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Geoff Colvin

  • Senior Editor-at-Large, Fortune Magazine
  • Bestselling Author, 'Talent is Overrated' & 'The Upside of the Downturn'

Experience counts in serious times. For four decades at Fortune, Geoff Colvin has covered the economic, political, technological, and competitive forces disrupting business and how top leaders and companies adapt and transform to win in spite of them. The big takeaway, Geoff says, is that winning companies and leaders summon the courage to act – they stop protecting the past and start inventing the future – and they confront this reality faster than the competition. As business leaders face their biggest challenge ever, Geoff Colvin is the voice of experience who shines a light – revealing a clearer path for an uncertain future.

His columns and cover stories for Fortune have earned him millions of loyal fans. Many of them also hear him dispense critical business insights on the CBS Radio Network, where he reaches seven million listeners each week. Geoff’s bestselling books include The Upside of the Downturn, Talent is Overrated, and Humans are Underrated. A keynote speaker with compelling content, Geoff Colvin is also a brilliant panel moderator and interviewer.

As Fortune‘s senior editor-at-large, Geoff Colvin is now in his fourth decade at Fortune. He is one of business journalism’s sharpest and most respected commentators on leadership, management, globalization, government regulation, corporate governance, competition, the economy, the infotech revolution, human performance, and related issues.

 
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Past Hosts Include:
  • Industrial Asset Management Council
  • Belmont University
  • Omers Private Equity
  • Boston Consulting Group
  • Siemens Medical
  • Novo Nordisk
  • Cigna
  • General Mills
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce
Evaluation comments indicate that registrants especially liked your humor, the easy-to-understand message and the way you transitioned the information theory to real world applications. You generated an overall evaluation score of 8.64. This, coupled with the numerous positive comments, means your presentation, 'How the Best Companies are Winning Today and Why Talent is Overrated,' was a great SUCCESS!
More rave reviews

"It was perfect – exactly what we wanted."

-University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business

"You were so fantastic! I really enjoyed your talk and it was a big hit with the audience."

-CapGemini

"Geoff Colvin was EXACTLY perfect for us. We loved his pace and his sense of humor… and his delivery was just great. BIG HIT!"

-NewFirst Financial Resources, LLC

"An amazing, kind, thoughtful, insightful man. We’ve had incredible feedback."

-Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce

"Geoff did an amazing job with our event. He was very thoughtful and thorough with his preparation and really hit the mark for us. He's a wonderful moderator!"

-Boston Consulting Group

"Geoff was AMAZING. All the feedback that we have been receiving for the keynote and panel has been very positive. "

-Omers Private Equity

"He was amazing! One of the best we've had . . . executives loved him as well as students, and he was so inspirational to our student group -they are a hard audience, and rallied around his message on Talent is Overrated. So true!"

-Director of Executive Learning and Marketing, Belmont University
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Learning From the World's Greatest Leaders [1:36] 3.13.2023 - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Geoff Colvin
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Confronting the Reality of Change

When change comes at us from every direction, it can feel like our only option is to play defense. “Not so,” says Geoff Colvin of Fortune. “The best leaders I’ve reported on have found ways to embrace a world of continuous disruption and build a powerful competitive advantage in the process.” Geoff is optimistic about the future as he unpacks step-by-step how we can all respond faster to change and even get ahead of it as individuals, teams, and enterprises.

Geoff provides actionable takeaways to help leaders face change smarter:

  • What the best leaders and companies are doing right now to create the future
  • Why confronting reality faster is the key to seizing new opportunities
  • Biggest pandemic lessons for business
  • Scenario planning: surviving bad times begins with better decisions in good times
  • 3 best ways to lead during crisis and disruption
  • Creativity and innovation – how to unleash it individually and organizationally

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Risks & Opportunities in This Economy

Global turmoil has roiled an already fragile economic order in ways that are still unfolding. At Fortune, Geoff tells the economic story in terms that focus on the risks and opportunities. Business people already know the numbers – what they might miss is the big picture; the forces driving the trends causing disruptive change in their world and, most importantly, what to do about it. This presentation isn’t a stream of economic statistics; it’s an optimistic story that Geoff tells engagingly, humorously, and memorably with valuable takeaways because, as he says, “Even in tough times, somebody’s going to win, why not you?” 

Geoff covers:

  • Why, even in times like this, it’s vital to remain optimistic
  • The latest data and trends curated for the audience/industry he’s addressing
  • A plain-spoken explanation of what’s going on now – on Main Street, Wall Street, in Washington, and globally.
  • How successful companies are winning in this economy

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Future-Proof Your Business Model

Four big trends are causing business leaders angst as they confront the idea that their business model needs to change. In this talk, Geoff Colvin looks at how the economic climate, advancements in tech, global and domestic politics, and workers are moving to render many business models obsolete. As a result, business model innovation has become a must-have competence for all companies. That’s a problem for those that are unprepared but a huge opportunity for those who are paying attention and taking this challenge seriously.

Geoff reveals:

  • Inspiring examples of companies transforming their business model and winning
  • Key trends driving the need for business model change
  • How to just do it: Stop protecting yesterday and start creating the future
  • The secrets to becoming a business model innovator
  • How to adapt to a friction-free economy and create outsized opportunities
  • Why human capital is the most valuable kind and how to make the most of it

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Learning From The World's Greatest Leaders

Through his work at Fortune, Geoff Colvin has seen top business leaders up close. Over the years, he’s gotten to know many of those leaders well. Watching them and talking with them has revealed eye-opening insights into how they cope with change, wrestle with transforming their companies, and face the economic, competitive, technological, and political forces buffeting their businesses. Geoff unpacks their stories in this talk uniquely crafted for each audience, showing relevant lessons learned from leaders and companies we all know.

This talk can focus on several themes:

  • The crucial process of making tough decisions
  • Finding and keeping great employees
  • Navigating regulatory uncertainty
  • Adopting new technology
  • Managing in a crisis
  • Leading cultural change

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Panel Moderator, Discussion Leader, Emcee/Host

Geoff Colvin’s unique gift is his ability to brilliantly moderate panels, lead onstage interviews, and host/emcee. He’s played these roles for more than three decades at Fortune conferences worldwide. Top companies and associations regularly utilize Geoff because he gets the most out of participants; he asks the right questions, listens intently to what’s being said on stage, and responds to that. He also connects ideas and insights across sessions, transforming a multi-part program into a satisfying, unified whole. He always keeps the discussion relevant and the energy high.

Books by Geoff Colvin
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Biography
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