Reggie Aggarwal
CEO & Founder
Cvent

(4.9)
Review

Awards:

  • Top SaaS CEOs 2022
  • Top SaaS CEOs 2020
  • Top SaaS CEOs 2019
  • Top SaaS CEOs 2018
  • Top SaaS CEOs 2017

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Profile

Reggie Aggarwal is the CEO and Founder of Cvent, the leader in meetings, events and hospitality software. A lawyer by trade, Reggie founded Cvent in 1999 as a two-person startup, with the goal of making meeting planning easier for his peers in the business community.


The Cvent business idea first came to light after Reggie spent years painstakingly planning hundreds of events for the Indian CEO Network of which he was president. He found early success as a pioneer in the event technology space but had to lay off nearly 80% of his employees during the dot-com burst in the early 2000s. During this time, approaching bankruptcy and facing the possibility of failure, Reggie and the core executive team focused on the two things that mattered most for a successful business: its employees and customers.


Driven by the desire to transform the meetings and events industry, Cvent has grown to over 4,300 employees under Reggie’s leadership, and the 2013 IPO (NYSE:CVT) boasted a market capitalization of more than $1 billion. In 2016, Cvent was taken private by Vista Equity Partners for $1.65 billion, providing a 70% premium for Cvent stockholders.


Cvent is now a leading meetings, events, and hospitality management technology provider, serving more than 27,000 customers and 300,000 users worldwide with the solutions organizations need to automate and simplify the entire event planning process and maximize the impact of their meetings program. The Cvent Hospitality Cloud partners with hotels and venues to help them drive group and corporate travel business.


Reggie was named the #1 SaaS CEO by The SaaS Report in their 2019 Top 50 SaaS CEO list and Entrepreneur of the Year for the Washington, DC area by Ernst & Young. He was also named the most admired CEO in the Washington, DC area by the Washington Business Journal, one of the 100 most Intriguing Entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs, and a rising star by Forbes Magazine. He has been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes and Business Week. He has also been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, the BBC and several other popular news shows.


Reggie graduated with a BS degree from the University of Virginia, a Juris Doctorate from Washington and Lee University Law School, and an LLM (post-law degree) from Georgetown University Law School. He also received an Honorary Doctorate from Southeastern University for his contribution to the community.


Reviews

272 COMMENTS


  1. There are numerous reasons why Reggie Aggarwal should be considered top CEO. He is Founder and CEO of the leading Event Management Tech company and has built a successful business over the last 20 years. This year in particular, I have seen Reggie elevate his leadership skills through the crisis of COVID-19. Within a matter of days of the spread of COVID, Reggie was focused on preparing our organization for the impact to come…ensuring that we were quickly monitoring and measuring the impact of the pandemic as it relates to our business so that we could make the most strategic, long term business decisions. He lead the charge for us to immediately have a strategy on how we were going to approach this unprecedented time. As a result of his leadership, we have been able to pivot to a new business model quickly. He was able to demonstrate clear vision and purpose within the new world order. He was able to communicate his vision and inspire others. Finally, he showed the Cvent team (and the Meetings and Events Industry) his commitment and passion to advancement. I have worked in tech for close to two decades at some large organizations and I will admit, I have never worked for someone who is more passionate or inspiring. Reggie is simply the best of the best!

    Senoir-level professional, submitted on

  2. Reggie’s commitment and passion for Cvent are the foundation of his leadership for the organization. He is committed to creating an environment that encourages innovation and what he calls the “intrapreneurial spirit” that guides the company and gives everyone at all levels the freedom and opportunity to provide input and make an impact on how the company operates to ultimately provide the best product and experience for our customers. He is passionate about helping employees grow and creating an inclusive workplace. When you look across the company there is example after example of those in leadership roles today that started in individual contributor roles and worked there way up. Even before Covid, Reggie’s transparency in our business objectives and strategy has allowed the company to operate on the same page and work toward the same goals. Throughout the Covid crisis this transparency has only been amplified and he has been incredibly communicative with everyone in the organization and been a guiding light and inspiration. Lastly Reggie leads with humility. He built the company from the ground up and has a deep appreciation for the contributions that everyone makes for the company to be successful.

    Senoir-level professional, submitted on

  3. In 2019, Cvent celebrated 20 years – a huge, momentous occasion – that was only made possible because of Reggie’s leadership over the years. We didn’t think 2020 could top that, but none of could have anticipated a global pandemic. While COVID-19 impacted so many of the industries we directly support, Reggie’s dedication and leadership – his sense of calm and resilience – has not only helped us weather this storm, but be incredibly well-positioned to thrive post-pandemic. Our products have changed, our strategy has changed – everything has changed – and yet, we’re ALL IN to make big things happen and we’re prepared to continue to transform meetings and events – all because Reggie is an incredible business professional, inspiring leader, and his hands-on can-do attitude is relentless and contagious.

    Mid-level professional, submitted on

  4. In my two plus years at Cvent, I have learned so much from my close interactions with Reggie. It is incredibly rare to have a founder and CEO to still be running a company 20 years after founding – especially after going public, then going private again. He has more passion than ever and is incredibly dedicated to the employee experiences – especially keeping our unique Cvent culture strong no matter how big we get and how fast we grow. Reggie is incredibly adept at getting across complex ideas – in simple terms. He is passionate about delivering results and keeping employees informed and I learn something new from him every day! I’m incredibly fortunate to have such close communications with him and respect his passion and dedication to his company and his people.

    Mid-level professional, submitted on

  5. Reggie is truly the soul of Cvent. He cares equally deeply about the company he built, and the people (employees) who are part of the Cvent family. He has the most agile mind I’ve ever witnessed, and the uncanny ability to be a master of strategy while staying in complete command of the (sometimes excruciating) details of the business. He never forget where he came from, or the fact that he and his co-founders lost it all before and hard to grind it out to win it all back. As a result, that drive, humility, and strong desire to win stay with him always.

    NA, submitted on

  6. Reggie spends SO much time with the employees and is very hands on within the company and loves being part of every aspect of the business – no matter how small! He is very accessible to anyone and is keen to share his business acumen and bounce ideas off of his employees. He encourages all employees to challenge processes and the status quo, and to treat the business as if it were their own. This is what encourages innovation and creativity and allows us to stay ahead of the competition! The startup mentality holds strong.

    Mid-level professional, submitted on

  7. Foresight – Critical thinking, thinking outside the box, understanding the pros and cons of decisions that are being made, keeping apprised of the developments made and needed across the organization – Adaptability – ability to pivot. In the recent event of COVID-19 Pandemic, Reggie lead the way and we all could improvise and quickly pivot ourselves to the new business – Reliable & Transparent – Prioritize and deliver on commitments and being transparent – Put the human factor first and being open to feedback – Teamwork

    Mid-level professional, submitted on

  8. Visionary leader. A leader among leaders. Understands every facet of our business. Super quick study. Explain for a bit, then he starts finishing your sentences. Highly collaborative and supportive. Demands success, but provides all the enablers and investment to help leaders deliver that success. Super open to discussion (and disagreement). Dialogue is constructive and open. Everyone has a voice here (and is expected to use it to help advance how we operate to deliver value for our customers).

    Senior-level professional, submitted on

  9. Reggie has incredible instincts and ability to immediately recognize opportunity. He cares about his employees, I recall he interviewed me personally for over 2 hours when I joined, a recent college graduate. He talked to me not just about the job but about life and business advice. While at the time the job was very different from what I was looking for, I knew there was something special about Cvent if the CEO took such a personal interest in every candidate.

    Senior-level professional, submitted on

  10. Progressing and growing the company. Consistently making strong moves for growth and stability of the company. Handling this pandemic like a pro, especially when our industry was one of the most impacted. There was no panic. He worked with leadership to put plans in place and has Cvent set up to come out of this crisis in the best spot possible and continue to be the top company in the event and hospitality industry.

    Mid-level professional, submitted on

  11. Until Cvent, I have never been in a company where 90% of the original team (curently level 2 in the company) are still working with (not under) him, for 20 years. I may not have worked with him directly however a lot says about him about my leaders who have grown with him at Cvent and also being able to grow in other fireld of their personal interest. And he is definitely very humble for someone at the top

    Staff, submitted on

  12. Reggie has got many strengths which i get to see everyday. Few of them make him excellent leaders, like: 1. Ability to empathize with his employees 2. Great Communication Skills 3. Providing transparency 4. Decisiveness. Once he have made up his mind, he doesn’t hesitate to commit–his all hands on deck. 5. Awareness 6. Empowerment – He keeps empowering his employees to do great things

    Mid-level professional, submitted on

  13. Execute First, Analyze Second Mentality- For last 20 years, Reggie has prioritized action above all else and this has created a culture of entrepreneurship within the company- where new ideas, products, divisions seem to sprout nearly each month. He trusts his team to occupy new voids of responsibility that inevitably appear with such a fast growing company.

    Senior-level professional, submitted on

  14. 1. A true people eccentric leader who believes in right talent 2. Entrepreneurship is in his blood, He believes in culture 3.A quick decision maker 4. Proved himself in difficult situation, Never left the team alone 5. Consistent performer and man of the words 6. He is able to run business in any situation and any location

    Mid-level professional, submitted on

  15. Vision, communication, and overall leadership. In short, Reggie wins. But he does this by aligning employees at all levels to march towards well communicated goals. Reggie is fair, but also makes sure the tough decisions are made. Gives opportunity for plenty of feedback and discussion before decisions are made.

    Senoir-level professional, submitted on

  16. Reggie’s dedication and energy are contagious and for almost 20 years he has done a fantastic job promoting and maintaining Cvent’s culture.. He excels at taking calculated risks needed to continue to be a market leader all the while not compromising the health of Cvent’s DNA, which is its employees.

    Senior-level professional, submitted on

  17. 1. Building relationships 2. Realistic optimism 3. Reading people and adapting to necessary management styles 4. Willingness to take calculated risks 5. Accountability 6. Professional/Personal Life Balance 7. Humble, yet Dignified 8. Strong communication skills 9. Understanding 10. Inspiring

    Mid-level professional, submitted on

  18. Reggie has not just ensuring Cvent as a growing organization, while he also ensured that the people grow with the organization. He is personally available to look into matters related Employee satisfaction, meeting the employees individually. I’ve hardly seen CEO of an organization doing that.

    Staff, submitted on

  19. Reggie’s ability to drive passion and instill the feeling of completeness within the company is unmatchable. Event though our site strength is approximately 2000, still he manages to take out the time to speak to all the times whenever he is at our site. I think he is a great leader!!

    NA, submitted on

  20. he has brought together multiple companies in a short time frame and maintained a great culture. super impressed that despite growth, he is very much involved in the company operations. Cvent is an outstanding company to work for and the care given to customers is to be commended.

    Staff, submitted on

  21. One of the best minds In marrying business interests and employee interests – thinking customer first and employee second – Has built One of class leading event and hospitality tech solutions which finds use cases globally – Long term visionary also ensuring staying realistic

    Mid-level professional, submitted on

  22. Reggie is a top performer even at the CEO level. His strengths lie in his candor both externally and internally and how he promotes himself simply by doing his job. It’s easy to like him, but what’s equally as important are the results he drives to impress stakeholders.

    Mid-level professional, submitted on

  23. Reggie Aggarwal is a true leader, who inspires employees to be their best, and to drive the success of Cvent and maintain our position as industry leader. Reggie also leads by example, upholding our corporate values and guiding us toward achieving our corporate goals.

    Mid-level professional, submitted on

  24. The company was founded in 1999 and after few years we were at the verge of bankruptcy it was Reggie and his brilliant ideas that helped us to overcome it and today we are number 1 in the meeting SaaS. He is energetic and he knows the business very well

    NA, submitted on

  25. very down to earth,will listen to all you have to say, he makes sure each member of the organisation is up to date with everything that is happening, whether it is the targets or if we need to do something better. He keeps a close eye on everything.

    Staff, submitted on

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