Tony Ulwick
Founder & CEO
Biography: Anthony "Tony" Ulwick is an inventor, entrepreneur and a thought leader in the field of strategy and innovation. As an inventor, Anthony has spent 20 years creating Outcome-Driven Innovation®, a powerful innovation process that has a success rate of 86 percent – that is 5 times the industry average. He holds 4 issued and 6 pending patents that explain how he reinvented this complex process.
As an entrepreneur, Anthony is the founder and CEO of Strategyn Consulting and the co-founder and managing director of Strategyn Equity Partners. His work has generated billions of dollars in revenue growth for companies such as Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Motorola, Colgate-Palmolive, and others. The focus of his businesses is to help companies accelerate growth through sound strategy and innovation.
As a thought leader, Anthony has won the best business idea award from Harvard Business Review. He has authored the best-selling book, What Customers Want. His articles, which have been published in the Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, are cited in hundreds of publications. His counterintuitive views have challenged the way academics and executives think about strategy and building a culture of innovation.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Ulwick worked in IBM’s PC division for 10 years. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration.
Major Frustration: Comfort with the status quo. The process of innovation hasn’t been innovated for years. It seems ironic.
Personal: I am recently married to the woman I adore - Lindsay Ulwick. I enjoy hiking, biking, running and skiing. I have to do these things so I can enjoy my other favorite pastime – socializing over a long dinner.
Last Great Book I Read: The Lords of Strategy – it has inspired me to write more about how innovation and strategy are closely aligned (if not the same) processes.
Childhood Job: As a kid, I worked at McCoy Stadium – the home of the Pawtucket Red Sox. I am still a dedicated Red Sox fan.
