Jeff Ponders II
For Jeff Ponders II, embracing distinct passions and skills are the key to unleashing great performance. As such, he's spent his career helping others unlock better performances with his creativity, innovation, and infectious energy.
For over 15 years, Jeff has led strategic initiatives and consumer experiences for some of the world's most recognizable brands. As an executive with marketing agencies like Leo Burnett and Digitas, he launched new capabilities and introduced game-changing strategies for clients such as General Motors, Walmart, Samsung, and Colgate. Today, Jeff helps ambitious brands understand their customers and develop effective business models and creative products as founding partner of The Better Company.
Jeff is also intimately engaged with the start-up community. He leverages his experiences building multiple tech start-ups to guide entrepreneurs and growth-stage businesses as an advisor and board member. Today, Jeff invests as a Princiapl with Invest Detroit Ventures, one of the most active early-stage venture capital firms in Michigan.
Despite a demanding schedule, Jeff remains true to his creative core. A professional saxophonist for 20+ years, he has performed and recorded with some of the most notable names in jazz, R&B, and gospel music. Jeff's most recent jazz album, Spark, is available on all major music platforms. He frequently references his jazz training as the secret to his corporate and entrepreneurial success.
Jeff frequently pulls from his unique experiences from the boardroom to the bandstand to deliver vibrant, memorable keynote experiences. He blends live performance, real-world stories, and practical techniques to help audiences amplify their talents, boldly tackle challenges, and collaborate to discover big ideas and achieve breakthrough results.
Jeff graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and proudly resides in his hometown Detroit with his wife and children.
For Jeff Ponders II, embracing distinct passions and skills are the key to unleashing great performance. As such, he's spent his career helping others unlock better performances with his creativity, innovation, and infectious energy.
For over 15 years, Jeff has led strategic initiatives and consumer experiences for some of the world's most recognizable brands. As an executive with marketing agencies like Leo Burnett and Digitas, he launched new capabilities and introduced game-changing strategies for clients such as General Motors, Walmart, Samsung, and Colgate. Today, Jeff helps ambitious brands understand their customers and develop effective business models and creative products as founding partner of The Better Company.
Jeff is also intimately engaged with the start-up community. He leverages his experiences building multiple tech start-ups to guide entrepreneurs and growth-stage businesses as an advisor and board member. Today, Jeff invests as a Princiapl with Invest Detroit Ventures, one of the most active early-stage venture capital firms in Michigan.
Despite a demanding schedule, Jeff remains true to his creative core. A professional saxophonist for 20+ years, he has performed and recorded with some of the most notable names in jazz, R&B, and gospel music. Jeff's most recent jazz album, Spark, is available on all major music platforms. He frequently references his jazz training as the secret to his corporate and entrepreneurial success.
Jeff frequently pulls from his unique experiences from the boardroom to the bandstand to deliver vibrant, memorable keynote experiences. He blends live performance, real-world stories, and practical techniques to help audiences amplify their talents, boldly tackle challenges, and collaborate to discover big ideas and achieve breakthrough results.
Jeff graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and proudly resides in his hometown Detroit with his wife and children.
The Jazz Master's Guide to Epic Performance
Jazz masters understand that focused practice, collaborative rehearsal, and empathetic audience engagement are the keys to personal growth, collaborative creativity, and better performance. In this engaging keynote, Jeff will share lessons...
Improvise to Innovate: Overcoming Challenges with Creativity
Jazz musicians never fail. Despite facing challenges everyday like most professionals, they are trained to leverage the art of improvisation to turn seemingly inevitable calamity into breathtaking performances. Pulling from more than 20 years of experience as a professional jazz musician, Jeff will break down the secrets of jazz improv to help organizations break free from "how we've always done it." Your leaders will be empowered to meet critical challenges with creativity, confidence,...
The Jam Session: Perform Like a World-Class Jazz Band
Teamwork makes the dream work. But what happens when the dream becomes a nightmare? Complex dynamics, oversized egos, and misaligned objectives amongst teams can destroy morale, productivity, and profitability. With experience ranging from Broadway to C-suite boardrooms, this interactive session with Jeff Ponders II will help teams learn to overcome internal conflict and competition to foster greater collaboration and co-creation. Jeff shares his lessons from the bandstand to help...
Workshop: The Woodshed
Everyone wants to deliver epic performances. Unfortunately, most professionals spend their time overwhelmed by day-to-day tasks. It can be daunting trying to carve out time to invest in developing the skills and tools required to win. Fact is, you can't do better until you are better.
Jazz masters embrace focused practice as the essential ingredient for self-discovery, growth, and better performance. The Woodshed is an interactive workshop that will introduce ambitious...
Workshop: Own Your Ship
Planning and navigating a career in today's economy isn't for the faint of heart.
Certifications & Awards
