Penguin Speakers Bureau

Mahbod Seraji came to America in May of 1976, with the intent of obtaining a degree in civil engineering, and then returning to Iran to work in its booming construction industry. But it wasn’t long after his arrival that upheaval and turmoil swept his country—the Shah was overthrown in 1979, the American diplomats in Tehran were taken hostage by a group of radical university students, and Saddam Hussein’s army attacked Iran, starting a war that lasted more than eight years and claimed more than one million lives—and Mahbod was forced to change his plans by staying at the University of Iowa until 1989 and securing not only his bachelor’s degree, but also his master’s and doctorate degrees.

Mahbod’s novel, Rooftops of Tehran, was originally intended to be a series of short vignettes telling the stories of the people who had a profound impact on Mahbod’s life. “The idea came to me when I was a student,” Mahbod says. “I was standing outside my workplace in freezing cold weather, smoking a cigarette and wondering why my life was so damn miserable. No money, no social life, no fun. I thought my younger years had been stolen from me. But then I began to think of the wonderful people who had in some way or form touched my life. I realized, perhaps in a state of euphoria, that I had lived quite a wonderful life. Right then, I thought of writing a book and calling it something like, The Stars in My Life.”

Despite his excitement for writing, Mahbod was too busy with his corporate life to devote any time to his true passion. In early 2000, after losing a job to cutbacks, he seized on the opportunity to begin his adventures in writing.

“I wrote the first chapter and created Ahmed, Zari, and Faheemeh, and that was the end of my plans for writing a series of short vignettes,” Mahbod remembers. “I couldn’t let go of those characters, and Rooftops of Tehran became the story of those young kids.”

Mahbod started his professional career at Motorola and, for most of the last twenty years, he has worked in senior-level positions for companies such as Arthur Andersen, Forum Corporation, DDI, PeopleSoft, Chiron and Juniper Networks. Currently, he works as an independent management consultant and lives with his wife in the San Francisco Bay area.

Throughout his career, Mahbod has worked in more than twenty-five different countries. He is an excellent and sought-after speaker, and is often invited to teach executive development programs across the globe. Mahbod also coaches executives and loves to teach and discuss cultural issues in relation to managing business and politics.

Review of Rooftops of Tehran
San Francisco Chronicle

Mahbod Seraji Discusses Rooftops of Tehran
Penguin Group (USA)

Mahbod Seraji Interview
WHYY FM's Radio Times

"Mahbod Seraji: Rooftops of Tehran"
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