Will Johnson (executive)
Will Johnson is an American business executive who serves as chief executive officer of The Harris Poll.
Will Johnson
Early life and education[edit]
Johnson was born in Winnetka, Illinois.[2] He attended Crow Island School, where his first grade teacher noticed his reading and speaking abilities did not match, leading to him being diagnosed with dyslexia.[3] He majored in government and law, graduating magna cum laude from Lafayette College in 2002. His honors thesis was about the political impact of Millennials.[4][5] Johnson also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University in 2008.[1][4]
Career and board service[edit]
Johnson worked for Young & Rubicam Group after earning his undergraduate degree. Following graduate school, he returned to the company as chief strategist for BrandAsset Valuator, a database of brand and consumer behavior. In 2015, he was promoted to president of BAV Consulting.[1][4]
Johnson assumed the role of co-chief executive officer of The Harris Poll,[6] alongside John Gerzema in 2017; Johnson oversees the human resources and business units, including a team of 200 pollsters.[3][7] Johnson and Gerzema were recruited by The Harris Poll's parent company, Stagwell Group. Johnson worked to migrate clients from one-time research to ongoing consulting contracts, and reworked the company's surveys to focus on smartphone users.[4] Johnson as been described as an optimist about the polling industry, noting that he believes pollsters need to improve their methodology and rebuild public trust.[8][9]
Johnson has written for various publications including The Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Post,[10] and has served on the board of directors for Tutoring Chicago.[11]
Personal life[edit]
As of 2024, Johnson lived in Chicago with his wife and two children.[1] He is a member of the Young Presidents' Organization and the Economic Club of Chicago.[11]