Dr. Alexandra Samuel ia Harvard-trained social scientist who uses data storytelling to help audiences navigate the transition to a digital world. How can we fight digital distraction and reclaim our productivity? How can we robot-proof the next generation? How can we get our customers' attention amidst the clamor of social media? Combining groundbreaking research with innovative approach to data storytelling, Samuel answers questions like these in her widely-read and influential stories for The Wall Street Journal, The Harvard Business Review and The Atlantic.
A contributor to The Wall Street Journal and the data journalist behind flagship reports like Forbes' annual World's Most Influential CMOs, Alex uses data storytelling to challenge the conventional wisdom on tech, business and society. As one of social media's founding innovators, the author of Work Smarter with Social Media (Harvard Business Review Press) and a Harvard Ph.D., she has the authority to map out digital trends using original data -- and the passion to show audiences what those trends mean for their own work and organizations.
A sought-after tech commentator, Alex writes for The Wall Street Journal, The Harvard Business Review, The Verge, The Atlantic, Today's Parent and The National Observer, and she is the digital columnist for JSTOR Daily. Her data-driven reports on topics like the sharing economy, customer analytics, social media purchasing and digital parenting have been featured in publications like Forbes, Fast Company and Entrepreneur. Tune into NPR or the CBC for a story about digital wellness, social media marketing or family technology, and you may catch Alex summing up the situation with one of her witty one-liners; her TEDx talks have been covered by Slate and The Atlantic.
Alex's work as a data storyteller is grounded in more than twenty years of experience in the tech sector. As the former VP Social at software company Vision Critical, she commanded the company's work integrating social media into its customer intelligence platform for Fortune 500 brands. Samuel also co-founded Social Signal, one of the world's first social media agencies, before serving as the founding director of the Social + Interactive Media Centre at Emily Carr University. And as the Research Director for the Governance in the Digital Economy program, she worked with Don Tapscott to help governments from around the world address the impact of the digital revolution.
Alexandra holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University, where her dissertation was the first comprehensive study of hacktivism (politically motivated computer hacking).