Innovation Lead, Corporate Venturing Manager, Head of Innovation Lab

They facilitate ideation workshops, run proof-of-concept projects, manage innovation portfolios, measure impact, oversee budgets, and engage cross-functional teams to embed a culture of continuous improvement and entrepreneurial thinking.

Large consumer-goods corporations | Banking and insurance groups | Energy and utilities providers | Retail conglomerates with digital labs | Public-sector innovation units | Management consultancies specialising in disruption

Begin in a strategic, product, or project role and volunteer for innovation initiatives. Build credibility by delivering quick wins and demonstrating rigorous evaluation of pilots. Step up to programme management of multiple innovation streams, then lead corporate venture funds or firm-wide innovation strategies within a decade.

With digital disruption accelerating, organisations are investing heavily in structured innovation. Roles can scale to Director of Innovation or Chief Transformation Officer. Skills in sustainable, inclusive, and data-driven innovation remain highly portable across sectors and geographies.

Design-thinking workshop facilitation techniques | Innovation accounting and metric tracking | Trend-scanning and scenario planning tools | Lean experimentation frameworks | Financial modelling for new ventures | Rapid prototyping and user validation | Portfolio management software utilisation

Creative problem framing and reframing | Influencing senior stakeholders for buy-in | Storytelling that conveys future possibilities | Resilience in the face of setbacks | Collaborative leadership across silos | Comfort with calculated risk-taking | Coaching teams toward entrepreneurial mindsets