John Grace

John Grace is the Founder and Managing Partner of BrandTaxi, a brand strategy consulting and design firm. BrandTaxi provides strategic advice and design services to corporations from global market leaders to smaller niche companies where brands are important to growth. The firm’s mission is to provide powerful insights that optimize value and results in measurable business growth. His career focus has been on understanding the relationship of the brand asset to shareholder value, and how brand strategy drives effective marketing strategies.

Prior to founding BrandTaxi, John was the Executive Director of Interbrand, the largest global brand consulting firm with offices around the world. He was responsible for leading new strategic and marketing initiatives for the benefit of the firm’s clients both domestically and globally.

Formerly, John was Executive Vice President of Lippincott & Margulies, serving on the Executive Managing Committee and the Board of Directors. There he worked for a wide range of the firm’s domestic and international clients solving complex branding and identity issues. Over the years, he has worked with almost every type of organization and industry.

Mr. Grace is considered a pioneer behind the concept of Brand Architecture and Communications Architecture. He has led the thinking that there must be an easy-to-use yet flexible system behind large and complex brand arrays. These are made up of visual, verbal and structural elements, which must be organized to help large institutions and corporations to successfully communicate what they do in a way that supports and reinforces their brand image.

Among other industry initiatives, John created the annual Conference Board Corporate Image Conference that is today a bellwether gathering for professionals in learning more about brands and the value they create. He has been recognized for his contributions to branding by the Conference Board, as well as receiving the Mobius Award for Creative Excellence.

A popular speaker, John has addressed organizations and governments in Asia, Europe and South America about why brands are valuable and how to maximize that value. He has spoken in Washington about various topics related to branding, is a frequent speaker and panelist at the Conference Board, the American Marketing Association and other organizations interested in brands and the value they create.

A graduate of Tufts University, Mr. Grace received an MBA with distinction from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He is a member of the Board of Overseers of Tufts University and a past Associate of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.