Jonathan Brill

Best Selling Author, ROGUE WAVES: Future-Proof Your Business to Survive and Profit From Radical Change
Board Advisor and Fellow at Frost & Sullivan
Futurist In Residence at Territory Studio
Former Global Futurist and Research Director, HP TechVision and Megatrends
MTP: To focus the world on resilient growth.
Inquire About Jonathan

Jonathan Brill prepares businesses to profit from radical change. He is a speaker and strategic advisor on resilient growth and innovation under uncertainty and the author of Rogue Waves, which Adam Grant called, “An actionable framework for driving change instead of being blindsided by it.”

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He was the global futurist at HP (Hewlett-Packard). Inc. called him, “a Silicon Valley legend” because his consultancies have developed 350 products for Samsung, Microsoft, Verizon, PepsiCo and the US government. He delivers thought leadership for organizations like: TED, Bloomberg, Fast Company and HBR.

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Topics

Rogue Waves Future-Proof Your Business to Survive and Profit from Radical Change

According to Harvard Business Review, Hewlett-Packard had a great year in 2020, despite economic fall-out from the pandemic. Meanwhile, their competitor Xerox declined over 60 percent that year. Why? Like eight of the ten largest publicly held companies, Xerox didn’t even consider the possibility of a pandemic, according to its SEC Risk Factors filing.


But Jonathan Brill did. The former resident futurist at HP, Brill is more than a speaker. He’s a practitioner of change who knows that today’s businesses are sailing in stormy waters. In this industry-changing talk, based on his new book Rogue Waves, Brill shows how we can ride out even the fiercest of storms to come out stronger on the other side. Drawing from years of experience as a Fortune 500 executive, advisor, and entrepreneur, Brill gives business leaders a practical action plan to:

 

  • Capitalize on the 10 economic, technological, and social trends, or waves, most likely to collide and reshape the business world
  • Implement techniques that all managers at any level can use to turn sudden risks into outsized opportunities
  • Create a culture of entrepreneurship and experimentation
  • Learn and scale the leadership skills and processes that will help transform their companies into resilient and adaptable organizations
How to Solve a Trillion Dollar Problem

There’s something profoundly wrong with the way we see the future. 

Yes, we’re experiencing more social, economic, and technological change than ever before. But the resulting business, political and climate volatility isn’t a threat, it’s a cornucopia of multi-trillion dollar opportunity. That is, if you are a leader with the skills to turn it to your advantage.

And that’s what you’ll gain in this powerful talk—immediately usable tools to flip existential financial, operational, external and strategic threats into your biggest opportunities. If that’s a skill you’d like to improve, join us for this powerful conversation.

Articles

Bloomberg
How Businesses Turn 'Rogue Waves' to Their Advantage (Podcast) »

Chief Executive
How CEOs Should Rethink Risk After The Pandemic »

Harvard Business Review
How HP Turns Business Catastrophes to Their Advantage »

Fast Company
How to spot tomorrow’s macrotrends before they change everything »

Inc.
4 Lessons You Need to Learn Quickly to Unleash InnovationAs the world moves faster and becomes more connected, one leadership style is best for innovating. »

South China Morning Post
In a world of rogue waves, US-China contest is really about survival »

Testimonials

“Jonathan Brill has spent his career navigating the tensions between anticipating the future and adapting to the present. His book offers an actionable framework for driving change instead of being blindsided by it.”

— Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

“Seemingly crazy ideas, which first appear as distant specks on your business horizon, can grow into giant waves that sink your company. Jonathan Brill’s Rogue Waves is an indispensable guide for staying ahead of these storms. Drawing on a wide range of useful examples, Brill offers valuable lessons on how to navigate strategically rather than passively through rapidly changing markets.”

— Safi Bahcall, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Loonshots

“Rogue Waves is the rarest of important business books. It’s a page turner. Brill’s captivating examples of resilience cross fields and industries—even centuries. If you need to lead through uncertainty, this is a must-read. Unless, of course, you prefer to leave your future up to fate.”

— Alison Sander, Director of the BCG Center for Sensing & Mining the Future

“In Rogue Waves, Jonathan Brill makes a profound contribution to the science of decision making and the psychology of leadership.”

— Philip Zimbardo, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Stanford University, principal investigator of the Stanford Prison Experiment, and New York Times bestselling author of The Lucifer Effect

“Brill is the Michael Porter of resilient growth. In Rogue Waves, he shares the same step-by-step approach that he has used to help my firm and our clients repeatedly ride the waves in 46 countries. Absolutely vital.”

— David Frigstad, Chairman of Frost & Sullivan

“Rogue waves are coming at us with unnerving frequency as the world wrestles with major economic, sociopolitical, and technological shifts. Jonathan Brill walks you through the awareness, behavioral change, and cultural change your organization must implement to take advantage of the opportunities embedded in these shifts. Turn the future to your advantage with Jonathan Brill’s practical tools. Don’t miss this book if you want to surf the next wave.”

— Mauro F. Guillén, Dean of Cambridge Judge Business School and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 2030

“Jonathan’s common-sense approach and scenario-planning toolkit have not only helped us get out in front of, thrive, and benefit from change but instilled a team culture that enables us to survive and mitigate against volatility. Rogue Waves is the twenty-first century’s answer to Competitive Strategy. Essential reading for any strategy or policy team!”

— Nicholas Butts, Head of Global Strategy and Trade at HP and board member of the Harvard Kennedy School Fund

“Timely and desperately needed, Rogue Waves is practical advice from the best in the field. It’s the new standard on resilient growth strategy. Highly recommended for business leaders who need to go beyond VUCA.”

— Ansgar Baums, Head of Government Relations for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Zoom

“If you face disruption, Rogue Waves is your secret weapon.”

— Dorie Clark, Thinkers50 Thinker, faculty member at Duke University Fuqua School of Business, and author of Reinventing You

“Jonathan Brill isn’t Nostradamus, but for the world’s top business and government leaders, he’s the next best thing. In Rogue Waves you’ll learn the powerful tools to turn the future to your favor.”

— Bronwyn Syiek, board director of Oxford University Press and International Personal Finance Plc
Best Selling Author, ROGUE WAVES: Future-Proof Your Business to Survive and Profit From Radical Change
Board Advisor and Fellow at Frost & Sullivan
Futurist In Residence at Territory Studio
Former Global Futurist and Research Director, HP TechVision and Megatrends
MTP: To focus the world on resilient growth.
Inquire About Jonathan

Books

Rogue Waves: Future-Proof Your Business to Survive and Profit from Radical Change
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