Aaron Hurst

Aaron Hurst is a serial social entrepreneur and a leading expert on the science of purpose and fulfillment at work. He is the founding CEO of Imperative, a venture-backed start-up, that developed the first employee purpose profiling technology that has enabled hundreds of thousand of people to discover and own their purpose at work. In 2020, he re-launched the company, creating the first enterprise peer coaching platform which has become a critical way to connect and develop employees in the hybrid workplace. By accelerating trust through meaningful conversation, the platform is emerging as one of the most promising solutions for building belonging and breaking down barriers insides companies and society.

In 2001, he founded the Taproot Foundation, where he catalyzed the $15 billion pro bono service market in the US and helped establish markets in over 30 countries. The nonprofit was one of the pioneers in building cross-sector partnerships and helped accelerate the growth of corporate social responsibility.

Aaron’s best selling 2014 book, the Purpose Economy, predicted the rise of purpose as a leading driver of economic growth and innovation. He coined the term ‘Purpose Mindset’ and in partnership with NYU developed the first commercial measure of employee fulfillment. He has led national and global studies on purpose in the workplace and in higher education in partnership with leading corporations and universities.

Aaron was one of the first Ashoka, Draper Richards Kaplan, and Manhattan Institute fellows. He has written multiple books and developed and authored Fast Company’s ‘Purposeful CEO’ series. He has written for or been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg TV, Newsweek, MIT Management Review, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. He is a TED Prize finalist and a LinkedIn Influencer. Aaron frequently keynotes corporate events and conferences. He is a third-generation graduate of the University of Michigan, where he received the Humanitarian Award.

Aaron currently lives in Seattle with his two teenage children and wife, Kara, Amazon’s head of sustainability and co-author of their children’s book, ‘Mommy and Daddy Do It Pro Bono.’