Home / Speakers / Zeynep Ton
Zeynep Ton Keynote Speaker and MIT authority on good jobs

Zeynep Ton

Professor of the Practice, MIT Sloan School of Management | Co-Founder & President, Good Jobs Institute | Author of The Case for Good Jobs | Thinkers50-Ranked Thinker

Request availability

Zeynep Ton is the world's leading authority on the business case for good jobs. An MIT Sloan professor and president of the Good Jobs Institute, she proves with hard data that investing in frontline employees drives productivity, service, and profit. Author of The Case for Good Jobs and a Thinkers50 Talent Award winner, she gives leaders an evidence-based playbook for turning good jobs into competitive advantage.

Want to book Zeynep Ton as a speaker for your event? Please provide the info below and we’ll get in touch within 24h:

    Zeynep Ton biography

    Zeynep Ton is the world’s leading authority on the business case for good jobs, the MIT professor who has proven, with hard data, that treating frontline employees well is not charity but strategy. Her research dismantles one of the most persistent assumptions in business, that labor is a cost to be minimized, and shows instead how great companies turn good jobs into higher productivity, better customer service, and superior returns.

    Business speaker Zeynep Ton is a Professor of the Practice in Operations Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the co-founder and president of the nonprofit Good Jobs Institute. Drawing on more than a decade of research into companies like Costco, Trader Joe’s, QuikTrip, and Mercadona, she developed the “Good Jobs Strategy”: the insight that combining investment in people with a specific set of operational choices creates a virtuous cycle that benefits employees, customers, and investors at once. Her ideas have reached global audiences through her TED talk and features in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Time.

    The Case for Good Jobs

    Ton has written two influential books on the subject: The Good Jobs Strategy (2014), built on fifteen years of research, and The Case for Good Jobs (2023), a practical playbook for leaders daunted by the transition, named one of the Financial Times’ best books of the year. Through the Good Jobs Institute, she works directly with executives, investors, and companies to put these ideas into practice, with the ambitious goal of improving ten million low-wage jobs. Ranked among the Thinkers50 most influential management thinkers and a winner of its Talent Award, her path is itself distinctive: a native of Turkey, she came to the United States on a volleyball scholarship, earned an engineering degree at Penn State and a doctorate at Harvard Business School, where she taught for seven years before joining MIT.

    As a speaker, Zeynep Ton delivers a message that is at once rigorous, hopeful, and urgently relevant to today’s tight labor markets and AI-driven disruption. She speaks on the good jobs strategy and operational excellence, why investing in frontline workers drives competitive advantage, building high-performing service and retail operations, and leading the mindset shift from labor-as-cost to labor-as-driver-of-growth. Audiences leave with hard evidence, memorable company examples, and a practical framework they can act on.

    Zeynep Ton Speaking Videos

    The Case for Good Jobs — and Why They’re Good for Business Too | Zeynep Ton | TED
    The Good Jobs Strategy: Zeynep Ton at TEDxCambridge 2013

    Zeynep Ton Keynote Topics

    Drawing on her acclaimed book, Ton makes the hard-nosed business case that good jobs are a competitive advantage, not a cost. She shows how bad-jobs systems, defined by low pay, high turnover, and poor execution, trap companies in a vicious cycle, and how leaders can break out of it, using vivid examples from Costco, Trader Joe's, and QuikTrip.

    Ton reveals the specific operational choices, from standardization and simplification to empowerment, cross-training, and building slack into schedules, that let companies pay more while lowering costs. She gives leaders a concrete framework for combining investment in people with smart operations to create a virtuous cycle of productivity, service, and profit.

    In tight labor markets and an age of AI disruption, the companies that thrive will be those that attract, motivate, and retain great frontline teams. Ton shows leaders why the old "labor as cost" mindset is increasingly untenable, and how investing in employees builds the resilience, execution, and customer loyalty that competitors can't easily copy.

    Most executives, Ton has found, would like to offer better jobs but feel stuck in their current system. This talk addresses the courage and imagination leadership requires, tackling investor pushback, systems thinking, and the practical first steps, to help leaders begin the transition to a good jobs system with confidence.

    Speaker topics

    Business SpeakersBestselling Author SpeakersCorporate Culture SpeakersFuture of Work SpeakersHR SpeakersKeynote Speakers

    FAQs on Booking Zeynep Ton

    Why Zeynep Ton?

    Booking Zeynep Ton gives audiences the definitive, evidence-based voice on one of the most pressing issues in business: how to build a workforce that drives growth rather than drags on it. An MIT Sloan professor and president of the Good Jobs Institute, she has spent more than fifteen years proving, with rigorous data and vivid company examples, that good jobs and strong operations create a virtuous cycle benefiting employees, customers, and investors alike. A Thinkers50 Talent Award winner whose work has reached millions through TED and top media, she delivers a message that is rigorous yet hopeful and immediately practical. She is an ideal speaker for events on leadership, operations, retail and service, talent, and the future of work, especially for organizations facing tight labor markets. To bring Zeynep Ton to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.

    Who is Zeynep Ton?

    Zeynep Ton is a Professor of the Practice in Operations Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the co-founder and president of the nonprofit Good Jobs Institute. A leading authority on how companies can satisfy employees, customers, and investors simultaneously, she is the author of The Good Jobs Strategy and The Case for Good Jobs. A native of Turkey who came to the U.S. on a volleyball scholarship, she earned her doctorate at Harvard Business School and has been ranked among the Thinkers50 most influential management thinkers.

    What is the Good Jobs Strategy?

    The Good Jobs Strategy is Zeynep Ton's research-based framework showing that companies can offer good jobs, good pay, stability, and dignity, while also lowering costs and boosting profits. The key is combining investment in employees with four operational choices, including standardization, empowerment, cross-training, and building slack into schedules, that increase workers' productivity and contribution. Ton documented the approach studying companies like Costco, Trader Joe's, QuikTrip, and Mercadona, which outperform competitors while treating their people well.

    What topics does business speaker Zeynep Ton cover?

    Zeynep Ton speaks on the good jobs strategy, operational excellence, investing in frontline talent as a competitive advantage, the future of work in tight labor markets and the age of AI, and leading the mindset shift from labor-as-cost to labor-as-driver-of-growth. Her keynotes suit events on leadership, operations, retail and service, and talent. To book Zeynep Ton as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.

    How to book Zeynep Ton as a keynote speaker?

    Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Zeynep Ton as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Zeynep Ton's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Zeynep Ton or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.

    How much is Zeynep Ton speaking fee?

    Zeynep Ton speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Zeynep Ton to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Zeynep Ton.

    How can I contact Zeynep Ton?

    We only work with Zeynep Ton on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Zeynep Ton and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Zeynep Ton speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Zeynep Ton for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.

    Can I book Zeynep Ton for a virtual keynote?

    Yes, Zeynep Ton is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Zeynep Ton for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.