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Abigail Posner

  • Former Director, Creative Works at Google
  • Pioneered Humanizing Digital; Anthropology-Based Series Exploring Our Emotional Relationship with Technology
  • Founder of the Human Code Company
  • Agent of Change on Culture, Creativity, and Disruption

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How do we create the future when change is coming at us so fast? That’s what Abigail Posner is asked by the companies and leaders she works with now. 

The answer lies in the ability for leaders and organizations to think expansively and harness their Human Code as the ultimate competitive edge in an AI world.

The Human Code is the art of combining your unique experiences, interests, and perspectives to lead with more impact, more originality, and an edge that's entirely your own. 

For 13 years at Google, Abigail helped clients invent the future by applying her unique combination of backgrounds – cultural anthropology, the creative world, and tech. 

Now in her post-Google career as a speaker and consultant, Abigail inspires leaders and teams think expansively. She helps them unlock innovation and drive real transformation by blending AI and data intelligence with creative vision and human-centered thinking.

That’s the overview – but let’s dive in a bit.

At Google’s Creative Works, Abigail led a multidisciplinary team developing data-driven, AI-powered advertising and branded content strategies for YouTube’s top global advertisers. She pioneered Humanizing Digital, an anthropology-based thought leadership series exploring our emotional relationship with technology. She also helped guide a cultural transformation initiative for Google’s 4,000+ sales professionals, building unity and renewed purpose across regions; and earlier, created and scaled a global culture of insights program that deepened customer understanding both within Google and across client organizations.​

Before joining Google, Abigail served as executive vice president of Brand Strategy at Publicis New York and Strategy Team Director at DDB New York, where she led major global client initiatives and new business efforts that shaped brand identities across industries.​

Her work has been recognized with the United Nations Media Impact Award, and her insights have been featured in outlets including The New York Times, Forbes, Fast Company, CNBC, and elsewhere. She regularly shares perspectives on innovation, creativity, and the human-technology relationship at conferences and business gatherings all over the world. 

Through the Human Code newsletter and her writing in outlets such as The Drum, Abigail shapes global dialogue around culture, technology, and human behavior. She also hosts the Human Code podcast, bringing these conversations to life with industry leaders and cultural figures.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University in social anthropology, Abigail lives in New York City, where she raised her three adult children.

 


Abigail Posner headshot
Abigail Posner photo 3
Abigail Posner photo 2
Past Hosts Include:
  • LPL Financial
  • University of Colorado Boulder
  • Oslo Business Forum
  • Worldwide CEO
  • Delta Community Retirement & Investment Services
  • Electric Power Engineers
  • Purus Wealth
  • Tourism Tropical North Queensland
  • EcoSticks
  • Ridge Capital Management
Rave Reviews About Abigail Posner
“
I was fortunate enough to attend the DMAI Convention in Minneapolis recently and I was even more fortunate to have the privilege of listening to you speak. I found your presentation so inspirational and valuable. I love seeing strong women in leadership roles so that was very inspiring and the content of your presentation was absolute gold. I took so many notes and I feel I can take a lot of your words about creativity back and use it within my role.

”
More rave reviews

"Excellent job on your presentation today…I learned a lot and have some confidence in my creative abilities more now after listening to your ideas about not being intimidated and thinking about your unique concept of embracing expansiveness. "

-LPL Financial

"Abigail Posner was excellent. Her focus on creativity and being an effective leader resonated very well with both the student and Boulder community audience. She represents a terrific blend of the liberal arts with her Harvard undergraduate degree in Anthropology with the technology world at Google. We have received lots of positive feedback on Abigail's presentation, and the student session was also very well received."

-University of Colorado Boulder

"[I]t was an incredible pleasure to have [Abigail] here. People really loved her presentation and everyone who had the pleasure of meeting Abigail pointed out what a great and positive person she was…It’s been an honor hosting her. "

-Oslo Business Forum

"Fantastic presentation at focus. I’m already working on my expansiveness. I have a new idea to help clients overcome their financial Roadblocks through meditation, exploration, and yoga. Amazing."

-Delta Community Retirement & Investment Services

"Really appreciate your talk today. Love the focus on mission vision and looking for links as a dad coach leader, spiritual person also I love seeing how everything we do is interconnected to us as human beings beyond everything working to improve the world for all human beings."

-Electric Power Engineers

"Everything you passed on to us truly resonated with me. I have been in financial services for 35 years and I’m always looking for ways to be more creative and expand and grow my view into the business. You’re an inspiration, a world of constant movement and I want to say thank you for the jolt of energy. "

-Purus Wealth

"Abigail … brought a human, strategic lens to creativity that felt both refreshingly grounded and incredibly useful. Her message was clear: creativity isn’t optional – it’s foundational. The heart of great strategy, culture, and growth lies in intentionally tapping our creative instincts, not just waiting for inspiration to strike."

-EcoSticks

"As a right-brain financial consultant, I found your presentation to be so interesting and aligned with how I believe that business should be conducted. Finding a way to link my interests, talents and backgrounds is what I’ve been inadvertently trying to do, so now I will do that on purpose. Great presentation, thank you so much for sharing your ideas with us."

-Ridge Capital Management

"Abigail Posner was excellent. Her focus on creativity and being an effective leader resonated very well with both the student and Boulder community audience. She represents a terrific blend of the liberal arts with her Harvard undergraduate degree in Anthropology with the technology world at Google. This really fit the campus and community audience as well. We have received lots of positive feedback on Abigail's presentation, and the student session was also very well received. All in all, Abigail was a great fit for our leadership speaker series."

-University of Colorado, Boulder

"[I]t was an incredible pleasure to have [Abigail] here. People really loved her presentation and everyone who had the pleasure of meeting Abigail pointed out what a great and positive person she was… It's been an honor hosting her."

-Oslo Business Forum

"Abby hit it out of the park! She is one of the best presenters I have seen and can bring a room to life very quickly. Our audience of clients and colleagues were engaged throughout."

-Worldwide CEO
Collapse rave reviews

Trailer - Abigail Posner hosts new series, DECODED [1:36] 9.2020 - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Abigail Posner
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Embracing Expansiveness: The New Innovation Edge

Expansiveness is about a holistic approach to strategy and engagement that embraces all of the unique skill sets, passions and idiosyncrasies of people. It is with this deeply human focus on what makes each of us tick, where we can start to create new possibilities by weaving our different perspecti ...

Expansiveness is about a holistic approach to strategy and engagement that embraces all of the unique skill sets, passions and idiosyncrasies of people. It is with this deeply human focus on what makes each of us tick, where we can start to create new possibilities by weaving our different perspectives together. Expansiveness provides the edge necessary for individuals, teams and organizations to innovate.

In this presentation, Abigail Posner takes the audience on a personal journey through business and life to share how seemingly disconnected ideas/passions/experiences can create powerful connections in our brain and lead to new discoveries. Abigail will share narratives from her background in social anthropology as well as her leadership practices at Google, and provide a roadmap for how every person within an organization can tap into their unique experiences to bring forth their best ideas. And ultimately, how managers can make the most of this diversity of talent through team development.

Topic Takeaways:

  • #Expansiveness: Understand the anthropological definition of holism and its role in business and life, and how it provides the edge necessary for individuals, teams and organizations to innovate.
  • #FollowTheLove: Source and cultivate what makes you tick – take a trip down memory lane or think about what you do after hours to discover your superpowers.
  • #SayYes: Be open to possibilities and opportunities.
  • #TapYourUniqueGifts: Consider all of your unique talents and different perspectives and how you can weave them into the work you do as a way to discover new opportunities.

You can watch a clip of Abigail speaking on Expansiveness HERE.

Cracking Creativity: Re-Engage Innate Creativity for Greater Personal & Team Growth

At our core, we are naturally creative, but some people feel so far removed from their creative and innovative selves. Understanding the framework for easily tapping into creativity, especially in highly disruptive times, is critical to productivity and growth . Borrowing from the worlds of advertis ...

At our core, we are naturally creative, but some people feel so far removed from their creative and innovative selves. Understanding the framework for easily tapping into creativity, especially in highly disruptive times, is critical to productivity and growth . Borrowing from the worlds of advertising, product development, technology, neuroscience and anthropology, Abigail Posner reveals how we can tap into our innate sense of creativity and yield a profound difference in our professional and personal lives.

Topic Takeaways:

  • #Seekthewhy: Shifting from Culture to Individual/ find what truly motivates your people
  • #Lookforthelinks: Make connections among seemingly unrelated things
  • #Discoveryourmission: Find and leverage your deeper purpose within your organization and your life

You can watch Abigail speaking on Cracking Creativity HERE.

Virtual & Live Presentations

Drawing upon three decades of experience in the highly creative and innovative ad and tech worlds, as well as her deep anthropological knowledge, Abigail Posner presents engaging content with an energetic delivery style that connects with audiences whether live or virtual. Virtual Narrative and Q&a ...

Drawing upon three decades of experience in the highly creative and innovative ad and tech worlds, as well as her deep anthropological knowledge, Abigail Posner presents engaging content with an energetic delivery style that connects with audiences whether live or virtual.

  • Virtual Narrative and Q&A: Abigail delivers 20-30min of content in a conversational style, accompanied with engaging slides, and followed by a moderated conversation with the host to unpack ideas and strategies from the talk, as well as answer any viewer questions.
  • Leadership Virtual Fireside Chat: 40-60min of open dialogue with organization leadership and moderated Q&A with viewing audience.
  • Virtual Breakout Room: 20-30min breakout session with key leadership can be added to any program for deeper dive conversation addressing how Abigail’s content can be directly applied with their teams.
  • Virtual Meet and Greet: 20-30min virtual meet and greet can be added to any program so that the viewing audience can engage with Abigail and ask specific questions as they relate to her presentation and their role within the organization.

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Speaker News

Abigail Posner keeps the tweets of praise rolling in at CU Boulder 

Head of Strategy at Google's Brand Unit ABIGAIL POSNER shared the keys to unlocking creativity with an audience of 1,800 for the University of Colorado's Leo Hill Leadership Speaker Series. Making headlines in local news, Posner revealed her engaging and informative lessons on innovation, leadership, and the human side of tech. Posner kept the audience riveted, and tweeting praise such as: "Ready to change the world? Great presentation on and by ⁦⁩ head of brand strategy ⁦⁩"; ⁦"...fascinating insights on creativity and human nature"; "Thoroughly enjoyed hearing you last night at ."

A pioneering innovator in marketing and communications, Posner's quest is to spark novel thinking and lead people to take action. At Google, she launched an industry-first thought leadership series-- Humanizing Digital-- that explores human being's emotional relationship with the digital space, and helps advertisers and marketers make sense of this relationship and convert it into strategic and creative efforts. She dives into the digital space like an anthropologist for audiences worldwide, providing people with a new lens for thinking about creativity, and new tools to spark innovation. 

Watch Abigail Posner talk about cultivating expansiveness >>

Abigail Posner reveals the future, and human side, of tech

A pioneering innovator in marketing and communications, ABIGAIL POSNER's quest is to spark novel thinking and lead people to take action. As the Head of Strategic Planning at Google, Posner helps advertisers and marketers make sense of human beings’ deep, emotional relationship to the digital space and convert those insights into strategic and creative efforts. As a speaker, she brings a fresh and cutting-edge perspective to technological innovation, branding and marketing. Posner's keynotes decode the latest digital advances and help audiences unlock the secrets to greater creativity, productivity and growth. At major conference Mind the Tech, Posner shared how technology enables people to express their deep-seated needs and desires, and how effective brands and companies are able to tap into this. Diving into the digital space like an anthropologist, Posner provides content creators and businesses with a new lens and effective tools for reaching their target audience. Her keynote generated praise on Twitter, such as: “Amazing presentation and delivery. True #inspiration,” and “Amazing talk by @aposner at #MindtheTech conference. Delivered flawlessly and in such inspiring way. I laughed, I got inspired and even cried a little.”

Watch some of ABIGAIL POSNER's talks here >>

Expansiveness as an innovation edge 

Innovation is more important than ever, and as Senior Google Executive ABIGAIL POSNER reveals, it’s actually core to all of us if we Embrace Our Expansiveness. Expansiveness is about a holistic approach to strategy and engagement that embraces all of the unique skill sets, passions and idiosyncrasies of yourself and your people. It is with this deeply human focus on what makes each of us tick, where we can start to create new possibilities by weaving our different perspectives together. Expansiveness provides the edge necessary for individuals, teams and organizations to innovate. Abigail recently shared her strategies on expansiveness with an audience of 10,000 financial advisors.

Take a look at highlights from the audience reaction HERE >>

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Press & Media
Technology Allows Us to Unleash Deep-Seated Needs and Desires, Says Google Executive - CTech
Helping CMOs Look At The Digital Space From A Human Perspective - Forbes
From Storytelling To VR 'Storyliving': Future Marketing Communications - Forbes
Why Progressive CMOs Are Already Testing VR - AdvertisingAge
PSFK 2017 Speaker Interview: Why Brands Should Focus On The “Why” - PSFK
Google Executive Discusses Social Media and Customer Connections - Hardware Retailing
Abigail Posner, Google: Why Social Networks Are Making Us More Creative - PSFK
Why Package-Goods Companies Should Market to Men - Advertising Age
Why Your Mission Matters - Advertising Age
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Ideas for the Meeting Planner
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Biography

How do we create the future when change is coming at us so fast? That’s what Abigail Posner is asked by the companies and leaders she works with now. 

The answer lies in the ability for leaders and organizations to think expansively and harness their Human Code as the ultimate competitive edge in an AI world.

The Human Code is the art of combining your unique experiences, interests, and perspectives to lead with more impact, more originality, and an edge that's entirely your own. 

For 13 years at Google, Abigail helped clients invent the future by applying her unique combination of backgrounds – cultural anthropology, the creative world, and tech. 

Now in her post-Google career as a speaker and consultant, Abigail inspires leaders and teams think expansively. She helps them unlock innovation and drive real transformation by blending AI and data intelligence with creative vision and human-centered thinking.

That’s the overview – but let’s dive in a bit.

At Google’s Creative Works, Abigail led a multidisciplinary team developing data-driven, AI-powered advertising and branded content strategies for YouTube’s top global advertisers. She pioneered Humanizing Digital, an anthropology-based thought leadership series exploring our emotional relationship with technology. She also helped guide a cultural transformation initiative for Google’s 4,000+ sales professionals, building unity and renewed purpose across regions; and earlier, created and scaled a global culture of insights program that deepened customer understanding both within Google and across client organizations.​

Before joining Google, Abigail served as executive vice president of Brand Strategy at Publicis New York and Strategy Team Director at DDB New York, where she led major global client initiatives and new business efforts that shaped brand identities across industries.​

Her work has been recognized with the United Nations Media Impact Award, and her insights have been featured in outlets including The New York Times, Forbes, Fast Company, CNBC, and elsewhere. She regularly shares perspectives on innovation, creativity, and the human-technology relationship at conferences and business gatherings all over the world. 

Through the Human Code newsletter and her writing in outlets such as The Drum, Abigail shapes global dialogue around culture, technology, and human behavior. She also hosts the Human Code podcast, bringing these conversations to life with industry leaders and cultural figures.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University in social anthropology, Abigail lives in New York City, where she raised her three adult children.

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