Reggie Fils-Aimé
An award-winning innovator and disruptor, Reggie Fils-Aimé is a proven expert on transforming companies, re-vitalizing brands, and reshaping industries to solve daunting challenges and achieve ‘the impossible.’ Most recently, he was the president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America – the first American and African-American to hold this position.
Revered by business leaders and gaming fans alike, Fils-Aimé helped bring Nintendo’s greatest successes – including the Nintendo DS, the Wii, the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and the Nintendo Switch – to the global marketplace. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, he discusses the importance of intellectual curiosity and innovation in business success, specifically detailing creative, non-linear thinking and gamification as essential elements to thrive in an era of disruption. Using his personal story as an example, he shares with audiences his principles for effective and innovative leadership, including defining a vision, courage in decision-making, and “irrefutable integrity.”
In his 15-year career at Nintendo, Fils-Aimé ran the day-to-day operations and was responsible for all activities for Nintendo in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Named to the International Video Game Hall of Fame, he was responsible for revamping Nintendo’s public relations in North America, addressing the ever-changing challenges of marketing to youth while also continuing to represent the older game-player market. An appointed member of the global Executive Officer committee for Nintendo Co., Ltd., he has world-wide acclaim as an executive who loved leading his business and interacting with its employees, business associates, and consumers.
Prior to joining Nintendo, Fils-Aimé was senior vice president of marketing at VH1, part of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom. During his tenure at VH1, Fils-Aimé engineered the channel’s redirection to young viewers, resulting in an overall 30 percent ratings growth. He also created and executed the marketing plans for The Concert for New York City, which raised more than $35 million for disaster relief in the wake of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.
A graduate of Cornell University, Fils-Aimé began his career at Procter & Gamble, and later brought his innovative and creative problem-solving skills to the restaurant and beverage industries as senior director of marketing for Pizza Hut, senior vice president of marketing and new concept development at Panda Management Company, Inc., and head of marketing for Guinness Import Co. He also worked in private equity for a global durable goods initiative.
Since his retirement, Fils-Aimé is pursuing a number of opportunities dedicated to giving back and growing the next generation of business leaders. Named the inaugural ’Leader in Residence’ for Cornell University’s Dyson Undergraduate Business School, he mentors students on leadership and innovation, encouraging them to become “leaders across a range of as many different disciplines as possible.” Fils-Aimé also serves on the board of directors of the New York Videogame Critics Circle, Spin Master Corporation, and Brunswick Corporation, and is a managing partner for Brentwood Growth Partners, a company he founded to help emerging companies scale and enable leaders to create world-class cultures. He is the author of Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo, offering leadership lessons-learned and inspiring stories from his unlikely rise to the top.