Executive thought leadership experts

What our executive thought leadership experts do

Executive thought leadership at Profile begins by agreeing the handful of subjects a named leader should be known for, and the buyers, investors and reporters who decide whether that matters. Photography and video are shot in house. Writing follows: bylined articles, papers and newsletters drafted by Profile for the leader to review and sign off, then pitched to the business, finance and trade press their buyers already read, as independent editorial rather than paid placement. The same arguments carry on LinkedIn and settle into what a search for the leader's name returns.

How they work

The work turns on getting a leader to commit to a position. Most senior people hold one and have never had to write it down, and the interview that extracts it is the part of the job that cannot be delegated to a template. What comes out has to be specific enough to be wrong: a view nobody could disagree with earns no coverage, gets no citation, and changes no reader's mind about the person holding it. Profile also holds a leader to consistency. The same small set of arguments, developed month after month, is what turns a name into a reference point, and a leader who changes subject every quarter never becomes one.

When to bring them in

The usual moment is when a leader's reputation outside the business has fallen behind their reputation inside it: buyers compare the firm on price, reporters call a competitor for the quote, and prospects who look the leader up before a meeting find nothing that settles it. A new role, a new market, or a leadership team that needs to look as deep as it is are the same signal. Profile asks for six months, because publication month after month is what compounds.