Donald Laurie

Donald Laurie is recognized throughout the world for his work on leadership and growth issues. His talks provide an engaging and insightful look at the work of leadership in managing adaptive challenges -- issues for which there are no easy answers. He co-authored the Harvard Business Review classic, "The Work of Leadership" which is the best-selling reprint on leadership in the history of HBR. The leadership principles in the article have helped executives, organizations and industries transform how they operate and better meet the challenges of the 21st Century. Donald has worked with both corporate clients as well as the military in creating sustainable leadership programs.

"Creating New Growth Platforms," also published in HBR, provided executives and managers in large global and start-up companies with a disciplined and systematic approach to re-conceive their growth strategies and focus on building new growth platforms, rather than (less value creating) individual products. Creating multiple products, services, applications and businesses has created top line growth and shareholder value in mature industries and high-growth domains including mobile communications, information technology, healthcare, consumer and others.

Donald is Chief Executive of Oyster International LLC. He works with chief executives and senior management in developing and executing their leadership agendas. He is a frequent speaker at corporate management conferences, CEO summits, BusinessWeek roundtables and such high-profile venues as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

He led the Harvard Business School, INSEAD, and Oyster International research initiative, "The CEO Agenda and Growth" and is the author of two books, "The Real Work of Leaders" and "Venture Catalyst: The Five Strategies of Explosive Corporate Growth."

He is an investor, business builder and director of a number of early and mid-stage companies including: Up-to-Date, Endeca Technologies, TEI Bioscience, Lazarus Effect, Transenterix and Semprus Bioscience.

He is on the Board of Trustees of St. Benedict's Prep and an active contributor to the work of the Institute for Health Care Improvement. He is on the selection committee for the USNA and HBR Ethical Leadership Award presented annually at the Leadership Excellence Summit at the United States Naval Academy.