Jeb Brugmann

Jeb Brugmann, founding partner of The Next Practice, is a strategist and innovation expert in the fields of business and development, serving major corporations, local governments, and non-profit organizations worldwide.

In addition to using a tested, disciplined innovation process developed with leading business thinker C. K. Prahalad, he focuses on innovation in market analytics, product development, and business modeling to increase local responsiveness and customization as a source of competitive advantage and global problem-solving.

With professional experience in 28 countries, he has been a pioneer of new practice domains including urban sustainability and climate change mitigation, base of the pyramid (BOP) business development for large low-income market segments, place-based development, and social enterprise.

In 1990, he founded ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, an international association of 1,200 cities and towns worldwide that are advancing practices in local sustainable development. He served as ICLEI secretary general from 1991–2000, and as interim executive director of ICLEI USA in 2009. In 2004, he co-founded The Next Practice innovation consultancy with C. K. Prahalad.

Jeb is a speaker to business, government, civic, and academic audiences worldwide and provides executive education as a senior associate with the University of Cambridge (UK) Programme for Sustainability Leadership. He has received a variety of distinctions and awards for his international initiatives and publications. His latest book is Welcome to the Urban Revolution: How Cities Are Changing the World (Bloomsbury Press, 2009).