Charlene Li

For the past two decades, Charlene Li has been helping people see the future and thrive with disruption. She couples the ability to look beyond the horizon with pragmatic advice on what actions work today. She helps executives and boards recognize that companies must be disruptive to compete, not just innovate.

Throughout her career, Li has been at the edge of disruption. She worked in newspapers in the early 1990s, helping these publications navigate the shift from print to online. As a principal analyst at Forrester Research, she covered interactive advertising, search marketing, and the rise of social media. In 2008, Li founded Altimeter Group, a disruptive competitor that challenged analyst firm incumbents such as Gartner, Forrester, and IDC. In 2015, Altimeter was acquired by Prophet and continues to operate under its own brand as a fully owned subsidiary.

Li is currently a senior fellow at Altimeter. Her research there focuses on digital transformation and transformational leadership. She has authored six books, including the New York Times bestseller Open Leadership and the critically acclaimed Groundswell. The Engaged Leader is a call to business leaders to adapt to the digital landscape and revolutionize their relationships by connecting directly with their followers. Her latest book, The Disruption Mindset, lays out a blueprint for disruption. Li’s next book focuses on the new leadership capabilities needed to drive transformation change in today’s fast-moving environment.

Li earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and an A.B. degree magna cum laude from Harvard College.