Biography
Stephen King is a highly successful serial entrepreneur whose leadership has generated over $750M in shareholder value over his 30-year career in business. He's also a lavender farmer and philosopher.
Between 1985 and 1997, Stephen climbed the ranks at Textronix, a $1.4 billion portfolio technology company headquartered in Oregon. He joined the company as a sales engineer and closed his tenure as Chief Marketing Officer, reporting directly to the CEO, managing Europe from Munich on his journey. Since leaving Tektronix, he has acquired a steady reputation as a skillful turnaround expert and corporate leader. Several of the enterprises he steered to rapidly increased profitability were subsequently sold for unexpected sums ($106M and $400+M). Two companies he founded more recently have achieved rapid growth in competitive software and video markets.
The more success Stephen achieved, the more he was plagued with a simple question: Why? What was he doing or bringing to the table that made such a difference? His training at Wharton had provided a strong foundation for his management and leadership style, yet the obvious business school answers didn't fit. And so his quest began to understand not only the elements of his own good fortune, but also what makes a successful enterprise.
That exploration led him to study mythology and depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where he is in the process of completing a PhD with a focus on Organizational Wisdom.
Before Tektronix and Wharton, Stephen received a B.Sc. degree with honors in Economics/Statistics from the London School of Economics and Queen Mary College and post-graduate education in computer science. He was a collegiate and national champion in fencing and holds a world record for endurance fencing (125 hours). He also played rugby and completed the world's highest run at 18,500 feet in the Himalayas.
A passionate world traveler, Stephen currently serves as an advisor to Mercy Corps on economic development. He also teaches courses on organizational management and marketing feasibility in the MBA program at Portland State University and serves as a consultant, advisor and board member to large corporations, advertising agencies and non-profits. With his wife and four beautiful children, he enjoys skiing, sailing, golf, tennis, and walking the fields at this lavender farm in Central Oregon.