Charles “Chic” Thompson is an internationally renowned speaker and author on creativity. During the last 30 years, he has given more than 4,500 presentations and has teamed up with talent ranging from Tony Robbins and Steven Covey to Cirque du Soleil and Second City Improv. Currently, Chic Thompson is the Founder and Executive Director of WAGiLabs, a social innovation incubator where kids share ideas and work together to make the world a better place.
Over his career, Chic has worked extensively for global corporations, including UTC, McGraw-Hill, Accenture and the Young Presidents Organization. He has also worked with such U.S. government agencies as the CIA, the FBI, and NASA, and has helped schools develop stronger creative thinking skills. Early in his career, he worked in new-product development and marketing for W.L. Gore and Associates (the maker of Gore-Tex), Johnson & Johnson, and The Walt Disney Company.
Chic is the author of two creative-thinking business books. His first, What a Great Idea!, has sold more than 250,000 copies and is translated into five languages. His second, Yes, But…: The Top 40 Killer Phrases and How You Can Fight Them, is a guide to overcoming the bureaucratic language that stifles continuous innovation.
Additionally, Chic is an adjunct professor at multiple institutions: Brookings Institution, Federal Executive Institute, Institute for Management Studies, University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and Young President’s Organization University. Through his presentations and instruction, Chic is inspiring executives, MBA students and children to be “curious first…critical second” while creative problem-solving.
Chic received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Delaware and his Masters in Education from the University of Virginia. In 2001, Harvard Business School released a case study on the speaking career of Chic entitled “What a Great Idea!” and in 2004, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business awarded him a Batten Fellowship in Entrepreneurship.
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