About Phil
Phil Gilbert is a recognized leader in design, culture, and organizational transformation, known for driving innovation at scale. In 2012, he was tasked with revitalizing IBM’s legendary design program, spearheading a bold effort to transform how the company approaches and solves complex challenges. By integrating formally-trained designers across the organization and reskilling thousands of employees in design thinking and agile practices, Phil helped establish a sustainable culture of creativity and collaboration. This transformation set a new global standard for the role of design in business and was featured in The New York Times, Fortune, and the acclaimed documentary The Loop.
During his tenure at IBM, Phil also co-chaired the company’s Global Women’s Executive Council and founded the Racial Equity in Design team—both initiatives reflecting his commitment to diversity, empathy, and systemic innovation as essential drivers of business success. His contributions earned him induction into the New York Foundation for the Arts’ Hall of Fame in 2018, as well as recognition as an Oklahoma Creativity Ambassador in 2019 for advancing creative thinking and innovation globally.
Since stepping away from full-time leadership at IBM in 2021, Phil has dedicated his career to helping organizations embrace Irresistible Change™, a framework that transforms resistance to change into a natural strength. By fostering human-centered, agile, and adaptable cultures, he equips leaders and teams to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving world.
Through his Ten X Labs initiative, Phil mentors first-time founders, sharing decades of experience to help them build resilient and innovative companies. He also works closely with global organizations on topics like design governance, change leadership, and cultural transformation. Drawing on over 30 years as a startup entrepreneur and executive, Phil brings a rare combination of practical insight, creative vision, and empathetic leadership to every engagement.
A sought-after speaker, Phil inspires audiences with stories from his work at IBM and beyond, offering actionable strategies for building modern, high-performing organizations that embrace change and unlock innovation. He graduated as a Pe-et Scholar—an honor for the top ten graduating seniors—from the University of Oklahoma and now resides in Austin, Texas.
When he isn’t mentoring or speaking, Phil continues to explore how design, creativity, and leadership intersect to solve some of the most pressing challenges facing businesses and society today.
FEATURED VIDEO
Inducted into New York Foundation for the Arts' Hall of Fame
Phil’s comments upon being inducted into the New York Foundation for the Arts’ Hall of Fame. He discusses the role of the arts and artists in business.
At the British Experience Cafe Design Thinking + Agile
University of Michigan Penny Stamps Speaker Series
Phil takes us through the forces driving the need for large scale culture change, and lessons learned from the 400,000 person IBM change effort.
Northwestern University Segal Design Leadership Series
Phil reveals his philosophy that everything — even your daily life — is a prototype to be learned from and improved upon, in this lecture to the Design and Engineering students at Northwestern University.