Fred Thiel
Fred Thiel is the Chairman and CEO of MARA, a global leader in leveraging digital asset compute to support the energy transformation. He also serves as the Chairman and Chief Advisor of Thiel Advisors, a boutique advisory firm he has led since 2012. Thiel is a respected expert and frequent speaker on the internet of things and the digital transformation of companies and industries. He is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of operating experience leading companies in the technology, data communications, internet, automation, big data, digital media and software industries. He is also a senior advisor to management teams, boards of directors, private equity and venture capital firms, and sits on private and public company boards. Throughout his career, he has served in various roles, including public/private company CEO, board member, strategic advisor, private equity firm principal and senior advisor/operating partner.
Fred Thiel Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Chairman and CEO
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Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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Lead Director
Academic History
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B.S., Economics
Under his leadership, MARA operates a proprietary data center with a maximum power capacity of 105 Megawatts and owns advanced ASIC Bitcoin Miners in North Dakota.
The company secures the world's preeminent blockchain ledger and supports the energy transformation by converting clean, stranded, or underutilized energy into economic value.
Prior to his current role, he served as the company's Lead Director.
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Chairman of the Board, Oden Technologies
General Partner, Navigate Ventures
Industrial Advisor, EQT Partners
Senior Advisor, Graham Partners
Board of Directors, OptConnect
Chairman of the Advisory Board, Post-Industrial Institute
Chair, YPO Technology Network
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
As a CEO, Thiel has led companies through rapid growth to IPO, repositioned companies for high-value exits to strategic and financial acquirers, led M&A and roll-up strategies, as well as successfully executed corporate turnarounds and wind downs.
He has led multiple successful corporate transformations, resulting in over $1 billion of value creation via exits to public markets as well as financial and strategic acquirers.
He has repeatedly driven rapid growth and generated many hundreds of billions of dollars in shareholder value.
EARLY CAREER
He was the Co-Founder and Chairman of Sprocket, a blockchain and cryptocurrency technology and financial services company.
He served as Chairman and CEO of Local Corporation, an $80 million Nasdaq-listed leader in online local research and digital media.
He has taught as a guest lecturer at the University of San Diego Business School, the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, and the Merage Foundation.
MEDIA & APPEARANCES
Thiel is a frequent speaker at conferences and guest lecturer at business schools and universities.
He speaks on the topics of innovation, disruption, technology trends, and transformational stakeholder creation.
He has been featured or quoted i CoinDesk, CNBC, Cointelegraph, Blockworks, and more.
He has appeared as a guest on Real Vision.