Featured Speaker

Transformational capital

Erik Kiaer, Associate Partner, Doblin

To achieve growth, all companies require capital of some sort. However, most companies think too much in terms of financial capital, when what is increasingly needed is a new form of capital that allows for agility and adaptation. This capital is built on capabilities from the fields of design, innovation and change management, and help re-wire a company's capability systems around learning and discovery based development.

In a world where companies can hardly hope to improve their efficiency by any additional meaningful amount, companies now need to build the capabilities that allow customers and partners to make choices. In the past, providing more choices was sufficient, but increasingly it’s about helping people make smarter choices. Good design plays an important role in this, bringing a strong opinion about where people increasingly will find and experience value.

Biography: Erik Kiaer

Erik Kiaer is a member of Doblin’s client leadership team and has worked on innovation projects for clients based in almost every industry. His very first project was to redesign Scandinavian Airlines, and it was then that he discovered the value of applying design to experience. Since then, he has continued to put humanity at the heart of the innovation process, working in industries such as financial services and technology.

Erik has a Master of Design from IIT Institute of Design, Chicago, and a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University in Montréal.

Originally from Norway, Erik spent time designing systems for offshore oil and gas production platforms in the North Sea. He now lives on the west coast of the United States, where his daughter teaches him humility on a daily basis.

About Doblin

Driving Global Innovation Leadership

Doblin is a global innovation firm that brings together a wide range of unique capabilities, tools and people to solve our clients’ toughest challenges.

In 2007, we joined with the global strategy firm, Monitor Group, to advance the frontiers of innovation leadership. We anticipated that the combination of Monitor’s broad strategy capabilities with our sophisticated design thinking methods—as well as access to offices in 20 locations around the world—would provide unparalleled value to our clients. Since then, our access to globally-based practitioners and cutting-edge approaches to change management, organizational capability building, and strategic implementation has enabled us to radically expand the depth and breadth of our innovation services.

Now, we are moving rapidly into new markets, and we continue to help our clients seize the opportunities that these tumultuous times present. We are intent on changing the world for the better through long-term partnerships with leaders who are committed to being effective innovators.

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