A speaker who's lived the room he's standing in.
Marcus G. Phillips brings nearly two decades of executive leadership experience to keynotes that go beyond inspiration — into the kind of thinking that actually changes how leaders operate.
Most leadership talks are delivered by people who've studied leadership. This one is delivered by someone who led.
Executive Fluency
Marcus has operated at the highest levels of organizational leadership — managing P&Ls, directing global teams, and advising C-suite executives across five continents. When he speaks about identity stagnation and leadership growth, he's speaking from inside the experience. Not about it.
A Framework, Not Just a Story
Every keynote is built on the Zone Shift™ framework — a coherent, three-part system that gives audiences a vocabulary and a process, not just anecdotes. Attendees leave with tools they can use Monday morning.
Outcomes, Not Ovations
The goal is not a standing ovation. The goal is that someone in that room uses a word, makes a decision, or starts a conversation they wouldn't have had otherwise. That's the measure Marcus holds every session to.
Nearly two decades of executive experience — brought into the room, not read from a slide.
Marcus G. Phillips led a $1.6B global business unit as Segment CMO — managing teams across five continents, directing a $50M budget, and navigating the kind of organizational complexity most keynote speakers have only read about.
He speaks from the inside of that experience. Not about it.
Available Keynotes
All keynotes are tailored to your audience, industry, and event theme. Marcus works with event organizers ahead of every engagement to ensure relevance and resonance.
The Identity Tax: What Comfort Is Costing Your Leadership
56% of leaders are burned out. 75% of executives have considered walking away. But the real crisis isn't workload — it's identity. High performers are paying an invisible price: staying loyal to a version of themselves that no longer fits who they're becoming. The result is stagnation disguised as success, and exhaustion mistaken for leadership.
What Audiences Will Learn
Prompt or Be Prompted: Teaching Organizations to Think in the Age of AI
As AI accelerates across every sector, the most dangerous assumption in enterprise adoption is that the tool thinks. It doesn't — but it will confirm whatever thinking you bring to it. The growing gap between AI literacy and AI fluency is a leadership problem, not a technology problem. Senior leaders who can't distinguish between using AI and thinking with AI are building organizations that outsource their judgment to a tool that has none.
What Audiences Will Learn
Co-presented with Engage AIS, available independently
The kind of conversation that changes how leaders think on Monday.
Available Formats
Keynote (45–60 min)
Full-stage presentation with Q&A. Tailored to your audience, industry, and event theme. Available in-person or virtually, domestic and international.
Workshop (Half-day)
Interactive, application-focused session. Teams leave with a completed Zone Shift™ diagnostic and a personal action framework. Best for leadership offsites.
Fireside Chat / Panel
Conversational format ideal for executive audiences and summits. Marcus brings the framework into dialogue with sharp, specific answers to the questions your audience is carrying.
Breakout Session (60–90 min)
Focused deep-dive on a single framework concept. Designed for high-potential programs, conference breakout tracks, and team development events.
Speaking Experience
Nearly two decades of presenting to audiences ranging from senior global marketing leaders to rooms of 1,600 — across five continents.
Roundtable Leader — Industry AI Perspectives Conference
East Carolina University · 2026
Prompt or Be Prompted: Teaching Organizations to Think in the Age of AI
Panelist — Career Development Training Camp
Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx / Pentair · 2023
Leadership identity and professional growth
Quarterly Segment Review — Brand Refresh Presentation
Pentair · 2023 · 1,200 attendees
Presented company-wide brand refresh strategy to global employee audience
Leadership Development Program — Customer Experience
Pentair · 2024
Presenter on customer experience strategy for internal leadership cohort
Sales Leadership Summit — Marketing & Sales Initiatives
Pentair · 2017 · 200 attendees
Presented annual marketing and sales strategy to senior sales leadership
Annual Customer Incentive Program — Main Presenter & Host
Pentair · 2016–2019 · 1,200–1,600 attendees per event
Main presenter and program host for five consecutive international customer events — Cancun, Punta Cana, Los Cabos, Tahiti, Symphony of the Seas
Global Brand Council — Lausanne, Switzerland
Pentair · 2012–2024 · Bi-annual · Senior global marketing leadership
Facilitated strategic brand decisions with marketing leaders across worldwide operations
Now Booking 2026–2027
In-person and virtual availability · Domestic and international
Details
From those who've worked with Marcus
There are people who lead from where they are, regardless of title or position. They lead because they care about making others better. The 'how' we achieved together mattered as much as what we achieved. That is Marcus Phillips.
Charlotte Seymour
Communications & Brand Marketing Leader · Former Direct Report
Marcus always speaks his mind, politely and professionally — but there's never any mistaking where he stands, nor that he has the best interests of the people he's with at heart.
Leon Rawitz
Strategic Marketing Leader · Former Direct Report
Marcus possesses a rare ability to quickly build relationships and inspire those around him — which especially sets him apart from other leaders in a buttoned-up, publicly traded corporation. His extraordinary blend of empathy, authenticity, and talent uplifts everyone around him.
Holly Brennan
Director of Operations · Former Direct Report
Let's find out if we're the right fit for your event.
Marcus personally reviews every speaking inquiry and responds within 2 business days.
Tell him about your audience and what you're hoping they take away. That's the most important part of this form — and it's how he determines whether there's genuine fit.
Not ready to inquire yet?
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