Paul Laudicina

Paul Laudicina is the chairman emeritus of global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney and the founder and chairman of its internal think tank, the Global Business Policy Council. Previously, he served as A.T. Kearney’s CEO, chairman of the board, and managing partner. Laudicina studied for the priesthood, but four decades after leaving the seminary he preaches from a different pulpit as the man who successfully led an extraordinary turnaround at A.T. Kearney. When Laudicina took the helm, A.T. Kearney was, as Morgan Stanley put it, “a firm on chemotherapy.” In the span of six years, he restored the firm to health and grew its business in markets around the world, expanding its global footprint by 30 percent to include offices in 40 countries, and recorded consistent double-digit growth. He is exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau.

Repeatedly named to Consulting Magazine’s ranking of the “Top 25 Most Influential Consultants,” Laudicina believes people and organizations need to be guided by strategic rather than tactical vision—putting in place strategies that are proactive rather than reactive. He also endorses values-based strategies that not only support sustainable profitability but also society as a whole.

Accolades and Authorships. Laudicina’s latest book, Beating the Global Odds: Successful Decision-Making in a Confused and Troubled World, was one of 800-CEO-Read’s top 10 business books of 2012, as well as a top business book choice by Soundview Executive Book Summaries. While Laudicina’s first book, World Out of Balance, is diagnostic, Beating the Global Odds lays out prescriptive solutions. The book focuses on why the global economy collapsed in the first place and why some players – A.T. Kearney among them – managed to succeed despite the harsh economic conditions. One key element in surviving and prospering in uncertainty, he emphasizes, is the need to eschew quick-kill options and put into place strategies that are sustainable in the longer term.

Laudicina’s earlier book, World Out of Balance: Navigating Global Risks to Seize Competitive Advantage, was also selected as one of the top business books of 2005 by Soundview Executive Book Summaries. The book centers on the fundamental imbalances that were creating only the illusion of value and wealth. Laudicina correctly predicted that the course of global economic and political developments was unsustainable, allowing him to foresee shocks ranging from the global economic meltdown to the Arab Spring.

Cross-Sector Experience. Laudicina has worked with leaders of companies and governments across a broad range of strategic, corporate, and public policy issues. In addition to his more than 30 years of global private-sector experience, Laudicina has also served in the public sector as legislative director to then-Senator Joseph Biden. He has worked as senior vice president and director with SRI International, the former Stanford Research Institute, where he was for 10 years. He is also the founder of its policy division. He had earlier served as associate fellow of the Overseas Development Council; a research associate for the United Nations’ Center for Economic and Social Information, as well as a strategic planner for Mobil Oil Corporation.

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