Product Visionary - executive leadership - c-level

I help companies build great

stories

relationshipsculturessystems

Keynote Speaker | Agile Marketer

I am so excited you’re here. Thank you for joining me on my journey as a growth catalyst, speaker, author, and operational leader.

I’ve been blessed to build and run businesses from early-stage companies to over $1B annual revenue, assemble teams across six continents, been part of the small team leading an IPO ($880M), and participate in multiple acquisitions. My unique experience being inside hundreds of high-growth companies with the opportunity to analyze, scale, make changes of leadership, and oversee operations has given me the moniker “the king of scaling companies”.

Within companies, you’ll typically find me as the Chief Marketing Officer who has made good friends with the product team and the operations team. At conferences and corporate events, you will find me as the keynote speaker on high-performing leadership or modern marketing and demand generation. Follow me on social, and you’ll find me regularly sharing modern marketing strategies and tactical tips with marketers, those in the C-suite, and general high-performers – as well as pointing out the tools and trends to skip.

What I really enjoy doing is giving back as others have done for me. This has enabled me to advise thousands of leaders, from startup founders to the President of the United States. Still weird writing that last part. Ultimately, I just want to help people and believe we have to work crazy hard to make the future happen.

Welcome to the hub for my journey. Let’s connect and do this together.

Read my Story >>

Kurt Uhlir history
PreviousNext
1234
Kurt speaking to entrepreneurs and venture capitalists at Southland by LaunchTN.
Kurt Uhlir's keynote Thriving in theAge of Industry Disruption and Technology Changes at PPAI NA Leadership Conference at the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame
Thriving in the Influence Economy
img-6

MY PASSION: HOW DOES IT WORK?

There’s something to be said about working with passionate leaders that truly love what they do and are striving to accomplish their mission. I’m no different. While it took me many years to figure out what I’m working for. I believe it’s our job to multiply what we’ve been given by helping others reach their potential.

ARR growth rate - hypergrowth companies

A Leader’s Guide To Achieving Hypergrowth & Avoid Common Missteps

Every leader wants to grow their company. Some leaders even…
Read more
What Is Enterprise SEO?

What is Enterprise SEO? An Executive’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization & Organic Lead Generation

When was the last time you heard someone say “I love Google”…
Read more
team leadership meeting in office

The Business Case for Servant Leadership: Why It Outperforms Traditional Leadership

/
0 Comments
If you've ever wanted to become more effective at leading others, this article is for you. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about servant leadership so you can lead by example.
Read more

What others say about Kurt

Kurt is an incredible human being.

In his role as Showcase IDX’s CMOover the past 18 months (and VP at eXp), Kurt has not only built a successful marketing, SEO, and go-to-market strategy; he has rolled up his sleeves and put in the work, successfully positioning the company as one of our industry’s leaders, dramatically increasing our new business and trajectory. Kurt’s elite abilities, experience, and insights across an impressively wide range of disciplines make him an invaluable part of our team. Add to that, his engaging personality allows him to bring people together to solve big problems and achieve big goals.

Kurt is someone who I’ve seen time and again put his principles, his commitment to servant leadership, and his empathy on the table when it counted. When the rubber hit the road, occasions when others may have drifted to more personally convenient options, he did the right thing, and as a result has delivered consistent success… and earned our respect.

As I write this, Kurt is still a member of our team, but when the (hopefully very distant) day does come that he moves on, whoever gets the privilege of working with him will be all the better for it and will get a great return on their investment, as Kurt is an incredible human being.

img-10

Kurt’s leadership and experience is a major reason we’ve grown as a company. He represents the best in strategy and execution when it comes to building world-class SaaS companies and coaching executives to grow the team and company. His push for excellence in customer discovery, innovation, and execution have guided us on a path to solve real problems for our customers. His advice and coaching was key to having the fundamentals set up in our SaaS venture to be able to raise our first major round of funding. What sets Kurt apart from others is his ability to dive deep and go well beyond any expectations because of discipline, character and work ethic. Kurt can bring the best out of people, and it is through his ability to help others see their full potential that makes him a pleasure to work with.

img-11

Kurt is an inspiring leader that motivates his teams to deliver their collective and personal best in all that they do. He is a visionary that leads change within an organization. Kurt operates with the highest level of personal integrity, and he expects the same of the team and organization in which he works.

Kurt epitomizes a servant leader. He is both comfortable talking with the President of the United States and then rolling up his sleeves to work alongside the team to reach our milestones. His experience leading high-growth companies around the world has helped us raise the bar and build the foundation to let our organization truly scale.

img-12

He has been instrumental on a number of high stake projects, including the acquisition of GamesThatGive, Partnership establishment in the paid media space, Vitrue’s funding, and the sale of the company itself. Outside his high business acumen, Kurt is a great person to be around…I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Kurt on some of these projects and would highly recommend Kurt in any endeavor he undertakes next.

img-13

Kurt is very good at what he does, he has excellent analytic skill sets and business insight. Kurt worked on number very important projects with me at NAV2 including Nokia, Shanghai GM and Shanghai VW. I’ve enjoyed working with Kurt very much and highly value his opinions and inputs.

img-14

Kurt is a very strategic thinker with the passion to execute. His skills in change management and organizational process improvements clearly came through in our involvement on the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). He’s a great collaborator and I certainly look forward to working with him again

img-15

What I value most about Kurt is his ability to think beyond the obvious and his desire to push the organization to challenge itself. One clear example was Kurt’s efforts to commercialize alternative uses for navigational maps at NAVTEQ (e.g. gaming, athletics, etc.). Kurt not only played a leadership role in the technical specification but also led the effort to drive the program within the company. Beyond his strategic and creative capabilities, Kurt is unique in his ability to see things from both a technical as well as a business perspective.

img-16

Kurt is an all-star executive to who people across the company call upon when crucial programs are in dire need of decisive action. His remarkable ability to envision and conceptualize corporate strategy is equally matched by his talent for implementing these strategies. He does this work with integrity and humor, and as such, is a highly respected and inspiring leader. I would welcome the opportunity to work with Kurt at any point in the future.

img-17

Due to his understanding the China market, Kurt always has the right and fitful answers for strategies. Kurt is a team player, we have lots of round of discussion among different companies in China, and he can always lead the effort and coordinate well within them.

img-18

I worked with Kurt both as a customer and a colleague while at Useful Networks and NAVTEQ. Kurt spearheaded multiple teams partnering with key executives within NAVTEQ and other companies to develop and launch strategic initiatives that rapidly expanded NAVTEQ into new markets. He brings a wealth of industry knowledge and business know-how to the organization that really helps with setting direction and decision making.

img-19

He has a unique combination of technical and business smarts to cut through a haze of information and identify if a product or service is viable to take to market.

img-20

He has the keen ability to cut through complex technical details to get to the heart of the value proposition and espouse that in a way that resonates with customers. Kurt’s a born leader; a strong charismatic individual, yet with a discerning ear and the natural ability to listen. Kurt acclimates to the big picture quickly; yet is willing to roll up his sleeves to get the job done. He makes a definite worthwhile addition to any team. I am happy to endorse him.

img-21

Kurt has a passion and enthusiasm for business that is catching. It is always a delight discussing ideas with him. Kurt has a truly amazing ability to bring people together for productive discussion and finding solutions to complex intellectual property licensing negotiations. He combines a visionary imagination with an analytical mind to craft innovative new strategies for bringing value to the marketplace

img-22

Working with Kurt, one quickly realizes that he is not only passionate about his work but he brings a great perspective and insight with his passion. I worked with Kurt on patent matters at NAVTEQ and he truly is an inventor with big and forward thinking ideas. Besides his contribution to patents, he also led strategic projects and teams for the company. Kurt is highly valuable and inspires high value in others.

img-23

I had the pleasure to work with Kurt about a mobile gaming initiative. Smart guy, strong leadership and excellent strategic planning skills. I would say very nice too.

img-24

During the time we worked together Kurt impressed me immensely with his intellect and savvy business sense. For example, I was working with him to roll out a cutting-edge e-commerce platform with profound legal and financial impact to the company’s existing business model and future revenue stream. Kurt quickly identified all the business issues that need to be resolved before the underlying technology can be launched, and he was instrumental in reaching out to key stakeholders from business affairs, legal and product management to help develop the business/legal framework for this new e-commerce platform. I see Kurt as an entrepreneur who not only thrives in a corporate environment but also relishes the opportunity to work with others to solve complex business problem. He is a great asset to any company…

img-25

I have worked with him and the groups he has lead in multiple areas. He has repeatedly led the company’s efforts in intellectual property development, creating and implementing corporate pricing models, and even participating in domestic and international M&A activity. His work with members of senior management and board members has helped formulate and align the strategic aims of the company with the implementation and execution of policy. His work in developing intellectual property in our highly dynamic and cutting-edge industry has been outstanding. One example, reaching out across industries he has merged our location based information technology with gaming technology and opened new revenue streams for the company. I am co-inventor with Kurt on a patent and have worked with him on multiple projects in this area. He is a credit to our organization and one of the reasons why NAVTEQ is so highly regarded as leader and an innovator within our industry.

img-26

Kurt worked with me on China and was invaluable in helping to pioneer pricing for China LBS maps. Kurt always challenged our thinking which helped us to better define and determine our China strategies.

img-27

Kurt is an energetic and innovative individual who is always looking for the new angle or perspective on a given situation and has an excellent ability to see the opportunity where others might not. Uncommonly, while being extremely creative, Kurt also has the grounded nature to be a capable financial analyst who will not let optimism cloud his judgement…

img-28

I have known Kurt as a friend and a business associate for a number of years. While he is always involved in multiple developments, Kurt has never hesitated to share resources and excels at identifying value in new technology areas. His work on numerous strategic projects has helped to position NAVTEQ for success.

img-29

Kurt has not only established himself as a guru in the mobile entertainment space, but actively and openly shares his knowledge with others in various industry forums. Each interaction I’ve had with Kurt over the past few years has demonstrated his intelligence and his deep insight into a complex industry. He is someone I regard very highly.

img-30

Kurt has been a great asset to our company. He is efficient and timely. He is easy to work with, being flexible when needs change or responsibilities shift. In addition, he is friendly and outgoing. He has a sense of humor and makes work more enjoyable. We’re very glad to have him on our team.

img-31

Kurt is a very intelligent and connected individual. His knowledge of the game industry is very good and his business insight into new technologies is keen. He is able to visualize business models well into the future.

img-32
PreviousNext

Hire me to speak at your event! Have a conference, company event, or team workshop? Let’s talk!

Learn more
16 Best Servant Leadership Books for High-Growth Leaders

The 16 Top Servant Leadership Books for High-Growth Leaders

Read more
Realtor showing smart home protection and automoation proptech solution

What is PropTech and What You Must Know

Read more

A window into my life

When I’m not in the office or helping a company, I split my time between Roswell, Georgia and somewhere outdoors. Wherever I am in the world, you can reach me at @KurtUhlir or catch a glimpse of things below.

Learn more about me