Ward Pennebaker received his B.A., cum laude, in psychology from Harvard University. He began working in design at advertising agencies and at Exxon, then formed Pennebaker in 1984. Currently, he serves as chief branding and marketing strategist. His proprietary messaging and positioning process, Strategic Guardrails®, has been implemented in companies throughout the world, and he has conducted research projects in the U.S., Europe, Asia, China, Russia and the Middle East. 

Ward recently was the brand consultant for the Schlumberger purchase of Smith Industries, helping to develop the strategy for integrating Smith’s multiple corporate brands into the Schlumberger identity. 

He serves on the executive committee of the board of directors of the Houston Grand Opera, on the board of the Houston Advertising Federation, and on the advisory boards of Houston Center for Photography, Musiqa, Opera in The Heights and the University of Houston Human Resources Development. He is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators, American Institute of Graphic Artists and American Marketing Association. He is a frequent lecturer on branding, litigation support and marketing strategy.