thought leader

plural thought leaders · alternative thought-leader

1. A person, organization, publication, etc. regarded as an authoritative source of new ideas or intellectual trends.

   The UK needs to be a thought leader on road safety, added Oldham, "so we can influence Europe."

   2013 January 9, Jessica Shankleman, “Public transport gets smart”, in The Guardian, UK, retrieved 23 Jun 2014

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   Mr. Beecher retains his position as the most eminent preacher and one of the great thought leaders in America, while his principal accuser, who at one time occupied a foremost position in journalism and literature, has almost disappeared from public recognition.

   1887, Lyman Abbot et al., Henry Ward Beecher: A sketch of His Career, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Co., page 56

   Referring illustratively to the debate on industrial policy between "thought leaders," . . . Yankelovitch says that below the level of media rhetoric, "one can detect a core of agreement emerging because the different parties are influencing one another."

   1990, Manfred Stanley, “The Rhetoric of the Commons”, in The Rhetorical Turn, →ISBN, page 243

   Google, Yahoo, and eBay are the leaders in the online world. Apple is the thought leader in music.

   2004 Sept. 6, "‘Not Your Father's Silicon Valley’," Businessweek (retrieved 23 June 2014)

   In seeking readers and advertisers, publications like The Atlantic and The Economist, known as thought-leader magazines, have long tried to make up in cleverness what they lack in wallet power.

   2008 October 3, Stuart Elliott, “Brainy Brand Names Where They’re Least Expected”, in New York Times, retrieved 23 Jun 2014