About Brian Elliott
Helping leaders build a better future of work
Brian Elliott is the CEO of Work Forward, a leadership advisor, and a noted expert on the future of work. After 25 years in tech, including executive roles at Google and Slack, Brian co-founded Future Forum, a think tank focused on the future of work. He is also the bestselling author of How the Future Works, a senior advisor with BCG, an executive in residence at Charter, and one of Forbes’ Future of Work 50.
Brian helps leaders build a future that benefits both people and organizations by combining the latest research with actionable insights gained from his work with a wide range of companies.
Follow Brian on LinkedIn for the latest future-of-work news, research, and insights.
Brian's clients span industries and sizes, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies, including Airbnb, Atlassian, MillerKnoll, Teradyne, and Upwork.
The sharpest thinker and communicator I know on the future of work. He’s not a “strategist” opining from an ivory tower, but someone who knows firsthand how real organizations work.
Brian is that rare, alchemical blend of strategy guru and operating wizard—and I highly recommend him as a speaker and consultant.
Bio
Brian Elliott leads Work Forward, a think tank and advisory group that supports leaders in embracing future-of-work trends and best practices to build better outcomes for people and organizations.
Brian Elliott is CEO of Work Forward and executive-in-residence at Charter, a future of work media and insights company. He's a leadership advisor and recognized expert on the future of work. After 25 years in tech as a startup CEO and executive at companies like Google and Slack, Brian co-founded Future Forum, a think tank focused on the future of work. He publishes the Flex Index, is bestselling author of How the Future Works and the Work Forward newsletter, serves as a Senior Advisor with BCG, and was named to Forbes' Future of Work 50.
Throughout his career, Brian has built and scaled teams through significant growth phases. He guided high-growth startups to profitability and successful exits, led Google's first forays into full-stack commerce, and drove substantial growth and expansion of Slack's Platform while playing key roles in the company's IPO and continued scaling. In 2020, he co-founded and led Future Forum, which brought together data-driven insights with best practices gathered from organizations around the world.
Brian began his career at BCG, where he now serves as a senior advisor. Work Forward advises organizations including Airbnb, Allstate, Atlassian, Capital One, Dynatrace, Teradyne, and Webflow, and operates the Work Forward Forum, an invitation-only community of senior leaders from companies like Cloudflare, Delta Dental, MillerKnoll, Target, and Zillow.
Brian earned his MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar. He has published in leading outlets including Charter/TIME, The Economist, Fast Company, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, and MIT Sloan Management Review. His work is regularly cited by Bloomberg, CNBC, the Economist, Forbes, the Financial Times, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
His work enables leaders to build a future of work that's better for people and organizations, combining research-backed insights with practical advice from his leadership experience. He is the proud father of two young men.
For the latest, read the Work Forward newsletter and follow Brian on LinkedIn.
In the Media
Brian Elliott is the bestselling author of How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams To Do the Best Work of Their Lives, a LinkedIn Top Voice, a senior advisor with BCG, and one of Forbes’ Future of Work 50.
He has been published in Harvard Business Review, Charter, Fast Company, Fortune, MIT Sloan Management Review, and Time, and cited extensively across media outlets, including Axios, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Economist, Forbes, The Financial Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
He has also been invited to share his expertise on broadcast media (CNBC’s Squawk Box), at virtual and in-person events (MIT Sloan Management Review, WSJ Future of Everything Festival, Running Remote), and on podcasts (Brave New Work, Work 20XX, WSJ As We Work) exploring the future of work.
Brian has been an invaluable member of our team as we've worked to evolve our approach. I highly recommend working with him.
Working with Brian has fundamentally shaped how I think, lead, and drive meaningful outcomes in this dynamic environment
Advising, speaking, leading, and more
Executive advisor
One-on-one advisory work with senior executives on core issues like business and talent strategy, leadership development, leveraging technology, and team building. Shares best practices and fosters the development of professional networks. Supports a range of roles, primarily CEOs, business unit leaders, and C-level executive leaders of People, Product, Technology, and Workplace functions.
Speaker
Keynote speaker at executive and industry events focused on the future of work. Panelist and moderator with groups of executive practitioners. Featured speaker at company events, from all-hands to kickoffs to executive suite conversations. Examples include CNBC, MIT, and WSJ appearances.
Workshops facilitator
Conducts sessions with C-level executives, senior leaders, and management teams that leverage future-of-work research and case studies to spur conversation. Introduces new ways of working — including developing team norms, adopting digital tools and asynchronous communication, and embracing outcomes-based management — through engaging hands-on activities.
Task force advisor
Acts as an external member of cross-functional task forces whose goal is to improve organizational performance through alignment across People, Technology, and Workplace organizations. Builds learning-based organizations and drives the adoption of new ways of working by introducing the latest technologies and proven leadership techniques.
Consultant
Works as a member of broader consulting engagements, primarily through BCG, that help C-level executives drive modernization efforts in leadership, skills, technology adoption, and new ways of working. Focuses on product development organizations across industries.
Author and expert voice
Bestselling author of How the Future Works. Columnist for MIT Sloan Management Review, and TIME/Charter. Frequent contributor to a range of publications, including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Fortune. Cited extensively across media outlets such as Axios, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Economist, Forbes, Fortune, The Financial Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
Explore Brian's insights
AI, People & Purpose
Hybrid Work Is Not the Problem — Poor Leadership Is
Fear-Based CEOs Versus Trust-Based Leaders: Who Actually Wins?
AI Anxiety and Burnout: Brian Elliott, Work Forward CEO, on Building Trust in the Workplace
Work Forward: Winning the Future of Work
RTO Mandates: Hard Truths for Leaders
Work forward with us
Whether you’re looking to inspire your team, move an audience, get some support for an internal change program, or just gain new perspective, we’re here to help.
