Rita McGrath
Rita McGrath’s Biography
Columbia Business School's Rita McGrath is one of the world’s top experts on strategy and innovation. She is consistently ranked among the top 10 management thinkers in the world by the prestigious Thinkers50 and won their #1 award in strategy. She has written 5 books on leadership, business and organizational management, several of which became best-sellers. She is a trusted partner and strategic advisor in the C-suites of many of the country’s biggest and most well-known companies as they work to grow, evolve, reinvent themselves and see around corners. Rita is known for her energy, positivity, storytelling, and ability to connect with audiences. She is also a sought-after corporate speaker, a long-time educator at Columbia Business School, the author and host of the popular podcast and newsletter Thought Sparks, available on Youtube. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Learn more at RitaMcGrath.com and Valize.com.
Rita is one of the most widely published authors in the Harvard Business Review, including the best-selling article “Discovery Driven Planning” (1995), which was recognized as an early articulation of today’s “lean” startup philosophy and was praised by Clayton Christensen as one of the most important ideas in management - ever. She is also a highly-respected academic researcher whose work has won awards from the most prestigious management journals.
Rita is recognized as one of a small group of experts who have built today’s best-in-class innovation practices. She has won many awards for her work and impact, including the CK Prahalad award for impact on practice, the theory to practice award from the Vienna Strategy Forum and multiple “best book” awards for her work.
Rita joined Columbia Business School in 1993. Prior to life in academia, she was an IT director, worked in the political arena, and founded two startups. She received her Ph.D. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and has degrees with honors from Barnard College and the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs. She is active on all the main social media platforms.