Meet Brendan

Brendan P. Keegan has spent a lifetime facing down fear, uncertainty and doubt in order to make his visions a reality. And for the hundreds of thousands of people who have been inspired by his revolutionary approach to leadership, he offers an unmatched mix of creativity, generosity, wisdom and tenacious commitment to making a positive impact on the world.

In a word, Brendan is fearless.

Brendan P. Keegan is an award-winning 6-time president, chief executive officer, and the visionary leader behind the bFearless movement. Throughout his career he has raised over $10.0 billion in capital while leading over 250,000 people globally. Today, he serves as co-owner and board member of Merchants Fleet, United Autosports, Andretti Racing Extreme E, Sky Meadow Country Club, Revolution Armor, and ExpressIT Delivery.

Keegan began his career as a systems engineer for EDS where his drive and dedication helped him advance quickly through the ranks of the Fortune 500 company. As he moved through account management, financial operations, P&L management, business development, and sales, he ultimately became the company’s first Chief Sales Officer. At the top, Keegan was able to recognize where his passions truly lie – executive leadership and technology.

Not allowing fear and uncertainty to prevent him from exploring these passions, Keegan uprooted his life and ventured to Silicon Valley. He joined Netigy as Chief Sales Officer and Bravanta as President & CEO. After successful exits, Keegan led Seven Worldwide as President, BancTec as President, Worldwide Technology Services as President & CEO and velocityHUB as Founder & Managing Partner.

Working with Merchants Fleet originally as a client and later as a board member and strategic advisor, Keegan provided valuable insights to the company on building a growth company. He realized the potential for market disruption, segueing with Keegan accepting an offer to take over as CEO. Under his leadership, Merchants became the fastest growing fleet management company in North America and rose from 8th in the industry to 4th in under 5 years.  Keegan led Merchants to a successful strategic sale to Bain Capital and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). Now, as Chairman, CEO & President, Keegan is continuing to disrupt the commercial fleet landscape, fueling business transformation and driving enterprise value to fleets across the United States.

Keegan received his bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, MBA from George Washington University, and Executive Certificates from Harvard, Columbia, UPenn, MIT, Yale, and the University of Chicago. Keegan resides in the greater Boston area with his wife Dana and their two children Kaylie and Patrick who are making names for themselves through their own academic and athletic pursuits.

Writer, speaker and podcast host. A prolific writer, Keegan uses his platform to help empower the leaders of tomorrow. He has authored three books, with his latest release –The FUD Factor: Overcoming Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt to Achieve the Impossible published by ForbesBooks which made both Wall Street Journal and Amazon best seller lists. Keegan has penned more than 250 articles as a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fox News Digital, Entrepreneur Media, Inc. Magazine, the Newsweek Expert Forum, and Fast Company where he also sits on the Executive Board. Keegan brings his expertise to life as an energetic storyteller and speaker, delivering keynotes for leading organizations such as Reuters, BloombergNEF, TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Athletics and Brown University. He also hosts the Fearless Leadership Podcast and is a co-host with Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, on the Fast & Fearless podcast – both produced by ForbesBooks Audio.

Entrepreneur, investor and board advisor. Keegan invests his time and resources with the businesses and people he is passionate about. He is an investor and chairman of the board for Merchants Fleet; co-owner, investor and board member for Revolution Armor; and a board member to the woman-owned logistics provider ExpressIT Delivery. His passion for sports cars and motorsports racing has led to becoming co-owner, investor and advisory board member for United Autosports and Andretti Racing Extreme E. A life-long sports enthusiast, Keegan is also a co-owner, investor and member of Skymeadow Country Club.

Philanthropist. Keegan’s entire family shares his mission to give back to the community through the Keegan Family Courage & Faith Foundation. With the goal of making a positive impact on the lives of youth through academic and athletic endeavors, the foundation has made a $10 million commitment to giving back to the community. Recent foundation projects include the Brendan P Keegan ’91 Football Locker Room at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Keegan Family Athletic Complex at Bishop Guertin High School, the Keegan Family Teachers Endowment Fund at St. Christopher Academy, and the Keegan Family Auditorium at the School of Nursing at St. Joseph Hospital.

brendan-emma-sarah-ted-teamwork

20

Years of fearless leadership experience

200+

Published articles on leadership, strategy & technology

200,000+

People impacted worldwide through writing, training & speaking

Find Brendan’s insights across these trusted publications:

Forbes
Entrpreneur
Inc
Newsweek
Fast Company
Fox Business
Fox News

One Million Fearless Leaders

Imagine a world where each person is able to remove fear, uncertainty, and doubt for themselves and others. This is what’s possible with fearless leadership — unlocking an almost limitless potential for millions.

For Brendan and his fearless leaders, that vision starts here.

My Story

With that hard work and a little bit of luck, I’ve been blessed. The moment I overcame fear was the moment I was born at St. Joseph’s hospital on July 30, 1969. I was born two months early, weighing in at under two pounds and fighting to stay alive. I was baptized, confirmed and given my last rites that day. Doctors massaged my heart to keep me alive, nurses watched over me 24/7 and I received seven units of a rare blood type from donors up and down the East Coast. To stay alive from the first day through today, I only had one choice, and that was to live fearlessly.

With all the complications of my birth, my parents were counseled to manage their expectations when it came to their “miracle baby” having a healthy, normal, and productive life. Despite the comments of doctors, my parents refused to be in fear. Mom and Dad hadn’t listened to fear, uncertainty or doubt when their first child, my sister Beth, was born with Down’s Syndrome nine years earlier. They raised Beth to have an incredibly normal, healthy, and productive life for 59 glorious years. My parents lived fearlessly, and I learned my best lessons from them.

Armed with the tools of fearlessness from my birth, the moment I really chose to be a leader. The moment I chose to be a leader was the first day of football practice in rural New Hampshire when I was in third grade. Coach Buchanan circled up all the eight-year-old players and asked for someone to get in the middle and lead jumping jacks. I’m not sure what possessed me, but something moved me to jump in the middle of the circle at Artillery Field and start counting. I have been smitten with leadership every day since.

Growing up, there were plenty of days when I wished God had made me smarter, richer, more athletic and even better looking. Why? Well, even though leadership came naturally to me, other areas of my life were not so easy. I had to work really hard to get good grades in school. I had to pay my own way through college. I had to work out a little longer to be competitive on the athletic field. And I had to use my sense of humor to win girls over. I was the prototypical grinder!

I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to lead companies as president or CEO six times across many different industries from technology to finance to automotive. I am grateful every day for the opportunity to bring good into the world and help make others become whatever they choose to be. I hope that my concepts, systems, inspiration and tools will serve as your fuel to lead fearlessly in your own life.

Success Stories

Brendan’s ability to build and lead high-performing teams is extraordinary. He cares deeply about the people he works with and pushes you to maximize your true potential.
Jeanine Charlton, SVP & Chief Technology & Digital Officer, Merchants Fleet
Brendan’s ability to absorb and process a challenge and proactively address the issue sets him apart from most people we encounter in the business world. He is clearly one of the brightest executives I’ve had the pleasure of working with.
Ken Schreiber, Chief Client Officer, HUB International Northeast
Brendan Keegan is a one-in-a-million leader that sets the gold standard. My company’s transformation and ongoing success is heavily influenced by Brendan’s leadership and advice. He has helped shape me as an owner, as a leader, and as a person.
Andi Shaughnessy, Co-Owner & Co-CEO, ExpressIt Delivery
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