One of Twenty-five Leaders of Tomorrow-Ben Barry

Oprah Winfrey discovered him years ago, and now it's your turn. Ben Barry, named "One of Twenty-five Leaders of Tomorrow" by Maclean's, has been challenging the status quo of beauty since he was a teenager.
At age fourteen, Ben helped a friend who was told she was "too big" to be a model by sending her pictures to a magazine editor. The editor called him back, hired his friend, and with that one phone call, Ben launched his modeling agency. Today, Ben serves as CEO of the Ben Barry Agency, a model consultancy headquartered in Toronto, Canada. His company scouts and sources models of all ages, sizes, colours, and abilities for fashion and beauty brands, including Sears, Macy's, and the groundbreaking Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.
Ben has been the subject of feature interviews on Oprah, CNN, and Fashion Television and in The Guardian, The Times of India, The Financial Times, and The National Post. He is a former business columnist for the Globe and Mail and author of the bestseller Fashioning Reality: A New Generation of Entrepreneurship, hailed by Profit Magazine as "a manifesto for young entrepreneurs and a call to arms to everyone." Ben has received the CIBC Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and is the first male winner of the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case for his leadership in advancing the equality of girls and women in Canada.
He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Women's Studies from Trinity College at the University of Toronto and a Master's in Innovation and Strategy from Judge Business School at Cambridge University. He is currently completing his PhD on perceptions of beauty around the world at Cambridge University and is a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Business School. Ben also serves on the Board of the Canadian Foundation for Women's Health and as Chair of the Toronto Fashion Incubator, a non-profit small business incubator for Canadian fashion entrepreneurs.

speaking

Ben is a sought-after speaker on the topics of entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing, and beauty and body image. He has traveled around the world delivering workshops and keynote presentations to such organizations and associations as The International Council of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, The Government of Canada, Oxford University, Global Entrepreneurship Week, and the Alberta Women's Entrepreneurs Conference.

Reviews of Ben' Talk

"Ben Barry has the unique ability to get all types of audiences up and out of their seats when he speaks. He not only has an amazing success story as a young entrepreneur, but also exudes so much passion and enthusiasm for the causes he believes in that it is contagious."— Amy Harder, President, Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship
"Inspiration is an understated way of expressing the impact of Ben Barry on our audience. His passionate message about challenging the social norms and empowering each individual taking responsibility for contributing to social change in our society, is heartfelt and impactful. Not only does he have a story to tell, but he tells it in such a way that left our audience wanting more. All I can say is Bravo!"— Glen Padassery, Manager, New Professionals Secretariat, Ontario Public Service
"Ben is an inspirational speaker who reminds every audience that social justice is not just a dream, it is a real possibility. Whether speaking to high school students or a university academic gathering, Ben draws rave reviews for his story of passion, wit and perseverance in challenging the status quo in business and the fashion industry."— Dr. Peter Jaffe, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario