Innovation is the process which brings people the products they love and rely on. But before this relationship can exist, organizations have to gain those people’s trust. Acquiring and retaining loyal users is something all startups need to eventually do for long-term success, and perhaps unsurprisingly, it starts with a strong team. But what are the qualities to look for in talent to ensure that the needs and wants of the people we serve will be met? And how does that same philosophy translate to the design thinking that goes into developing solutions that people will favor? It all comes down to who we’re making these solutions for: the human being. Not the customer, nor the consumer. The human being! Join us for a special conversation with Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer at PepsiCo, to learn how people in love with people are the drivers of innovation and what your organization can do to make humans the center of what you do.

Key Takeaways

• How has innovation evolved over time? Why is it important to humanity?
• What makes some innovations succeed… and others fail.
• The qualities of the ideal innovator and how to become one yourself.
• Different types of mentors and how to gain the right kind of support.
• The principles of meaningful design and why they matter.

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Mauro Porcini

SVP & Chief Design Officer at PepsiCo, President Foundation Politecnico di Milano USA, Author ‘The Human Side of Innovation’

Mauro Porcini is PepsiCo’s first ever Chief Design Officer. He joined the food & beverage corporation in 2012 and in said role he is infusing design thinking into PepsiCo’s culture and is leading a new approach to innovation by design that impacts the company’s product platforms and brands, which include Pepsi, Lay’s, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Sodastream, Doritos, Lifewtr, Bubly, Aquafina, Cheetos, Quaker, 7Up, Mirinda, amongst many others. His focus extends from physical to virtual expressions of the brands, including product, packaging, events, advertising, fashion and art collaborations, retail activation, architecture, and digital media. He leads teams based in New York City, Purchase, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando, Miami, London, Dublin, Moscow, Il Cairo, New Delhi, Shanghai, Bangkok, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Cape Town.

Mauro is the host of his own successful video podcast “In your shoes – with Mauro Porcini” on Apple podcast, Spotify and YouTube, where he interviews inspiring personalities from the creative community worldwide.

Since 2020, he has been a presenter and judge on the TV show New York by Design and America by Design, airing on CBS and Amazon Prime Video.

In the fall of 2022, Mauro published his first book in English, The Human Side of Innovation. The Power of People in Love with People (Berrett-Koehler), which focuses on innovation, design and leadership. The book was named a Gold Winner of the Better Future – New York Design Award the month of its publication. In the spring of 2021, he published his first book in Italian L’età dell’eccellenza – Come innovazione e creatività possono costruire un mondo migliore (Il Saggiatore). It is now in its fifth reprint.

Prior to joining PepsiCo, Mauro served as the first ever Chief Design Officer at 3M, where his mission was to build and nurture a design sensitive culture in a technology driven global corporation. His teams, based in the U.S., Italy, China and Japan, won many of the world’s most prestigious design and innovation awards.

Mauro began his professional career at Philips Design and then created his own design firm, Wisemad Srl, in Italy with the celebrated entertainment producer and music star Claudio Cecchetto. His work on wearable technologies has been showcased at the Louvre in Paris as well as the Seoul Art Center.

Over the years he has been on the board of directors for several organizations. Currently, he is the President of the Politecnico of Milan Foundation in the United States (Fellows of Politecnico), sits on the board of directors of the Design Management Institute, and on the advisory council of other design, art, innovation and business institutions.

Mauro is a fashion lover, but not a fashion addict – regardless of his collection of more than 300 pairs of shoes. He lives between New York City and the Hamptons with his wife Carlotta, with their daughter Beatrice, and with their two Pomeranians, Leone and Bella.

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