The Association for Talent Development (ATD) has named Whitney Johnson, CEO and cofounder of Disruption Advisors, as the recipient of its 2025 Talent Development Thought Leader Award. The award, one of the most prestigious in the field, recognizes individuals whose body of work has had a sustained and significant impact on developing talent and advancing the profession.
Johnson, a globally recognized expert on talent development and strategic execution, is known for her pioneering S Curve of Learning® framework, which has been adopted by organizations globally to accelerate execution through people-centric strategies. Her firm, Disruption Advisors, works with Fortune 100 enterprises and high-growth companies alike to close the gap between strategy and execution by fixing how they function together.
“Working alongside Whitney, I’ve witnessed firsthand how her insight, empathy and strategic vision empower leaders to turn potential into performance,” said Amy Humble, president and cofounder of Disruption Advisors. “Her ability to transform theory into meaningful, measurable growth makes her an exceptional partner — not just to our team, but to every organization we serve.”
Johnson shares recognition with Adam Grant, this year’s Champion Award recipient and acclaimed author, speaker, organizational psychologist and professor at The Wharton School.
A former award-winning Wall Street analyst, Johnson is also a WSJ-bestselling author and host of the popular Disrupt Yourself podcast. She has been named one of the top 10 management thinkers in the world by Thinkers50.
“I’m honored to receive this recognition from ATD and so grateful to my cofounder Amy Humble and to our entire team at Disruption Advisors for making this award possible,” said Johnson. “At Disruption Advisors, our mission is to transform strategy into results. This award recognizes that strategy doesn’t fail for lack of vision — it fails in execution. Execution happens through people. Companies don’t disrupt — people do.”
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