As President and Co-founder of Proactive Worldwide, Inc., David Kalinowski leads the organization in developing and implementing global strategies and tactics to deliver world-class competitive intelligence research, analysis, training, and consulting services.

In 1995, David co-founded Proactive Worldwide, Inc., a leading specialty market research firm that concentrates heavily on competitive analysis, after spending the prior 5 years with a smaller, boutique consulting firm. In 2024, Proactive Worldwide earned a Gold Stevie Award® with its CI Blueprint® course in the Career and Workforce Readiness Solution category and a Global 100 Award from EMG Publishing as the Best Research & Consulting Firm.

A 34-year Competitive Intelligence (CI) veteran, David is a sought-after, dynamic keynote speaker known for his skills in helping clients recognize and transcend their business and competitive challenges. He has directed over 1,000 global research and consulting engagements for over 200 Fortune 1000 companies to help them gain and maintain a competitive edge covering industries such as Financial Services, Technology, Consumer & Industrial Goods, and Healthcare & Life Sciences.

David received a Business Titan Award in 2023 in Excellence and was inducted as a CI Fellow in the Council of Competitive Intelligence Fellows in 2022. He has deep experience in Competitive Strategy, Benchmarking, Market Entry and Defense, War Gaming, Early Warning, Intelligence Transformation, Counterintelligence, and CI Leadership Training.

David has trained over 3,000 CI practitioners from over 25 countries: US, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Brazil, England, Ireland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, India, Thailand, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Egypt and more.

He has co-written two, bestselling books: New Directions: A Competitive Intelligence Tale (2011) and The CI-Driven CEO (2022).

David holds a BS in Political Science/Public Law from Northern Illinois University.

Proactive Worldwide is one of the world's leading specialty market intelligence companies, helping top-tier organizations understand vulnerabilities, better predict market shifts, and plan for growth with confidence. We examine competitors, suppliers, customers, regulatory issues, and more—through advanced competitive, market, and customer intelligence—to deliver a complete picture of the decision-making environment with a far-reaching perspective that uncovers hidden opportunities and key threats. With nearly 30 years of experience, we leverage our proprietary methodology, a deep bench of researchers and analysts, and in-house industry specialists to produce insights that have real impact. Learn more https://www.proactiveworldwide.com/.