Robert Tucker

  • Business Futurist, Innovation Expert & Best-Selling Author

What sets this futurist and innovation keynote speaker apart? Answer: 30 years of dynamic speaking experiences combined with in-depth research serving the unique needs of each audience! Robert Tucker has been at the forefront of the future trends and innovation revolution since 1984. As a young journalist in Los Angeles, he began interviewing and studying the most respected futurists, visionaries, and thought leaders of that era. His curiosity piqued by these remarkable encounters, Robert pivoted his entire career to studying the best practices of what he calls “Innovation Vanguard Firms” and how their leaders thrive and adapt amidst ever-increasing industry, technological, and economic changes. Their secret, Tucker tells audiences, is how they develop superior idea management processes to drive growth, and differentiation, and achieve competitive advantage.

During his 30-year career, Robert has been invited to share his ideas in 54 countries and in every state in the US. Leadership groups and governmental sponsors in Singapore, Dubai, Mexico, and Morocco turn to him for thought leadership. They highly rate his sessions and workshops and sometimes have him back again for a second performance. He has advised companies across countless industries: from banking to tech, pharma to defense systems, and almost every industry in between. Clients include Microsoft, American Express, and Citibank, as well as over 400 trade and professional associations and customer user groups on how to create “future-ready” cultures that thrive no matter which way the wind blows.

Traversing the globe, Tucker has been invited to share his strategies (and sometimes to serve as a facilitator, talk show host, and two-day boot camp instructor) with an amazing variety of audiences, in an amazing variety of environments. From addressing the top leaders in Dubai of the Executive Council of United Arab Emirates to presenting to thousands of Asian insurance salespeople gathered in Bangkok’s giant BITEC Convention Center, it’s all in a day’s work for this seasoned personality. From keynoting the prestigious Captains of Industry Conference in Singapore, to a group of students gathered in war-impacted Gaziantep, Turkey (just across the border from Aleppo), Tucker provides each audience with inspiring, powerful “take-home value” as he empowers your audience to tackle even the biggest challenges and disruptive trends.

According to audience surveys the key is Robert’s unique, hands-on research combined with captivating storytelling. “We learn best through stories,” says Tucker, who enlightens audiences to not only understand why they need to futurize their thinking,” but also how to use his methods to see further up the road and to make better, forward-thinking decisions.

Tucker’s pioneering research with his company, Innovation Resource Consultant Group, identified the critical success attributes of 43 leading American innovators and became the acclaimed book, Winning the Innovation Game. Former Intel Chairman Andrew Grove described Tucker’s international bestseller Managing the Future: 10 Driving Forces of Change as a “lucid, practical guide to total quality in business.” In Driving Growth Through Innovation, Tucker delved into the emerging best practices of companies pioneering radically more effective approaches to developing cultures of innovation. And in his latest book, Innovation Is Everybody’s Business: Making Yourself Indispensable in Today’s Hypercompetitive World, Tucker takes up the issue of leadership development, and reveals the innovation skills essential to success in today’s hyper-change era.

A multi-year winner of the Top Five Speaker Hall of Fame, Tucker was also awarded the prestigious Brand Personality Award by the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation for outstanding contributions to the field of innovation.

Not only has Tucker entertained and enlightened audiences at thousands of events and conferences he has also curated and organized several in his hometown of Santa Barbara, California. The 2023 Pacific Coast Futures Retreat was a resounding success among attendees and speakers. Tucker also worked closely with BigSpeak to create the “Elite Retreat” for the top conference producers like ASAE to gather and look at the future of conferences and meetings.

Tucker is a contributor to Forbes.com and has been featured in Bloomberg, BusinessWeek, Innovation Excellence, and many other publications. His “Innovation Trends” newsletter is read by thousands of clients and top leaders worldwide. He has appeared on CBS News, Channel News Asia, Bloomberg, Network 18 India, the PBS series Taking the Lead, and was a featured guest on the CNBC series The Business of Innovation.

 


Robert  Tucker headshot
Past Hosts Include:
  • Norwegian Cruise Lines
  • HSBC United Kingdom
  • Taiwan Economic Development Board
  • NAMM, International Music Producers Association
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Mansfield Oil’s Winter Leadership Event
  • IBM Global Services
  • MasterCard Worldwide
  • 3M Marketing Communications Conference
  • Chevron Information Technology
Rave Reviews About Robert Tucker as a Speaker
Robert Tucker was, I’ll say, perfect! He really lit up the crowd and judging by all the chatter at the conference following, he sparked a lot of thoughts on building innovation culture.

Promo - Robert Tucker Demo Reel [5:33] - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Robert Tucker
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Managing the Future: Capitalizing on the Driving Forces of Change

Are you ready to lead in a world where the pace of change is unforgiving? In the post-pandemic era, organizations and their leaders are rising rapidly or falling fast based on their ability to anticipate and creatively respond to rapid and often disruptive change. This powerful session by leading fu ...

Are you ready to lead in a world where the pace of change is unforgiving? In the post-pandemic era, organizations and their leaders are rising rapidly or falling fast based on their ability to anticipate and creatively respond to rapid and often disruptive change. This powerful session by leading futurist and innovation expert ROBERT B. TUCKER explores the leadership competencies essential during times of extreme challenge and uncertainty. You and your management team will learn powerful new tools for turning uncertainty into clarity and clarity into innovation agility.

Driving Growth Through Innovation

This dynamic presentation is customized to industry-specific goals and challenges. ROBERT B. TUCKER provides an example-filled presentation that highlights the findings reported in his book, Driving Growth Through Innovation: How Leading Companies are Transforming Their Future. He will present 23 “I ...

This dynamic presentation is customized to industry-specific goals and challenges. ROBERT B. TUCKER provides an example-filled presentation that highlights the findings reported in his book, Driving Growth Through Innovation: How Leading Companies are Transforming Their Future. He will present 23 “Innovation Vanguard” companies Tucker and his team at the Innovation Resource Consulting Group have researched and analyzed, showing the cutting-edge methodologies and systems that will help lead your organization to build, or improve, the innovation framework in your organization.

Innovation is Everybody's Business: Becoming Indispensable in the Age of A.I.

With the onslaught of artificial intelligence, organizations are increasingly automating tasks that millions of people now do behind their computers. Yet those with the abilities and skillsets to launch and complete new project that grow revenue and add value will be in hot demand. While professiona ...

With the onslaught of artificial intelligence, organizations are increasingly automating tasks that millions of people now do behind their computers. Yet those with the abilities and skillsets to launch and complete new project that grow revenue and add value will be in hot demand. While professionals with functional and technical skills are valued, those with Innovation Skills are emerging as the most sought-after talent in today's hyper-competitive age. In this practical, personal development session, innovation coach and futurist ROBERT B. TUCKER explores powerful tools and strategies to help you and your colleagues hone your ability to seize emerging opportunities, develop new revenue streams, add value, and create unconventional solutions.

Roundtable with Robert B. Tucker & Your Management Team

After a brief conversation and/or survey addressing the concerns executives have about their company and industry, ROBERT B. TUCKER will create a dynamic “roundtable conversation” customized to tackle those issues head on. The presentation will be built for active participation: attendees will be as ...

After a brief conversation and/or survey addressing the concerns executives have about their company and industry, ROBERT B. TUCKER will create a dynamic “roundtable conversation” customized to tackle those issues head on. The presentation will be built for active participation: attendees will be asked to answer thought-provoking questions, many of which are not industry specific, but rather teach new ways of optimal thinking, how to make better decisions, addressing the concerns about the future, the direction your company is taking, and how to build a team that will thrive.

The Intelligent "Talk Show" Moderated by Robert B. Tucker

Have you ever wished there was a way to spice up those important, but often boring, panel discussions at your big meetings? With the Intelligent Talk Show, panelists become "guests" on a "live" show and are more animated, lively and better prepared to get their message across. Guests are more willin ...

Have you ever wished there was a way to spice up those important, but often boring, panel discussions at your big meetings? With the Intelligent Talk Show, panelists become "guests" on a "live" show and are more animated, lively and better prepared to get their message across. Guests are more willing to tackle the tough issues that create industry buzz, and the "talk show" often shows up in meeting evaluations as the highlight of the entire conference.

With the talk show format:

  • Panelists become "guests" on a "live" show and are more animated, lively and better prepared to get their message across
  • Guests are more willing to tackle the tough issues that create industry buzz, and keep attendees coming back next year
  • The "talk show" often shows up in meeting evaluations as the highlight of the entire convention

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Books by Robert Tucker
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Press & Media
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Biography

What sets this futurist and innovation keynote speaker apart? Answer: 30 years of dynamic speaking experiences combined with in-depth research serving the unique needs of each audience! Robert Tucker has been at the forefront of the future trends and innovation revolution since 1984. As a young journalist in Los Angeles, he began interviewing and studying the most respected futurists, visionaries, and thought leaders of that era. His curiosity piqued by these remarkable encounters, Robert pivoted his entire career to studying the best practices of what he calls “Innovation Vanguard Firms” and how their leaders thrive and adapt amidst ever-increasing industry, technological, and economic changes. Their secret, Tucker tells audiences, is how they develop superior idea management processes to drive growth, and differentiation, and achieve competitive advantage.

During his 30-year career, Robert has been invited to share his ideas in 54 countries and in every state in the US. Leadership groups and governmental sponsors in Singapore, Dubai, Mexico, and Morocco turn to him for thought leadership. They highly rate his sessions and workshops and sometimes have him back again for a second performance. He has advised companies across countless industries: from banking to tech, pharma to defense systems, and almost every industry in between. Clients include Microsoft, American Express, and Citibank, as well as over 400 trade and professional associations and customer user groups on how to create “future-ready” cultures that thrive no matter which way the wind blows.

Traversing the globe, Tucker has been invited to share his strategies (and sometimes to serve as a facilitator, talk show host, and two-day boot camp instructor) with an amazing variety of audiences, in an amazing variety of environments. From addressing the top leaders in Dubai of the Executive Council of United Arab Emirates to presenting to thousands of Asian insurance salespeople gathered in Bangkok’s giant BITEC Convention Center, it’s all in a day’s work for this seasoned personality. From keynoting the prestigious Captains of Industry Conference in Singapore, to a group of students gathered in war-impacted Gaziantep, Turkey (just across the border from Aleppo), Tucker provides each audience with inspiring, powerful “take-home value” as he empowers your audience to tackle even the biggest challenges and disruptive trends.

According to audience surveys the key is Robert’s unique, hands-on research combined with captivating storytelling. “We learn best through stories,” says Tucker, who enlightens audiences to not only understand why they need to futurize their thinking,” but also how to use his methods to see further up the road and to make better, forward-thinking decisions.

Tucker’s pioneering research with his company, Innovation Resource Consultant Group, identified the critical success attributes of 43 leading American innovators and became the acclaimed book, Winning the Innovation Game. Former Intel Chairman Andrew Grove described Tucker’s international bestseller Managing the Future: 10 Driving Forces of Change as a “lucid, practical guide to total quality in business.” In Driving Growth Through Innovation, Tucker delved into the emerging best practices of companies pioneering radically more effective approaches to developing cultures of innovation. And in his latest book, Innovation Is Everybody’s Business: Making Yourself Indispensable in Today’s Hypercompetitive World, Tucker takes up the issue of leadership development, and reveals the innovation skills essential to success in today’s hyper-change era.

A multi-year winner of the Top Five Speaker Hall of Fame, Tucker was also awarded the prestigious Brand Personality Award by the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation for outstanding contributions to the field of innovation.

Not only has Tucker entertained and enlightened audiences at thousands of events and conferences he has also curated and organized several in his hometown of Santa Barbara, California. The 2023 Pacific Coast Futures Retreat was a resounding success among attendees and speakers. Tucker also worked closely with BigSpeak to create the “Elite Retreat” for the top conference producers like ASAE to gather and look at the future of conferences and meetings.

Tucker is a contributor to Forbes.com and has been featured in Bloomberg, BusinessWeek, Innovation Excellence, and many other publications. His “Innovation Trends” newsletter is read by thousands of clients and top leaders worldwide. He has appeared on CBS News, Channel News Asia, Bloomberg, Network 18 India, the PBS series Taking the Lead, and was a featured guest on the CNBC series The Business of Innovation.