Hayley Nelson is a brand strategist and innovation leader who has spent three decades at the intersection of media and technology, brand and storytelling—building award-winning teams at Logitech, Salesforce, Airbnb, Wired Magazine and The New York Times. Hayley founded The AI Initiative in 2025 to catalyze a conversation around intentional, human-first AI adoption. Today she partners with leaders to create pathways for innovation, coaching on leadership and culture, brand storytelling, and how to leverage technology in smart ways.

Beyond her executive roles, Hayley is a force for women's leadership in the world — through her coaching and mentoring of female leaders and founders, community AI workshops, and the programming she leads for HiPower, an organization dedicated to advancing women's visibility around the globe.

For the last five years, Hayley taught marketing innovation at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, for the Integrated Marketing and Communications program. Passionate about the role of media in society, Hayley also serves as the vice president of the board of directors for the Geneva-based publication, The New Humanitarian and and is an active advisor to media entrepreneurs.

Nelson holds degrees from the Wharton School (MBA), Johns Hopkins University (MA in International Affairs), and Northwestern University (BA, History). She resides with her husband and two teenage children just north of San Francisco.