The Innovation Room

In today's episode, Dainora and Matt are talking about problems. Why do we fail to define them why should we slow down in the innovation process?

Our guest, Matt Mueller, is an innovation consultant, columnist, speaker, and author with over a decade of experience in executing strategy and facilitating change for some of the world’s largest Consumer Packaged Goods brands and retail stores. Matt is passionate about sharing his insights with leaders on encouraging change to meet their innovation needs more purposefully. 

You can follow Matt on social media and on his website:

Website: https://themindfulinnovator.com/

In this episode we interview Sandra Fernholz, Head of Social Impact and Sustainability at HYPE Innovation. In her work, she pursues the triple bottom line with clients to innovate for people, planet, and profit alike. For the past 4 years, Sandra has worked with organizations worldwide on innovation management.  

We talk to Sandra about sustainable innovation, the challenges of making sustainability a priority during uncertain times, and the long-term solutions more companies should consider. We also touch on important topics like how can innovation drive sustainability and why the reverse is also true.

Learn more about HYPE Innovation and their sustainability projects here: https://www.hypeinnovation.com/en/solutions/sustainability

Find  the transcript of this episode on our blog: https://www.viima.com/blog/sustainable-innovation-podcast

And you can watch this interview as well as other episodes on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvYoJ1qKVqobXgNzDkOLbXAx6vqS6drsx

For this episode we’ve interviewing Dr. Stephen Tang and we talk about leading through crises and embracing innovation in the process of doing so.  

Called a "Renaissance Man" by The Alma Mater of the Nation, Steve Tang has been a respected commentator throughout his successful business career. His op-ed pieces have been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Philadelphia Inquirer, Morning Call (Allentown, PA).  He is currently writing a book with the working title A Test for Our Time: Crisis Leadership for the Next Normal, which will launch in 2023. Dr. Tang was President & CEO of OraSure Technologies, Inc. from 2018 to 2022. During this period the company delivered record revenue growth and the largest expansion of innovative products, employees, and facilities, in its 35-year history.  

Mikel Mangold is an Innovation Project Manager at NGK SPARK PLUG, Venture Lab; ecosystem orchestrator and author of Today’s Superpower: Building Networks.

A chemist by training, with an entrepreneurial mindset, Mikel has experience in open innovation: digital health, pharma, energy, cleantech & mobility and in bringing eclectic stakeholders and enabling constructive collaboration to a shared outcome.

In this interview Mikel share his thoughts on the role of networks in bringing positive change in organizations and how to create and leverage innovation ecosystems.

You can learn more about Mikel from his website: https://mikelmangold.com/

In this episode of the Innovation Room podcast, we’ll be focusing on a very important and interesting, but often challenging and misunderstood topic: the pricing of innovation and new products.

Pricing is a cross-functional, and extremely powerful tool for not just driving and optimizing profitability, but also determining the feasibility of an innovation early on.

To help us better understand the topic, we have Kyle Westra with us. He currently works as a manager for Wiglaf Pricing and has actually written a book called The New Invisible Hand on the topic.

A written transcript is available at https://www.viima.com/blog/pricing-innovation 

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Here are links to other resources mentioned during the interview:

In this episode, John Carter shares his thoughts on why companies should look beyond their core in their innovation efforts. Namely, Innovation beyond the core is often easier and faster, and leads to high margin growth opportunities. John also shares his thoughts on how companies can actually tackle these opportunities and make the most out of them.

John is the founder of TCGen. He’s advised a number of world class companies like Apple and Amazon with their product development and innovation processes.

A written transcript of the episode is available here: https://www.viima.com/blog/innovation-beyond-the-core

José Pires is without a doubt one of the most experienced innovation advisors in the world. He's held numerous leadership positions in companies like Nestlé and Sony, and trained more than 30,000 professionals around the world with his Excellence & Innovation program.

In this in-depth interview, Jose shares his thoughts on combining innovation and excellence as a way to build an enduringly great organization. We cover topics such as why innovation is so difficult, and how leaders can build such an enduringly great organization.

A written transcript of the episode is available here: https://www.viima.com/blog/excellence-innovation.

John is an author and a leadership coach. He's had a long and successful career on Wall Street, most recently as a Senior Vice President. Throughout his career, he’s seen the need for his businesses and teams to adapt to a rapidly changing world, so he’s worked hard as a leader to create a real culture of innovation in an industry where it hasn’t always been business as usual.

In this in-depth interview, John shares his story and some of the many lessons he's picked up along the way. We cover topics such as what innovation really looks like, how leaders can create a culture of innovation, and how to build trust as a leader.

A written transcript of the episode is available here: https://www.viima.com/blog/john-saunders.

Perttu Pölönen is an inventor, author, keynote speaker, and a classically trained composer. He’s won the first prize in the European Union’s Young Scientist Contest, and also been included in MITs 35 innovators under 35 list in Europe.

In this interview, Perttu shares his unique story and his thoughts on the future. We cover topics such as what to look for when hiring innovators, and what skills he sees will be the most important for those of us looking to succeed in the future.

A written transcript of the episode is available here: https://www.viima.com/blog/perttu-polonen.

John Carter is the founder of TCGen, and a true innovation veteran. He has, for example, invented the original Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones and advised companies like Apple and Amazon with their product development and innovation processes.

In this in-depth interview, John shares his story and some of the many lessons he's picked up along the way. We cover topics such as common innovation misconceptions, and actionable tips for innovators for navigating internal politics.

A written transcript of the episode is available here: https://www.viima.com/blog/john-carter.