Reggie Fils-Aimé’s remarkable ascent from growing up in the Bronx to leading Nintendo as its president is an exceptional example of how entrepreneurial thinking can take you places you might not expect. Yet Reggie has always taken a unique path – and even gone against convention – in his career. That approach to work and life allowed him to rise to the top at Nintendo, which as an iconic Japanese company has its own set of rules that he had to learn and then unlearn as a leader.
Fils-Aimé shares insights from his new book, Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo, including his five life principles. He also talks about his well-publicized decision to step down from the board at meme stock favorite GameStop.
Meet our guest:
Reggie Fils-Aimé is an award-winning innovator and disrupter who has helped bring the Nintendo DS, the Wii, the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and the Nintendo Switch to the global marketplace. He joined Nintendo of America Inc. in December 2003 as Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. In May 2006, he was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer. He was inducted into the International Videogame Hall of Fame in October 2019 and received the annual Legend Award from the New York Videogame Critics Circle in January 2020.
Prior to joining Nintendo, Fils-Aimé was Senior Vice President of Marketing at VH1. During his tenure at VH1, he engineered the channel’s redirection to young viewers that resulted in an overall 30 percent ratings growth, and he created and executed the marketing plans for The Concert for New York City, which raised more than $35 million for disaster relief in the wake of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.
Fils-Aimé graduated with distinction from Cornell’s Dyson Undergraduate Business School in 1983 which launched a 35+ year career as an operating executive spanning the consumer-packaged goods, restaurant, beverage, and media/entertainment industries. Since retiring, he has focused his energy on developing the next generation of business leaders. In August 2019, he was named the inaugural Cornell University’s Dyson Leader in Residence for the 2019-2020 academic year. He also founded Brentwood Growth Partners to help emerging companies scale and enable leaders to create world-class cultures.
For media and speaking requests, and to suggest a guest for the show, please email letsconnect@patrickmcginnis.com.
© Patrick J McGinnis 2016 – 2020. Privacy policy.
By submitting this form, you agree to our privacy policy and to be contacted by Patrick J. McGinnis. By entering your phone number, you agree that we can contact you by call or text message at the telephone number you have provided.
By submitting this form, you agree to our privacy policy and to be contacted by Patrick J. McGinnis. By entering your phone number, you agree that we can contact you by call or text message at the telephone number you have provided.
