About Sarah
“I write and speak because I believe rigorous research can spark ideas that change how we think, how we work, and how we innovate. The right insight, at the right moment, can make all the difference.”
—Sarah Kaplan
Sarah Kaplan is Professor Emerita and Founding Director of the Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE) at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. She is the author of three books, including the business bestseller Creative Destruction on innovating at the pace and scale of the market; The 360° Corporation, based on her award-winning Rotman course, which offers leaders a practical roadmap for navigating real trade-offs beyond the limits of “win-win” shared value; and the forthcoming Products for the People (W.W. Norton), which shows how designing for people outside the default unlocks braver ideas, stronger demand, and lasting advantage.
She was a strategic lead on Canada’s 2020 Feminist Economic Recovery Plan, the first of its kind globally, and co-authored 360 Governance: Where Are the Directors in a World in Crisis? (2021), outlining board responsibilities for the 21st century. She regularly advises corporations, governments and agencies on inclusive innovation, board and organizational diversity, board governance, corporate purpose, the care economy, employment, and pay equity.
She has been featured in Bloomberg Business, the Financial Times, the Globe and Mail, Fast Company, NBC News, CBC tv and radio, CTV News, TVO, NPR, Forbes, Business Insider, Vice, the Toronto Star, Forbes and many other media outlets, and has provided testimony to federal and provincial legislative bodies.
Her honors include the Governance Professionals of Canada’s Peter Dey Governance Achievement Award, recognition as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, and the Academy of Management Career Award for Scholar-Practitioner impact. Formerly a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School where she remains a Senior Fellow, and an innovation specialist at McKinsey & Company, she holds a PhD from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BA in Political Science from UCLA.
A proud member of the LGBTQ community, Sarah serves on the Board of Directors of GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD Law).
TL:DR shorter version:
Sarah Kaplan is Professor Emerita and Founding Director of the Institute for Gender and the Economy at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. She is author of several books including the forthcoming Products for the People (W.W. Norton). She regularly advises corporations, governments and agencies on inclusive innovation, board diversity, board governance, the care economy, employment, and pay equity. In recognition of her contributions, she was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
► For inquiries about speaking engagements, contact Sarah’s agents at Lavin Agency.
► For media inquiries, please contact Ken McGuffin at the Rotman School.
► Sarah’s literary agent is Margo Beth Fleming.
