Mark Thompson

Mark C. Thompson’s Key Accomplishments Include . . .
Mark Thompson is recognized as a world-renowned speaker, executive coach and an expert on innovation and customer engagement. He is the co-founder & CEO of Richard Branson's Business Innovation & Entrepreneurship Hub for Virgin Unite. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Best Buy, Korn Ferry, Interwoven (HP) and other global firms. He is Charles Schwab's former Chief Communications Officer, Chief Customer Experience Officer and Chief IR Officer. During his tenure, the company’s customer assets grew ten-fold to more than $800 billion dollars in over five million client accounts and continue to grow during the greatest economic storms in history. 

Mark Thompson also created the Schwab Leadership Series and worked face-to-face with many of the world’s best global leaders and entrepreneurs – from Richard Branson and Steve Jobs to Warren Buffett, AG Lafley, Herb Kelleher, Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Zappos founder Tony Hsieh.

Today, Mark Thompson is an expert advisor on Level V Leadership and Built to Last – transforming how leaders inspire managers to boost sales, innovation and lead change in a volatile world. Thompson did research for Jim Collins and Jerry Porras on Built to Last and Good to Great; during his presentations, he shows how to the principles discussed in Good to Great. Along with Jerry Porras and Stewart Emery, he co-authored the bestseller Success Built to Last By focusing on Collins’ five levels of leadership, Thompson coaches leaders to get things done fast!

In 2010, the American Management Association published Thompson’s bestselling book – Now, Build a Great Business. He also edited two books for Harvard Business Press – Weathering the Storm and Crisis As Opportunity.

More About Mark Thompson . . .
Mark Thompson is an expert advisor on Level V Leadership and Built to Last, transforming how leaders inspire managers to boost sales, innovation and lead change in a volatile world. He has worked with executive teams in 12 industries plus 35 firms. 

In addition, Thompson is Chairman of the American Express Leadership series for Peter Drucker’s Leader to Leader Institute. He is a member of the Board of Governors for the Institute and is a board member, investor and advisor to 8 companies while serving on the faculty of the World Economic Forum, John F. Kennedy University, and a visiting scholar at Stanford University.

In addition to an MBA, Mark Thompson holds a Masters degree in Social Media studies from Stanford University, where he became an investor in Facebook, Baynote, CNS Response, Cancer Genetics, Goldman Sachs Special Opportunities.

• Make Change Happen – How World-Class Teams Lead Change Faster

  How do you convince your team not only to embrace change, but actually lead the transformation now – with urgency?

  How have world-class firms taken the leap that you're facing?

  The difference between top 3 market leaders & all others.

  How to take advantage of turbulence in your markets in order to steal bases on competitors and build value for customers.

  What are the three fundamental factors that galvanize change in every person?

  What are the seven steps to change in every organization?

  Some speakers talk about change and growth, but they've never done it before. Thompson has made it happen. He's been an operating executive with a front-row seat on transformations at Charles Schwab, and a board member at Best Buy, and Apple's top iPhone and iPad app companies. He's worked in 12 industries directly with executive teams at Nokia, NIKE, Unilever, Baird, Bank of New York and 35 firms in the US, Europe, Asia and Brazil. Thompson bets his own wallet on change and innovation by investing in companies that are on the leading edge of change.

• Make Sales Happen – Sales Growth & Good to Great Performance

  The Invisible Close – How to win clients who don't want to be sold.  What is Level 5 Sales Growth and how to take Business Performance from Good to Great?

  Create Your Irresistible Offer – Defining better outcomes and benefits

  How to Build Partnerships From the Start – Investing in client loyalty

  What Does Your Market Crave? Helping clients understand the cost of ignoring your offer.  How to gain strategic advantage over every other offer.

  Five Mistakes That Repel Customers & Cut Sales in Half

  Five P's That Double Sales: Positioning–Pain–Promise–Proof–Planning

  How to convert loyal clients into higher ticket up-sell opportunities

  The Two Personalities of the World's Most Profitable Clients

• Seven Ways to Boost Profits in Any Market – Customer Service Built to Last

  Based on the business classic Built to Last that sold over one million copies, Thompson reveals the tools of the world's most successful leaders for the sequel, Success Built to Last. This inspiring and fun keynote provides the secrets from hundreds of high producers whom Thompson has studied and met face-to-face.

  How world-class teams generate unstoppable growth

  Five Customer Service strategies that are Built to Last

  Seven ways to boost profits in any market

  How to actually grow leaders from Good to Great – Level 1 to 5 – what are the three steps necessary for developing the best teams?

  What are the best practices from managers and entrepreneurs with track records of more than two decades of success?

  What are the three critical drivers of influence for every high achiever?

  ADDED BUSINESS VALUE: All presentations include a special survey of your industry and interviews with your audience or customers (included in Thompson's keynote speech).  His program will feature video clips from interviews with actual leaders in your business.