Douglas Conant

Douglas Conant is a New York Times bestselling author, Fortune 500 CEO, and one of the world’s most respected authorities on leadership that drives both performance and engagement. He is the only former Fortune 500 CEO recognized as a Top 100 Leadership Speaker, Top 15 Leadership Guru, and twice named a Top 100 Most Influential Author in the World.

Transforming Campbell Soup Into a Leadership Icon

As CEO of Campbell Soup Company from 2001 to 2011, Conant engineered one of the most remarkable corporate turnarounds in modern business. He took employee engagement from among the worst in the Fortune 500 to consistently among the best, while delivering cumulative shareholder returns in the top tier of the global food industry. The company earned the Gallup Great Workplace Award four consecutive years and received the Catalyst Award for advancing women’s careers.

People-First Leadership for Lasting Results

Prior to Campbell, Conant held senior leadership roles at General Mills, Kraft, and Nabisco, where as President he delivered five consecutive years of double-digit earnings growth. He is co-author of the bestseller TouchPoints: Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments, and founder of ConantLeadership, dedicated to improving leadership in the 21st century. He also serves as Chairman of the Kellogg Executive Leadership Institute at Northwestern University and writes for Harvard Business Review. His keynotes show leaders how to build organizations where people thrive and performance soars.

TouchPoints: Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moment

Today the information age has morphed into the “interruption” age. People are swamped with work and emails. And just when they hunker down to get something done, a colleague knocks on the door. Or the phone rings. People tend to push these interruptions aside to focus on the “real work.” But in this counter-intuitive keynote Doug shows us how these brief interactions are the “real work” today and they will be even more so tomorrow. Highlights include how to contribute to a TouchPoint in a meaningful way, the importance of Declaring Yourself, and Walking the Talk.

Leadership: A CEO Perspective: Lessons Learned from a Lifetime of Transformation

Just as Gandhi advised that we must be the change we want to see in the world, leaders who wish to profoundly transform organizations must lead by example. In this keynote, turnaround CEO Doug Conant shares his perspective based on a lifetime of effectively leading organizations towards renewal and growth. Highlights include his guiding principles for leading change and his personal “leadership lessons” from over 35 years of corporate experience and his personal leadership model which provides listeners with the tools needed for enduring transformation.

Performance: A CEO Perspective: Creating a High Performance Organization

In this inspiring keynote the cornerstone of effectively leading others to high performance is revealed. At the heart of an optimally performing organization is the abundant notion of leadership which teaches us to be tough-minded on standards and tender-hearted with people. Highlights include the genius of the “and” and the “Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing” model for excellence.

Engagement: A CEO Perspective: It’s All About the People

How do we engage employees in the most impactful way? In this keynote Doug addresses his “people-first” approach to making work meaningful and building powerful organizations. Learn the tools to effectively and genuinely acknowledge success and show people you “have their back” while also keeping a critical eye on performance. Hear anecdotes that illustrate the notion of visibly energizing and supporting stakeholders so they will vigorously fight for the good of the company. Highlights include Conant’s CEO tips for Attracting, Developing, Engaging, and Retaining the best employees and the profound effect of a personal thank you.