Rafat Ali

Rafat Ali is the CEO and Founder of Skift, the largest business intelligence and marketing platform in the travel industry.12 He is a media entrepreneur with a diverse professional background spanning journalism, digital media, and travel industry insights.

Professional Background

Early Career:

• Founder/CEO of paidContent and ContentNext, which he sold to UK's Guardian News and Media in 200812
• Previously served as managing editor of Silicon Alley Reporter12

Education

• Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering from Aligarh Muslim University (1992-1996)3
• Master's in Journalism from Indiana University, where he was a Knight Fellow (1999-2000)123

Notable Achievements

• Founded Skift in December 2011, creating a unique business-to-business publication covering the travel industry4
• Named one of travel's most influential leaders in 2022 by CRANT, ranking second in their influential leaders list4
• Known for sharp insights and unflinching critiques in the travel and media industries4

Professional Philosophy

Ali is committed to diversity and creating a media company that reflects the global traveler's landscape. He has been transparent about the challenges of building an inclusive company culture at Skift.5