Learn about Procter & Gamble’s celebrated Clay Street Innovation Studio and the journey of 11 individuals who grew into an empowered and highly creative innovation super-team.

In this talk, our presenters Chris Thoen and Michael Luh will describe the power of creativity and design thinking to unleash the greatness in individuals and develop the synergies driven by diversity, empowerment, focus, improvisation and many others.

Chris and Michael will share their own personal experiences which made the Clay Street approach at P&G a life changing event. Sit back, relax and enjoy the journey…..who knows maybe also your life will change for ever!

Dr. Christopher Thoen is an experienced Innovation and R&D Senior Executive with extensive strategic, technical & innovation leadership experience in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Food & Beverage and Flavor & Fragrance industries, as well as in the startup innovation ecosystems.

Highlights of Chris’s career as an innovation leader:
– Demonstrated strong track record of proactively anticipating emerging disruptive
technologies, as well as developing and executing winning strategies in R&D and Innovation
to support commercialization of consumer and customer preferred products.
– Extensive experience in organizing, leading and motivating R&D to deliver innovative,
differentiated technical and business solutions against company objectives to maintain
strong competitive advantage, thereby also contributing to building and expanding the
business against aggressive timelines.
– Led the development of multiple open collaborative innovation initiatives (connect+develop) and ‘company without walls’ modalities in different organizations.
– Actively engaged as the company’s driving force and spokesperson in novel innovation
ecosystems with startups and novel industry wide collaboration models.
– Experience in intellectual property management, licensing, due diligence, acquisitions and
effective strategic supplier relationship building.
– Led the restructuring and building /coaching of international R&D organizations for strong
business alignment and execution (both technical and commercial) with excellence.

Michael Luh is a Strategy and Innovation Executive in Consumer Products and Industrial Products with a track record for creating cultures of innovation to deliver disruptive innovations.

Highlights of Michael Luh’s career as an innovation leader:
– Former Co-Director of the Clay Street Project at Procter & Gamble, a Design-led innovation think tank.
– Significant experiences in innovation that have resulted in the successful reinvention of Herbal Essences, the Pur water filtration business, Pampers visionary lighthouse products, and many others.
– Currently Michael is the VP of Corporate Strategy & Innovation at Worthington Industries, where he is creating a culture of strategy and innovation at a heavy industrial enterprise. Michael is building culture based on what he learned while at P&G’s Clay Street Project with the belief that great innovation is a byproduct of a great team.
– Michael has degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design.

Event is free and includes a light lunch.

Event timeline:
11:30am – Networking & lunch
12:00pm – Program begins
1:00pm – Networking resumes

Thank you to our sponsor Mmelo Boutique Confections.

This event has passed so registration is closed.