Project management is a crucial aspect that most leaders, executives, and managers have to consider in their companies. After all, they have to lead teams while considering product and service development processes. These aspects are critical for any business to succeed in achieving its goals. As a result, people in leadership and management roles must try to develop project management capabilities. The great thing is that many project management experts and leaders are available. These people are some of the most successful and influential people in project management. They have worked with high-profile clients in various roles that provide them with much expertise. As a result, the insights and services these influencers provide will surely benefit and inspire you. We have curated a list of these influencers so you can know exactly which ones to check out. Let’s dive in.
Steve Dotto
Steve Dotto is a business owner, entrepreneur, social broadcaster, and educator. He is well-known for being the host of the Dotto Tech show. It was broadcast on national television between 1992-2010. It taught millions of Canadian watchers about new technology and how it can impact their businesses. Since 2010, he has shifted his focus towards the online world, moving the Dotto Tech show to YouTube. It has become incredibly popular with a worldwide community. It is supported by the Host Grey Matters podcast, which teaches GenX and Baby Boomers how to run an online business and related aspects, like project management. You can find different content and resources on the Dotto Tech website. This includes memberships, webinars, and courses related to technology and online businesses.
George Mentz
Commissioner George Mentz is an internationally acclaimed author, lawyer, and speaker. He is widely considered one of the foremost authorities in wealth and finance management. He has held high professional and faculty positions in some of the world’s best educational institutes and Wall Street firms. He has also pioneered professional development and educational programs with many accreditations. Thousands of top professionals, Fortune 1000 companies, and private corporations have benefited from his and his companies’ services in over 155 countries. This includes organizing wealth education programs for organization giants like HSBC and Reuters. He pioneered and published best-selling books on various aspects of wealth management. This includes finance risk management, business consulting, money, and project management. He was even approved as a White House Commissioner and served as an economic advisor during a successful presidential campaign. He has won many awards in different industries, such as a National Faculty Award and Meritorious Service Medal.
Adriana Girdler
Adriana Girdler is a productivity specialist, entrepreneur, project management expert, professional speaker, author, and facilitator. She is the President, Founder, and Chief Efficiency Officer of Cornerstone Dynamics. It is a firm that provides business management services and training. She is considered one of Canada’s foremost experts when it comes to business productivity and management. Her publications explore project management, productivity, and efficiency in businesses. She addresses issues for both companies and individuals. Some of these publications include Efficiency Matters and The Visual Vision Statement Workbook. She is a TEDx speaker and Huffington Post contributor featured and quoted in various publications. This includes radio, newspapers, television, and trade magazines.
Ricardo Vargas
Ricardo Vargas is a project management expert, experienced leader, business transformation, and crisis management authority. He has extensive experience in capital projects, global initiatives, and product development. He has directed dozens of projects worldwide, managing over $20 billion. He has also worked as an entrepreneur and venture specialist in AI, blockchain, and machine learning technology industries. This includes being the executive director of the project management institute Brightline Initiative and founder of the global consulting firm, Macrosolutions. His focus has been on sharing his extensive expertise and experience with the world. He has written 16 books on project management and business transformation, selling over half a million copies. He has also given 250 keynote addresses worldwide and has millions of listeners on his ‘5 Minutes Podcast.’ He has been awarded the notable PMI Fellow Award.
Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez
Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez is a project management expert, educator, strategy implementation champion, and author. He is considered the world’s leading expert when it comes to project management and strategy implementation. He has authored several books on the topics, including Lead Successful Projects and Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook. Some of his notable positions in business include being the global Chairman of the Project Management Institute and founder of Brightline Initiative. His work revolves around providing consultation and advice to senior leaders in the industry on project management and strategic initiatives. He is also a much sought-after keynote speaker at over 220 conferences worldwide. Some of his several awards and accolades include Thinkers50’s ‘Ideas Into Practice’ Award and being ranked fourth on Global Gurus’ Top 30 list.
Jason Westland
Jason Westland is an entrepreneur, project management expert, author, and founder of ProjectManager.com. ProjectManager is an award-winning software company that provides cloud-based tools for resource management, project planning, and workflow enhancement. Their products have been used in over 100 countries by thousands of countries, including giants like NASA and The UN. As a leader, he has managed hundreds of projects globally, with his current specialization being Online Project Management. He has also published books and methodologies on project management, such as The Project Management Lifecycle. He also regularly contributes to top industry blogs as a guest author and has been interviewed by notable publications like Forbes and PMI.
Mike Cohn
Mike Cohn is a software development specialist, project management expert, coach, and mentor. He is the co-founder of the Scrum Alliance and Agile Alliance, serving on the board of directors for both. He has over 20 years of experience building and developing successful software development organizations and teams. He has held various executive roles in technological companies, ranging from startups to Fortune 40 companies. With such a wealth of experience and expertise, he provides high-quality coaching, training, and online courses. These resources can help anyone deliver the right product and manage their projects. He also offers educational publications on software development that address topics like agile planning, Scrum introduction, and user stories.
Ruth Pearce
Ruth Pearce founded A Lever Long Enough (ALLE), a collaboration of coaches and trainers that support project managers. They provide a range of well-received coaching and training programs that have helped provide clients with a high goal attainment rate. She is experienced in multiple industries and fields, including law, financial services, state government, and nonprofits. She also has over 20 years of experience in project management. She has four LinkedIn courses, which include one for Bravery for Project Managers in 2022. Many international organizations, including UBS, Broadridge, and NYS Government, have benefitted from her teaching style and coaching programs. She strongly advocates for inclusive, collaborative communities in the workplace.
Elizabeth Harrin
Elizabeth Harrin is a project management expert, speaker, author, and educator. She has over 20 years of experience as a project manager, which she uses to provide insights to other project professionals. She has written 7 books on project management. This includes Project Management in the real world (later republished as Shortcuts to Success). She has also written extensively online on the subject on her blog, which became Rebel’s Guide to Project Management in 2022. She also provides live and video mentoring and training while running a membership community of project professionals. This is known as Project Management Rebels. She is a Fellow of the Association of Project Management.
Johanna Rothman
Johanna Rothman is a product development expert, author, consultant, and speaker. She founded Rothman Consulting Group, Inc., a woman-owned small business of online consultants. The business provides various services, including assessments, workshops, and consultations. You can even work directly with Johanna by booking a meeting, inviting her as a speaker, and getting agile transformation and support. She is well-known for providing frank advice to project managers and businesses with a bit of humor. As a result, she is known as the ‘Pragmatic Manager.’ You can also find a range of resources on her website to assist you with project management and product development. This includes books she has authored, articles on many websites, and three blogs on her site. She has also keynoted as a speaker in five continents.
Cornelius Fichtner
Cornelius Fichtner is a project management expert, podcaster, and trainer. He has worked as a project manager for over 30 years in the USA, Germany, and Switzerland. He has led projects for various companies, which include a management consulting company, an international startup, and one of the oldest financial providers in the USA. He received the PMP (Project Management Professional) credential in 2004 and now provides PMP and other credential exam prep training. He is well-known for The PM (Podcast Management) Podcast, which was part of the OPS International LLC company he founded. This was after he realized the potential of podcasting as an educational tool. The company has now become one of the leading online training providers for project management exam prep. Cornelius is also the 2007 Chair of the PMI Orange County Chapter.
Jaideep Khanduja
Jaideep Khanduja is the co-founder and CTO of Accomango, a curated B2B market marketplace for automotive, industrial, and construction companies. He also serves as Regional Director for DoyenGC-ApON, which provides IT security, business, and related knowledge services in India and the US. As a result, he is an expert when it comes to software project management and quality assurance, among various other services. He is also an independent producer, Chapter Host, and planner for TechSoup Connect. Furthermore, he is a freelance journalist and writer whose articles can be found on blogs and his LinkedIn profile.
Lindsay Scott
Lindsay Scott is a project management expert, director, and educator. She is the director at PMO Learning Limited, a training organization that provides courses centered around project management. She is also the co-founder of the House of PMOs, a professional membership community and organization for professionals working in PMOs. She has extensive experience in the field, having worked as the Director of Project Management Recruitment at Arras People for over 20 years. She even co-edited the Handbook of People in Project Management. She has used her extensive expertise to provide education in the PMO field, so she is considered the best PMO trainer in the UK. She also hosts PMO conferences, with her last one having over 400 PMO professionals in attendance.
Susanne Madsen
Susanne Madsen is a globally-recognized project leadership coach, mentor, trainer, consultant, and author. She has helped project and change managers become better company and team leaders. She co-founded the Project Leadership Institute, a world-class learning organization that helps create authentic leaders that can help benefit participants, projects, and whole organizations. She has experience developing high-profile programs worldwide, working with many top companies like Citigroup, JPMorgan, and Philips. She is an award-winning author of The Power of Project Leadership and has keynoted on various topics, like leadership and stress. She regularly contributes to the Association of Project Management.
Mike Cottmeyer
Mike Cottmeyer is the founder and CEO of Leading Agile, LLC. Leading Agile is one of the fastest-growing Agile Transformation agencies, which helps organizations get past various industry challenges after adopting Agile. The company works worldwide with multiple organizations, ranging from Fortune 100 to mid-sized companies. Mike is a thought leader in agile transformation, project management, and planning. After all, he has extensive experience in the IT industry, having worked for notable companies like IBM and John H. Harland. He is a global keynote speaker on Agile Transformation who has been invited to Agile Indy and the Federal Reserve presentations. He continues to be active in the Agile community with a solid social media personality while growing and leading his company.
Robin Kwong
Robin Kwong is the News Format Editor and Newsroom Innovation Chief at Wall Street Journal. He has helped lead various teams exploring journalism’s future, including designers and developers. He has also held multiple roles in newsrooms, including editing, reporting, and senior management roles. As a result, he is the foremost expert when it comes to project management within newsrooms. He is notable for having pioneered interactive news format and email challenges at the Wall Street Journal and award-winning news game, the Uber Game. An interesting fact about him is that he has even gone to prison to interview the former president of Taiwan.
Ben Aston
Ben Aston is a digital project manager, online entrepreneur, and business owner. He is the founder of The Digital Project Manager, which provides a variety of tools, training courses, and articles that can empower project management professionals. He has over 15 years of experience working in top agencies within the UK, like MullenLowe and Wunderman. He has worked with clients like Sony, Land Rover, and Unilever. As an online media entrepreneur, he founded the Black + White Zebra indie media company. The company provides creators and industry leaders with valuable content, community building, and strategic partnerships.
Galen Low
Galen Low is a digital project management expert, team developer, client services professional, and Agile delivery specialist. He is the co-founder of The Digital Project Manager, a comprehensive provider of resources for digital project enthusiasts and workers. He focuses on providing other professionals with the knowledge to lead their teams and succeed in projects through his expertise. After all, he has vast experience delivering positive transformation for professionals and companies in the retail, government, and healthcare sectors. He is also a Product Owner of Black + White Zebra and hosts The Digital Project Manager podcast. On this podcast, he provides digital project management guidance, which includes inspiration, how-to guides, tips, and tools.
Pawel Brodzinski
Pawel Brodzinski is a software project management expert, experienced leader, team builder, coach, public speaker, and author. He is the CEO and leader at Lunar Logic, a development and design agency that helps clients succeed through various services. He tests out his ideas at the company to help improve management techniques. He has extensive experience in all aspects of building and developing software. He has worked in many organizations, including large corporations and startups. Furthermore, he is always experimenting with improving things for his team, making him an innovative change agent. He is also a seasoned coach and speaker who can help cover topics like building teams, portfolio management, and leadership.
Brett Harned
Brett Harned is a digital project management expert, creative leader, consultant, and coach. He is considered an accomplished and established thought leader in the industry. This is because he has over 20 years of experience in service design, strategy, and UX design. He has served in various roles for notable companies, including Vice President of PM at Happy Cog and Senior PM at Razorfish. He has experience with a variety of different projects, ranging from website redesigns to Android products. Some notable clients he has worked with include MTV, Pfizer, and Harvard University. Furthermore, he has also helped executives and senior leaders with strategies that help improve their project management goals. He has shared his expertise in writing publications and speaking at various events globally. He helped form the Bureau of Digital and the Digital PM Summit.
The bottom line
As we have seen, these fantastic individuals have transformed their respective agencies through their project management work and insights. This includes valuable industries like software, IT, and Agile transformation companies. Their work can inspire any project management enthusiasts and leaders to achieve their own goals in the industry. We recommend checking their resources so you, too, can benefit from the content they provide, whether it be training courses, articles, or achievements.
We hope this article has been insightful and has helped you learn about the top project management influencers. Thank you for reading!
