Dr. Richard Florida
Urban Guru and Professor of Business and Creativity at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.
Style
Robust thought leader with inspirational stage impact.
Books
Profile
Richard Florida is one of the world’s leading public intellectuals on economic competitiveness, demographic trends, and cultural and technological innovation.
In the last 5 years, Florida has penned two national bestsellers, The Rise of the Creative Class and The Flight of the Creative Class. His books before that, especially The Breakthrough Illusion and Beyond Mass Production, paved the way for his provocative looks at how creativity is revolutionizing the global economy.
Florida is Professor of Business and Creativity at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Previously, Florida has held professorships at George Mason University and Carnegie Mellon University and taught as a visiting professor at Harvard and MIT. He is a former senior scientist with the Gallup Organization. Florida earned his Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers College and his Ph.D. from Columbia University. As a result, he provides unique, data-driven insight into the social, economic and demographic factors that drive the 21st century world economy.
Florida’s ideas on the “creative class,” commercial innovation, and regional development have been featured in major ad campaigns from BMW and Apple, and are being used globally to change the way regions and nations do business and transform their economies. His holistic approach to problem-solving and strategy development makes him a perfect partner for everyone from international diplomats to documentary filmmakers, and Fortune 100 businesses to community organizers. He’s proud to have worked with a clientele that is as broad as his intellectual interests. Needless to say, Florida is available for consultation or interview on a variety of topics.
Combining in-depth analysis, cutting-edge trends, compelling personal stories and a touch of humor, it is no wonder Richard Florida is one of the world's most sought-after speakers. As a leading public intellectual, Esquire Magazine recently named him one of their Best and Brightest alongside luminaries such as Bill Clinton, Andre Agassi, and Jeffrey Sachs.
His next book, a look at the importance of place and how it affects everything from job opportunities to economic prosperity to relationships and networks, is due out in 2008.
He is Professor of Business and Creativity at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Previously, Florida has held professorships at George Mason University and Carnegie Mellon University and taught as a visiting professor at Harvard and MIT. He is a former senior scientist with the Gallup Organization.
Clients Comments
“All the essential dramaturgical ingredients were there … a compelling narrative (he makes his argument by converting his research into a story, which begins with his Italian immigrant father in Newark, New Jersey), dramatic timing, even props. Predictably, the response was dizzying. You could feel the love. For arts administrators and advocates embattled by financial and social retrenchment, an economic development professor extolling the virtues of creativity becomes a rock star.”
Americans for the Arts Conference, Portland, Oregon.
Toronto-dwelling cityologist Richard Florida, whom I once called "the Justin Timberlake of urban Theorists," is all set to bring book launches back. There's a party in honour of his latest tract, 'Who's Your City?' and all the thinkerati want a piece of it.
National Post
Topics
- TALENT MANAGEMENT: ATTRACTING AND RETAINING THE ‘BEST AND BRIGHTEST’
- The requirements of the Creative Economy, changing expectations of workers, and demographic shifts have caused a serious shortage in workers resulting in the ‘Talent Wars’. The Talent Management Workshop was developed and led by Florida who has been dubbed the “world's leading cartographer of talent” by Fast Company. In this workshop, Florida distills his framework for how to attract and retain talent and explains his analysis of which locations offer the best talent pools for innovative and creative workforce.
- MANAGING CREATIVITY
- In The Creative Management Workshop, Florida leads teams of executive and managers on how to manage creativity culled through more than two decades of research on leading edge companies and his breakthrough Harvard Business Review article with SAS CEO and founder Jim Goodnight. This workshop leads teams through exercises which enable them to develop new thinking and strategic initiatives on how to manage creative people and motivate and inspire them.
- MANAGING DIVERSITY
- Most corporate diversity efforts are compliance driven, adding little to the bottom line. Drawing upon his research and analysis in his best-selling book, Rise of the Creative Class and other sources, Florida's Managing Diversity Workshop provides a framework for making diversity efforts value adding. This workshop leads teams through exercises through which they establish new value producing diversity initiatives.
- MARKETING TO THE CREATIVE CLASS
- This workshop identifies the five major segments of the creative class, what they buy, the trends they set, and the ethos that drives their decisions. Participants come away with both new a understanding of the creative class and initiatives that enable your teams to develop a custom strategy for finding, communicating, and selling to this growing customer segment.
- LEVERAGING LOCATION
- Florida's research identifies the location factor as a key element of business strategy. Location is not an after-thought. It is a key component of overall business strategy, enabling firms to better attract and retain talent, harness creative workforce and market products. The Location Factor Workshop uses research from Rise of the Creative Class and Who's Your City to show the key locations relevant to your business and industry. It provides a series of data-driven team based exercises which will enable your organization to identify its best locations and get the most out its existing ones.
- REAL ESTATE IN THE CREATIVE ECONOMY
- Whether you're a real estate developer, property manager, or corporation, you likely understand the importance of location. The increasing concentration of the Creative Class has intensified their variations in locational advantage or disadvantage. Beyond location, the work style and lifestyle of the Creative Class is forcing real estate professionals to reassess how real estate is designed and used. The Real Estate Development Workshop distills the key factors that underpin real estate success. It provides a series of data-driven team exercise which enable your organization to identify key strategies, programs and initiatives to increase the effectiveness of your real estate investments and projects.
- Creative Class Communities
- Our Creative Communities Leadership Project (CCLP) gives emerging leaders the tools they need to generate greater economic prosperity in their region. No longer are cities competing with neighboring cities, rather mega regions are competing globally. This two-day intensive workshop with your cities crucial leadership will give you the necessary framework to make your community more competitive and vibrant. Richard Florida will equip your team of facilitators with the most current regional economic and demographic data, knowledge of cutting-edge community-building practices and the only national support network of Catalysts and experts.