Maria Sharapova

Powerhouse Maria Sharapova is known not only as an international tennis star, but also as an inspirational leader and successful entrepreneur. Sharapova became a professional tennis player at age 14. She went on to win five Grand Slam titles (the first, Wimbledon, at age 17), became the 7th female player to complete the career Grand Slam, and rank #1 in the world on five separate occasions. She will be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2025. Sharapova chronicles much of her tennis career in her New York Times best-seller, Unstoppable: My Life so Far. In her live engagements, Sharapova gives insight into the upbringing, mindset, and tools that made her amazing success possible.

Outside of tennis, Sharapova is an active founder, CEO, and business investor. Sharapova paved the way for athlete founders, creating and scaling her own premium candy line, Sugarpova. She is widely respected for her business acumen currently serving on the boards of Moncler and Wolf & Shepherd, a successful early investor in companies like Bala Bangles and Supergoop!, and was a guest judge on Shark Tank. Sharapova has also served as an investor and advisor to Bala as well as a board member of Moncler and Wolf & Shepherd. in 2026, she launched Pretty Tough, a podcast where she invites high-power women across industries for candid conversations on gender expectations. Now, Sharapova is using her experience on-and-off the court to inspire and empower audiences to achieve elite performance in all aspects of their lives, particularly women in business.