About Paul

My name is Paul Hobcraft. I see myself as an innovation journeyman.

I simply enjoy innovation in all its forms. I got ‘hooked’ twenty plus years ago and since then have increasingly focused on innovation in all its different forms until it is 100% of my business thinking and activities today across different social, business and institutional needs.

I have been recognized for my consistency in championing innovation. I specifically focuses on building innovation capacity, competencies, and capabilities through the application, thinking, and design of Innovation in Innovation and Business Ecosystems. My work has been recognized in Ecosystem thinking by different organizations and institutions.

This podcast(see the top of the page) provided by Googles research assistants offers a summary on my background and experiences and where I focus today, on innovation, ecosystems and the energy transition.

My expertise lies in understanding ecosystem dynamics of innovation, governance models, and the intricate relationships that define thriving ecosystems to compete in today’s more complex and challenging landscapes. This understanding has built up over a number of years of research and application in advisory work and reinforced in my publishing work here at www.ecosystem4innovating.com  and on this site www.paul4innovating.com.

Today I primarily work as a transition advocate and advisor for innovation and ecosystems, focusing today more on those massive transformations being undertaken across the energy system and industry 4.0, requiring radical changes, new designs and innovative solutions as focal points of innovation and ecosystem application.

I relate content to context to give greater knowledge and build the transition narratives we are all undergoing. For this, I love the notion I wrote about in one of my posts on walkabouts for learning and testing ourselves.

My primary role is advising, mentoring and coaching within these areas.

The aim is to support individuals, teams, and organizations in their innovation and transition activity, applying what I have gained in experiences and knowledge to further develop core innovation understanding.

For me, innovation and ecosystem thinking and designs needs to enter the DNA of our organizations and our own individual make-up. What I do is deliberately set out to help grow and extend the body of knowledge on innovation.

As for my personal journey- well, it is a road well-traveled. Today my home is in Switzerland

Filling in the whole story of my journey- the two sides of my business experience

Senior management positions within global organizations to manage greenfield startups, challenging turnarounds, and leading businesses to recapture or gain new growth in volatile and uncertain business and market conditions. Developed and led complex global project introductions for redesigning global operations with the responsibility of developing, building and implementing essential technology changes, hardware and software developments, and new operational layout designs across all global locations.

Held a number of senior positions within global corporations, at global, regional, country and functional levels tackling different challenges that have included start-ups. turn-rounds and significant re-engineering and operational design, technology change and automation across a global network. Also began building a regional presence in Africa and Asia in different organizations in consumer, food ingredient and specialty chemical suppliers and industrial product sectors.

Managed organizations or divisional P&Ls; based in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia), East Africa (Kenya), Europe (UK, Netherlands, Switzerland), and Asia (Singapore & Malaysia) for periods of between two to five years in leading businesses.

Consistent international travel as an Export Manager responsible for building markets in Europe, the Mediterranean region, the Middle East and Africa. Initial key account and regional sales management, based in the UK.

My Linkedin profile

In 2000 I went into my own business of consulting and advisory work

Firstly based in Asia and then in recent years, based in Switzerland, and this has grown out in the focus areas I write about here.

My present focus and motivations are spent building innovation and ecosystem practices and providing valuable insights. This includes providing advice on building the right capabilities and capacities into organizations or individuals, wanting to advance on what they already have; to improve, accelerate and develop their innovation competencies and understandings of the ‘fit’ of innovation.

My further work has taken me into ecosystems and platforms, in thinking and design impact since 2016 and this focus has been separated onto a dedicated site of  https://ecosystems4innovating.com/.

Today, much of my research work has taken the broader area of innovation and focused increasingly on the Energy Transition as a proving ground .

My site https://innovating4energy.com/ outlines my thoughts and growing concerns on the global warming crisis and that changing our energy systems will significantly help slow the warming effect down.

I was involved with the Siemens Influencer Community from March 2018 until July 2022. I have an engagement in the global influencer programmes, it had a real space to encourage SIEMENS AG to think differently, in more openly in this community engagement.

In any shaping or influencing, I believe that I can certainly contribute given the opportunity and voice.

Through my advising, coaching, writing and mentoring on innovation and business ecosystems, as well as through my ongoing consulting work, the aim is to stimulate others as we all equally gain fresh insights and knowledge from these collaborative exchanges, seeking to deliver new measurable and better innovative and business impact and value in outcomes.
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My personal links and reference sites

• My Innovation views – my primary DNA of innovation site, (this site)
• Agility and Innovation Advisory work

Focal areas and dedicated posting sites

• Innovation Ecosystem and Sustainability Building Work
• Energy transition- the transition in all of our lives – posting site

Supporting Innovation Reference Sites

• Coaching & Mentoring Innovation as a guide for innovation
• Building innovation fitness in far more dynamic ways
• Innovation thinking and resources reference site

Enjoy your reading, if you want to get in touch then write to pahobcraft@gmail.com

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