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Michael Morell

Former Deputy and Acting Director of the CIA & Author of the Bestseller The Great War Of Our Time

Twice served as acting director of the CIA – longer than anyone in the history of the agency
Received the CIA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, for his role in the Bin Laden operation
Shares insights on current threats and key geopolitical challenges that keep top intelligence officials up at night

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One of the country’s most-respected national security experts, Michael Morell is the former deputy director and acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Great War of Our Time: The CIA’s Fight Against Terrorism from Al-Qaeda to ISIS. The agency’s second-in-command, he spent his entire career at the CIA and has been in the room with the nation’s major political players for more than a decade. He is the only official who was with both President Bush on September 11th and President Obama on May 1st, when Osama Bin Laden was brought to justice during a raid that Morell had been integral in planning. According to the Wall Street Journal, he had “been at the center of nearly every fight against Al-Qaeda and has seen the limits of U.S. intelligence,” and POLITICO called him the “Bob Gates of his generation.”

Morell continues to offer his national security expertise as host of the award-winning CBS News podcast Intelligence Matters, as senior national security contributor for CBS News, and as Global Chairman of the Geopolitical Risk Practice at Beacon Global Strategies. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, he is an extraordinary speaker and an emotionally-moving storyteller. Audiences appreciate his insights on current events and the geopolitical challenges that keep one of the nation’s most legendary CIA leaders awake at night. He has been at the center of our nation’s fight against terrorism and the trends altering the international landscape — including global hotspots, like the war in Ukraine and the turmoil in the Middle East, the rise of China, and the growing cyber threat — and he tailors his talks to regional-specific issues and audience interests. In high-impact presentations, Morell shares insider stories and navigates the complex and clandestine web of politics and security, helping organizations understand the business impact of and leadership behind these pivotal issues.

CIA Leadership. During his 33-year career at the CIA, Morell was known for his leadership. He managed an agency equivalent in complexity to a Fortune 500 firm, inspired peak performance, and mentored most of the agency’s senior leadership team. When David Petraeus took over in 2011, it was Morell who shepherded the general into the role, and he twice served as acting director — longer than anyone in the history of the agency, leading the CIA when Leon Panetta was named Secretary of Defense and again following Petraeus’ resignation.

Morell started at the bottom and worked his way up through the ranks. First assigned as an international energy analyst followed by 14 years working on East Asia, his senior assignments included two years as executive director (the CIA’s top administrator), and two years as director of intelligence (the agency’s chief analyst). He was also in charge of personally briefing President George W. Bush each morning on the latest from the intelligence community and served on President Obama’s Review Group on Intelligence and Telecommunications, which analyzed the Edward Snowden leaks. He also served on the 2018 Commission on the National Defense Strategy, a commission appointed by Congress to help it understand the nation’s defense needs.

Awards. Morell is the recipient of a myriad of awards, including a Presidential Rank Award for exceptional performance and the Distinguished Intelligence Medal — the CIA’s highest honor — for his role in the Bin Laden operation. Senator Joe Lieberman called him, “one of the best intelligence officers our nation has ever had,” and Admiral Mike Mullen said he is the “best of the best.”

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National Security and Global Hot Spots. Former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates has called this international environment the most complex since the Second World War. Michael Morell looks at the issues facing our nation and offers audiences a debrief on the most pertinent, including Ukraine, the Middle East, and cyber operations. He shares insights on current threats and the geopolitical challenges that keep one of the nation’s most legendary CIA leaders awake at night. In high-impact presentations, he navigates the complex web of national security issues while helping organizations understand the impact on their business. He also highlights the issues that directly affect organizations’ interests — cyber security, corporate espionage, and more.

Individual Topic Focus: Looking at Issues like Terrorism, Cyber Security, the Middle East, Iran, or China. Michael Morell takes a deep dive into select national security issues chosen by his audience. Getting into the nitty-gritty details, he offers audiences a White House-caliber briefing on the issues they care about most. With vast expertise and stories based on his 33-year career at CIA, he looks at topics like terrorism, cyber security, the Middle East, Syria, Iran, and China. This presentation can be tailored to address almost any issue of interest. With a genuine enthusiasm and passion for solving our nation’s hardest geopolitical challenges, Morell advised six presidents and now takes the time to explain these issues robustly to audiences and to explain why they matter to them.

The Golden Age of Intelligence. The intelligence community has never been more important to national security than it is today. It is simply not possible for the president and his national security team to understand the world and make the decisions necessary to protect the country without first-rate intelligence. However, the need for this intelligence also raises understandable concerns about privacy and civil liberties right here in the United States and its impact on U.S. businesses selling their products and services overseas. In presentations, Michael Morell shares insights on how we should think about the intelligence community and how it affects our lives, businesses, and jobs.

Leadership and the Secrets of Success. During his 33-year career at the CIA, Michael Morell was known for his leadership. He managed an agency equivalent in complexity to a top Fortune 500 firm, inspired peak performance, and mentored most of the agency’s current senior leadership team. When David Petraeus took over at the CIA in 2011, it was Morell who shepherded the general into the role, and he twice served as acting director – longer than anyone in the history of the agency. In this presentation, Morell shares insights about effective leadership in large organizations, weaving nail-biting stories from his career into the discussion. Having worked from the bottom of the CIA to the top, he also delivers his principles to live and work by, offering insights about climbing the corporate ladder, cutting through bureaucracy, and creating a meaningful and rewarding career.

Public Service: Why It’s Attractive and Meaningful. Michael Morell spent his entire career at the CIA, devoting his life to public service. In this presentation, he shares powerful and emotionally moving stories from his career and from his interactions with the country’s and the world’s top leaders. He looks at why public service is meaningful and how to encourage more people to spend time in the public sector.