Get ready for an illuminating journey into the complexities and nuances of innovation with my guest, Amy Radin, Executive Advisor and founder of Pragmatic Innovation Partners. With a career that spans multiple decades and industries, Amy brings an unparalleled depth of insight into what it truly takes to innovate, especially in the financial services sector. From being Citi’s first global Chief Innovation Officer to her executive roles at American Express and Axa, her expertise is as expansive as it is profound.
Amy specializes in helping business leaders navigate the complex terrain of innovation by identifying new growth opportunities while mitigating associated risks. Her unique approach focuses on unraveling the cultural layers within organizations, providing invaluable perspectives on how internal culture can both aid and impede innovation processes.
One of the most compelling elements of this discussion revolves around the concept of “execution.” As Amy stresses, an idea, no matter how groundbreaking, lacks value without the capability to bring it into reality. This principle holds true whether you’re at a startup or part of an established Fortune 500 company. Her viewpoints bring a fresh, grounded perspective to the often nebulous and romanticized world of innovation.
Does your organization need a Chief Innovation Officer (CIO)? This question forms another central theme of our conversation. While appointing a CIO can signify a company’s commitment to innovation, it also runs the risk of excluding other departments from this critical function. Amy expertly navigates this organizational dilemma, emphasizing the importance of an inclusive innovation culture.
Further enhancing this rich tapestry of insights, Amy delves into the critical but often overlooked relationship between innovation and business strategy. Even the most creative endeavors are doomed to become aimless projects without strategic alignment. If you’re grappling with the complexities of innovation in today’s fast-paced business world, this episode will equip you with actionable strategies and insights.
Name: Amy Radin
Title: Executive Advisor & Founder
Company: Pragmatic Innovation Partners
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Amy Radin is a highly experienced, down to earth, visionary and pragmatic innovation expert. She was Citi’s first Global Chief Innovation Officer, and also held executive marketing positions at American Express and AXA. She now works with leaders faced with the imperative to innovate, helping them pursue new sources of growth and value while reducing the inevitable risks.
Amy has had the unique opportunity to lead or advise on digital, marketing and innovation transformations at Fortune companies, privately-held middle-market businesses, early-stage startups and not-for-profits. She has produced results with a customer-focused, collaborative mindset and a willingness to question and depart from the status quo when what worked in the past constrains creating the future.
Through her diverse experiences, Amy has created and pressure-tested the Seek, Seed and Scale framework. What sets Amy apart is her understanding of the reality of organizational culture and complexity, and her realistic approach to what innovation success requires. She uniquely lays the path between market need and the internal mechanisms to deliver.
The Change Maker’s Playbook: How to Seek, Seed and Scale Innovation in Any Company is newly available in paperback, as well as hardcover, e-book and audio formats. In both the Playbook and as a keynote speaker, Amy shares her tremendous expertise and perspective, with her characteristically authentic voice, on what it takes to identify and create new sources of value and growth for any organization’s stakeholders.
Amy is a graduate of The Wharton School and Wesleyan University. She lives in the New York City metro area.
