Ricardo Semler is internationally recognized as a catalyst for change and a New Work thought leader. He is an advocate of employee-friendly radical corporate democracy, which he has practiced as CEO of Semco Partners for over 20 years. Under his leadership, the Brazilian company’s turnover rose from four million US dollars in 1982 to 212 million US dollars in 2003. His innovative corporate management has aroused great interest worldwide. The management guru believes that if we ask ourselves the question of why and transfer power to employees, we will be able to build smarter companies – companies that are more productive and whose employees are happier. Ricardo is the author of the management classics Maverick and The Seven-day Weekend. He was Professor of Leadership at MIT Sloan School of Management and Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School. With the help of the Lumiar School, he now wants to establish radical corporate democracy in education as well. Ricardo Semler was recognized as one of the “Global Leaders of Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.