Howard Givner is a serial entrepreneur, innovator and business strategist, specializing in the events and ed-tech industries. He advises corporate event teams, event agencies and other businesses on growth, innovation, measurement, strategy and M&A. He is a Senior Advisor at Oaklins | DeSilva + Phillips, a global mid-market investment bank, and CEO of the Heathcote Advisory Group, a consulting practice for business leaders.

He has successfully built and sold three businesses in the events industry and has advised over a dozen other industry CEOs on M&A and growth strategies. He was the founder and CEO of the Event Leadership Institute, a provider of training and resources for meeting planning, event marketing and hospitality professionals, which was acquired by PCMA in 2023. He also led the U.S. division of Grass Roots Meetings & Events during its sale to BCD Meetings & Events in 2018, and he was the founder and President of Paint the Town Red, an event agency which he subsequently sold to Global Events.

Howard is a frequent industry speaker, writer and educator on a broad range of topics. He is an avid hiker, crossword solver, podcast junkie, fiction writer and cancer survivor.