Gavin Symanowitz
PhD
GAUTENG, SATake Off Your Blinkers
Avoiding Corporate Blind-Spots & Spotting New Opportunities
The need of value-added innovation has never been stronger. In this talk, we discuss why our brains are wired to miss new opportunities, and what we can do about it. We discuss the simple ways to change the way we think to avoid corporate blind-spots, and spot new opportunities for the business.
Creating Your Next Blockbuster Product
The best way to beat the current recession is to come up with new innovative product ideas. Traditional techniques such as brainstorming and focus groups don't work very well, and traditional market research can be downright dangerous. In this talk, we share structured, practical approaches to help your business come up with its next blockbuster product.
Change Your Thinking Innovation Programme
To thrive in these turbulent economics times, companies must find new ways of doing business, identify new opportunities and open up new revenue streams. This requires new thinking. Companies that are failing to innovate are being left behind. It's time to change your thinking.
Introducing a revolutionary 20-week online interactive course – to give your employees and managers simple yet powerful tools to bring new thinking and innovation into the business.
About Dr. Gavin Symanowitz
Gavin Symanowitz, an actuary, headed up Strategic Product Innovation for Investments at First National Bank for over five years. He won the prestigious Innovator of the Year award in 2008, and subsequently left the bank to found a number of revolutionary web-based businesses. One of these, GetAGreatBoss.com and spin-off FeedbackRocket.com, was recognized as one of the 10 Most Promising Digital Innovations world-wide in 2009, by Netexplorateur, an international organization set up under the auspices of the French Government Ministry for the Digital Economy.
The company has won a number of other international awards for innovation:
- Finalist in The Economist Disruptive Innovation Challenge (Boston, 2011)
- Technology Top 100 Company (2011)
- Founder awarded Strategic Leader in HR at the World HRD Congress (India, 2011)
- Finalist in SeedCamp, Europe's premier tech start-up competition (London, 2010)
- Finalist in Next Top Start-up Competition (Barcelona, 2010)
Gavin was featured in the Harvard Business Review article "Learn How to Think Different(ly)" and is a Thought Leader on the South African Innovation Network. He has been a regular finalist in numerous international open innovation competitions.
In 2005, Gavin obtained a PhD in Mathematical Statistics. He lectured formally at Wits University, and continues to lecture MBA students on an informal basis. As a member of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa, he has developed a reputation for being able to explain difficult concepts in a simple-to-understand manner.
Gavin is passionate about innovation and how it can change the world for the better.
Take Off Your Blinkers
Avoiding Corporate Blind-Spots & Spotting New Opportunities
The need of value-added innovation has never been stronger. In this talk, we discuss why our brains are wired to miss new opportunities, and what we can do about it. We discuss the simple ways to change the way we think to avoid corporate blind-spots, and spot new opportunities for the business.
Creating Your Next Blockbuster Product
The best way to beat the current recession is to come up with new innovative product ideas. Traditional techniques such as brainstorming and focus groups don't work very well, and traditional market research can be downright dangerous. In this talk, we share structured, practical approaches to help your business come up with its next blockbuster product.
Change Your Thinking Innovation Programme
To thrive in these turbulent economics times, companies must find new ways of doing business, identify new opportunities and open up new revenue streams. This requires new thinking. Companies that are failing to innovate are being left behind. It's time to change your thinking.
Introducing a revolutionary 20-week online interactive course – to give your employees and managers simple yet powerful tools to bring new thinking and innovation into the business.
About Dr. Gavin Symanowitz
Gavin Symanowitz, an actuary, headed up Strategic Product Innovation for Investments at First National Bank for over five years. He won the prestigious Innovator of the Year award in 2008, and subsequently left the bank to found a number of revolutionary web-based businesses. One of these, GetAGreatBoss.com and spin-off FeedbackRocket.com, was recognized as one of the 10 Most Promising Digital Innovations world-wide in 2009, by Netexplorateur, an international organization set up under the auspices of the French Government Ministry for the Digital Economy.
The company has won a number of other international awards for innovation:
- Finalist in The Economist Disruptive Innovation Challenge (Boston, 2011)
- Technology Top 100 Company (2011)
- Founder awarded Strategic Leader in HR at the World HRD Congress (India, 2011)
- Finalist in SeedCamp, Europe's premier tech start-up competition (London, 2010)
- Finalist in Next Top Start-up Competition (Barcelona, 2010)
Gavin was featured in the Harvard Business Review article "Learn How to Think Different(ly)" and is a Thought Leader on the South African Innovation Network. He has been a regular finalist in numerous international open innovation competitions.
In 2005, Gavin obtained a PhD in Mathematical Statistics. He lectured formally at Wits University, and continues to lecture MBA students on an informal basis. As a member of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa, he has developed a reputation for being able to explain difficult concepts in a simple-to-understand manner.
Gavin is passionate about innovation and how it can change the world for the better.
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