In an age of breakthroughs, innovation is no longer an option. But it must be feasible, actionable, profitable, and impactful to be relevant to technology firms. With ever-changing market environments and the proliferation of game-changing technologies, how should companies continue to innovate? How can this innovation be institutionalized for sustainability? What is the next frontier to conquer? Our discussion will focus on the ingredients that enable true and actionable innovation in various contexts. We will also explore design thinking as a way of approaching consumer opportunities.
We are excited to welcome the following thought leaders and experts to our discussion:
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Craig Sampson Founder and Principal Consultant @ TBD Innovation Technologist by training, human-centered designer by nature, and business professional by experience – Craig Sampson is founder of the consulting firm TBD Innovation. TBD Innovation provides New Growth at the intersection of Technology, Business, and Design. Craig is also Senior Fellow at Farmhouse, the Innovation and New Venture Center at Leo Burnett. Craig has focused his professional life on creating remarkable products, services, and businesses. Craig spent much of his career at IDEO, founding the firm’s Chicago office, and later leading IDEO’s Global Healthcare Practice. As Chief Innovation Officer at World Kitchen, Craig led R&D, design, engineering, and new product marketing activities for brands such as Pyrex, Corningware, Corelle, and Chicago Cutlery. Craig’s early career included technical positions at Hewlett Packard, Eastman Kodak, and Bell Laboratories. Craig received a BSME with honors from the University of Colorado, and a MSME from Stanford University, with a focus on Product Design.Craig is actively involved in design education, advising faculty and students at Northwestern University. Craig is a collaborative and natural change agent who inspires others, connects the dots, and makes new dots. |
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Mark Achler SVP of Strategy, New Ventures and Innovation @ Redbox As senior vice president of new business, strategy and innovation at Redbox, Mark Achler manages the Company’s long-term planning and expansion into new business opportunities. Achler was recently featured as a mentor to a tech startup on Bloomberg TV’s “The Mentor.”Prior to joining Redbox in 2009, Achler co-founded one of the first personal computer retail stores in the country and participated in the launch of the IBM PC in Boca Raton in 1981. He then moved to Apple, where he was the worldwide introduction manager for the Apple //c. Upon leaving Apple, Achler co-founded and served as CEO of the Whitewater Group. After building and eventually selling the Whitewater Group, he co-founded the video game company, Kinesoft Development, where he served as president. After leaving Kinesoft, Achler served as a founding general partner in Kettle Partners, an early-stage venture capital fund.Fueled by a lifelong passion for building new businesses, Achler helped to co-found Emmi Solutions, a provider of patient education, where he first served as president and later became CEO. Achler is a frequent speaker, resource and ardent champion for the entrepreneurial community; where he is a mentor for Excelerate Labs and the Chicago High Tech Academy. |
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Suz Burroughs Free Range Zombie Designer A critical part of competitive advantage is a natural love of learning and a desire to make the world a better place. This is how a company learns, grows, and adapts faster than other companies. I enable the connections between the teacher and learner in all of us by creating environments where people share their knowledge and experience with each other. |
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Larry Keeley President and Co-founder @ Doblin Group Larry Keeley has spent over three decades developing more effective innovation methods. He co-founded Doblin Inc., a firm that combines the frontiers of analysis and design, to help teams innovate in ways that are bolder yet, surprisingly, at the same time more likely to succeed. This firm is now a part of Deloitte Consulting LLP. Bloomberg Businessweek named Keeley one of seven Innovation Gurus changing the field, the separately also selected Keeley as one of the 27 most influential designers in the world. Keeley teaches graduate innovation strategy classes at the Institute of Design in Chicago and business school courses at Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Keeley’s book that codifies much of the research and tradecraft that drives effective innovation, Ten Types of Innovation, is coming out soon from Wiley and is available for pre-order at amazon now. |
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Rob Wolcott (Moderator) Founder and Executive Director @ Kellogg Innovation Network Robert Wolcott teaches corporate innovation and entrepreneurship for Kellogg in Evanston, Miami and Hong Kong (with HKUST), and is formerly a visiting professor at the Keio Business School (Japan). He also serves on the advisory boards of Nordic Innovation for the Nordic Council, Oslo, Norway, and GE’s Innovation Accelerator. His book with Dr. Michael Lippitz, Grow From Within: Mastering Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation (McGraw-Hill, 2010), shares a decade of research regarding the emerging approaches companies use to take innovation from idea to market at scale and has been published in Chinese and Japanese. Wolcott’s work has appeared in MIT Sloan Management Review, The Wall Street Journal, Advertising Age, Business Week, The Financial Times (European Edition), The New York Times and numerous overseas publications. He is a frequent speaker at events worldwide. In 2003, Wolcott founded the Kellogg Innovation Network (KIN), a network of senior executives dedicated to driving sustainable innovation. The KIN’s annual summit, KIN Global, takes place in late spring and includes leaders from around the world from business, government, academia, non-profits and the arts, who collaborate around issues of significance for their organizations and for humanity (www.kinglobal.org). Wolcott also co-founded Clareo Partners LLC, a strategy consultancy specializing in growth (www.clareopartners.com). |
