With a background in architecture, Damien  transitioned into Service Design, drawn by its human-centered design approach. He built his career through roles in consultancy and professional education at SSF & UMIO, Maastricht University, where he refined his expertise in innovation, strategy, teaching, and consulting across diverse projects and industries. This broad experience has been instrumental in his current role as Senior Manager of Customer & Brand Innovation, where he leads the development and implementation of innovation frameworks, supports the initiation and management of innovation projects, and designs strategic change programs. Additionally, he inspires and trains professionals to embed design thinking and innovation within their organizations. This role perfectly blends his passion for design, strategy, and transformative innovation.

Jon Rains, Mott MacDonald Innovation Manager

Jon leads Mott MacDonald’s innovation management consulting team advising clients on innovation strategy and implementation and is the author of Mott MacDonald’s group innovation strategy, based upon ISO 56002.  He is a professional Engineer with experience in design management on major infrastructure projects in the Water, Transport and Cities sectors. He has led joint ventures and developed infrastructure using Modern Methods of Construction and established a digital ventures investment Unit. He represents the UK through BSI on the ISO TC279 Innovation Management committee contributing to the development of the ISO 56000 suite of international standards.

Mohamed Alhammadi, is an Emirati professional with over 15 years of experience in the energy sector. He currently serves as Special Project Manager for Future Foresight at ADNOC’s Executive Office, focusing on innovation and AI-driven initiatives. Mohamed leads ADNOC++, the company’s internal innovation platform, ensuring seamless execution from ideation to implementation, and has spearheaded corporate-level AI and digitalization projects to enhance performance and decision-making.

Ludwig Melik is the President of Americas at HYPE, a leading provider of the Smart Agile Innovation Platform. With over 20 years of expertise in Innovation Portfolio Management, Ludwig specializes in helping organizations develop strategies that harness AI and data-driven insights to transform their innovation culture and drive sustainable growth. A recognized thought leader in the field, Ludwig authored the Future-Fit Manifesto, which redefines Agile for the modern, data-centric world. As a member of the committee that developed the ISO 56000 Standard, Ludwig played a key role in shaping global best practices for innovation management systems. He also contributes his insights on future readiness as part of the Forbes Technology Council, where his blog offers a creative perspective on innovation leadership. 

Passionate about driving innovation and helping organizations turn ideas into impact, I specialize in innovation management, strategic partnerships, and enterprise SaaS solutions. As Director Middle East at HYPE Innovation, I work with businesses to build and scale their innovation programs. With a strong background in sales, account management, and project execution, I bring nearly eight years of experience in fostering collaboration and unlocking new growth opportunities. Let’s connect and explore how we can drive meaningful innovation together!