Biography
Dr. Nancy Tennant is a practitioner, professor, and best-selling author in innovation and leadership. She is one of the world’s leading pioneers in transforming businesses to achieve innovation from everyone and everywhere.
Businessweek named Nancy one of the 25 Innovation Champions in the world. She is an Adjunct Professor of Leadership at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, co-founding the highly rated MBA class, The Leadership Studio. Nancy is a co-founder and instructor at the Innovation Academy within the IDEA Center at the University of Notre Dame. She has coached, mentored, and trained thousands of executives and innovators across industries, NGOs, and government organizations. She is a frequent public speaker to “C” level audiences worldwide.
Nancy was the VP of Innovation for Whirlpool Corporation. In this capacity, she reported to two Chairmen/CEOs for over 17 years, transforming Whirlpool into an innovation powerhouse resulting in acclaim from publications such as Fast Company and Fortune while creating billions in new revenue from innovation. Nancy was also responsible for Leadership Development at Whirlpool. In addition, she founded Whirlpool University, with an enrollment of over 10,000 leaders per year from over 170 countries. While at Whirlpool, Nancy founded the affinity group The Creatives, unleashing underappreciated creatives to find their voice through community.
Nancy co-authored numerous articles, including “The 5 Requirements of a Truly Innovative Company” (HBR, Hamel & Tennant). In addition, she co-authored or authored five best-selling books: Mastering Virtual Teams, Unleashing Innovation (listed as one of the “5 Must-Read Books” that are required reading at Harvard Business School), Strategic Innovation, and Transform Your Company for the Innovation Universe, which she also illustrated. Her latest, Giorgio & Maria: Speak Their Names, is a loving biography of her immigrant grandparents. She is presently working on My Life Studio, a book with a practical approach to changing how we show up in interactions that matter.
She holds a doctorate from The George Washington University. She is the President Emerita of The First Tee of Benton Harbor, a not-for-profit organization that offers life skills to at-risk youth. Nancy is a good, but not great, artist, writer, poet, and lap-swimmer. No matter, she enjoys life to the fullest.