“Nothing is more exhilarating than collaborating with individuals who are committed to making a positive difference by applying their imagination to problems deemed too difficult, or even, impossible to solve.”

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

For over 30 years, Bob has been helping organizations unleash their creativity and innovation to achieve dramatic growth and new vitality. He has worked with C-Level executives of major global corporations such as Procter & Gamble, IBM, Carl Zeiss, 3M, BMW, Eli Lilly, HP, and Barclays; helping them to identify and pursue innovative growth opportunities or to elevate their existing practice for company wide innovation.

Other exciting and noteworthy achievements:

• Current President and Board Chair, Product Development and Management Association (PDMA); Previously, Vice-Chair and Treasurer
• Elected (youngest) member of the Creative Problem Solving Institute's Hall of Fame in 2005
• Served as an Officer of the Creative Education Foundation, 1992-2000
• Co-founder, Global Odyssey for Youth (now YouthWise) in 1992
• Quoted on creativity and innovation in Fortune, Inc., Industry Week, Entrepreneur, the Journal of Creative Behavior, and CIO
• Presented at conferences on corporate innovation and creativity in Prague, Florence, Amsterdam, Monterrey (Mexico), Johannesburg, and Wuhan (China)
• Guest lecturer at Harvard Business School, Brown University's Entrepreneurship Program, Duke's Fuqua School of Business, and Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute

PUBLICATIONS

• Robert E. Johnston, Jr. and J. Douglas Bate, The Power of Strategy Innovation, AMACOM, 2003
• Robert E. Johnston, Jr. and Soren M. Kaplan, “Harnessing the Power of Strategic Innovation,” Creativity and Innovation Management, Blackwell Publications, June 1996
• J. Douglas Bate and Robert E. Johnston, Jr., “Strategic Frontiers: The Starting Point for Innovative Growth,” Strategy & Leadership, 2005
• President’s Perspective Quarterly Column, PDMA’s Visions Magazine, 2010-2011

EDUCATION

• Mackinac College, Mackinac Island, Michigan
• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Ottawa University, Ottawa, Kansas
• Graduate Program, Creative Studies, SUCB, Buffalo, New York

BOB AFTER WORK

Bob and his wife, Ty, have been married for four decades. They enjoy gardening, traveling, cooking, motorcycling, and visiting their three adult children (Danielle, Rob, and Emily), who all live in the greater Boston area. Bob is also an avid sports fan of all of the Boston-based professional teams.