OWNER
STRATEGISTS
Dr. Daren Martin
Founder
Some consultants improve processes. Some coaches improve leaders. Daren Martin changes the way organizations think.
He is the architect behind the Owner Strategy Group philosophy that organizations perform at their highest level when people stop thinking like employees and begin thinking like owners. His work is not about motivation. It is about installing a way of thinking that transforms decision-making, accountability, innovation, leadership, customer experience, and culture from the inside out.
Business leaders bring Daren into their organizations when they know they are capable of more but aren't seeing it reflected in the performance of their people. He helps leadership teams replace blame with ownership, compliance with commitment, and good intentions with measurable execution. The result is organizations that move faster, solve problems better, create stronger leaders, and consistently outperform expectations.
Whether working with executive teams, privately held businesses, Fortune 500 companies, or high-growth organizations, Daren has a remarkable ability to identify what is really holding an organization back—and then build practical systems that unlock the potential already inside it. Leaders leave with greater clarity. Teams leave with greater ownership. Organizations leave with a new operating standard.
Daren is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, internationally recognized keynote speaker, executive advisor, and founder of Owner Strategy Group. He has advised organizations around the world, taught leadership and ethics in executive MBA programs, and authored numerous books on leadership, culture, communication, customer experience, and organizational transformation.
His mission is simple: to build organizations where people don't merely work for a company—they think, lead, and perform like owners.
Jerald Pate
President
Jerald Pate is a visionary, entrepreneur, international business strategist, and organizational leader with more than 25 years of experience building organizations, developing new markets, and leading complex initiatives across the United States,
Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
His career spans government service, critical infrastructure security and operations, international business development, elder care, real estate development, and executive leadership. Early in his career, Jerald worked with the U.S. Department of State, an experience that helped shape his understanding of international affairs, cultural dynamics, security, and global trade.
Central to Jerald’s leadership philosophy is what he describes as perspective training: helping individuals understand circumstances, challenges, and people from viewpoints beyond their own. He has authored numerous articles addressing perspective training,
cultural awareness, and integration in the workplace. Participants in his programs have credited this approach with helping them develop a deeper appreciation for the circumstances and vulnerabilities of the people they serve, ultimately making them more
thoughtful and effective professionals.
His commitment to people-centered leadership has also been demonstrated through his work in elder care. While serving as CEO of Life’s Blessings Assisted Living in Phoenix, Arizona, Jerald was recognized as Administrator of the Year, reflecting his commitment to operational excellence, quality of care, and organizational leadership.
Jerald’s work in critical infrastructure included the aviation and maritime sectors. He served as Chairman of both The Modern Airport Conference (TMAC) and The Intelligent Port Expansion and Modernization Conference (iPORT), international initiatives created to bring together government officials, industry leaders, innovators, and other stakeholders involved in shaping the future of airports and seaports
throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Today, Jerald serves as President of Owner Strategy Group, working alongside his friend and colleague Daren Martin, PhD, Jerald brings together decades of operational and international experience with his passion for perspective training, organizational effectiveness, and human performance.
Bob Kraut
Growth Strategy & Market Positioning
Bob Kraut is a growth strategist and former global chief marketing officer who advises CEOs, business owners, and leadership teams on accelerating growth, strengthening brands, and leading organizational transformation. Known for guiding high-profile turnarounds and building high-performing marketing organizations, he has led transformational initiatives for globally recognized brands including Papa John's, Arby's, Pizza Hut, General Motors, and Procter & Gamble. Bob serves on multiple corporate boards, is President of the Harvard Business School Club of Dallas and is recognized for helping organizations translate strategy into measurable business performance.
Will von Bolton
Creative Director
Will von Bolton is a creative director, entrepreneur, and photographer who specializes in helping organizations clarify their vision, strengthen their brand, and create meaningful connections through strategic storytelling and design. With experience working across 38 countries and a career spanning branding, marketing, digital media, and visual communications, Will helps organizations translate complex ideas into compelling messages that inspire action.
Ken Koike
Ken Koike (pronounced KOY-keh) gives executive teams the fluency to turn Japanese-Western business relationships — joint ventures, partnerships, or market entry — from a source of friction and misunderstanding into a source of competitive advantage, drawing on 25 years operating inside American companies and 15 years running Japan operations for global firms.