Omar Johnson

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Omar Johnson's Biography

About Keynote Speaker Omar Johnson With a world-wide reputation for creating deep consumer connections while driving explosive revenue growth, Omar Johnson was voted one of the most innovative CMOs in America by Business Insider and a “Brand Genius” by Adweek. Johnson is best-known for his ground-breaking work as Beats’ first CMO and employee #3, where he leveraged the power of B2H (Business to Human) marketing to drive sales from $20 million to $2 billion becoming the #1 headphones brand in the world before being acquired by Apple for $3 billion. A strong proponent of majority-female teams, Omar brings an empowering take on diversity, seeing it not as Black and white, but about one color: green. “The best brands start with the best people,” he says. “The larger the pool of ideas and experiences, the more money you’ll make.” A popular speaker with Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Salesforce, and ServiceNow, Omar shares a playbook for success that any organization can leverage. More About Omar Johnson A former pre-med student and self-professed science nerd who discovered a talent and passion for marketing, Omar Johnson began his career amplifying international brands at Coca-Cola’s headquarters in Atlanta. His experience led to stints at Kraft Foods (Chips Ahoy) and Campbell’s Soup (Pace Salsa) before being recruited to work at Nike. There, he rose from a junior role to producing some of Nike’s most memorable TV commercials, including “Rise,” starring LeBron James; “All Together Now,” featuring Kobe Bryant; and “The Most Valuable Puppets.” In 2010, Johnson became employee #3 at Beats by Dr. Dre, taking the helm as CMO. He played a pivotal role in transforming Beats from a company struggling to make a name for itself into a cultural icon and a market leader in the headphones industry. Leveraging the power of B2H (Business to Human) marketing he drove sales from $20 million to $2 billion, becoming the #1 headphones brand in the world before being acquired by Apple for $3 billion. Highlights of his tenure include an athlete hangout at the London Olympics in which each attendee left with a parting gift of Beats customized with their country’s flag. The Olympics experience went viral around the world, increasing international sales by 600%. Johnson was also tapped to promote Dr. Dre’s 2015 biopic, Straight Outta Compton, resulting in the “Straight Outta Somewhere” meme generator that allowed people to customize with their hometown. Within 24 hours, “Straight Outta Somewhere” became the #1 trending topic on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, something that no other brand has achieved. It remains one of the most successful social media phenomena of all time. After Beats was acquired, Johnson moved to Apple as Vice President of Marketing before founding his own Beverly Hills-based brand management firm, ØPUS United. At ØPUS, Johnson, one of the top 100 Black Thought Leaders (Blacklist 100), leads a multi-disciplined collective of award-winning executives, athletes, strategists, data scientists, and musicians who understand how to power world-class brands and generate world-class revenue. The company is built on a time-tested methodology called “Culture-Centric Design,” which gleans insights from those who drive consumer behavior in popular culture. These big ideas only get bigger when the ØPUS team adds their diverse backgrounds, languages, lifestyles, and POVs. Through his work with ØPUS United, Johnson has helped develop initiatives, such as “We the People” and “We Got Next,” encouraging conversations around racial equity and the empowerment of younger generations to take action.

SPEAKING VIDEOS
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Omar Johnson | Keynote Speaker

[Growth strategies] Beats by Dre’s Omar Johnson on building a brand and standing out

Omar Johnson, Beats by Dre: Bringing the brand to life through sport

Omar Johnson on the No Noise Beats by Dre

Omar Johnson Interview

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Omar Johnson Keynote Topics

Building Tech Companies from the Ground Up and Harnessing AI

In this talk, Omar Johnson shares his firsthand playbook for scaling tech ventures from zero to multi-billion-dollar success stories. Drawing on his experience founding ØPUS United and leading Beats by Dre’s explosive growth, he explores how emerging companies can leverage culture-driven innovation and AI-powered operations to build resilient, future-ready brands.

From Beats to AI: Disrupting Tech and SaaS with Vision and Leadership

This session unveils the mindset, creative discipline, and leadership principles behind Omar Johnson’s journey from transforming Beats into a global icon to reshaping SaaS strategy with culture-centric design. Attendees will learn how to apply disruptive marketing, authentic storytelling, and AI integration to challenge industry norms and fuel exponential growth.

B2H: Business to Human Marketing and Marketing 3.0 – What’s Next?

As the marketing force behind Beats by Dre, Omar Johnson redefined what it means to go viral and championed a human-first approach to branding. Drawing from his work at Nike, Apple, and multiple tech startups, he introduces the B2H (Business to Human) marketing model—where storytelling, product, and people come together to create purpose-led, unforgettable experiences.

Now CEO of ØPUS United and ØPUS Intelligence Lab, Omar leads the development of next-gen marketing technologies powered by AI. In this timely talk, he shares actionable insights into the future of brand engagement—where customers are creators, data is just the starting point, and meaningful human connection is the ultimate goal.

Leadership: Meeting People Where They Are

Today’s workplace celebrates individuality—cultural background, gender identity, and lived experience are no longer sidelined but seen as drivers of innovation. Yet managing such diversity requires a new kind of leadership.

In this engaging session, Omar Johnson explores how leaders can adapt to a workforce that thrives on authenticity. By understanding and embracing difference, organisations can build stronger cultures and deliver better business outcomes.

The Beats Story: Building a Winning Company Culture and International Brand

When Omar Johnson left Nike to join a niche headphone startup, few could have predicted Beats by Dre would become a global powerhouse. In just four years, the brand surged from $20 million to $2 billion in sales—thanks to disruptive marketing, culture-led storytelling, and a dynamic company culture rooted in creativity and inclusion.

In this powerful talk, Omar shares the behind-the-scenes journey of building Beats—from shaping brand identity on a tight budget to cultivating a flat, diverse team culture. The result? A case study in scaling global impact through vision, innovation, and authenticity.

Omar Johnson's Biography

About Keynote Speaker Omar Johnson

With a world-wide reputation for creating deep consumer connections while driving explosive revenue growth, Omar Johnson was voted one of the most innovative CMOs in America by Business Insider and a “Brand Genius” by Adweek. Johnson is best-known for his ground-breaking work as Beats’ first CMO and employee #3, where he leveraged the power of B2H (Business to Human) marketing to drive sales from $20 million to $2 billion becoming the #1 headphones brand in the world before being acquired by Apple for $3 billion.

A strong proponent of majority-female teams, Omar brings an empowering take on diversity, seeing it not as Black and white, but about one color: green. “The best brands start with the best people,” he says. “The larger the pool of ideas and experiences, the more money you’ll make.” A popular speaker with Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Salesforce, and ServiceNow, Omar shares a playbook for success that any organization can leverage.

More About Omar Johnson

A former pre-med student and self-professed science nerd who discovered a talent and passion for marketing, Omar Johnson began his career amplifying international brands at Coca-Cola’s headquarters in Atlanta. His experience led to stints at Kraft Foods (Chips Ahoy) and Campbell’s Soup (Pace Salsa) before being recruited to work at Nike. There, he rose from a junior role to producing some of Nike’s most memorable TV commercials, including “Rise,” starring LeBron James; “All Together Now,” featuring Kobe Bryant; and “The Most Valuable Puppets.”

In 2010, Johnson became employee #3 at Beats by Dr. Dre, taking the helm as CMO. He played a pivotal role in transforming Beats from a company struggling to make a name for itself into a cultural icon and a market leader in the headphones industry. Leveraging the power of B2H (Business to Human) marketing he drove sales from $20 million to $2 billion, becoming the #1 headphones brand in the world before being acquired by Apple for $3 billion.

Highlights of his tenure include an athlete hangout at the London Olympics in which each attendee left with a parting gift of Beats customized with their country’s flag. The Olympics experience went viral around the world, increasing international sales by 600%. Johnson was also tapped to promote Dr. Dre’s 2015 biopic, Straight Outta Compton, resulting in the “Straight Outta Somewhere” meme generator that allowed people to customize with their hometown. Within 24 hours, “Straight Outta Somewhere” became the #1 trending topic on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, something that no other brand has achieved. It remains one of the most successful social media phenomena of all time.

After Beats was acquired, Johnson moved to Apple as Vice President of Marketing before founding his own Beverly Hills-based brand management firm, ØPUS United. At ØPUS, Johnson, one of the top 100 Black Thought Leaders (Blacklist 100), leads a multi-disciplined collective of award-winning executives, athletes, strategists, data scientists, and musicians who understand how to power world-class brands and generate world-class revenue. The company is built on a time-tested methodology called “Culture-Centric Design,” which gleans insights from those who drive consumer behavior in popular culture. These big ideas only get bigger when the ØPUS team adds their diverse backgrounds, languages, lifestyles, and POVs.

Through his work with ØPUS United, Johnson has helped develop initiatives, such as “We the People” and “We Got Next,” encouraging conversations around racial equity and the empowerment of younger generations to take action.