap: Why Some Companies Accelerate and Others Disappear”
A hard look at the real reason AI transformation fails — it’s not the technology, it’s the leadership. Chris breaks down the organizational patterns that separate the companies defining the next decade from those being left behind.
Best For: Financial services, professional services, healthcare leadership teams
60 min · Includes pre-event diagnostic
Need a custom keynote? We’ve got you covered.
Past Stages
From boardrooms to battleships —
every room is different
Chris has delivered a TEDX talk, spoken to senior executive teams, national conference audiences, and 100-seat invite-only events for leaders who needed the conversation forced.
Call Chris
+1 (646) 645 4171
AI SUMMIT NYC
He doesn’t just speak
at events. He builds them.
AI Summit NYC is Chris’s invite-only event for senior leaders who are serious about implementation — not exploration. Real use cases. Proven systems. The right people in the same room.
About Chris
Built from experience,
not observation
Chris Dessi is the CEO of Torque AI and one of the most sought-after speakers on AI transformation for executive teams. But the credential that matters most isn’t the MIT certificate, the television appearances, or the four bestselling books. It’s that he’s actually run businesses — and felt the full weight of what that means.
He built Silverback Social from the ground up and sold it. Before that, he was part of the leadership team at Buddy Media — which Salesforce acquired for $1 billion. He knows what it costs to make payroll when you’re not sure it’s going to clear, and what it feels like to lose a key client on a Friday and face your team on Monday.
“Entrepreneurship is horrible. And then it’s amazing. And then it’s horrible again. And I wouldn’t trade any of it.”
That’s exactly why executive audiences trust him from the first five minutes. He’s not there to impress them. He’s there to help them move.
MIT Sloan Executive Certificate MS, New York University BA Psychology, Loyola TEDX Speaker Certified Scrum Master
WHY CHRIS DESSI
The difference between a speaker and a catalyst
Most AI keynotes leave the audience informed. Chris leaves them activated — and that’s a different experience entirely.
01
An operator, not an academic
He built and sold companies. Felt the payroll fear. Lost clients and found his way back. When he talks about transformation, he’s speaking from scar tissue — not research papers.
02
He creates productive tension
Chris will say the thing everyone in the room is already thinking and nobody will say out loud. That tension is exactly what moves organizations from contemplation to action.
03
Translates complexity into motion
His superpower isn’t depth on any single technology — it’s compressing 10 years of executive confusion into 2 hours of absolute clarity. Audiences leave knowing exactly what to do next.
04
Earned emotional credibility
He speaks publicly about the weight of leadership — the fear, the failure, the recovery. In rooms full of leaders carrying the same things, that honesty hits differently than any framework slide.
Book Chris
Every room he walks into
leaves different.
Each engagement is custom-built around your audience’s actual state — not a generic slide deck. Speaking fees start at $10,000. Availability is limited.
Half Day or Full Day
Conference Keynote
Private Workshop
Clients’ Reviews
After the keynote,
something shifts.
What Audiences Say
“Captivating, energetic, approachable, and dynamic. Not only did we learn best practices, we experienced how contagious high-energy enthusiasm and a love of what you do can be. If you’re looking to motivate and energize your team — invite Chris.
National Sales Meeting keynote
Jacqueline Merl Bamman — CHRO / Board & Compensation Advisor
“His keynote on personal branding was highly praised by attendees, with many post-summit surveys calling it the best of the day. His energy, passion, and insight kept a full auditorium captivated throughout the speech.
Marquette University Digital Summit
William Fischer – Global Brand & Advertising, Boeing
“One of the best presentations I’ve ever sat in on. Awesome energy and the personal touch put it over the edge. His PowerPoint is going to be a great addition to my toolkit as I continue to fight the good fight and change the culture of my organization.
Corporate training session
Jon Kinsella – Sr. Manager, Digital Marketing & Platform
Trusted by Industry-Leading Brands and Local Experts
Chris Dessi helps executive teams stop talking about AI—and start using it.
A former CEO who built and sold a digital agency, Chris now advises leaders on how to cut through complexity, align their teams, and implement AI in ways that drive real business outcomes. Known for his direct, no-fluff approach, he focuses on what most organizations get wrong: not technology, but execution.
Company
Contact Us
Trademark Torque AI, Inc 2026
info@torqueapp.ai