John Wills

Commander
DISC Type : D

Founder & Principal at Prentice Gate Advisors LLC

Townsend, Tennessee, United States

Overview

John is an enterprise data strategy advisor with over 35 years of experience building and scaling data-driven software companies. His career includes leadership roles in nine startups with three IPOs, serving as a Field CTO and VP, and working at the intersection of enterprise customers and product teams. He earned a BBA from Kent State University.

He is the author of two books, "The Goal is Autonomous Governance" and "The Goal is Business Capability Reengineering, " which challenge data leaders to modernize their approach to data management for the AI era. John is also a regular columnist for TDAN. com, where he writes about data architecture and strategy.

As the Founder of Prentice Gate Advisors, he helps enterprise data leaders plan and execute high-impact programs in data governance, quality, AI, and master data management.

Personality Overview

Decisive

Risk-Taker

Strong-Willed

They like to move fast and expect the same from others.  They take a lot of pride in personal achievements. They prefer to be the ones controlling the conversation or defining the terms.

Topics They Care About

Autonomous Governance
He authored the book "The Goal is Autonomous Governance" and frequently speaks on moving beyond manual, compliance-heavy governance toward scalable, automated models.
AI-Era Architecture
His second book focuses on reengineering enterprise architecture for the AI era, a key theme in his recent articles and advisory work.
Enterprise Data Strategy
As Founder of Prentice Gate Advisors, he directly advises CIOs and data founders on executing high-impact data programs.

Media Appearances

"CIOtv" with John Wills from Prentice Gate Advisors LLC. Featured in Vimeo

See Now

Work History

2-2023
Founder & Principal at Prentice Gate Advisors LLC
9-2020 - 5-2021
VP, Solution Development & Engineering at Alation
10-2018 - 8-2020
Senior Director, Professional Services at Alation
8-2018 - 2-2023
Field CTO at Alation
7-2015 - 5-2018
VP Customer Success at Collibra

Education

1984 - 1988
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Kent State University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 35 Location : Townsend, Tennessee, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : Founder & Principal at Prentice Gate Advisors LLC
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Insights For Selling To John

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Hold your ground without indulging in one-upmanship
  • Objectively showcase the impact that your product creates
  • When negotiating terms, help them build an impression that they are the ones calling the shots

DONT's

  • Don't try too hard to forge relationships with them
  • Don’t focus on process and rules, give the impression of being a ‘gets it done’ person
  • Don’t take too much time in sending them information if they ask for any

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with John is

  • Confidence in impact is paramount to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from John

  • If they are not convinced, they will have no hesitation in telling you the same.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will John move?

  • They can reach decisions fairly quickly if they are convinced.
  • Can John take some risk or not?

  • They don’t mind risks but can be quite binary about them.

You And John

Personality Compatibility


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