Garry Ridge is a celebrated business leader and culture strategist with 25 years of experience as Chairman and CEO of the WD-40 Company. He is a passionate advocate for creating organizational cultures where "Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work," a philosophy he successfully implemented to drive success at WD-40. He provides leaders with a practical blueprint for transforming their workplaces into highly engaged, happy, and high-performing environments.
Ridge has dedicated his career to establishing a learning and empowering organizational culture at the WD-40 Company. This human-centric approach, which emphasizes that employees should go to work feeling safe and with the freedom to make a significant contribution, has become a model for global organizations. He co-authored the book Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called ‘Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A’ with Ken Blanchard, outlining his effective leadership techniques.
Beyond his executive roles, Ridge is committed to educating the next generation of leaders. He is an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego, where he teaches the principles and practices of corporate culture in the Master of Science in Executive Leadership program, applying his real-world success to academic instruction. He holds a Master of Science in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego.
As a highly sought-after speaker, Ridge shares his inspiring personal stories from the WD-40 Company, wrapping them with universally applicable steps and programs. His presentations—which cover topics like The Power of The Learning Moment Culture and The six critical characteristics of a highly engaged culture—are invaluable for organizations undergoing significant change and seeking to invest in human capital development to create a thriving, values-driven workplace.
