Barrett C. Brown, PhD, is a global expert on how to develop leaders to successfully navigate complex challenges and rapid change. He works across six continents with C-suite executives and teams from Fortune 500 companies and international non-profits. He has lived in The Netherlands, Brazil and throughout the US, and has worked and traveled in nearly 40 countries.
Barrett serves as the executive coach for a select group of senior leaders. He has delivered dozens of keynotes and leadership programs for 5000+ CEOs, organizational leaders, and government officials. He has co-designed and delivered executive development, team development and/or strategic alignment programs for some of the largest technology, engineering, sportswear, and consumer goods companies in the world – as well as for two of the largest environmental and social NGOs.
Barrett holds a PhD in Human and Organizational Systems and has 12+ years’ experience advising on and leading strategic visioning, execution, and change initiatives for US, Dutch, British, and Brazilian companies and institutions.
Barrett’s award-winning research on the future of leadership is used in executive education programs worldwide, including the Yale MBA. His writings on leadership and sustainability have been translated into 6 languages, are used in the United Nations system, and have been included in half a dozen mainstream leadership books. He produced an award-winning business case study on a large-scale market transformation program he helped lead – in partnership with Unilever and Rainforest Alliance – that is used in business schools globally.
Barrett is on the selection committee of the Katerva Awards – considered the Nobel Prize for sustainability – and has held consultancy status to the United Nations. He has delivered leadership briefings and presentations at global tech companies in Silicon Valley, the Conscious Capitalism CEO Summit, the Society for Organizational Learning European Summit, Esalen Institute, the National Bioneers Conference, the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, the US Department of State, the Inter-American Development Bank and UNDP headquarters.
Barrett’s undergraduate studies are in Mechanical Engineering and English Literature through the University of California at Santa Cruz. His PhD and Master’s degrees are in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University. Barrett’s doctoral research explored how leaders with complex worldviews engage in complex change initiatives. Barrett is a native English speaker, with near-fluent Portuguese and Spanish language skills. He is comfortable coaching and working in any of these languages.
An avid explorer, Barrett’s recent trips included hiking to see Komodo dragons and diving with 11-foot manta rays in Indonesia, exploring the ancient alleyways of Jerusalem, photographing leopards and hippos in Tanzania, skiing a glacier in Austria, and hiking to the top of Half-Dome in Yosemite. He also enjoys meditating, yoga, dancing and performing on stilts with his family.
Barrett lives with his wife and daughter in Honolulu, Hawaii.
