FORA.tv Speaker - John Kao

Dubbed "Mr. Creativity" and "a serial innovator" by The Economist, Dr. John Kao describes his job as "instigator of new things." He is considered a leading authority on the subjects of innovation, organizational transformation, and digital media. He is author of Innovation Nation, and Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity, a BusinessWeek best-seller that has been published in a dozen languages. In addition, he is the founder of Kao & Company, which advises top tier Fortune 500 business leaders as well as government leaders around the world. He has specialized in instructing organizations in the methods for making innovation happen.

As a professor, he taught a popular course on innovation at the Harvard Business School, and held faculty appointments at the MIT Media Lab, Yale College, and the US Naval Postgraduate School. He has started several companies, in areas as diverse as biotech and innovation management. He is also a Tony-nominated executive producer of theater and film, including sex, lies and videotape, and he is an accomplished jazz musician.