Tom Kuczmarski is the President and Founder of the global consulting firm Kuczmarski Innovation, and an internationally recognized expert in the innovation of new products and services.  Over the course of his career he has helped hundreds of clients, ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 corporations, learn to systematically unlock the value of innovation. Tom is also the co-founder of Chicago Innovation, the year-long series of events and programs aimed at celebrating, educating and connecting innovators in Chicago. In addition to the Chicago Innovation Awards, which annually recognizes the most innovative companies, new products, new services and new business models in Chicago,  Chicago Innovation also oversees programs such as the Chicago Student Invention Convention and the Women Mentoring Co-op.  

 

Tom has been a professor at the Kellogg School of Management for the last 38 years, most recently as the academic director for the program, “Creating and Leading a Culture of Innovation.” He is extensively published and cited on radio, television and in national periodicals including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, The Today Show, CNN, Crain’s Chicago Business, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and many more.  He has also published seven books on innovation and leadership, including his most recent title, Lifting People Up: The Power of Recognition, co-authored with Dr. Susan Smith Kuczmarski. He is the chairman of the Chicago Innovation Board, a trustee on the Retirement Research Foundation Board and a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.