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Roger Martin Keynote Speaker and world's #1 management thinker

Roger Martin

World's #1 Management Thinker, Thinkers50 | Professor Emeritus, Rotman School | Strategy, Integrative Thinking & AI

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Named the world's #1 management thinker by Thinkers50, Roger Martin has spent decades turning rigorous strategy theory into boardroom practice, advising the CEOs of P&G, Lego, and Ford. Author of thirteen books including the landmark Playing to Win, he gives senior audiences not just frameworks but a fundamentally sharper way to make the choices that determine competitive outcomes.

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    Roger Martin biography

    Roger Martin is one of the most authoritative voices in global business strategy, a thinker, advisor, and author whose work has reshaped how leaders and organizations understand competitive advantage, integrative thinking, and the design of effective strategy. He is Professor Emeritus at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, where he served as Dean for fifteen years, earning the title of global Dean of the Year from Poets & Quants in 2013. Before Rotman, he spent thirteen years at Monitor Company, the global strategy consultancy, including a stint as co-head of the firm.

    Management speaker Roger Martin was named the world’s #1 management thinker by Thinkers50, the most prestigious ranking of global business thinkers, in 2017, having placed in the top ten in every prior edition of the list. That recognition reflects a body of work spanning thirteen books, more than thirty Harvard Business Review articles, and decades of hands-on advisory work with the CEOs of Procter & Gamble, Lego, Ford, Verizon, American Express, and BHP, among others. His most celebrated book, Playing to Win, co-authored with A.G. Lafley, won the Thinkers50 award for Best Book and remains one of the most widely taught strategy frameworks in business schools and boardrooms worldwide.

    Strategy, Integrative Thinking, and the Age of AI

    Martin’s intellectual contributions center on two interconnected ideas. The first is his framework for strategy as an integrated cascade of choices, where to play and how to win, which cuts through the confusion between planning and strategy that hampers so many organizations. The second is integrative thinking: the discipline of holding two opposing models in mind simultaneously and generating creative resolutions that contain elements of both, rather than defaulting to one or the other. His book A New Way to Think (Harvard Business Review Press, 2022) brings together and extends these frameworks, offering a comprehensive guide to superior managerial effectiveness. More recently, his writing and speaking have engaged directly with artificial intelligence, specifically the risk of leaders treating AI as an answer machine rather than a thinking partner, and what that means for strategy in an era of accelerating uncertainty.

    As a speaker, Roger Martin commands the room with the rare authority of someone who has both built the theory and applied it in practice at the highest levels of global business. His keynotes challenge audiences to move beyond strategic theater, the endless plans, OKRs, and frameworks that substitute activity for thinking, toward the disciplined, courageous choices that actually determine competitive outcomes. Senior leaders leave not just informed, but equipped with a clearer lens for the decisions that matter most.

    Roger Martin Speaking Videos

    Roger Martin on How Strategy Really Works
    Roger L. Martin - Creating Great Choices

    Roger Martin Speaking Topics

    Most organizations mistake planning for strategy, and pay for it in lost ground. Roger Martin dismantles the most common strategic myths and replaces them with a rigorous, actionable framework built on five integrated choices: winning aspiration, where to play, how to win, capabilities, and management systems. Drawn from his landmark book Playing to Win and decades of advisory work with the CEOs of Procter & Gamble, Lego, and Ford, this keynote gives leaders the tools to build strategies that actually generate competitive advantage, not just operational activity.

    The leaders who consistently outperform do not simply choose between available options, they construct better ones. Roger Martin's framework of integrative thinking teaches executives how to hold opposing models in productive tension and generate creative resolutions that others miss. This keynote introduces the principles, process, and tools behind integrative thinking, equipping leaders with a repeatable methodology for tackling the complex, high-stakes decisions where conventional analysis falls short.

    Drawing from his most recent book, Martin examines the dominant mental models that govern how organizations run, and shows where they lead leaders astray. From incentive design and corporate governance to competitive strategy and democratic capitalism, he offers fresh frameworks on the problems that have resisted easy answers. A challenging and generative keynote for senior leaders ready to question assumptions they have held for years.

    As AI accelerates, the temptation to treat it as a source of answers rather than a partner in thinking is reshaping how organizations make decisions, often for the worse. Roger Martin argues that the strategic fundamentals have not changed: superior performance still flows from disciplined choices made under uncertainty. This keynote examines what AI can and cannot do for strategy, how to avoid the trap of algorithmic certainty in complex environments, and what it means to lead with genuine strategic thinking when the tools for avoiding it have never been more powerful.

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    FAQs on Booking Roger Martin

    Booking Roger Martin means bringing the world's #1 ranked management thinker, as named by Thinkers50 in 2017, to your executive audience. Unlike speakers who offer inspiration without rigor, Martin delivers frameworks that have been tested in the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble, Lego, Ford, Verizon, and American Express. His keynotes on strategy, integrative thinking, and managerial effectiveness give senior leaders not just new ideas but a fundamentally sharper way of thinking about the choices that determine competitive success. He is one of the rare speakers who can shift how a room thinks, not just what it knows. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to check his availability.

    Playing to Win, co-authored with former P&G CEO A.G. Lafley, argues that strategy is not a plan but an integrated set of five choices: a winning aspiration, where to play, how to win, what capabilities are required, and what management systems must be in place. The framework won the Thinkers50 award for Best Book and is used in business schools and executive programs worldwide. Martin's central argument is that most organizations mistake planning, such as goal-setting, budgeting, and operational excellence, for strategy, and that this confusion is why so many well-run companies lose.

    Integrative thinking is a concept Roger Martin developed and introduced to management: the cognitive discipline of holding two opposing models in mind simultaneously and constructing a creative resolution that draws on both, rather than choosing one and discarding the other. Rather than settling for the best available option, integrative thinkers use the tension between conflicting ideas as a generative force. Martin argues this is the defining cognitive skill of the most successful business leaders, and, crucially, one that can be taught and developed.

    Roger Martin speaks on business strategy, integrative thinking, competitive advantage, managerial effectiveness, design thinking, corporate governance, democratic capitalism, and the strategic implications of AI. His talks are ideally suited for C-suite retreats, leadership summits, strategy offsites, and business school executive programs. Whether addressing a board, a senior leadership team, or a large conference audience, Martin adapts his frameworks to the specific strategic challenges of the room. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to discuss how Roger Martin can add exceptional depth and rigor to your next event.

    Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Roger Martin as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Roger Martin's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Roger Martin or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.

    Roger Martin speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Roger Martin to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Roger Martin.

    We only work with Roger Martin on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Roger Martin and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Roger Martin speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Roger Martin for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.

    Yes, Roger Martin is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Roger Martin for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.