Harvard Business Review editor in chief Adi Ignatius has been named a 2020 Business News Visionary.
Dean Rotbart writes, “Coming aboard the Harvard Business Review as editor in chief in 2009, Adi Ignatius faced an unusual challenge: How to make HBR’s content resonate with a new generation of readers without losing the brand identity that made it distinctive and highly valued during the previous nine decades.
“Acknowledging a need to refresh their approach, HBR management called in consultants for their insights, and conducted focus groups to help guide Adi in his new role. In the end, however, the former Time and Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal staffer, along with his HBR editorial team, ignored the pundits and, instead, went with their gut instincts.
“To borrow a phrase from Robert Frost, ‘that has made all the difference.’
“Adi joined HBR during the tail end of the Great Recession. The magazine, founded in 1922, was imperiled. Without the changes he brought, it might have limped along to this day, buttressed by the strength of its historic brand and by its Harvard Business School patron owner.
“But Adi quickly set about putting his imprint on HBR, enlivening its covers, and diving into the deep end of the digital revolution. Despite naysayers, Adi successfully transformed HBR into a vibrant multi-channel franchise that includes videos, podcasts, webinars, and fresh articles published daily at HBR.org.”
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