About Greg
Greg is an award-winning author, globally-acclaimed speaker, leadership development expert and former CEO. His latest book The Human Edge, how curiosity and creativity are your superpowers in the digital economy was named as Business Book of the Year 2020.
He helps leaders thrive in a world of accelerating change through developing behaviours, processes and culture which support creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.
Greg has facilitated transformational change programmes with global clients in telecoms, financial services, automotive, FMCG, manufacturing, and technology.
He’s been a lecturer and programme director at the London Business School where he founded and grew the Centre for Creative Business.
His portfolio of leadership development and organisational change clients includes BMW, Sky, Ogilvy & Mather, eBay, the International Olympic Committee, World Economic Forum, the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), SQS, Faurecia Group, PVH Group, Kantar Group, Randstad Group, Cognizant, Arcadia Group, and Virgin Media, among others.
Greg’s first career as a BBC and ITV television journalist enables him to speak and write with memorable clarity. As well as being a humorous and engaging storyteller, his journalistic grounding makes him a sought-after facilitator of face-to-face and virtual events.
Greg has appeared on BBC World News and in The Financial Times.
He writes a regular monthly column for Forbes on business creativity, leadership, and the future of work.
His first book The Spark, how to ignite and lead business creativity (FT Publishing, 2014) is available on Amazon in English and a Chinese translation.
Greg lives in the UK with his wife Sophie, two wonderful teenage sons, and a labrador called Juno.
G • O
“My purpose is to help people to develop the creative potential, emotional resilience, and practical leadership skills to make a positive impact in our world.”
See below to read the story behind this…
“Greg led an engaging and thoughtful leadership seminar at our company and I would highly recommend him. Greg is an entertaining speaker that you will enjoy meeting.”
Tom Bedecarre
Chairman at the global digital agency AKQA
“Greg’s rigorous approach was invaluable in helping us move forward with developing and constructing our values, purpose and mission – moving us towards a new organisational strategy.”
David Sproxton CBE
Co-founder and Executive Chairman, Aardman Animation
“Very customer-oriented, eager to listen and to learn about his client, and, ultimately, bring the best to serve it. Great presenter, keeping calm and focused on delivery all the time.”
Igor Baranov
Vice Dean, Sberbank Corporate University
The story behind Greg's Purpose...
As a young man, I was like an expert mountain climber who focused intensely on individual peaks, while having little clue about the wider geography. Up to the age of forty, I was remorselessly focused on the What? and the How? of scrambling up career rock faces.
As a result, I planted a lot flags on a lot of summits…
Become a TV journalist, check.
Get an MBA at London Business School, check.
Start an entrepreneurial business, check.
Become a CEO, check.
In 2008, as I admired the view from this latest mountaintop, a storm rolled in. The global credit crunch triggered the worst recession in living memory. To my shock, I was made redundant. This hurled me on to a rocky path in a deep, dark valley.
Wise friends helped me to see this as the opportunity it was. For the first time in my life, I stopped asking What? and How?. Instead, I asked the most powerful question of all…
…Why?
Addressing my Why? revealed true passions which I’d held in reserve from childhood: writing, communicating, creating – and using these capabilities to help others to develop their potential.
Discovering this clarity has meant I’ve achieved more since 2008 than ever before. I’ve written two acclaimed business books. Worked with a host of global organisations at board level. Spoken and facilitated transformational leadership conversations with thousands of executives from Silicon Valley to New York, London to Milan, Paris to Dubai. Along the way, I’ve crafted a unique and powerful approach to leadership and change with the help of inspirational colleagues and clients.
It means I get to live my “Why?” every day. More importantly, it means the executives I work with connect to their potential far more quickly than I did.”
Greg speaks to business audiences around the world. Click below to take a look at his showreel…
Check out Greg’s two highly-acclaimed books The Human Edge (Pearson) and The Spark (FT Publishing)…
Greg regularly writes bite-size blogs to help you stay curious, creative and connected on a tight schedule…