Stephen Wunker

Updated at: April 27, 2019, 6:35 p.m.

Stephen Wunker, Managing Director at New Market Advisors. He has a long track record of creating successful ventures for his own companies and on behalf of clients. He is also a frequent writer and speaker on how firms can create new growth platforms. His award-winning books include Capturing New Markets (2011) and Jobs to be Done (2016). His latest book is Costovation (2018).

Steve's accomplishments include:

  • Developed dozens of new growth platforms for his own companies and for clients across six continents
  • Founded New Markets Advisors in 2009 after creating and leading several practice areas in his 5 years at the innovation consulting firm Innosight, co-founded by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen
  • Led development of one of the world's first smartphones, for Psion PLC in partnership with Motorola
  • Pioneered the use of cellphones as marketing tools and founded an early, highly successful mobile commerce company
  • Published frequently in outlets such as Forbes, the Financial Times, and Harvard Business Review.

His press and television appearances include the New York Times, Bloomberg and the BBC. He has also been a guest lecturer at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business

Previously, he was Managing Director of Celpay, a mobile commerce start-up created by the pan-African cellular network Celtel. It was sold to the South African financial services group First Rand. He also served as Celtel’s Business Development Director prior to the company being sold to Zain of Kuwait. Additionally, he was CEO of Brainstorm, a developer of mobile software that acquired a start-up he founded, Saverfone. In that capacity he co-founded what is now the global Mobile Marketing Association, which has been a key institution in preventing the spread of SMS-based spam. He also led the team at Britain's Psion PLC which, in conjunction with Motorola and Ericsson, developed one of the world's first smartphones.

Steve has an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Masters of Public Administration from Columbia University, and a BA cum laude from Princeton University. He has lived in the US, UK, Netherlands, Japan, Ecuador, and Zambia.


Related Books

Jobs To Be Done: A Roadmap For Customer-Centered Innovation