User:Steveschu/Adam Hartung

Adam Hartung (born March 15, 1957) is Managing Partner of Spark Partners, author, columnist, business consultant and speaker. He is best known for his Leadership column in Forbes. Hartung's book, "Create Marketplace Disruption: How to Stay Ahead of the Competition" (FT Press, 2008), describes how disruptive innovation within a company is critical to reaping the benefits of market changes and applying his theory, the Phoenix Principle, to take advantage of white space.

Early life
Hartung was born in Watchhorn, Oklahoma. He holds a B.B.A., suma cum laude, Departmental Honors at Witchita State University (1979), and an MBA with Distinction at Harvard Business School (1982).

Career
Hartung began his career as an entrepreneur, selling the first general-purpose computing platform to use the 8080 microprocessor when he was an undergraduate. Today, he has 20 years of practical experience in developing and implementing strategies to take advantage of emerging technologies and new business models. He writes, consults and speaks worldwide.

His book, "Create Marketplace Disruption: How to Stay Ahead of the Competition" (FT Press, 2008), helps leaders and managers create evergreen organizations that produce above-average returns.

Hartung is currently Managing Partner of Spark Partners, a strategy and transformation consultancy. Previously, he spent eight years as a Partner in the consulting arm of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) where he led their efforts in Intellectual Capital Development and e-business. He has also been a strategist with the Boston Consulting Group, and an executive with PepsiCo and DuPont in the areas of strategic planning and business development.

At DuPont Adam built a new division from nothing to over $600 million revenue in less than 3 years, opening subsidiaries on every populated continent and implementing new product development across both Europe and Asia.

At Pepsi, Adam led the initiative to start Pizza Hut Home Delivery. He opened over 200 stores in under 2 years and also led the global expansion M&A initiative acquiring several hundred additional sites. He also played a lead role in the Kentucky Fried Chicken acquisition.

Hartung is a columnist for Forbes, focusing on leadership and business growth. Notably, in a May 2012 article, he described Steve Ballmer as "the worst CEO of a large publicly traded American company."