Rod McCowan

Rod McCowan is a sought-after expert in strategic change leadership, known for transforming executives and top teams into world-class leaders capable of driving impactful, enterprise-wide change. As the Founder and Chief Catalyst of Accelerance Group International, Rod leverages over 30 years of C-suite experience to coach senior leaders across sectors on leading transformative change with precision and purpose. His work spans public, social, and private sectors, where he has led complex global change initiatives as a CHRO, strategist, and general manager.

Rod's unique leadership journey includes senior roles at some of the world’s most prominent organizations. President George H.W. Bush appointed him as a White House Fellow, and later, as a senior political appointee under President Bill Clinton, he played a pivotal role in revitalizing the U.S. Department of Education. In the corporate arena, Rod held key leadership roles at Herman Miller, Hitachi Data Systems, and VeriSign, where he restructured and led global HR and strategy operations to drive culture change, improve leadership performance, and strengthen organizational results. At Herman Miller, he not only led business turnarounds as Managing Director of Southeast Asia and President of East Asia but also enhanced the company’s leadership on a global scale.

Rod’s expertise extends into the social sector. He served as a senior advisor at New Profit, a leading venture philanthropy firm, where he helped social entrepreneurs scale their organizations and innovations for maximum impact.

Through Accelerance Group, Rod has coached and advised clients ranging from startups to global Fortune 50 companies, equipping them with the strategic insight and leadership acumen necessary to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving business environment. As Associate Professor in the Practice of Organization and

Management at the Goizueta Business School of Emory University, Rod guides MBA candidates and senior executives in becoming principled, high-impact leaders capable of driving meaningful strategic change within their organizations.

Rod holds a Ph.D. in Strategy and Organizational Behavior with honors from IE Business School, IE University (Madrid, Spain). He also earned an M.Sc. in Research Methodology from IE Business School, an M.P.P. from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government (where he was twice named a Kennedy Fellow), and an M.A.R. in Ethics from Yale Divinity School, Yale University.