» Thomas Barta

Thomas Barta

Thomas is a former partner of McKinsey. He has consulted and marketed for over 20 years, in 14 industries, in 45 countries. Thomas’s path-breaking research includes the world’s largest study, with over 68,000 assessments – on what makes for an impactful customer leader. You might have heard of his new book The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader (with Patrick Barwise)—highly praised by Marshall Goldsmith, Seth Godin, Sir Martin Sorrell, and many other business leaders around the world (marketingleader.org).

Thomas challenges Fortune 500 leaders to tackle growth and market disruption in a radically new way. Winning in an age of rapid change isn’t about long strategy documents. It’s about starting the revolution from the inside—by building people who love customers, mobilize peers, build tribes, and inspire change. Customer leaders ask for forgiveness, not permission.

Executives of the world’s most prominent companies have invited Thomas to inspire their audiences. You’ll find him speaking at events for Adobe, Dow Jones, Financial Times, Google, McKinsey, SAP, Advertising Week, and many others. Thomas’s keynotes are consistently ranked as the best and most inspirational.

Thomas acts as a long-standing leadership dean for McKinsey’s and The Marketing Academy’s CMO Fellowship Programme. A select group of C-suite leaders rely on Thomas as their personal mentor and coach.

Thomas is also a columnist for Marketing Week and Forbes.

Book Thomas

The 12 Powers of a Customer Leader

How to grow a business in an age of fast change and market disruption? Thomas Barta provides a radically new perspective from his book The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader (with Patrick Barwise)—based on the world’s largest research on customer leadership. His keynote challenges leaders to embrace growth in a totally new way: by building people who love customers and inspire change. Hear why leading for customers isn’t just about leading your own team—but about leading your bosses and peers too! The aim? More growth, more influence, and quite simply, more fun! (Keynote and Masterclass.)

SPARKS—Ignite The Change You Want To See

How do you invent the next iPhone or ice cream flavor that everybody wants? Business growth requires SPARKS—leaders with passion, big dreams, and fire in their eyes. These leaders encourage big thinking and ignite action in the people around them. Inspired leaders are the SPARKS that make change happen! That’s not just talk—’it’s proven’, based on the largest global research on customer leadership. But SPARKS know: they can only inspire others if they themselves are inspired. There’s no shortcut. So what inspires you—that inspires others? Be the SPARK that lights the fire! (Keynote and Masterclass.)

Leaders Build Tribes

Great leaders build great leaders—it’s a simple truth. The most influential leaders develop powerful tribes compassed around a clear purpose. Learn how to bring the right people together and give them a dream to believe in. Hear what it means to build trust and confidence and hold your tribe accountable. Teams do work. Tribes win. And leaders who build tribes win big! (Keynote and Masterclass.)