Advisors will identify and shape best practices, review and refine standards, and help advance the practice of thought leadership

The Global Thought Leadership Institute (GTLI) at APQC, a not-for-profit organization advocating for the standardized practice, production, and promotion of thought leadership, has named three new members to its Board of Advisors:

• Joseph (Joe) Kingsbury, Global Chair of Edelman Business Marketing,
• Dr. Stephen Timme, Founder & President of FinListics Solutions, and
• Rhea Wessel, Writer & Founder of The Institute for Thought Leadership.

“I am delighted to welcome Joe Kingsbury, Dr. Stephen Timme, and Rhea Wessel to the Board of Advisors of the Global Thought Leadership Institute,” said Anthony Marshall, Chair of the Board of Advisors for GTLI and Senior Research Director for IBM Institute for Business Value. “Joe, Stephen, and Rhea all bring a powerful breadth of experience and unique points of view to the work we are doing to build the premier organization globally of and for thought leadership professionals, driving innovation and excellence in everything we do.”

JOSEPH (JOE) KINGSBURY is the Global Chair of Edelman Business Marketing, the unit of Edelman that specializes in integrated communications strategies and programming to engage business-to-business stakeholders. Kingsbury has led client engagements for a wide range of brands across enterprise technology, energy, banking, and professional services sectors, including IBM, Shell, Citi, PwC, Samsung Group, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. In partnership with LinkedIn, he leads the development of Edelman’s annual B2B Thought Leadership Impact Study, an industry-leading research report analyzing how communications and marketing influence purchasing behaviors throughout the customer journey.

DR. STEPHEN TIMME is Founder and President of FinListics Solutions, helping enterprise revenue and consulting organizations better show the business and financial benefits of their solutions and more effectively engage with client executives. He is the co-author of the Amazon bestseller “Insight-Led Selling; Adopt an Executive Mindset; Build Credibility: and Communicate with Impact” and co-author of “7-Steps to Building a Customer-First Revenue Organization.” His early career was in academia, where he served as a Finance Professor at Emory University and an Adjunct Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

RHEA WESSEL founded and leads The Institute for Thought Leadership, a B2B training and consulting firm that helps clients take their ideas to scale with thought-leadership publishing, research, and programs. She advises and trains in ideation, messaging, AI writing, and how to find and articulate the best ideas to become an IP-driven company. As a journalist, she wrote thousands of stories for outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC. She is the author of “Write Like a Thought Leader” and the soon-to-be-released book, “Thought Leadership for Small Firms: How to Use AI to Punch Above Your Weight.”

The trio join seven existing Board of Advisors members that include thought leadership experts from Accenture, EY, IBM Institute for Business Value, KPMG LLP, McKinsey & Company, and the University of Tennessee.

ABOUT GTLI

Through its network of world-class thought leaders, researchers, marketers, editors, designers, and influencers, GTLI promotes the development of distinctive, evidence-based insights that provide business leaders with the information they need to make informed decisions. The Institute serves as a strategic resource in thought leadership through the development and issuance of standards, furthering the profession through education and training programs, and connecting professionals at hosted events.

In June 2025, GTLI released its inaugural GTLI TOP 100 Thought Leadership Producers list, recognizing companies that redefine excellence in thought leadership.

Learn more, access webinars, and view resources at www.apqc.org/GTLI.

ABOUT APQC

APQC helps organizations work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence. With over 45 years of experience, it is the world’s foremost authority in benchmarking, best practices, process and performance improvement, and knowledge management. More than 1,000 member organizations worldwide across 60 industries rely on APQC for the information, data, and insights organizations need to support decision-making and develop internal skills. Learn more at www.apqc.org.

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Each Board of Advisors member brings a powerful breadth of experience and unique points of view to the work we are doing to build the premier organization globally of and for thought leadership professionals, driving innovation and excellence in all we do.