Taddy Hall

In an era when everything from technology to the Earth’s climate is rapidly changing, all leaders, especially those in legacy institutions, are realizing they need to transform their product and economic business units to stay relevant.

According to Taddy Hall, an authority on brand-led transformation, innovation, sustainability and growth, to truly change an organization, management must tell new, more powerful stories.

Providing executives with tools for activating their brands to compete and win in an increasingly AI enabled world – especially as AI and intelligent agents make it easier than ever for consumers to automate their engagements with companies – Hall empowers organizations to motivate stakeholders to think and act in different ways.

“When undergoing a corporate transformation, the narrative is just as important as the strategy,” explains Hall, a senior partner at global creative agency Lippincott and former principal at The Cambridge Group. “There’s of course the execution piece, but in some ways even more important is identifying the coherent story we’re going to tell internally and externally that’s going to breathe credibility and consistency into that transformation.”

With guidance on important change initiatives such as how to bring humanity to the critical process of incorporating AI into a company’s overall approach, Hall helps leaders create the stories they need to tell to rally both their teams and customers in times of change, driving loyalty and revenue through strong brand connection.

Drawing from fascinating real-world case studies of successful business transitions such as those undertaken by Intuit, Barclays UK, Virgin, SNHU, Chobani and more, Hall vividly illustrates what he calls the “source code” to organizing, exciting and activating all levels of the operational chain.

Primary author of Nielsen’s annual Breakthrough Innovation Report from 2012–2016, his practical tools help executives articulate their commitments, propositions for change and proof points of results, which infuses authenticity and alignment into both information delivery and strategy.

Storytelling to Secure a Profitable Green Future

As the urgency for sustainable business practices escalates, organizations face the challenge of transforming genuine climate commitments into profitable ventures. By using strategic positioning, Hall explains, leaders can inspire bold action.

“The key is to integrate innovative sustainability strategies and compelling talking points,” points out Hall, co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller “Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice” (2016) with Clayton Christensen. “Creating that messaging source code helps enable sustainability transformation in a way that is exciting and accessible to the various stakeholders.”

Hall arms leaders with practical insights for creating a clear, engaging narrative that brings together stakeholder priorities and future-oriented, sustainable business outcomes. By devising strategies for repositioning their companies at the forefront of industrial decarbonization, Hall reveals how to both promise sustainability and drive economic growth, turning green initiatives into competitive advantages.

Showing organizations how to use the power of storytelling to propel future-first transformation, Hall’s exceptional value to companies lies in helping leaders ensure unique and engaging stories are an ingrained part of long-term business strategy.

“There’s a real underweighting of the importance of how a message is delivered,” he concludes. “A compelling story that accompanies an operational change mobilizes people for transformation efforts, helping to create a coherent, innovative future.”

Taddy Hall is senior partner at the global creative agency Lippincott where he has coached entrepreneurs in emerging markets, consulted with corporate leaders facing existential growth challenges and advised heads of state to spur market-creating innovation.

Former principal at growth strategy consultancy The Cambridge Group, which is part of The Nielsen Company, from 2012-2016 Hall was the primary author of the annual “U.S. Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation Reports” known as the ultimate marketer’s guide to innovating and improving performance in a crowded marketplace. He also headed the company’s Breakthrough Innovation Project and led its global expansion. Prior to joining Nielsen, he served as chief operating officer at Meteor Solutions and was chief strategy officer for the Advertising Research Foundation.

For 15 years, Hall collaborated with the late Harvard Business School professor and global innovation authority Clayton Christensen, including on “Competing Against Luck” (Harper Collins, 2016) and “Marketing Malpractice: The Cause and the Cure.” His articles on innovation have been included in Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, Huffington Post, Time, Business Insider, Chief Executive and CMO magazine. He also co-authored “The Online Advertising Playbook” (Wiley, April 2007).

Especially knowledgeable in and passionate about innovation in emerging markets, Hall partnered with Clayton and Ann Christensen to co-found Innovation Without Borders™, which delivers their unique innovation tools and frameworks to senior executives and entrepreneurs in rising regions of the world, including in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Peru and the Philippines. Since 1997, Hall also actively advises a network of 1000+ emerging market chief executives to build profitable growth companies through the Endeavor organization. At Harvard University, he worked as an independent researcher with professor, competitive strategy mentor and renowned economist Michael E. Porter to develop and implement strategies for competitive inner-city economies.

Hall started his career in venture capital/private equity with Advent International, both in the U.S. and Latin America, and has managed five venture-backed businesses. Hall holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard University.

Taddy Hall 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^®.