BARRY ROWAN
Catalyzing leaders who seek to live fully for God in the world
THE SPIRITUAL ART OF BUSINESS
We want the thousands of hours we will work over our lifetime to matter. But how do we know they’re really significant? How do we go from being defined by what we do to having our work become an expression of who we are?
ABOUT BARRY ROWAN
Barry Rowan is a Harvard Business School graduate who spent his entire career serving in C-Suite roles. He has been instrumental in building and transforming eight businesses, primarily in the technology and communication space, with one selling for $10 billion. His leadership experience spans both private and public companies, including Gogo (the inflight connectivity company), Vonage, Nextel Partners, and Fluke Corporation.
Based on his belief in giving back, Barry serves on both for-profit and non-profit boards, mentors young leaders, and leads international study trips. His non-profit boards have included InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Seattle Pacific University, Gordon College, the Gonzaga University Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, and advisory boards for Harvard Business School. He also served as president of Bellevue Christian School.
Deeply immersed in Scripture and the classic spiritual writers, Barry is committed to a life centered in contemplative prayer. This yearning to experience God led him into a month-long silent retreat immediately following his retirement from a full-time executive career, and others to dub their friend a “corporate mystic.”
Barry is married to Linda, his wife of over forty-two years, and they have two adult sons. Together they are now engaged in multiple lines of service including walking with the poor and investing in the next generation of leaders. Their commitment to the poor has taken them to Central America over twenty times. They are members of the National Leadership Council of World Vision and support local organizations breaking the poverty cycle through sustainable programs.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
A frequently requested speaker and retreat leader, Barry has spoken in corporate settings, with non-profit boards, at conferences in the U.S. and globally, at many universities including Harvard, at large prayer breakfasts, and in a wide range of gatherings related to faith and work.
“Barry Rowan’s decades spent in senior leadership experience are set in a new light in The Spiritual Art of Business as he humbly calls Christians to a life of surrender and service. In laying down our personal desires and plans, we can pursue transformed lives, ones realigned with God’s purpose.”
