TOP 100 MAGAZINE

Brendan P. Keegan
Redefining Greatness Through Fearless Leadership

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Brendan P Keegan is a rare breed of executive who doesn’t just lead companies—he reinvents them. A six-time president and chief executive officer, 21-time board director, and two-time best-selling author, Brendan is globally recognized as a business visionary and transformative force. With over three decades of executive leadership, he has become synonymous with enterprise growth, fearless leadership, and unwavering excellence.

 

In 2022, Brendan launched bFEARLESS Ventures, a high-performance investment and advisory firm designed to elevate individuals and organizations through bold action and breakthrough results. With a focus on leadership, board advisory, passion investing, and giving back through mentoring the next generation, the firm is rooted in Brendan’s life philosophy: help millions live and lead fearlessly.

 

Brendan’s metrics speak volumes. In his last company, he led the business transformation of a 56-year-old company, growing it from $500 million in revenue and $8 million in earnings to $2.5 billion and $186 million in 4 years, increasing its enterprise value from $125 million to $1.5 billion—culminating in a historic sale to Bain Capital and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. He’s raised billions in capital, transformed industries, and mentored hundreds of thousands through his proprietary systems for overcoming fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

 

Brendan’s influence stretches beyond the boardroom. He is co-owner and board member of Andretti Racing, United Autosports, Merchants Fleet, PURE Electric, Crane Paper, Sky Meadow Country Club and ExpressIt Delivery. He also is active in his community though serving on the RPI Athletics Advisory Board, the RPI Lally Leadership Council, and co-leads the Keegan Family Courage & Faith Foundation, created by his wife—giving over $10 million to youth academics and athletics.

 

A sought-after keynote speaker, Brendan has addressed audiences for Bloomberg, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch and major private equity firms worldwide. He hosts The Fearless Experience podcast and co-hosts Fast & Fearless with McLaren Racing CEO, Zak Brown.

 

Named World’s Most Innovative CEO, CEO of the Year, and Visionary of the Year, Brendan P Keegan continues to redefine what’s possible—building legacies, empowering leaders, and doing it all without fear.

 

Q&A with Brendan Keegan

 

Your mission to build “fearless leaders” is woven through your entire career. Why has this remained so central to your work?

 

I’ve always been driven by a purpose beyond profits—something deeper than building billion-dollar companies. For me, the most meaningful legacy isn’t scaling revenue from $500 million to $2.5 billion. It’s mentoring people to overcome fear, uncertainty, and doubt—to become fearless leaders in their careers, families, and communities. That purpose has shaped every aspect of my journey—whether running companies, serving on boards, writing books, giving keynotes, or mentoring the next generation. It’s who I’ve always been. My oldest sister was born with Down syndrome, so I grew up volunteering before I even knew what volunteering was—it was simply part of being a good person. That foundation stayed with me. After college, I was coaching Little League while launching my first job. Today, I continue to mentor students and young professionals, helping them launch careers, land internships, and lead with courage.

 

People often ask, “Why help someone you don’t know?” My answer is simple: when you put good into the world, it finds its way back—not always when you expect, but always when it matters. SO many good things have happened in my life and I trace them all back to fundamentally striving to be a good person. That’s the power of leading with purpose—and exactly why bFEARLESS exists.

 

You’ve helped transform hundreds of thousands into fearless leaders. What sets your method apart from others in leadership development?

 

What makes my approach effective is that it’s both inspiring and grounded in reality. I truly believe people can achieve what they set out to do—but it won’t happen by accident. It takes a clear plan, hard work, and consistent accountability.

 

As a board advisor to CEOs and private equity firms, I often hear, “Brendan, you’re different. You expect action—you expect a documented plan—you demand follow through.” That’s the missing link in a lot of leaders and boards. It’s easy to say, “We can achieve great things,” but without systems in place to hold people accountable, it rarely happens.

 

My focus is to give people tangible tools—whether it’s daily check-ins, short-term goals, or biweekly assessments. My philosophy has always been: if you want to do something extraordinary, you need a roadmap, a repeatable process, and relentless follow-through. You won’t reach greatness on autopilot—you have to drive it every single day. That’s the core of the bFEARLESS movement.

 

How are you helping CXOs move past fear and harness AI effectively?

 

I often ask executives, “What are you doing to integrate AI into your business?” It’s an incredible tool that boosts productivity, sharpens decision-making, and unlocks collective intelligence. There are two types of leaders: those who embrace it and grow—and those who fear it will replace them. For the latter, I coach them to shift their mindset. If AI can cut an eight-hour task down to one, your value skyrockets. The key is to stop fearing it and start using it to elevate your performance, impact, and irreplaceability. It’s the most breakthrough enabler we have seen in a generation.

 

You often cite fear, uncertainty, and doubt as major barriers to success. How do you help CXOs overcome these and become fearless leaders?

 

Most executives come to me with a clear goal—they want to grow faster, achieve more, and reach new levels of success. But what often holds them back isn’t strategy—it’s mindset. One of my core mantras is: Have the courage to fail and the faith to succeed.

 

I met a CEO with a $25 million company who wanted to hit $100 million in five years. I told him, “That’s possible—but you’ll need to try new things, and some will fail.” He said, “I hope none do.” My response? “Then you’ll likely miss your goal.” Growth doesn’t come without risk. If you try eight new ideas, two might fail epically, but two could become your next breakthrough.

 

I challenge leaders to embrace failure as part of the journey. Every great success story includes setbacks. Fear, doubt, and hesitation can silently sabotage growth. Becoming a fearless leader starts with shifting that mindset—seeing failure as fuel, not fear. When leaders take bold steps, try new products, or explore new markets, they might fail—but they also might uncover something ten times greater than they ever imagined. That’s where fearless leadership begins.

 

 

Brendan P. Keegan
Chairman and CEO
bFEARLESS Ventures
Website: www.brendanpkeegan.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/brendanpkeegan
Instagram: @bpkfearless