Gijs van WulfenGlobally recognized authority on innovation. Founder of FORTH innovation method. Influencer.

Laurinci Speakers54 Tanner StreetSE1 3PH London

W: laurinci.comE: nadia@laurinci.comP-UK: +44 20 3598 3709P-US: +1 203 243 0479

Gijs is an award-winning expert on innovation, author of two books and the creator of a powerful methodology which helps businesses to generate well-constructed new products, services, and business model concepts.

Influencer with 300.000 followers on LinkedIn alone. Author of the innovation bestseller “The Innovation Expedition” and “The Innovation Maze.” Founder of the award-winning FORTH innovation method – a proven step-by- step process to unleash innovation across all dimensions of your business. Innovation advisor to Fortune 500 companies such as 3M, AIRBUS and Bilfinger. Gijs teaches managers at all levels of the organization how to systematically produce inno-vative ideas. Thanks to his methodology, managers are able to think creatively in every sit-uation, a skill that creates entire cultures of innovation at companies. Gijs is an illustrative storyteller with an articulate informal style which is full of insight, humor, and entertainment.

Gijs residers in the Netherlands.

“A COLOURFUL, ENGAGING, INSPIRING STORYTELLER”Delony Langer, 3M, USA, 2015

 “HE CREATES AN INNOVATIVE MINDSET AT THE AUDIENCE”

Anne-Laure Pardijon, AIRBUS GROUP, France, 2015 

“ENTERTAINING, VERY INSPIRING AND INSIGHTFUL”Dries Laperre, Organiser Innowiz, Belgium, 2015

 “HE GAVE A BRILLIANTLY ARTICULATED PRESENTATION FULL

OF PASSION, EMOTION AND METAPHORS”Ignacio VILLOCH, Innovation Events & Activities Manager, BBVA Innovation

Center, Spain, 2015 

“GIJS IS TRULY INSPIRING TO A DIVERSE CROWD”Dr. Audrey Verhaeghe, Chairman South African Innovation Summit 2015

 “GIJS MADE THE AUDIENCE LAUGH, THINK AND WONDER”

Agata Wiewiora, Polish Innovation Day 2015 

“GIJS’S SPEECH WAS EXACTLY WHAT MANY COMPANIES IN OUR INDUSTRY NEEDED”

Adam Ismael, Executive Director Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3, GOED Exchange 2016, Tenerife

INNOVATION IS A MESSY BUSINESS, OR IS IT?Learn how to navigate the innovation maze and become a master innovator with Gijs van Wulfen

This book is a practical guide on HOW to navigate the innovation maze. It shows four clear routes from differ-ent natural innovation starting points and guides you through how to overcome the obstacles to successfully deliver new business cases for products, services and business models.

A practical toolkit to start innovation - this bestselling book presents the FORTH innovation methodology, a structured method to start innovation, combining design thinking and business excellence. The methodology is implemented by organizations around the world and is proven to double your inno-vation effectiveness. It has been published in 6 lan-guages: English, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Turk-ish and Dutch.

Receive a free e-book for every member of your audience when you book Gijs for a talk or work-shop.

Talk: Navigating The Innovation MazeA thought-provoking talk on how you can navigate the innovation maze to create successful new business cases. It is based on Gijs' latest book ‘The Innovation Maze’ published in April 2016.  In practice so many people experiencing innovation as a maze. They get lost or stuck in their journey behind obstacles such as no internal support, lack of resources, no time or no inspiration. As a result, 80% of all innovation projects never reach the market. In this talk, Gijs shows four clear routes to successfully deliver new business cases for products, services and business mod-els.

The four innovation routes include:

1. The idea route: You are starting the innovation process with a new idea.2. The technology route: You have discovered a new technology.3. The customer issue route: You have identified an unsolved customer problem.4. The business challenge route: Your business is struggling and you need to innovate.

For each of the four innovation routes you get practical answers on vital questions like:

• How do I know there’s a need for it? • How do I know it is technologically do-able? • How do I know I can realize a profit?

Gijs’ insights will create a more innovative mindset and will inspire people to apply them in their work environments. This talk of Gijs van Wulfen is a fast paced, interactive, and entertaining ex-perience of 50 minutes (customization is possible).

Talk/Workshop: How to Start Innovation Effectively?This lecture will inspire and empower you with practical tools on HOW to start innovation effective-ly. The process of innovation is highly relevant in every professional capacity; and it is a process that many struggle to master.

“What is the right moment?” “How do I discover what customers want?” “How do I get breakthrough ideas?” “How do I get internal support?”

This talk takes an original approach to show you how you can innovate the expedition way! Gijs draws parallels between mankind’s greatest explorations in history and modern-day innova-tion. “How Columbus discovered America; how Hillary reached the summit of Everest; and how Neil Armstrong got to be the first man on the Moon.” These remarkable stories of exploration and how they overcame unexpected setbacks will inspire you to innovate with a new mindset and do so in a structured way according to the FORTH innovation methodology. 

FORTH is a customer-oriented and inspiring innovation expedition to create new business cases for innovative products, services and business models. This scientifically proven method is used worldwide and described in his innovation bestseller ‘The Innovation Expedition,’published in English, Russian, Turkish, Dutch, Chinese and Japanese. There are five key takeaways for the audience on how to start innovation:

1. Never innovate alone;2. Do it the expedition way;3. Solve a relevant customer friction;4. Use the voice-of- the-customer;5. Bring back business; This talk is also available as a 1 or 2-day workshop.

Talk: 10 Insights to Be a Better Innovator

This talk is a thought-provoking speech on how you can innovate more effectively in a corporate set-ting. Sadly, most people struggle with innovation. Here is a list of five reasons why innovation goes wrong in daily practice at so many big companies all over the world.

• Our short-term mindset rules. Your company focuses on getting results next quarter, as your shareholders demand profits today.

• We cannot change our habits. Your company lacks the ability to invoke change, the ability to change their mindset. ”My colleagues don‘t think beyond what made our company suc-cessful thus far.”

• We fear failure. Your past innovations were not successful and have cost a lot of money. ”Managers were fired because their launches of new products failed.”

• Our innovation process sucks. When you lack a process or when you have an ‘over-struc-tured’ process, it‘s really hard to get tangible results.

• Customers reject our innovations. A lot of our new products and services fail because cus-tomers don’t want them. ”We struggle to get inside the head of potential purchasers of the product or service.”

 In a very practical way brought to you through his engaging humorous real-life stories, Gijs will share the following 10 insights to be a better innovator:

• Managers say yes to innovation only when doing nothing is a bigger risk.• Pick the right moment. You can invent on your own, but you cannot innovate alone.• Innovators need the patience of a hunter. Wait for a shot you’re sure you can make.• An organization is like a herd. The slowest animals determine the pace.• A big idea is a simple solution for a relevant customer friction or dream.• You get new ideas when you stop thinking.• Think outside the box and present inside the box otherwise nothing happens.• Nobody buys innovation from a clown. So bring back a business case.• The voice of the customer is your best support.• Innovation does not stop at the first “No.” That’s the moment it really starts.

 These insightful thoughts will create a more innovative mindset and will inspire people to apply them in their work environments. This lecture of Gijs van Wulfen is a fast paced, interactive, and entertain-ing experience.

To book Gijs for your event…

Please contact Nadia Laurinci. She and her team will be hap-py to assist you and work with you to make sure your audi-ence receives groundbreaking insights and tremendous take-home value.

You will also receive:

• Complimentary e-books ‘The Innovation Expedition’ and ‘The Innovation Maze’ for every member of your audience (printed books are also available)

• Guest blog by Gijs• 1-hour free consultancy for your team on how you

can be more innovative• Interview with Gijs for your podcast• Blog promoting your event on Gijs’ LinkedIn (with

300.000 active followers)• Assistance from Laurinci Speakers along the way

nadia@laurinci.comwww.laurinci.com+44 20 3598 3709+1 203 243 0479