Innovating for a Better World Webinar Series

The Global Innovation Readiness Webinar SeriesInnovating for a Better World” brought the latest insights and inspirations for leading global innovation, from strategies for innovation to facilitating inclusive leadership for multi-cultural teams. Designed as a monthly program from January to June 2021, international leaders and managers had the opportunity to explore and discuss how to lead and facilitate global initiatives within their organizations.

Serving as host and co-facilitator, Founder and Executive Director Dr. Karina R. Jensen welcomed leaders and guest speakers from the Global Minds Network International Advisory Team on key topics: Bryan Semkuley on Global Innovation Strategies, Readiness, and Execution); Lokesh Venkataswamy on Strategic Co-Creation; John Metselaar on Inclusive Leadership; Mahan Amarnath on Global Innovation for UN SDGs; and Thomas Arend on Multicultural Team Collaboration. International Advisory Team members were also joined by guest speakers and innovation leaders Nicolas Bry from Orange and Marine Thibault from US Digital Response, Viktor Sundman from Stockholm International Water Institute, Alexa Cassimatis from Egis, and Peter Dulcamara from Kimberly-Clark.

Facilitating a Human-Centric Collaboration and Innovation Process

The first session was launched with initial results from the Global Innovation Readiness Survey where Karina Jensen and Bryan Semkuley shared the Six Indicators for global innovation success in 2021 and beyond. To take a closer look at the Front-End of Innovation,  the February webinar focused on strategic co-creation for accelerating local innovation opportunities in local markets. International Design and Innovation Leader Lokesh Venkataswamy shared his framework for systematic ideation while International Innovation Executive Nicolas Bry shared insights and case examples on innovation programs for Orange Africa.

The March webinar unveiled the importance of The UN Sustainable Development Goals as a driving force in creating value for people and the planet by 2030. Global OD and Transformation Leader Mahan Amarnath shared his experience and perspective on how NGOs will need to focus on organizational change and innovation for social impact. Guest Speaker Viktor Sundman presented programs and solutions implemented by Stockholm International Water Institute that were designed to bridge collaboration and innovation.

Leadership for a Multicultural and Digitally Connected World

Multi-collaboration is what it takes to accelerate organizational innovation. Then how do you master leadership in a multicultural and digitally connected world? The April webinar showed how Inclusive leadership skills are critical for facilitating innovation and capturing collective team intelligence. Global Leadership and Innovation Leader John Metselaar shared his philosophy on developing a foundation that incorporates mind, heart, and gut competencies. Global Talent Development Director Alexia Cassimatis presented success stories on the development of global leadership programs at Egis.

The global pandemic has grabbed our attention to the need for strategic alignment across cultures and functions. As a leader, you need to have a great understanding of the collaboration process for your multi-cultural and remote teams. The May webinar introduced everyone to International Product Leader and Innovator Thomas Arend who presented an engaging and comprehensive look at the challenges and opportunities for facilitating global team collaboration.

The final June session of the webinar series focused on driving global readiness, from concept to market. Global Innovation and Marketing Leader Bryan Semkuley provided a helpful framework for guiding the innovation and execution process forward. Guest speaker and Technical Vice President Peter Dulcamara of Kimberly-Clark presented an inspiring story and case example on creating a sustainable future through an inclusive global innovation culture.

If you were unable to attend or would like to re-watch the webinar, the recorded video can be viewed at our YouTube Channel. The Global Minds Network team would like to thank all of the webinar series attendees for their participation and contributions to the Global Innovation Readiness Webinar Series Season 2 “Innovating for a Better World”.

Stay tuned for Global Minds Network: Webinar Series Season 3 to be designed and delivered for your innovation readiness needs!

Author: Manadé Sok Hean, Global Development Intern, Global Minds Network

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