Stephen is an author, speaker and consultant helping emerging brands define their competitive positioning, communication strategies and marketing plans.

Stephen is a frequent international speaker on competitive strategy, marketing, leadership and innovation, focusing on what it takes to out-maneuver the giants we face, regardless of the odds - and how we can learn from these brands and apply their "thinking tools" and cultural shifts to do the impossible.

In his keynotes, he draws on over 80 personal interviews with some of the world’s most effective business people – from Silicon Valley to the townships of South Africa, profiling over 35 (and counting) brands from 13 different countries – as well as others outside of the traditional corporate world, from professional gamblers and hostage negotiators to Hollywood screenwriters and pro football players, creating a vivid and compelling story of how to out-maneuver the giants we face in business and in life.

Prior to consulting, he was a 20+ year senior marketing executive, having managed the people, strategy and budgets at brand name technology companies like Sony, Onstar, Iomega and Plantronics. He has deep experience in both B2B and B2C marketing and has been recognized as a highly creative, “out of the box” strategist.

He has lived and worked in the US and Japan, holds several patents and has an MBA from the Wharton School.

The roster of companies Stephen has consulted for, spoken to or advised includes Hewlett Packard, The North Face, Altria, Campbell‘s Soup, The Conference Board, YPO Global’s “Win the PR War” London conference, Frederique Constant, Elsevier, Jabra, GN Resound and others, from start-ups to Global 500 players. He has also done guest lectures at Wharton, Kellogg, UC Berkeley and others, plus numerous entrepreneur forums and councils.