David Desharnais

David Desharnais is an experienced entrepreneur, public and private market CEO, and hands-on operator with more than 25 years of experience igniting growth, leading turnarounds, and transforming businesses across more than 20 industries. His track record spans startups, scale-ups, and global companies including Amazon and American Express.

With leadership experience across nearly every C-suite role in strategy, product, sales, marketing, operations, and technology, David combines technical expertise and operational discipline with go-to-market execution. What sets him apart is his ability to distill the playbooks of the world’s most successful companies into practical strategies that help businesses of any size punch above their weight and win.

An award-winning executive recognized for global market growth, David has scaled startups to nine-figure exits, revitalized/turned around multiple companies, and guided founders and VC/PE-backed firms through critical inflection points. Experienced in both commercial and government markets, his industry expertise includes SaaS, data and AI, cloud, financial services, retail, manufacturing, automation, telecom, public safety, transportation, and more.

He is also a frequent contributor to national TV and media on AI and digital infrastructure, and co-author of The FinTech Book, a globally recognized resource for investors and entrepreneurs.

Professional Highlights

• Turned around struggling sensor company to become the leader in AI and roadway intelligence and fastest growing publicly traded company in the Mid-Atlantic.
• Established a new global division at American Express that delivered 8.8X ROI and became the fastest-growing business in commercial services, spending, and lending.
• Scaled Amazon’s global industry vertical business to more than $35B by building targeted solutions and go-to-market strategies for 20+ industries including telecom, healthcare, energy, retail, media, and manufacturing.
• Transformed a biometrics company into a digital identity and SaaS leader spanning security, telecom, payments, and automotive achieving 5x growth through new products and expansion to > 180 countries.
• Revitalized a global CAD automation company by integrating a fragmented product portfolio into a business that reached >$1B in ARR.
• Built and scaled a B2B payments company from inception to industry leadership and a nine-figure exit as a founding executive.

David serves on national boards and advisory councils in AI, transportation, and infrastructure, partnering with policymakers, technologists, and investors to shape the future of mobility and intelligent systems.

Originally from Canada, David has lived and worked across North America and Europe and now resides in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. Outside of work, he is an endurance athlete, multi-instrument musician, and avid traveler, as well as a committed supporter of the National MS Society, The ALS Association, and the American Diabetes Association.