Globally recognised authority on strategy, leadership and culture for innovation-led growth
Meet Cris
Cris Beswick is a globally recognised authority on strategy, leadership and culture for innovation-led growth. He has more than 25 years’ experience as a CEO, entrepreneur, board advisor, and investor.
Cris helps Fortune 500 companies, governments, and global institutions build future-fit innovation capabilities and cultures that both innovation-led growth and AI transformation require. As a trusted advisor to organisations around the world, Cris has developed unique expertise in the intersection of strategy, leadership, and human-centred culture.
A pioneer in measuring corporate innovation maturity, Cris brings a pragmatic, results-driven approach to organisational transformation. Cris is the co-author of Amazon bestseller and CMI Management Gold Award winner Building a Culture of Innovation.
He has delivered executive education at leading business schools like Cranfield School of Management and Henley Business School. An internationally sought-after keynote speaker, Cris serves on the advisory board at the Global Innovation Institute and as Senior Fellow at The Conference Board.
He continues shaping the future of corporate innovation through his dual perspective as both seasoned leader, entrepreneur and trusted advisor.
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STRATEGIC ADVISOR
CEOs today face a hard truth: strategy is no longer the constraint, execution speed and innovation capability are. Markets shift faster than annual planning cycles can track, and most senior teams were built to optimise the existing business, not to lead through disruption while growing beyond it.
Cris Beswick works directly with the leadership teams of Fortune 500 companies and ambitious organisations worldwide to close that gap — building the capability, speed, and culture CEOs need from their senior teams to drive innovation-led growth. Rather than treating innovation as a department or a one-off initiative, Cris helps align strategy, leadership, and culture so organisations can move at pace without losing coherence.
Cris partners with C-suite executives to design bespoke strategies that build innovation capability into how the senior team leads, decides, and operates day to day — not as an add-on, but as core muscle.
The outcome CEOs are looking for: a leadership team capable of moving at the speed markets now demand, and an organisation built not just to withstand disruption, but to drive growth by shaping what comes next.
Carron Garmory
Group CEO, Clyde Valley Housing Association
Cris Beswick was an outstanding contributor to our People conference. From the outset, he was highly engaged in understanding our objectives and worked closely with us in the run-up to the event to ensure his presentation and workshop were tailored, relevant and impactful. On the day, Cris was excellent — energising, insightful and highly engaging. He stayed for the full conference, not just his own session, which demonstrated a genuine commitment to understanding our organisation and supporting the wider conversation. Colleagues left with lots of practical takeaways, and Cris generously shared materials with us afterwards so we could continue the discussion and maintain momentum. We would highly recommend Cris to any organisation looking to inspire fresh thinking and embed a culture of innovation in a meaningful way.
Bestselling Author
Cris Beswick is co-author of "Building a Culture of Innovation," recognized as one of the CMI's top books on innovation. This influential work presents a practical framework for embedding innovation into organizational DNA, outlining the critical alignment between strategy, leadership, and culture.
The book distills Cris's extensive experience advising global organizations into actionable insights that have helped countless leadership teams transform their innovation capability. Through clear methodology and compelling case studies, it has become an essential resource for executives seeking to build future-ready organizations in an era of unprecedented disruption.
NIKKI WRAY
Head of People Faculty, Qinetiq
Right from the outset Building a Culture of Innovation helps demystify innovation and how to embed it into the culture of the big, complex corporate company. It helps set innovation, and even the very definition of it, in the context of the individual organization and most importantly helps outline how to measure innovation itself as well as, and more importantly, your progress along your innovation journey. It’s a refreshing change from the usual innovation books that reinforce why we need to innovate, this time the authors have shown us how to communicate innovation, engage people in it and ultimately, make it happen.
ANDREW GRAHAM
Co-founder, Mr & Mrs Smith Hotels
What makes this such a vital read is that it’s not just another innovation book but an essential practical guide for anyone who is looking for the framework to move from talking about innovation in the workplace to actually making it a reality. The pioneering organization is transformed by leadership that can lead on innovation, managers who then manage innovation and a community that are more effectively engaged in the culture of innovation. The authors clearly have an abundance of hands on experience across this innovation value chain and draw on this to deliver a digestible and practical guide for practitioners at all levels.
Keynote Speaker
A dynamic and sought-after voice on innovation excellence, Cris Beswick delivers transformative keynotes to executive audiences worldwide. Drawing on his extensive experience advising Fortune 500 leadership teams, his compelling presentations challenge conventional thinking and provide actionable frameworks for innovation-led growth.
Popular speaking topics include:
■ Building a Culture FOR Innovation
■ The Leadership Blueprint for Innovation-Led Growth
■ Why Strategy, Leadership & Culture Should Eat Breakfast Together
Cris' distinctive blend of provocative insights and practical application consistently earns praise from senior executives seeking to embed innovation capability at the core of their organizations.
SEPHER TARVERDIAN
CEO, Impacters Global Events
The most practical content and applicable tools you ever need for the implementation of innovation culture in your organization is what you get from Cris' sessions. The most though-provoking, and inspirational speech EVER! You made our event a HUGE success Cris.
BRUCE WALKER
CEO & Co-founder, FutureX
Cris was a delight to work with on Future Business Forum, delivering an inspiring and insight filled keynote as well as taking part in a fireside chat. Cris was flexible, proactive in helping promote the event, and easy to work with! We wouldn't hesitate to recommend him as a speaker!
LATEST THINKING
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CONTACT CRIS
Get in touch and chat to Cris about speaking at your conference or event, or working with you and your leadership team.
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