Open Assembly and the Center for the Transformation of Work (CTW) are proud to welcome Jon Younger as its part-time Expert in Residence. Jon will assist with Open Assembly’s industry research and advisory business, working with enterprises to enable access to a global pool of on-demand expertise. He will also bring his wisdom and experience to the CTW whose mission is to transform work for a billion people by 2025.
Open Assembly is the global authority on the open talent economy and founded the Center for the Transformation of Work, a not-for-profit community of knowledge workers, talent marketplaces, employers, influencers, and service providers working together to make using digital talent platforms a more valid, sustainable, and acceptable way of working.
Younger, who popularized the hashtag #freelancerevolution is recognized for his writing about the freelance economy in his 2016 book Agile Talent, his articles in Forbes where he is a Contributor, as well as his writing in the Harvard Business Review, Talent Quarterly, and elsewhere. Younger led the first truly global survey of freelancers in collaboration with the University of Toronto and 77 freelance platforms and communities representing over 30 countries, and has lectured about the freelance revolution as a member of the Executive Education faculty at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, at Penn’s Wharton Business School for the Talent Management Institute, and at Copenhagen Business School in Denmark. He holds a PhD from the University of Toronto, and is an active board and advisory member and early stage investor. He and his wife Carolyn live in NYC.
In addition to his focus on freelancing, Younger is known for his HR consulting leadership as a senior partner of the Novations Group and the RBL Group, his co-authorship with Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood and others of HR From the Outside In, HR Global Competencies, and HR Transformation, for his practice leadership as Chief Talent Officer for one of the largest U.S. financial institutions, and for his role as a co-founder of Netvalue US, an early internet pioneer.
Open Assembly Founder and Chairman, John Winsor, who is also the Executive in Residence at the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard University, went on to say, “Jon is the voice of the freelance movement and I am honored to have him be part of our team. We’ve only scratched the surface of what is possible with open talent and I am excited partner with Jon on this journey.”
Commenting on his the role, Younger said, “No organizations are better positioned than Open Assembly and the CTW to bring applied research and practical insight to the transformation of work, and help organizational leaders to establish a more flexible, blended workforce. I’m eager to tell more of the stories of the freelance revolution, and look forward to collaborating with CTW members through research and practice innovation.”
