Paul B. Carroll
Principal, Devil's Advocate Group

Paul Carroll has been a journalist, author and speaker for more than three decades, working at the highest levels in those fields. He also does consulting work based on the principles in his acclaimed recent book, “Billion-Dollar Lessons: What You Can Learn From the Most Inexcusable Business Failures of the Last 25 Years.”

After graduate school and a year as an editor at his hometown paper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Paul spent 17 years as a reporter and editor at the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ stationed him throughout the U.S., as well as in Europe and Mexico. The paper nominated Paul twice for Pulitzer Prizes, and he was a finalist once. During his time at the Journal, Paul wrote “Big Blues: The Unmaking of IBM,” a national best-seller published by Crown in 1993. Fortune called the book “fascinating,” and it got widespread coverage in the media, including an appearance by Paul on “The Today Show.”

The biggest project in recent years was the extensive research that led to the writing of “Billion-Dollar Lessons,” published in the fall of 2008 by Penguin’s Portfolio imprint. The Wall Street Journal called it “insightful” and “crisply written” and said it was full of “good advice.”  The Toronto Globe and Mail said “Billion-Dollar Lessons” was the best business book of 2008.

Based on the book’s findings about the importance of second opinions and outside perspectives, Paul and his co-author, Chunka Mui, founded a consulting firm, The Devil’s Advocate Group, which stress tests corporate strategies. Paul has also made speeches throughout the U.S. and in Europe.