Next innovation Wave
The next innovation wave is coming. Are you ready for it?
Are you going to enjoy & surf this new innovation wave?
Be on the leading edge?
This 6th wave is driven by the changes our planet is facing. Phrases like Reman(ufacturing), System thinking, Biomimicry and Designing for the Circular Economy will become our new jargon.
Are you ready for it? Have you thought about how your organisation can make the most of the opportunities the new wave offers? How it might change your organisation for the better? How you could be leading?
Are you looking for the next big opportunities for your business? This may well be it.
Customers are expecting suppliers to be moving to zero carbon. How far is your business down this pathway? Do you have a roadmap to get there?
Wondering where to start?
Join me in:
- Training for Boards– a series of conversations to help Board Members get up to speed on circular thinking.
- Workshops for Senior Leaders – a combination of training, tools and workshops to work out where the opportunities for your business might be and to work out that roadmap.
- Individual– ‘appetiser’ – conversation. A short assessment and conversation.
Pick up ideas and possible directions. Get a feel for where the opportunities might be for your organisation. There are some brilliant opportunities in this wave, some awesome innovations. IF you’re willing to grab them!
I’m working with clients, helping them with ideas and strategies, help identify the opportunities the circular thinking offers for your organisation (there are plenty!) and how to make the most of them. Get in touch and get your thinking started, pick up ideas, new connections.
It’s a learner journey for all of us. Start learning! You’ll be a better (and more wanted) Leader and Board member for it.
The innovation wave is coming.
You don’t want to become a ‘Kodak moment’, do you?
Interested to learn more? Get in touch!
You’ll walk away with ideas, tools and connections to be on your way to being an award-winning leader.
Saskia van der Geest: Making a difference by design
Innovation specialist. Saskia helps organisations to design better products (& services) faster. She works with senior leaders & Boards, helping you to make the most of the opportunities this new circular world offers. Making a difference by design.
She specialises in improving productivity to help your team deliver a consistent flow of new products faster, better, more profitable and with more fun!
Saskia has a passion for progress and an obsession with implementation. She is driven to help
people to deliver great work. She loves seeing teams be in control, delivering their craft
together beautifully.
She is always on the lookout for ways to do things better. This 6th Wave is exciting and where the next wave of new products will be. She’s keen to help NZ businesses make the most of the opportunities it offers.
Why now?
- I was interested in ‘green design’ (as it was called back then) when I studied design 30 odd years ago, but…
- The market wasn’t ready then. 30 years on and the signs are there: consumers are changing, employees are changing, the regulations are changing.
- It’s an exciting opportunity, one that consumers are looking for, employees love to rally behind, one that can change categories (a bit like Uber did for taxis). It’s exciting to work on a project that makes a difference.
“To solve big problems like climate change, waste, and pollution, we need a big idea. It’s time to rethink how we design, make, and use the things we need, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear. Together, we can create a better future for business, society and the natural world.”
– Dame Ellen MacArthur.
Why Saskia?
- I kept in touch with the subject, kept reading, learning, studying, and networking. I’ve kept an eye on the science and the thinking that’s leading the change. You can take a shortcut and have the benefit of getting the summary!
- I’m connected internationally to the latest thinking, business models, and innovation systems.
- This opportunity takes more than ‘just a few solar panels and an EV fleet’. And it’s not something someone in the marketing team or in the PD team can just sort (think Kodak & Blockbuster…would that have saved them?) It takes a leadership vision to turn these kinds of opportunities into game-changing products & services.
- I’m skilled at helping management teams and Boards identify what they can do (and control) and what they should leave to others – where to focus time, energy and cost.
- I know how to turn ideas into award-winning profitable products. Over the past 15 years, I’ve helped many of the top national companies to embed an innovation process and culture into their businesses.
- And I know how to do that faster, better, more profitable and with more fun. Without the annoying loopbacks and with great visibility and communication.
- I take a very practical approach, with a people lens. I make the complex easy. It gives you time back in your day, so you can do your job better.
Born in the Netherlands and based in Queenstown, New Zealand, Saskia is backed by the rare mix of a Master’s degree in Industrial Design Engineering from Technische Universiteit Delft (one of the best in Europe) and a marketing degree and has worked as a speaker, trainer, coach, facilitator and mentor with many of the top national companies over the past 20 years.
Next step: Get in touch!
Are you going to enjoy & surf this new innovation wave? Be on the leading edge?
Case Studies
Note: Due to the nature of my business (new product development), I can’t talk about my projects until they have launched in the market. Hence ‘hiding’ business names for now.
Solution: Long established business with products in the fashion industry (which really struggles with its carbon footprint). Realised through conversations how good their products are for the planet, how they don’t promote that and have turned it into their unique selling point. Spotted several other opportunities in the process. Watch this space!
Client: South Island manufacturer
Solution: My client had a concept for a new product, which through several conversations, we improved into a better, hard to copy, service that can take on the big guys and turn a category on its head. It’s an ‘Uber taking on taxis’ kind of story. Right here in NZ.
Client: Farming supplies
Solution: This well-established global exporting business was founded with the planets interests in mind. The founders are well up to speed on what needs to happen next, they understand going circular and are keen to make some (big) changes in their business. They are frustrated that their Board is lacking that knowledge and it’s slowing them down. I’m in the process of creating training for their Board to quickly get them up to speed so they can be better leaders.
Client: Saving nature manufacturer
Solution: The founder and owner of this well-established food manufacturing business loves our planet and is frustrated by the materials and food waste that his business creates. I’m helping him to explore several options and he’s about to tip his business (his baby, which he started!) upside down, into a way bigger opportunity. Tough parenting for the better!
Client: Food company
I am passionate about helping more businesses to make a difference by design. It’s a learner journey for all of us. Start learning! You’ll be a better leader for it.
I look forward to hearing from you.
