Russell Walker

Russell Walker helps companies develop strategies to manage risk and harness value through analytics and big data. In 2019, he joined the faculty of the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington as Director of Experiential Learning in Analytics and Associate Teaching Professor in Marketing and International Business. He leads numerous programs and classes on digital disruption, data science, marketing, and analytics. He founded and leads Walker Bernardo, a consulting firm focused on analytics, data science, risk management, and strategy.

Walker was a Clinical Professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and Associate Director of the Zell Center for Risk Research, where he developed and taught leading and novel executive programs on Big Data and Analytics, Strategic Data-Driven Marketing, Enterprise Risk, Operational Risk, and Global Leadership. While at Kellogg, Walker found and led the Kellogg PRMIA Complete Course in Executive Education for Risk Management. He founded and led the popular Analytical Consulting Lab and Risk Lab, experiential classes, with real-world projects in analytics and risk evaluation. He was awarded the Kellogg Impact award by Kellogg MBA students for excellence and impact in teaching Enterprise Risk Management.

He is the author of the book "From Big Data to Big Profits: Success with Data and Analytics," which examines data monetization strategies and the development of data-centric business models in the new digital economy. He is also the author of the award-winning text "Winning with Risk Management," which examines the principles and practice of risk management as a competitive advantage. He authored the chapter Operational Risk in Insurance as part of "Risk Management in Financial Institutions." He serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Enterprise Risk Management. He has also authored many popular business cases, and the Aspen Institute, Harvard Business School Press, and the Bank of England have recognized his cases for excellence in showcasing lessons in risk management.

His International Business Strategy research includes a comprehensive study of medical tourism opportunities for Turkey and an analysis of tourism transformation in Mexico by the Secretary of Tourism of Mexico. Walker has led executive programs in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe. He frequently speaks on the opportunities with the emerging global middle class and demographic shifts driving changes in international markets. He has been invited to speak at various leading international organizations, including the US State Department, the World Bank, the SEC, The Bank of England, and the International Finance Corporation.

He serves on the Scientific and Technical Council for the Menus of Change, an initiative led by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America, to develop healthier and more environmentally sound food choices. He is a member of the board of the Education and Technology Committee of the Morton Arboretum. He was a board member of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where he developed support programs for Hispanic entrepreneurs and worked with US senators on US Latino matters.

He is often quoted in the Financial Times, Forbes, Bloomberg, the International Herald Tribune, the Washington Post, and CNN, among other news media, and has been invited to share his perspective internationally at the IESE Business School in Spain, Oxford University in England, the Amsterdam Institute of Finance in The Netherlands, the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, and the Indian School of Business in India. Additionally, he has advised leading firms, including Microsoft, the CME Group, John Deere, IBM, Teradata, Discover Financial, Capital One Financial, PepsiCo, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and Hyatt, among others.

Walker began his career with Capital One Financial, Inc., where he served as a corporate strategist specializing in the advancement of analytics in the enterprise for the purposes of improved marketing and risk management. He founded and led multiple centers of excellence in analytical fields while at Capital One. His worked also included international market entry evaluation and technology review.

He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University, where he studied catastrophic risk analysis. He also holds an MS from Cornell University, an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University and a BS from the University of South Florida. Walker speaks Spanish.