Didier Boulet is the THALES Design Center Director, an organization he co-founded in 2013. Its mission is to leverage Design-driven Innovation or Design Thinking throughout THALES. The Design Center Network is currently present in 9 locations across the world. Didier is also leading the digital transformation plan related to User Experience Design (UX). Since joining Thales Didier has held a number of high-level positions in Business, Innovation and Design. He is also serving on a number of Innovation & Governance Boards including THALES Learning Hub, Design Center Network, Digital Marketing & THALES Belgium Board. Didier is an innovation activist and “serial intrapreneur”, having founded and co-created multiple innovation platforms and initiatives. He is a Belgian national and a graduate of the Haute Ecole de Bruxelles.

Dr Steve Cook completed a D.Phil. in Bio-organic chemistry at Jesus College, Oxford before joining BP in 1998. He managed various R&D projects in support of BP’s Acetyls and Olefins businesses (mainly in the areas of hetero- and homogeneous catalysis) before moving into a strategy role in BP’s Downstream business. This strategy work led to the creation of BP’s strategic accounts organisation, initially focused on deepening strategic relationships with global automotive companies.

Steve then moved into BP’s Renewables business in 2002, managing collaborative demonstration projects in the area of hydrogen refuelling for fuel cell vehicles which included the construction and operation of the UK’s first hydrogen refuelling station in London. During 2005 Steve was part of the launch team for BP’s Alternative Energy Business and following launch led various commercial business development activity in the gas to power business, originating major projects in the UK and Russia.

In 2009 Steve moved to the Group Technology organisation in BP, leading long term strategy development and change management.

From 2012 Steve led the Technology commercialisation team which was established to maximise the value of BP’s technology through the application of appropriate commercial models to technology programmes. Steve was VP Technology Commercialisation and part of BP’s Upstream Technology leadership team.

Steve is currently Chief Commercial Officer for Group Technology with a remit that includes long term technology strategy, emerging and disruptive technology, technology intelligence and technology commercialisation and business building through BP’s new scale up capability: Launchpad. All in service of creating the energy system of the future.

Ken Webster is a leading figure in the development of the theory and practice of a circular economy in its 21st century guise. He was, until recently Head of Innovation for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation* and helped establish the intellectual basis of their approach from its inception in 2010 through to 2018. He is currently a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter Business School’s Centre for Circular Economy where he is leading on the establishment of an International Society for Circular Economy in tandem with a number of leading academics across the globe. He is guest researcher at Linköping University in Sweden.

His book The Circular Economy: A Wealth of Flows (2nd Edition 2017) relates the connections between systems thinking, economic and business opportunity and the transition to a circular economy. He makes regular contributions to conferences, workshops and seminars around the world. His current interests include total product liability, open vs closed circular economy loops and the relationship between large and small scales in the creation of effective economic systems. He is a supervisory Board member of the Dutch Madaster Foundation, a materials passport initiative in the built environment.

*The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s aim is to accelerate the transition from a linear ‘take-make-dispose’ economy to a circular economy

George Yip is an expert on China innovation and strategy, having conducted research about China for over 20 years and served on the faculty of the top Chinese business school, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), from 2011 to 2016. Previous academic positions include Dean of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University; and at Harvard, UCLA, Cambridge Judge, and London Business School. Previous business positions include Vice President and Director of Research & Innovation at Capgemini Consulting, senior manager at Price Waterhouse (USA), manager at Unilever, and various boards. Author or co-author of Pioneers, Hidden Champions, Change Makers, and Underdogs: Lessons from China's Innovators (2019), China’s Next Strategic Advantage: From Imitation to Innovation (2016), Strategic Transformation (2013), Managing Global Customers (2007), Asian Advantage: Key Strategies for Winning in the Asia-Pacific Region (1998), and Total Global Strategy (1992 and 2012).

Ian Machan’s expertise, developed throughout his 40 years working with manufacturing businesses, are in supply chain, strategy and continuous improvement. Executive roles, both permanent and interim in the healthcare sector, followed an engineering and production career in traditional manufacturing and fast moving food consumer goods.

An experienced university industrial fellow, for the Advanced Services Group, Ian now leads their advisory services, including organisational development workshops, executive education and commissioned projects. He has worked extensively with several multi-billion dollar businesses in their transformation journey towards a servitized value offering.

Top 100 Digital Influencer, Author Radical Business Model Transformation, Global Head Center for Digital Leadership. Carsten Linz is an entrepreneurial leader with more than twenty years of business experience and a proven track record for driving innovation, growth, and transformation.

He serves as digital advisory board member, advises CEOs of fast-growing companies, is an active business angel and member of the investment committee of Europe’s largest seed stage fund. He successfully built-up several €100 mio. businesses and led company-wide transformation programs affecting more than 60.000 employees. He is a sought-after keynote speaker (listed at London Speaker Bureau) and panelist at conferences around the world.

As adjunct faculty member, he teaches in Executive Programs at Mannheim Business School, University of St. Gallen and Stanford Graduate School. He published several books including his recent best-seller “Radical Business Model Transformation: Gaining the Competitive Edge in a Disruptive World” (Top-Business Book 2017, Translations: Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Hungarian). His articles appeared in renowned journals such as Forbes, Harvard Business Review/Manager, ZDNet, CIO Magazine, Computerwoche, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, D!gitalist Magazine.

As Business Development Officer at SAP SE he repeatedly leads the build-up and scale-out of new businesses. In his role as Global Head of the Center for Digital Leadership, he drives SAP’s own digital transformation and acts as advisor to other CEOs, Chief Digital Officers, and CIOs by showcasing next-generation digital innovation and transformation approaches.

Dr. Linz holds a PhD in Innovation Management from University of Bern/Switzerland (“summa cum laude”) and a Diploma degree in Economic Engineering from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (“with honors”). He studied System Dynamics and Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Management, Leading Change and Organizational Renewal at Harvard Business School, and Corporate Strategy at INSEAD Fontainebleau.

He was named “Top-100 Digital Influencer”, awarded as “Innovation Landmark” by the German President, honored with the coveted “Award of Excellence” from the Global Institute of Logistics and ranked as “Leader” in the Gartner Magic Quadrant. He is an advisory member of the World Economic Forum’s “Digital Enterprise” and “Digital Platforms and Digital Ecosystems” projects.

He supports Social Entrepreneurs as Advisory Board Member of Social Impact, Berlin.

He is married, has one daughter, and lives in Frankfurt/Main.

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Dr. Chris Brauer (Dr. Chris) is Director of Innovation and founder of the Centre for Creative & Social Technologies (CAST) at Goldsmiths, University of London where he teaches innovation, project management, and behavioural economics. His research specialises in the intersections of emerging technologies and human behaviour, socio-economic and socio-cultural life. His projects focus on public engagement and impact and have been covered extensively in over 400 media outlets worldwide. Current research focuses include industrial internet, artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, blockchain, driverless cars, emotion tracking, and the psychology of openness and common ground.

Clive Roach is the Director of Social Media for Signify (formerly known as Philips Lighting). He is responsible for social media strategy development, success measurement, activation, governance and training within Signify. Clive has been working in the digital marketing area since 1997, and previously held roles in engineering, design and sales going back to 1985. Clive has his own blog, tweets daily on two Twitter accounts, and has a Facebook fan page, three Instagram accounts, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Amit Joshi is a Professor of AI, Analytics and Marketing Strategy at IMD. He is the Program Director of the Digital Analytics open program, and the co-director of the program on Artificial Intelligence. In 2020, he was named a ‘Digital Shaper’ in Switzerland, as one of a handful of individuals who would shape the digital economy in the future.
Amit is an award-winning professor and researcher and has interacted with a variety of corporate clients in several industries, including telecom, banking and financial services, media, manufacturing, retailing, pharma, education and automobiles. Previously, he worked for Cadbury India Ltd., a company that is now a part of the Mondelez International group.
Amit’s research, which focuses on long-run marketing strategy, analytics and AI applications, has been published in top journals, including Journal of Marketing, Marketing Science, Journal of Consumer Culture, Journal of Cultural Economics and Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. His research has twice won the MSI / H. Paul Root Award, for the best paper in the Journal of Marketing (2010 and 2015) the Robert D. Buzzell Best Paper Award (2006) for the MSI publication with the most long-term impact and bee nominated for the Sheth Foundation Award for long-term contributions. His dissertation won an honorable mention in the 2004 Alden G. Clayton Dissertation Proposal Competition. He is also an award-winning case writer.
His research and opinions have been extensively covered in the popular press and media, appearing in outlets including NPR, CNN, NBC, Nikkei, Fast Company, Business Standard, Fox News, Bloomberg, Forbes, Investor Relations Magazine, The Conversation, and Science Daily.
Amit earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pune, a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (P.G.D.M.) from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, India, and a Ph.D. is from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

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Armin is a professor for human resource management at the top-ranked business school of Furtwangen University. Beyond being an engaged teacher, Armin is well known as a thought-leading author, inspiring keynote-speaker and trusted advisor. He is committed to a new and modern way of human resource management. In times of digitization, talent shortage, and knowledge economy, he is deeply convinced about the urgent need for new solutions to long lasting people-related challenges. Through his work, Armin makes make a valued contribution to this important field.

Dr. Chris Brauer (Dr. Chris) is Director of Innovation and founder of the Centre for Creative & Social Technologies (CAST) at Goldsmiths, University of London where he teaches innovation, project management, and behavioural economics. His research specialises in the intersections of emerging technologies and human behaviour, socio-economic and socio-cultural life. His projects focus on public engagement and impact and have been covered extensively in over 400 media outlets worldwide. Current research focuses include industrial internet, artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, blockchain, driverless cars, emotion tracking, and the psychology of openness and common ground.

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