Ryan Mathews, founder and CEO of Black Monk Consulting, is a globally recognized futurist, speaker and storyteller. Mathews is also a best-selling author, a successful international consultant and a sought after commentator on topics as diverse as innovation, technology, global consumer trends and retailing.

He and his work have been profiled in a number of periodicals including Wired, which labeled him a philosopher of e-commerce and Red Herring, which said of him, “It’s Mr. Mathews’ job to ask the hard questions.” In April 2003 Mathews was named as “the futurist to watch” in an article on the 25 most influential people in demographics over the last 25 years by American Demographics magazine.

A veteran journalist, Mathews has written cover stories for Fast Company and other leading magazines has been a frequent contributor to National Public Radio’s Marketplace on topics related to innovation. His opinions on issues ranging from the future of Internet pornography to ethnic marketing have appeared on the pages of literally hundreds of newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Business Week, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Advertising Age and American Demographics.

He is widely regarded as an expert on consumers and their relationship to brands, products, services and the companies that offer them. Mathews has also done significant work in related areas including supply chain analysis, advertising and new product development.

A frequently requested keynote speaker, Mathews has addressed a wide variety of subjects in his speech practice from the future of beauty to the future of house paint.

In addition to speaking and his other areas of expertise Mathews has done significant client work in organizational development as a facilitator and scenario planner.

Mathews is the co-author (with Fred Crawford) of The Myth of Excellence: Why Great Companies Never Try To Be The Best at Everything, which debuted on The Wall Street Journal’s list of Best Selling Business Books. Myth was named to the bestseller lists of Business Week, 1-800 CEOREAD and other business book tracking services. It was also a bestseller on Amazon.com, whose Business Editors selected it for their list of the twelve best business books released in 2001.

Writing about Myth Federal Express chairman, president and ceo Frederick W. Smith called Mathews an “exceptional strategic thinker.” A.G. Lafley, president and CEO of The Procter & Gamble Company said the Consumer Relevancy model advanced in Myth was, “…the best tool I’ve seen for incorporating consumer wants and needs into your business.”

Mathews is also the co-author (with Watts Wacker) of The Deviant’s Advantage: How Fringe Ideas Create Mass Markets, which received uniformly high reviews from The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Fortune, The Miami Herald and Time magazine. He was also a contributor to the best-selling Business: The Ultimate Resource and The Change Champions Fieldguide: Strategies and Tools for Leading Change in Your Organization.

Mathews is currently at work on his third book (again with Fred Crawford), tentatively titled, Engagement: Making Sense of Life and Business which addresses issues as diverse as a new model of branding and the search for the elusive global consumer.

Mathews received his B.A. from Hope College in Inner Asian History and Philosophy and did his graduate work at the University of Detroit where he studied Phenomenological Ontology. He is a Kentucky Colonel and his reputation and experience as a chili authority won him a seat on the International Chili Society’s board of directors. He has also served on the Advisory Board of the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business.