Videos
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Why Play Is Essential for Business | Martin Reeves | TED -
How to build a business that lasts 100 years | Martin Reeves
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The mathematical signature that drives serendipity and invention
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How to maximise your imagination - with Martin Reeves
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Martin Reeves: Your strategy needs a strategy
Learn More About Martin Reeves
Many pressing issues are challenging organizations today, from technology and geopolitics to global economics and more. To help make sense of it all, leaders need an accessible, experienced strategic thinker like Martin Reeves, a highly regarded expert on strategy, innovation and creativity.
Founder and past chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, the firm’s think tank for new ideas and approaches in business, Reeves helps leaders peek around corners, harness serendipity and unlock the ability to turn external forces into internal opportunities.
A three-time TED speaker with over 35 years of experience advising global leadership teams, Reeves’ plain-spoken analysis and creative frameworks show leaders how to take an active approach to business transformation when uncertainty is swirling about.
“Many leaders are deeply creative but organizationally trapped,” explains Reeves, one of the most published authors in Harvard Business Review and co-author of the buzzworthy “Like: The Button That Changed The World” (Harvard Business Review Press, 2025). “When speaking to such groups, pressing the right buttons for seriousness and humor will bring us to interesting places where curiosity, creativity and strategy come together.”
Resilience as a Competitive Strategy
Renowned for highly customized presentations that include cases from within relevant industries, Reeves helps leaders reframe big strategy problems such as economic recessions, tariffs and global conflicts as opportunities for innovation.
With the ability to rapidly mobilize around of-the-moment issues like the latest evolutions of AI and the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reeves’ “strategies of resilience” provide leaders with clear response options that will boost strategic positioning and bolster organizational durability.
“Firms shouldn’t merely be resilient, but able to compete on it,” explains Reeves. “Being more resilient than your competitors allows companies to extract value by seeing adversity as an opportunity.”
Take AI From a Question of Tech to a Strategy of Value Creation
Bringing his expertise in sensemaking to AI, Reeves’ experience as a board director at fintech startup Arabesque AI enables him to allow leaders see beyond the technology itself to surface the actual competitive advantage and value creation that can be generated. Through individually designed, purpose-built sessions, he helps leaders who already understand the nuts and bolts of AI grasp the tactical realities of effective deployment
“It’s important to understand how AI investments will actually create business value,” points out Reeves. “The real headline isn’t the excitement of AI’s technological capabilities, but the competitive advantage it can create. These discussions need to go beyond technology conversations in the IT department to strategy sessions in the C-suite.”
Both an informative and entertaining speaker, Reeves gives leadership teams a dose of informative analysis, a lens to see outside variables from a strategic standpoint, and the inspiration to act. With these expert tools, organizations across industries are newly empowered to forge uncontrollable headwinds into potent competitive openings.
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Martin Reeves is a leading thinker, author, speaker and consultant on strategy and innovation. In addition to founding and leading the BCG Henderson Institute, he is a fellow of Judge Business School at Cambridge University, a board member of Arabesque AI, a trustee of the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences and was co-chair for the Strategic Management Society’s 2025 annual global meeting. Reeves is the author and co-author of more than a dozen books, including, “The Imagination Machine” (2021) and “Your Strategy Needs a Strategy” (2015).
With work that can frequently be seen in Harvard Business Review, the MIT Sloan Management Review, Fortune and other business strategy and management publications, Reeves consistently demonstrates a keen understanding of the impactful decisions executives must make every day.
Martin Reeves is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.
Zoom Out to Make Sense of Today’s Strategy Challenges
There are steady streams of global events, such as the rise of AI, geopolitical instability and tariffs, impacting how executives must make decisions every day. How can leaders stay informed and make sense of it all while keeping up with the competition? According to Martin Reeves, bestselling author of a dozen books – including “Like: The Button That Changed the World” and “The Imagination Machine” – and founder of the renowned BCG Henderson Institute, while specialized subject-matter scrutiny has value, it’s crucial to zoom out to see the larger forces at play to determine how competitive strategy should be shaped in response. In eye-opening presentations that are highly customized to each engagement, he informs, inspires and sets the stage for action to address the various impacts today’s business atmosphere may bring. Thanks to Reeves’ plain-spoken analysis, accessible sense-making and creative frameworks, leaders leave with clear approaches to responding that will boost strategic positioning and bolster organizational resilience.
Take AI From a Question of Tech to a Strategy of Value Creation
Leaders increasingly recognize that the latest AI tools can streamline work like never before. But while many rightly see AI investment as essential, they often stop short of the most important question – how will those investments actually create business value? Bestselling author of “Like: The Button That Changed the World” and founder of the renowned BCG Henderson Institute, Martin Reeves explains that the real headline shouldn’t be about excitement over AI’s technological capabilities, but the competitive advantage it can deliver. In this revealing presentation, Reeves, a board member of AI fintech startup Arabesque, brings his creative analysis and sense-making expertise to the AI realm. Through individually designed, purpose-built sessions, he guides leaders who have already explored AI’s nuts and bolts to harness the strategic dimensions of effective deployment. Attendees will leave with a new lens into how AI goes from a technology conversation in the IT department to a strategy session in the C-suite.
Turn External Forces Into Internal Opportunities
There’s no shortage of external challenges impacting businesses today – from emerging technology to geopolitics, tariffs and more. How can leaders go from worrying about uncontrollable forces to extracting opportunity from uncertainty? In celebrated, highly customized presentations, BCG Henderson Institute founder Martin Reeves brings his down-to-earth style to the process of breaking down the competitive possibilities that lie in today’s biggest obstacles. Providing audiences with bold, creative “strategies of resilience,” he helps leaders recognize why being consumed by concern about what might happen only leads to harmful inaction. By understanding the dangers of passivity, executives unlock the ability to shape how unpredictable dynamics can become strategic advantages. Providing a timely big picture look at the current influences at play in the business world, Reeves gives attendees a dose of informative analysis, a frame to see outside variables from a strategic standpoint, and the inspiration to create actionable steps for forging headwinds into competitive opportunities.
In addition to the above, Martin Reeves can deliver engaging, informative talks on a range of topics covering strategy, innovation and leadership, including but not limited to:
- How Innovation Really Works
- How to Reimagine your Company
- Competing on Imagination
- Competing with Technology
- Why Your Strategy Needs a Strategy
- The Biology of Strategy
- Building a Company Which Lasts 100 Years
- Competing on Resilience
- Leading with Curiosity
- Competing on Learning
- The Playful Enterprise
Inspiring the Next Game: Strategy Ideas for Forward Looking Leaders (Series)
(De Gruyter, October 2022)
The Imagination Machine: How to Spark New Ideas and Create Your Company's Future
(Harvard Business Review Press, June 2021)
Your Strategy Needs a Strategy: How to Choose and Execute the Right Approach
(Harvard Business Review Press, June 2015)
Martin delivers highly interactive workshops on a range of topics related to strategy and innovation including but not limited to:
- Building Effective Strategy
- Reimagining Your Business
- Your Strategy Needs a Strategy
- Building an Imaginative Company
- Building a Personal Learning System
Praise for "Like"
"…innovation very rarely takes the form of an entirely new idea; instead, it recombines existing ones. And people often reach the same conclusions independently. That is the message of 'Like,' an entertaining new book by Martin Reeves and Bob Goodson on the origins of the 'like' button."
"… a stimulating inquiry into the creation and consequences of the 'like' button…. thought-provoking.
"Terrific, fun, and keenly illuminating. Reeves and Goodson tell the remarkable tale of the like button—and use it as the foundation for a host of insights into innovation, the brain, and our species."
"A captivating exploration, revealing how this humble icon transformed the way people all over the world interact. A must-read for those intrigued by the power of simple innovations to influence society."
"This book isn't just about a button—it's a compelling journey through the messy process of innovation and a must-read for anyone curious about the hidden stories behind the things we click every day."
"If you’re looking for a book to 'like,' I strongly recommend this one. It's a can't-put-it-down page-turner. A fun and instructive read!"
"'Like' is wildly original. Who would have thought that such a simple button could hide a deep understanding of technology, money and regulation?"
"Fast-paced and full of original insights, this book will open your eyes to a much richer and more textured story of the rise of social media."
"Innovation in technology is by no means orderly, planned and predictable. A riveting tale."
"Like, WOW!"
Praise for "The Imagination Machine"
“In an age when corporations are getting ever larger, business models are evolving faster, and artificial intelligence is changing the way we work, companies need imagination more than ever. Rather than treating imagination as an unruly art, Reeves and Fuller convincingly show how companies can systematically cultivate and harness it.”
"We may not all be artists, but it's high time we started thinking like them. If you want to escape the tyranny of metrics and incrementalism, and if you're serious about confronting uncertainty with courage and creativity, this book is a great place to start."
"In today's business environment, the capacity to move beyond cookie-cutter models and copies of what others are doing is critical. That requires putting known things together in unforeseen ways; the ability to wonder, to get inspired when things fail or don't work; and to see surprises as sources of ideas. This book fills an important gap in our knowledge about how to systematically apply imagination, creativity, and learning to business strategy."
"This book captures essential concepts of nurturing imagination as a sustainable organizational capability. Let's all ask active, open questions—and stay hopeful, as the book suggests."
"Creativity and imagination have increasingly become the key sources of outsized business success. Yet creativity and imagination aren't taught in most business schools, they're not encouraged in most business cultures, and they tend to be stifled by most popular management processes. Reeves and Fuller have written a delightful exploration of the imagination in business that should be read by any leader aiming for long-term success."
“'The Imagination Machine' is insightful and timely. As the pandemic has altered many work habits for good, and when the boundaries between management and leadership blur, imagination indeed becomes an increasingly necessary corporate resource.”
“'The Imagination Machine' is a fascinating and practical guide on how to harness imagination to develop and implement transformational ideas, which are so needed in these fast-changing times.”
“'The Imagination Machine' explains how the power of imagination can be kindled and harnessed. It’s a must-read for every corporate leader or employee.”
“'The Imagination Machine' belongs in the library of any leader who is serious about developing an industry-leading innovation capacity.”
“A truly inspiring and beautiful book. It not only explains how renewal from within is the key to sustaining long-term business success; it also gives business leaders the hands-on tools and methods to go about it.”
“Martin Reeves has done it again. With Jack Fuller, he maps the future for business leaders with 'The Imagination Machine'—an incredibly practical and thought-provoking read on stoking imagination within corporations. In order for our companies to flourish in this post-Covid era, it would behoove us to act on these powerful concepts without delay.”
“In the era of the Internet of Everything, competition between enterprises will become a competition to fuel the imagination of employees. Therefore, only by believing in human value maximization and turning employees from tools of implementation into autonomous entrepreneurs can we win. 'The Imagination Machine,' which puts forward some powerful questions and propositions, is well worth reading.”
“In 'The Imagination Machine,' Martin Reeves and Jack Fuller take us on a jolly jaunt from cave paintings to AI-generated images, from the Princes of Serendip to the worldview of the Umwelt, from LEGO to Play-Doh and the founding ideas of Amazon and Disney. Prepare to be inspired.”
“Before you can build the Next Big Thing, someone has to come up with the idea on which it is based. In this charming but thorough exploration of the role of imagination in business and society, Martin Reeves and Jack Fuller take us on a tour of what imagination is, why it’s so essential, and how you can cultivate it. A tonic for these highly uncertain times!”
“In an age of VUCA, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic, it is challenging for organizations in any sector, including NGOs, to innovate and keep innovation alive. Drawing on multidisciplinary insights, this book argues that imagination is upstream of innovation, and articulates a six-step methodology for managing and stimulating imagination, providing a powerful set of tools to enable organizations to get the “imagination machine” up and running.
Praise for "Your Strategy Needs a Strategy"
“Be bigger or faster? Blue Ocean Strategy or aggressive? ... But what strategy do YOU need? ... According to this framework, there are five approaches: be big, fast, first, the conductor or simply be viable. You just have to choose. At Business Digest, we could not miss this book in which three experts from BCG offer you to slow down the pace to choose the strategy that suits you better.”
“In depth explanations of each of these approaches will provide critical insights to help leaders match their approach to strategy to their environment, helping to determine when and how to execute each one, and avoid a potentially fatal mismatch.”
“Reeves, Haanæs, and Sinha’s ‘strategy palette’ deftly illustrates the core approaches that can lead to success within the complex world of global business. Clear and comprehensive, 'Your Strategy Needs a Strategy' is a must-read for business leaders seeking a fresh take on strategy and implementation.”
“Finally, a business book that does not oversimplify strategy, proposing the next recipe or tool that will solve everything. On the contrary, it rightly acknowledges the variety of different business contexts and provides a rigorous framework to navigate this complexity—and take advantage of it!”
“The business world will be transformed in an unprecedented manner in the coming years, and this requires completely new strategic thinking. This book provides the conceptual tool for leaders who want to succeed in this new world.”
“'Your Strategy Needs a Strategy' provides a compelling and timely guide to strategy and execution. It explains how strategy is contingent on the environment and why, especially in unpredictable environments, some companies will need to delegate decision-making power and resource-allocation power to self-organizing teams and encourage everyone to create value for their users.”
“We finally have a book that can help CEOs and their top teams decide the right strategic approach for their companies in today’s volatile business environment. A must-read.”
