Craig Gauthier is a leading entrepreneur, consultant and bestselling author, currently serving as Founder and CEO of Strategy Line and Co-Founder of Over Under Golf. With over twenty years of experience building and leading businesses across the sports, IT and marketing industries, Craig brings a practical understanding of what it takes to adapt, lead and grow. At the heart of his work is his R.U.L.E.S.™ Framework, which helps leaders and organisations identify institutionalised patterns, evaluate their impact, and decide what to keep or change. Combining business insight with an entrepreneurial mindset, Craig is a fantastic choice for conferences, leadership summits and workshops.
After achieving a Bachelor of Arts degree in film and a diploma in computer science, Craig founded his first business, eWorldIT, before becoming a professor at Carleton University and Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology. Following his passion for leadership, Craig founded Event Connect, the first analytics platform for event marketing. In 2010, he founded Strategy Line and has since consulted for global brands including Microsoft, Disney, Tommy Hilfiger, Google and the National Hockey League. Alongside being a business mentor and investor at FounderFuel, he was also an Executive at Hill & Knowlton, providing strategic communications and marketing solutions to businesses. Expanding into the sports industry, Craig founded ATP Athletes, which he led for three years, before going on to co-found Over Under Golf.
Craig’s passion for challenging conventional thinking has shaped his work both in and beyond business. As a professor, he brought this approach to the classroom, earning multiple awards for teaching and programme development, including the Most Outstanding Teacher Award, following nominations from both students and peers. His willingness to take on ambitious challenges saw him travel across Canada in just 150 days in 2017, producing and hosting 'Show Me Canada – Where the World Lives' to celebrate the country’s 150th birthday. Bringing these experiences together, Craig published 'Rules Optional', a practical guide with an 11-day transformation challenge to help readers unlearn the rules holding them back and make meaningful changes in their lives.
A sought-after keynote speaker, Craig has delivered more than 1,500 talks to audiences worldwide at conferences, events and organisational meetings. This includes delivering two TEDx talks titled Dream it. Do it. and Wi-Fi vs Water. Through his talks, he explores themes of ambition, action and perspective, encouraging audiences to break away from outdated rules, develop the human skills needed in the age of AI, build trust, improve performance and lead people confidently through change. To secure Craig for your next event, contact Champions Speakers today!
Books
Rules Optional: Break Old Limits. Master New Skills. Rewrite Your Future
Craig Gauthier's official speaking topics are listed below:
Rules: Optional™
Outdated rules rarely look that way from the inside.
They look like policies, processes, best practices, and “the way we do things here.” Over time, they shape decisions, culture, and performance—even after they stop serving the organization.
In Rules: Optional™, Craig gives audiences the R.U.L.E.S.™ Framework to identify the assumptions shaping how they work and lead, decide what still serves them, and rewrite what doesn't. They leave ready to break outdated rules, make better decisions, and turn new possibilities into action.
Audience Takeaways:
- A practical method for identifying the rules and assumptions limiting decisions, performance, and growth
- The R.U.L.E.S.™ Framework for deciding what still serves them and rewriting what doesn't
- Greater clarity to make better decisions and turn new possibilities into action
The Future of Work
The skills that made you valuable yesterday are the very skills making you vulnerable today.
AI is changing what creates value at work. As execution becomes faster and cheaper, value shifts to capabilities technology cannot easily replicate: critical thinking, adaptability, continuous learning, and judgment.
In The Future of Work, Craig uses the C.O.D.E.™ Model to help audiences understand which human capabilities are becoming more valuable and how to strengthen them. They leave with a practical framework for building the human skills that keep them relevant, adaptable, and valuable in the age of AI.
Audience Takeaways:
- A clear view of which human capabilities are becoming more valuable and why
- The C.O.D.E.™ Model for strengthening the skills technology cannot easily replicate
- Practical ways to stay relevant, adaptable, and valuable as work changes
This Is Leadership
Change is no longer an event. It's the environment.
The fundamentals of great leadership have not disappeared, but the context has changed. AI is reshaping what people do. Technology has changed where they do it. Generational shifts have changed what people expect from work and their leaders.
In This Is Leadership, Craig shows leaders how to read the room they're actually in and adapt timeless principles to the conditions in front of them. Audiences leave with practical tools to build trust, elevate performance, and guide people through change.
Audience Takeaways:
- A framework for identifying where current leadership habits are limiting trust, performance, or change
- Practical ways to build trust and commitment across generations and functions
- Strategies for elevating performance and guiding people through change
Official Feedback From In-Person & Virtual Events:
"An energetic, inspiring keynote that attendees continue talking about. Craig set the tone for our Leadership Congress. His ability to engage the audience, provide practical tools and adapt in real time was exceptional. The feedback from our attendees was outstanding." - Angela Hamlyn, CIM Connect
"A masterclass in audience engagement. Craig's practical frameworks resonated with our audience at every level. Best of all, they were simple and immediately actionable." - Claire Mills, CEPSM
"His ability to engage and deliver practical insights is unmatched. Craig delivered another outstanding program. The feedback from participants has been exceptional, and his knack for engaging the audience while delivering meaningful, practical insights is unmatched." - Linda Robinson, Director, Honeywell
"Left the audience feeling both challenged and inspired. Craig's TEDx talk cut through the noise to ask the question most leaders are too busy to ask. His idea of a “return on humanity” completely reframed how we measure success." - Jenna Sudds, TEDx Kanata Founding Curator
"A rare ability to make complex topics engaging. Craig's keynote on generational differences blended humour, storytelling, and audience engagement. It strengthened our connection across our organizations." - Susie Grynol, President, CSAE
"One of the most influential speakers I've seen. Craig's ability to connect with different personalities and generations transformed how our team works together. The skills he teaches continue to improve our collaboration and leadership long after the training ends." - Melodie Caron, Finance Director, N-able
"One of the most engaging presenters I've experienced. Craig combines real-world examples with practical insights. He creates the space for people to think, participate, and apply what they're learning." - Marion Bridges, TE Connectivity
"Challenged participants to think differently. Craig delivered an engaging session that inspired people to embrace new ideas, take thoughtful risks, and communicate more effectively." - Manon Bourgeois, Senior Learning Advisor, Export Development Canada
"Informative, insightful and highly applicable." - Johns Hopkins University
"One of the best speakers I’ve heard." - CES
"A rare talent. Inspiring, funny and practical." - FedEx
- 2026 – Published book ‘Rules Optional: Break Old Limits. Master New Skills. Rewrite Your Future’
- 2025 – Co-Founder of Over Under Golf
- 2020 – Founder of ATP Athletes
- 2013 – Executive of Hill & Knowlton
- 2011 – Business Mentor & Investor at FounderFuel
- 2010 – Founder & CEO of Strategy Line
- 2006 – Founder of Event Connect
- 2000 – Professor of IT Programs at Carleton University
- 2000 – Professor at Algonquin College of Applied Arts & Technology
- 1997 – Founded eWorldIT
How to hire Craig Gauthier
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Craig Gauthier for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
