Innovation Strategy Workshops

John Boult,  John Boult, Associate Professor, Brunel University In addition to his role within the brand and design strategy courses at Brunel, John is a founding director of Product First - a product, brand and corporate innovation consultancy and is a director of Michael Peters (Asia-Pacific) Limited – a brand design consultancy specialising in the Japanese market. He is a member of the editorial board and also a contributor to New Design magazine. His series of articles based on face-to-face interviews with some of the world’s foremost practitioners of design management, including Alessi, Philips, Jaguar, and Brother, provide a unique snapshot of the rich and varied world of design management. Through Product First he consults widely on design management and strategy issues and is currently engaged in projects including the investigation of the role of design and design management within Regional Enterprise Network Initiatives; determining ways of explaining design thinking within Higher Education courses, particularly engineering and related subjects; mentoring in-house design teams on emerging design tools and their application. www.productfirst.co.uk

Maria Ana Neves, MA,  Maria is a strategist for business and social change through innovation. A trained designer, she has led businesses through the process of change through developing innovation, design and brand strategies with particular focus on value creation. She is a lecturer and tutor on the Innovation Management MA in Central St Martins and a member of the Global Metadesigners Network, Goldsmiths and the Human-Centred Design Institute, Brunel University. Her professional client projects currently include Design Council Review of the National Occupational Skills for Design; business design for Zometool Inc. (US); brand strategy for Rethink Games Ltd (UK); social innovation with London Citizens, new business development for Harrisons Group (India) and inspirational workshops for companies including Proctor & Gamble.