About David F. D’Alessandro

David F. D'Alessandro David F. D’Alessandro is the author of two previous national bestsellers, Brand Warfare and Career Warfare. A sought-after business advisor and speaker, he is a frequent television guest and guest host, appearing on programs that have included Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, The Today Show, Bloomberg Forum, and CNBC’s Squawk Box. He has also been a guest columnist for the Boston Globe and has been featured in countless newspaper and magazine articles.

He was the chairman and CEO of John Hancock Financial Services from 2000-2005, helping to oversee John Hancock’s transformation from a private mutual company to a major public corporation. During the four years from John Hancock’s IPO to its merger in 2004, the company’s stock price rose 157%. Worth Magazine named D’Alessandro one of “50 Best CEOs,” and Money Magazine named him one of the four “Best New CEOs.”

During the 20 years he spent rising in the ranks at John Hancock, D’Alessandro was known not just for his operational skills, but also as a master marketer. D’Alessandro’s handling of the John Hancock brand and its award-winning advertising led The New York Times to name John Hancock of the 100 “most powerful” brands of the 20th century.

He received the “Marketer of the Year” distinction from Adweek, a leading advertising industry magazine. As the architect of John Hancock’s successful and widely acclaimed sports marketing programs, D’Alessandro was also consistently recognized by The Sporting News as one of the “100 Most Powerful People in Sports.”

In addition to graduating from Syracuse University (B.S.), he holds honorary doctorate degrees from Syracuse, Bentley College, and Newbury College.

D’Alessandro began his career in communications and marketing, and developed his keen eye for the inner workings of organizations while serving many of the biggest names of the day, including Mobil Oil, Citibank, Control Data, Gillette, and Owens Corning. These and many other clients and employers imparted important information about what it really takes to rise in any business-the unwritten rules that D’Alessandro now shares in Executive Warfare.

First impressions are important, and this one is unmistakable: David Francis D’Alessandro, 49, does not want to look, sound, or act the way others expect him to. He does not like to be confined, cornered, pegged, put in a box. He likes to be different, elusive, surprising, ahead of the wave.”

From the Boston Globe, “Doing it His Way” Read the article

About Michele Owens

Michele Owens Michele Owens co-authored two previous bestsellers with David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare and Brand Warfare, which was named one of the best business books of 2001 by Library Journal. She was chief speechwriter for Governor William F. Weld of Massachusetts and a staff speechwriter for Governor Mario Cuomo of New York. Her articles have appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, Organic Gardening, and Elle, and she is a co-creator of GardenRant.com.