Will Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Johnson in 2024 | |
| Born | 1979 (age 45–46) [1] Winnetka, Illinois, United States |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University, Lafayette College |
| Occupation | Chief executive officer |
| Employer | The Harris Poll |
| Children | 2 |
Will Johnson (born 1979) is an American business executive who is chief executive officer of The Harris Poll.
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]
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 has 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 publications including The Boston Globe , the Chicago Tribune , and The Washington Post , [10] and has been on the board of directors for Tutoring Chicago. [11]
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]