Innovation Storytellers

Join us on this week's edition of Innovation Storytellers as we welcome Alex Goryachev, an award-winning global technology executive and author of Fearless Innovation. With over 20 years of experience in turning disruptive concepts into successful ecosystem-centric business models, Alex has a wealth of knowledge to share. As the former managing director of Cisco's global Co-Innovation Center, he spearheaded programs and initiatives to accelerate innovation. 

Tune in as we delve into the topic of where innovation belongs in organizational structure, the connection between innovation and sales, and the role of communication in driving innovation. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and strategies for building a successful and innovative business.

In this episode of The Innovation Storytellers Show, we're talking about a topic often overlooked in large companies: stereotypes and how they play a major role in how we interact with one another in the workplace and outside of it. 

My guests, Gian Franco and Liz Kim, are the co-founders of The Stereotype Project Foundation. Gian Franco is a Trinidad and Tobago native with a background in media, entertainment, and technology. Liz Kim is a second-generation Korean American with a diverse background in fashion, music, advertising, and real estate. 

I learn how together, they are working to deconstruct the way we learn about people and cultures, highlighting the gaps and limited and biased representations of social groups in the media. Join us as we dive deep into their mission and how innovators can benefit from understanding stereotypes. 

In today's episode of the Innovation Storytellers podcast, we'll delve into the world of one of the most well-known, respected, and beloved brands in the United States and worldwide: Jack Daniels. According to Inner Brands' Best Global Brands 2022 report, Jack Daniels has been a household name for over 155 years.

We are excited to have Heather Howell, the Global Director of Trademark and Innovation at Jack Daniels on the show. Heather's leadership in driving innovation has been a crucial factor in the brand's continued success, including its recent entry into the super-premium whiskey market.

During this episode, we will explore the history and future of the iconic brand and hear from Heather about her role in driving innovation at Jack Daniels. And of course, what better way to enjoy the show than with a glass of Jack Daniels on the rocks. So, grab a glass and join us as we celebrate this American classic brand.

Danielle Young, Director of Innovation and Business Improvement at South Jersey Industries, joins me in a conversation about innovation in a regulated industry. When you hear about natural gas, many will automatically think about fracking. But by the end of this podcast episode, you will learn many more ways in which the natural gas space is being innovated. 

Danielle shares her story and how she overcame resistance to change in the industry as long-serving employees perceived that innovation would slow down their work or make them do things differently, in a way they didn’t understand at that time. We also discuss the importance of negotiation skills and an open-ended perspective to work with people rather than against them.

Finally, we explore the new regulations that are taking place related to climate change. But, most importantly, we discuss the innovative breakthrough ideas of how we're using nature's bounty in ways you never thought possible to bring gas to our homes using renewable and reusable energy in brand new ways.

Most people listening to the Innovation Storytellers podcast are already phenomenal innovators who leave a lot of the heavy lifting around marketing to their team. In today's episode, I want to explore what innovators can learn from their marketing team around innovative products and breakthrough ideas, so we can begin to understand the process of when you're done with the making; it's the marketing that brings it all to life.

Joining me in this conversation is Amy Voltz, who is a visionary leader and a relentless optimist with deep expertise in marketing and brand strategy and vast experience across HR and digital. Listen in as we discuss taking breakthrough ideas through an organization and moving them into the market. We also discuss how to innovate the mindset around HR when creating a sustainable workforce.

Many innovators have an insatiable thirst for information and are continuously connecting the dots and learning how they can change the world. Shannon Lucas, Co-Founder, and Co-CEO of Catalyst Constellations has not only walked this path, but she has also written a book about it to help others feel better understood, connected, and supported throughout their innovation processes.

In this week's episode of The Innovation Storytellers Show, Shannon discusses the importance of not creating an ivory tower of innovation in an organization and how to identify those who are doing innovative work in their areas. We explore how something magical happens when you bring a diverse range of people from across multiple departments together, bringing transformational projects to life.

Shannon also shares her inspirational story about innovation and how being intentional and taking the time to slow down can help innovation teams move faster.

In this week's Innovation Storytellers episode, I welcome Eli Gerson, Manager of Innovation at Ameren. Eli is one of the most prominent innovative thinkers in a regulated utility. He continuously brings brilliant new ideas to what many think is an industry that can be pretty mundane and safe. 

Although you might not associate the energy industry as a hub of innovation, I hope to change that today. Listen in as Eli shares his insights and experiences around everything from sustainability to electric vehicles and the innovations transforming the utility industry and driving change.

Navin Kunde, Head of Open Innovation at the Clorox Company, joins me in a conversation about the roles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in innovation. But most importantly, the importance of belonging. Listen in as he explains that although diversity is essential, leaders must go further by making everyone feel included and giving them a voice.

We also discuss how the disconnect between functional groups and business units can create silos that hold back innovation efforts and prevent everyone from understanding the problem they are trying to solve together.

In today's episode, I am joined by Kersey Sturdivant, Principal Scientist at INSPIRE Environmental, who discusses how innovation is happening in unseen places. We explore the innovative approaches to problem-solving on the seafloor and how they directly benefit the energy revolution in offshore wind.

Kersey shares how they can read the seafloor's history through a combination of optical and acoustic methods. We also explore how an innovative camera that "optically cores" sediments provides us with a worm's-eye view. 

Have you met innovators who, no matter where they go, have this uncanny ability to take a particular talent, skill, and vision with them? Today's guest, Zia Zaman, GM Business Development at Microsoft Asia, does all this and more. He also brings a sense of innovation to the world of inclusivity and brings these two things together beautifully.

Listen in as we explore the world of innovation across multiple industries and continents. Zia shares with me about being inspired by the ESG efforts of Microsoft and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are part of your tribe and people you can learn from that are from diverse backgrounds.

We talk about Microsoft's mission to empower every organization and individual to achieve more. For Zia, this means improving healthcare, scaling financial inclusion, and reducing the risks around decarbonization in a purpose-driven role. Finally, we discuss working with a community of brilliant thinkers, from across the world, at the Aspen Institute.