From Employee to Intrapreneur
How leaders create the conditions for people to think, decide, and act like owners.
Keynote speaker · Operator · Author
Keynote Speaker on AI, Intrapreneurship & Leadership
RJ Grimshaw is the founder and CEO of ABLE Leadership. He speaks to CEOs and senior leaders about making AI and ownership actually work in real businesses, drawing on ten years as President and CEO of UniFi Equipment Finance, where he and his team built the Intrapreneur Operating System.
Signature keynote
You Don’t Need Another Pilot
The competitive advantage is already inside your company.
Through real operating stories from his years as CEO of UniFi Equipment Finance, RJ challenges executives to rethink how they develop people, make technology decisions, and create competitive advantage. The central argument is straightforward: Technology doesn’t lead the strategy. Leadership does.
For CEOs, business owners, and senior executives. 15, 30, or 45–60 minutes, in person or virtual.
Speaker reel
Ideas built for the room.
Drawing on 30+ years building businesses and leading teams, RJ shows audiences how to turn change into operating decisions and measurable progress.
Intrapreneurship · 2017
Before AI was the conversation, RJ was helping leaders turn employees into intrapreneurs.
Equipment Finance Advisor interview: “RJ Grimshaw, CEO of UniFi Equipment Finance on Value of Intrapreneurs.”
Watch the 2017 interviewSignature questions
The four questions I ask before any AI
Is leadership aligned?
If leadership isn't aligned on the outcome, no tool, team, or AI will fix it.
What outcome must this business deliver?
Start with the outcome the business must deliver and the work that produces it, then organize people, information, decisions, and technology around it. Technology comes last.
What problem does this tool solve, and what specific work will it eliminate?
Measure success by work eliminated, not tools created.
Who owns the outcome?
Companies that reward people for doing their jobs instead of improving the business leave their competitive advantage on the table.
Speaking topics
Practical leadership topics for teams navigating growth, change, and AI adoption.
The Innovator Inside Your Organization
A practical way to uncover overlooked ideas, remove friction, and turn initiative into growth.
Leadership That Creates Alignment
Translate executive judgment into clear language, shared standards, and stronger decisions.
Why Great Companies Get Stuck
Recognize the operating habits that slow capable teams and build momentum without adding complexity.
The CEO’s Playbook for AI
Lead AI adoption from the business outward, starting with people, process, and measurable outcomes.
AI and Intrapreneurship: Turning Employee Ideas into Business Results.
Turn frontline insight into AI use cases your team can test, govern, and measure without sidelining employee judgment.
Formats
Choose the format that fits your team.
Keynotes
A tailored keynote that gives your audience a clear operating idea, relevant examples, and actions they can apply after the event.
Executive sessions
A facilitated leadership session that turns an AI, ownership, or operating challenge into aligned priorities and next decisions.
Working sessions
A working session that helps a team translate one priority into owners, next steps, and measures of progress.
For event organizers
Speaker bio for event programs.
RJ Grimshaw is the founder and CEO of ABLE Leadership. His work focuses on making AI and ownership actually work in real businesses. He is the author of The AI Edge and a U.S. Air Force veteran.
From 2013 to 2023, RJ served as President and CEO of UniFi Equipment Finance, a subsidiary of Bank of Ann Arbor. He and his team built the Intrapreneur Operating System: leadership set the direction, gave the people closest to the work the latitude to improve it, and held them accountable for results. The business went from spending $1.20 to earn each dollar of revenue to 49 cents, grew net revenue per employee 4.5 times, and contributed $42.4 million to its parent bank in interest and net income.
Today RJ helps mid-market leadership teams turn what their people know into faster decisions and stronger ownership, with AI serving the strategy instead of setting it. He serves as Strategic AI Advisor to the National Equipment Finance Association and is a founding member of Equipment Finance Cares. His credentials include Anthropic’s Claude Partner Badge: Claude Code, Anthropic Certified AI Fluency, MIT Management Executive Education in AI Strategy, and Upstart’s AI & Financial Services certification.
Bring the conversation to your room
Give leaders an idea they can use Monday morning.
Tell us your audience, event date, business priority, and desired outcome. We’ll recommend the best-fit format and next step.