Ashley Konson

Background

About Ashley Konson

Ashley Konson is President of Global Brand Leaders Inc, and an Adjunct Professor of Marketing and Associate Director of the Master of Marketing Program at the Schulich School of Business. He served as Associate Director of the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA in 2023. His passion is bringing leading academic evidence about how brands grow based on what is currently the best, reliable, generalized marketing knowledge about how the world works, how buyers buy and how market interventions work, together with the best practices of marketing practitioners from around the globe for growing brands and businesses to the leadership teams of his advisory services clients, and to the courses and students he teaches every semester. Four values define him, how he acts, and what others can expect from him. The life-long pursuit of wisdom and knowledge so he can become a more able business professional, educator, and human being. The imperative to help others improve in areas that are his strengths because knowledge is valuable when shared. A deep respect for humanity and the power of diversity, and the belief that if you love what you do, you are more likely to excel at what you do! While his primary focus is on growing brands in the marketplace, Ashley also advises clients on leadership philosophy, organizational design and culture as these are integral to designing brand experiences. And, he consults on change management programs to speed the R.O.I of these initiatives. Increasingly, his expertise in personal branding is being sought by those seeking to make more impact in their professional lives. During his career, Ashley has worked in senior and executive-level marketing positions in the United States, Canada, and South Africa, with Nestle, The Walt Disney Company, Imax Ltd, and Holt Renfrew, and since 2002 has been an advisor to clients in a broad cross-section of industries in North America. He is the author and instructor for the Kellogg-Schulich EMBA Designing Brand Experiences program, and Course Director for the MBA & MMKG Brand Management programs at the Schulich School of Business, York University, in Toronto, Canada, and past visiting faculty at S. P. Jain School of Global Management (Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney). Ashley has been recognized frequently for "teaching excellence.” He is a three-time winner and 16-time top-ten winner of the prestigious Seymour Schulich Graduate-level Teaching Excellence Award, 2021 (1st), 2012 (1st), 2009 (2nd). He was the recipient of the John Peace Part-time Faculty Teaching Award in 2021.