Jeff Kavanaugh is a lifelong student and teacher for how individuals, organizations, and societies can succeed in disruptive times. Through a 30-year career spanning industry, consulting, and tech, he has authored or co-authored a series of works that cover a broad swath of strategy, industry, tech, and professional development. His books include The Live Enterprise: Create a Continuously Learning and Evolving Organization, defines the modern operating model; and Consulting Essentials: The Art and Science of People, Facts, and Frameworks, which shares executive reasoning and communication skills to accelerate development and future-proof careers. Jeff has also authored chapters in the books Leadership@Infosys and Advances in Digital Manufacturing Systems: Technologies, Models and Adoption (Fall 2022).
His most recent publication is Practical Sustainability: Circular Commerce, Smarter Spaces, and Happier Humans. This Amazon #1 best-seller and award-winning book shows how we can solve half the wicked sustainability challenge in the next five years, using today’s technology – and the rest through data-driven R&D that delivers economic viability along with innovation.
Driven by a calling to learn and share, Jeff evolved from his Indiana farming roots to manufacturing and management consulting, advising leading companies to improve their competitiveness and accelerate growth. In 2018 he founded the Infosys Knowledge Institute, where he leads thought leadership through primary research and converting expertise into actionable advice for clients and the market. His current research interests include modern operating models, sustainability, and durable skills development.
In addition to his work in the business sector, Jeff has a passion for learning and teaching in the academic and non-profit sectors, including as adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, and advisor on academic boards. He has worked with thousands of consultants and students to help them develop their careers through individual training and at scale.
Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of North Texas. Jeff also completed Executive Education programs at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Harvard University. He holds a patent on Product Effectiveness (USPTO# 8,799,044).