Joe Hanson is a distinguished business transformation expert and organizational renewal specialist with over 25 years of experience leading companies through complex turnarounds and successful transitions. His expertise spans crucial areas such as strategic alignment, business restructuring, digital transformation, and financial management—all focused on improving organizational capability and driving sustainable growth.
Joe currently serves as a Partner and CFO at The RBL Group, where he is leading the company's migration into digital offerings in HR, Leadership, Talent, and Organization aimed at improving overall human capability. Under his guidance, RBL is innovating leading-edge, guided learning journeys that blend asynchronous (self-guided) with synchronous (consultative) learning to create greater impact for clients.
With a strong academic foundation, Joe earned his MBA from the BYU Marriott School of Business with High Distinction, with an emphasis in Strategy and Finance, and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting with a minor in Spanish. He has shared his expertise as an Adjunct Faculty Member at the University of Utah's Eccles Graduate School of Business, teaching undergraduate and graduate-level courses in new venture strategy and financing.
Throughout his distinguished career, Joe has consulted with companies across diverse industries including Lodging & Entertainment, Technology, Pharmaceuticals, Energy, Communications, Financial Services, and Food Products. His client portfolio includes prominent organizations such as Occidental Petroleum, Shaw Communication, Medifast, InterContinental Hotels Group, Duke Energy, Exxon Mobil, Pacific Gas and Electric, R.R. Donnelley, Kellogg's, Quintiles, Invensys, Yellow Transportation, and pro bono work for a rural cooperative - Emery Telcom.
Joe's project experience encompasses corporate turnarounds, global restructuring and cost improvements, multi-business integration, business unit design, and support function redesigns. His approach emphasizes team ownership, sustainable change, and organizational transformation with a focus on achieving measurable business results.
Prior to his current role, Joe served as Principal and CFO at Novations Group, Inc. from 1989 to 2002, where he was a partner in a growing strategy and organization design consultancy, serving as both CFO and Chief Administrative Officer. He has also held executive and financial management positions in high-growth consulting businesses and has managed due diligence and launch of an initial public offering.
Joe's exceptional work has been recognized with the Exemplary Change Management Practice Citation Award in 2004 from the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) for the global restructuring of InterContinental Hotels Group, as well as the Value-add Consulting Team Award from the InterContinental Hotels Group. He developed and taught a training curriculum on Consulting Skills for Internal Professionals, delivering the course to IT, HR, Process, Finance, and other internal support professionals.
As a board member for several public and new venture companies, Joe continues to leverage his deep expertise in business strategy, organizational transformation, and financial management to help organizations navigate complex challenges and achieve sustainable growth. His seasoned approach to organization design emphasizes practical solutions that deliver tangible results while building lasting capabilities within client organizations.