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Based In
Bellevue, WA · Available Nationwide & International
Formats
Keynote · Panel · Fireside Chat · Workshop
Booking Contact
Rebecca Proulx · Fortier PR
Availability
Select dates in 2026 · Inquire early
Speaker Bios
Use these as-is for program books, website listings, and event materials. Each is written for a general business audience.
One-Liner
Former Global CIO of lululemon, author of Chief Impact Officer, and one of the few speakers who can make AI transformation feel both urgent and doable.
Short Bio · 75 words
Julie Averill is the author of Chief Impact Officer and founder of Gold Thread LLC. As Global CIO of lululemon, she led the technology transformation that scaled the company from $2B to over $10B in revenue. She advises boards and CEOs at the intersection of AI strategy and organizational readiness, and serves as Independent Director at multiple companies. She lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her wife Cindy.
Long Bio · 150 words
Julie Averill spent nearly three decades proving that culture isn't soft — it's the infrastructure that determines whether transformation succeeds or fails. As Global CIO and EVP at lululemon, she led an eight-year transformation that grew the company from $2B to over $10B in revenue while building world-class technology teams across the U.S., Canada, China, and India. She won NASSCOM's AI Game Changer Award in 2024 for building lululemon's India Tech Hub with nearly 50% women engineers. Prior to lululemon, she served as the first CIO of REI and held senior technology roles at Nordstrom. Today, through Gold Thread LLC, she advises boards, CEOs, and founders on AI strategy and organizational transformation, and serves as Independent Director at INDOCHINO and the University of Washington iSchool. Her debut book, Chief Impact Officer, publishes June 16, 2026 through 8080 Books / Simon & Schuster.
Assets
Headshot · High Resolution
Professional headshot cleared for print and digital use. JPEG, 300dpi.
DownloadBook Cover · Chief Impact Officer
High-resolution book cover for event materials, website listings, and program books.
DownloadSpeaker Reel
Video highlights from keynotes and panels. Available soon.
Coming SoonSample Topics
These descriptions are ready to use in event catalogs and program listings. Every talk is customized to your audience — these are starting points, not scripts.
01
AI Without the BS
Most companies are spending millions on AI while skipping the foundations that determine whether it works. This talk cuts through the hype to address what boards and executives actually need to know: where AI creates real value, why most pilots never scale, and how to build the organizational readiness that turns experiments into competitive advantage.
02
Scaling Without Breaking
Growth exposes every crack in your foundation. Drawing from scaling lululemon from $2B to $10B+ and building teams across four continents, this talk covers what actually holds together when companies grow fast — the infrastructure decisions, talent strategies, and leadership shifts that separate companies that scale from companies that just get bigger.
03
The Human Side of Transformation
Technology doesn't transform companies. People do. This talk explores why so many AI pilots fail and what separates leaders who deliver lasting change from those who just deploy tools. Real, unvarnished examples from Nordstrom, REI, and lululemon — including what didn't work.
04
Building Cultures That Scale
How to maintain high standards while creating psychological safety. Building global teams across time zones and cultures. The practices that helped lululemon scale while building world-class technology capability — and why culture isn't a soft skill, it's your competitive infrastructure.
05
Building Global Teams That Actually Work
Most companies treat distributed teams as cost centers and wonder why they fail. This talk shares the playbook for building global teams as true capability partners — drawing from creating lululemon's India Tech Hub with nearly 50% women engineers and a 95% retention rate when the industry average was 60%.
06
Leading Beyond the Expected Script
What happens when you stop trying to fit the mold and start rewriting it. On bringing your full humanity to leadership — and why the most powerful thing a leader can do is give others permission to be fully themselves too. The professional masks that help us climb the ladder are often exactly what hold our teams back.
Audience Feedback
"I was moved to tears at least twice during your talk. Thank you for your wisdom and message of tolerating ambiguity. This is truly where human leadership outshines the clear answers that AI can deliver."
Carey-Jo H.
WNORTH · Whistler
"She's one of the few speakers who can make AI feel urgent without making it feel overwhelming."
Priya N.
"I circled 'I bet on myself' from your talk. I started using that language for the first time when I relaunched my business this year."
Gaia B.
WNORTH · Whistler
"The strongest part of the talk was how she tied everything back to business outcomes. It wasn't innovation for innovation's sake."
Rachel P.
"I loved your talk today. It felt like you were talking directly to me."
Marcela C.
WNORTH · Whistler
"The refrigerator analogy was brilliant. It made a complicated shift in technology feel instantly understandable."
Aisha K.
"Julie has a way of making a large audience feel like a direct conversation. It never felt scripted."
Nina D.
"You leave her sessions feeling both informed and motivated to actually do something differently."
Samuel V.
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