THRIVING IN A WORLD OF UNCERTAINTY, DISRUPTION, AND AI

Creating Stability by Turning Innovation into a Competitive Advantage

with Hall of Fame Speaker, Stephen Shapiro

THRIVING IN A WORLD OF UNCERTAINTY, DISRUPTION, AND AI

Creating Stability by Turning Innovation into a Competitive Advantage

with Hall of Fame Speaker, Stephen Shapiro

The Innovation Challenge: Why Most Organizations Struggle to Keep Up

Businesses know they need to innovate, but they face three common problems:

❌ Too many ideas and distractions, not enough impact and clarity – Teams chase trends and bright, shiny objects instead of focusing on what matters most.

❌ Solving the wrong problems – Leaders spend time and money on solutions without ensuring they’re addressing the real issue.

❌ Collaboration is ineffective – Innovation isn’t a solo act, but most organizations fail to leverage diverse perspectives effectively.

The Solution? Innovation that’s fast, focused, and collaborative. Everyone contributes to innovation and differentiation by leveraging their unique strengths.

What if you could pinpoint the most important opportunities and rapidly develop breakthrough solutions—without wasting time or resources—by breaking down barriers and silos?

That’s exactly what Stephen Shapiro helps organizations do.

🔹 Keynote speeches and programs that inspire action for all, regardless of their role

🔹 Proven frameworks for turning ideas into results

🔹 A fast, structured approach to innovation, collaboration, and problem-solving

Stephen's passion for innovation is infectious. His mandate to focus innovation relentlessly on well-articulated problems has caused an internal shift in mindset and approach for our innovators. He delivers both in a way that is truly inspirational and actionable.

Why Innovation Matters to Me—and the World

At nine years old, I fell in love with two things:

🎷 The saxophone – which taught me the power of improvisation.

🎩 Magic – which showed me how to make the impossible possible.

That same mindset shaped my career.

I studied Industrial Engineering at Cornell and then joined Accenture, where I led efficiency and process reengineering projects. But something felt wrong…

Optimizing businesses often meant eliminating jobs.

Then came the turning point—one project put 10,000 jobs on the line because of my work. That moment forced me to rethink everything I believed about business success.

I realized that great companies don’t grow by cutting—they thrive by solving the right problems and unlocking untapped opportunities.

That realization led me to build and lead Accenture’s 20,000-person innovation practice.

Now, I help organizations identify and tackle their most important challenges—quickly, collaboratively, and effectively.

Instead of chasing trends, they create a stable foundation for continuous growth—turning innovation into their greatest advantage.

FAST Innovation®

🚀 A Repeatable, Predictable Approach to Innovation

Many companies treat innovation like a guessing game—but real success comes from a structured, strategic approach.

FAST Innovation helps organizations solve the right problems—faster.

Focus

Differentiate

Innovate where you differentiate

To drive stability and maximize impact, you need to know where to double down your investments.

Ask

Reframe

Don’t think outside the box; find a better box

Everyone will be equipped to reveal hidden solutions to difficult problems by asking better questions.

Shift

Solve

Expertise is the enemy of innovation

Your teams will find breakthrough solutions faster through effective collaboration and by looking beyond their areas of expertise.

Test

Experiment & Implement

Don’t fail; experiment

Don’t glorify failure. Instead, embrace effective experimentation as a means of reducing risk.

Repeatable and Predictable Results in an Unpredictable World

Stephen doesn’t just talk innovation, he lives it.

He led a 20,000-person innovation practice at Accenture, and he can make it a reality for your organization.

Let’s make innovation your greatest advantage.

Engage Your Audience

Transform how your organization tackles innovation, technology, and disruption with customized keynotes that will engage and challenge your audience.

Create a Culture of Innovation

Build your innovation engine with our FAST Innovation Mastery Program, designed to help your organization accelerate the way you innovate.

Reveal Hidden Opportunties

Discover a systemic approach for solving difficult business problems and tapping into critical opportunities with this powerful book.

Create Diverse Innovation Teams

Build high performing innovation teams that embrace divergent thinking. This interactive experience will ensure your organization can have a winning hand.

Available Now

PIVOTAL: Creating Stability in an Uncertain World

📖 What if the key to innovation isn’t pivoting—but focusing on what makes you irreplaceable?

PIVOTAL challenges the obsession with change, offering a new path to long-term success by focusing on what matters most.

🔥 Distinguish real opportunities from distractions

🔥 Build deep customer connections that drive lasting value

🔥 Create stability in an unpredictable world

Bring Stephen's Innovation Insights To Your Next Event!

Stephen brought incredible energy and highly relevant messages that made it possible for us to rethink our innovation principles and extend them to our customer-facing functions … He has a fun and highly infectious style and could be an asset to any organization trying to make innovation a reality.

Your interactive presentation captivated the audience and received great feedback from attendees.

Using 25 lenses, Stephen shows the innovation community how they can solve important problems using commonsense solutions hidden in plain sight!