Five Secrets of Creativity and Innovation: Perspectives from a Global Designer

Abstract

Creativity is central to innovation, whether you are a technologist, scientist, academic, student or professional. But what are creative processes, and how can you access and use them? Drawing on over 20 years of leading major global projects as a designer, the speaker will speak to innovation secrets that everyone should know.  

As an academic in the world’s number one College of Art and Design (QS ranking), the Royal College of Art, the speaker will speak as Director of Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design which focuses on inclusive design, a socially centered approach to creativity. This lecture will demonstrate how to ensure that your work values both people and planet, including some of the most excluded communities. The speaker will also speak about his 15 year research into Creative Leadership, outlining three values that you can start to use the very next day.  This is a model of leadership based on his book Creative Leadership: Born from Design. He will also speak to emerging trends in AI, drawing on his work in AIDLab, a collaboration between The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Royal College of Art. 

The speaker will outline emerging and evolving challenges that surround us, from conflict and from the global challenges that lie around exclusion by age, ability, gender and race. As a lifetime believer in Inclusive Design, he will throw out provocations, questions and strategies around how this needs to be applied in a dynamic, impactful and effective way. This lecture will not just be about theoretical frameworks – it will contain actionable ideas. It will deliver theory, practice, case studies and advice for anyone wishing to become more innovative, thoughtful and impactful in their work.

About the Speaker

Prof. Rama GHEERAWO is an international and inspirational speaker, author and designer. His first solo book, ‘Creative Leadership: Born from Design’ launched in March 2022. He won a ‘Hall of Fame’ award for his work at the Design Week Awards in 2019 and was named a Creative Leader by Creative Review in 2018 alongside Paul Smith and Björk. 

As Director of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Prof. Gheerawo uses design to address issues around age, ability, gender and race. He is a serial innovator in the fields of Inclusive Design, Design Thinking and Creative Leadership having personally led around 100 projects working internationally with governments, business, academia and the third sector with clients such as Samsung, Tata Consultancy Services and Panasonic. 

Prof. Gheerawo champions inclusive and empathic approaches for individuals and organisations through his pathfinding work in Creative Leadership, with training delivered globally to thousands of people including over 850 civil servants. He is in high demand as a keynote speaker, and writes, curates exhibitions and runs workshops for audiences that range from students to business executives. Prof. Gheerawo sits on a number of advisory boards and committees for awards, universities and organisations such as the UK Design Council, The International Association for Universal Design, The Valuable 500, Open Inclusion, EIDD Design for All Europe, The Bhavan Institute for Indian Culture and the RSA Decolonising Design Initiative. He has been a Visiting Professor at a number of international institutions that currently include Soochow University and Hong Kong Higher School of Business.

For Attendees' Attention

Seating is on a first come, first served basis.