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Keynote · Design Thinking 2030+

Get 2030+ ready with the most powerful mindset.

Design thinking was built for products. Michael Lewrick rebuilt it for exponential times: for Agentic AI, business ecosystems, measurable innovation and responsibility for people and planet.

Book this keynote Watch Michael on stage
30 to 60 minutesEnglish or GermanOn stage or onlineKeynote, fireside chat or panel

With Dr. Michael Lewrick, lead author of the bestselling Wiley design thinking series, read by more than 3 million people in 25+ languages.

Michael Lewrick giving his keynote Design Thinking for Humanity at the Austrian Innovation Forum in Vienna
Keynote · Austrian Innovation Forum, Vienna
6international bestsellers with Wiley
3M+readers worldwide
25+languages
20+countries with keynotes and programmes
2×Thinkers50 nominee, 2022 and 2023

Former Chief Innovation Officer at Swisscom · former Head of Innovation Labs at Deloitte · Stanford · Drucker School of Management · PhD · MBA

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Three myths that keep innovation small

Most organisations still run design thinking the way it was taught in 2010. This keynote takes apart three beliefs that quietly hold them back.

Myth 1Design thinking is creative brainstorming for new products.In reality

It is a strategic operating system. It connects people, data, processes and partners, and it decides what an organisation builds next.

Myth 2If you measure innovation, you kill it.In reality

Unmeasured creativity turns into expensive vanity projects. Learning speed, validation stages and clear kill criteria are what make innovation scale.

Myth 3Delight the user and you have succeeded.In reality

Human-centred is not enough when it ignores side effects. The next generation of solutions also has to work for society, future generations and the planet.

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The evolution of the most powerful mindset

Design thinking has shaped how the world innovates for more than 60 years. Michael Lewrick has carried it into its next era, book by book, from the Playbook to Agentic AI.

1960s–80s

Design as a way of thinking

Design research and engineering design at Stanford make design a discipline for solving problems, not only for shaping objects.

1990s–2000s

Human-centred

IDEO and the Stanford d.school bring empathy, prototyping and radical collaboration into business.

2018

The strategic playbook

Design thinking combined with systems thinking, data analytics and agile, for digital transformation.

BookThe Design Thinking Playbook, with Patrick Link and Larry Leifer
2022–2024

Ecosystems, metrics and AI

From single products to minimum viable ecosystems. Innovation becomes measurable. AI becomes a design material.

BooksBusiness Growth · Innovation Metrics · AI and Innovation
2026 → 2030+

Design for humanity

People, AI agents, ecosystems and the planet in one mindset. Responsibility becomes part of the design brief.

BookDesign Thinking for Humanity
HHumanDeep understanding of people and their real needs, the foundation that stays.
AAI and agentsAI as a co-designer and agents as team members, with clear roles for people.
EEcosystemsValue created with partners, data and platforms, not by one company alone.
PPlanetLong-term impact on society and nature as a design criterion, not an afterthought.
K

Three keynotes, one mindset

Each keynote stands on its own and can be tailored to your industry, your audience and your event. All are available in English and German.

01Strategy & growth
The Design Thinking Playbook

Designing for exponential times

From standalone products to minimum viable ecosystems

In an era of Agentic AI, great products no longer win markets on their own. Organisations that lead tomorrow orchestrate networks of customers, partners, data and platforms. Michael shows how to move from closed internal R&D to ecosystems that create advantage nobody can copy alone.

Ideal for: leadership summits, strategy days, digital and transformation conferences

Your audience takes away

  • Why product-centric innovation reaches its limits
  • How a minimum viable ecosystem (MVE) is designed and tested
  • How to combine AI co-pilots with human empathy
  • First steps for their own organisation on Monday
Tool to remember: the ecosystem map. It shows every stakeholder, dependency and risk before a single line of code is written.
02Leadership & governance
Design Thinking and Innovation Metrics

The metrics paradox

How to measure, govern and scale innovation without killing creativity

Every board asks the same question: where is our return on innovation? Michael answers it. He shows how organisations connect creative exploration with clear accountability, and how they separate the bets with real potential from expensive vanity projects early.

Ideal for: executive boards, finance and strategy leaders, innovation and R&D units

Your audience takes away

  • Why "you can't measure creativity" is an expensive myth
  • Milestones, learning speed and kill criteria that work
  • How to link design thinking with OKRs and financial KPIs
  • How to fund ideas based on evidence, not on lobbying
Tool to remember: the innovation portfolio. It maps each idea by its risk and its validation progress, not only by expected revenue.
03Purpose & future
Design Thinking for Humanity

Beyond human-centred

Redesigning innovation for humanity, planetary health and future generations

Optimising only for user convenience and short-term profit has accelerated many of today's crises. The next evolution of design thinking widens the circle: to society, to nature and to the generations that come after us. A keynote that raises both the strategic and the moral imagination of the room.

Ideal for: sustainability and ESG summits, public sector, foundations, purpose-driven companies

Your audience takes away

  • Why human-centred design alone is no longer enough
  • How to design for future generations and the planet
  • How to balance technological speed with long-term impact
  • Examples of regenerative business models
Tool to remember: the impact canvas. It tests every solution across generations, ecological footprint and social fairness.
Michael Lewrick on stage: keynote highlights

See Michael on stage

Energising, clear and full of examples your audience will retell.

Michael combines frontline experience from China, Silicon Valley and Europe with research and stories from his books. Every keynote ends with ideas people can act on the next day.

Check availability
Michael Lewrick on stage with the slide Shaping and scaling the AI ecosystem of the future
Next in Ecosystem Design: Agentic AI
Michael Lewrick giving an AI and innovation keynote in Spain
AI & Innovation Keynote, Spain
Michael Lewrick giving a design thinking keynote at Microsoft IoT Labs in China
Design Thinking Keynote, Microsoft IoT Labs, China
Michael Lewrick at the EdCrunch higher education conference
EdCrunch, higher education conference

Public events

ISPIMInnovation conference
Strategic Innovation+Egypt
Corporate Innovation Summit2024
Innov8rsMilan 2024
Innovation RoundtableSummit
Ecosystems 2030Conference
TM ForumDigital ecosystems
Startup GrindHong Kong 2022
DesignSingapore20 years of design
EdCrunchHigher education
Digital Transformation SummitGrupo Éxito
Sharing DayConference
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In-house innovation events, masterclasses and keynotes

Leadership teams and innovators at global companies and institutions in Asia, Europe and the Americas have worked with Michael.

Tencent Ping An Alibaba NIO Huawei DBS Bank of America SAP HP Zuora Airbus NASA Emirates Fraport Siemens Siemens Healthineers ABB Bühler Freudenberg Roche Novartis Takeda BeiGene CSL Vifor JTI ADM Stepan OCP Paragon DesignSingapore Council
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What organisers say

Feedback from conferences and leadership events.

Michael delivered an inspirational talk about design thinking for AI to our global community. His insights and advice continue to resonate with our members long after the session ended.
DirectorGlobal Design Thinking Alliance (GDTA), South East Asia
Michael Lewrick's keynote was an absolute highlight for the Austrian Innovation Community. Attendees lined up to engage with his insights and his latest book on design thinking for humanity.
Organizer, Conference CommitteeAustrian Innovation Forum, Vienna
Michael delivered a compelling keynote on AI and innovation, then led every participant through a hands-on exercise to build functional AI agents for our daily operations.
Event LeadBeOne Medical Europe
Portrait of Dr. Michael Lewrick

About Michael

The lateral thinker who future-proofed design thinking

Michael has carried the most powerful creative mindset of the last 60 years into a new era of exponential change, Agentic AI and ecosystem design.

Long before he advised global companies, Michael was the one who questioned the obvious and turned complex obstacles into openings for change. That instinct shaped a career between corporate leadership and research: as Chief Innovation Officer at Swisscom and Head of Innovation Labs at Deloitte, in the platform ecosystems of China and in the speed of Silicon Valley.

Today, through Lewrick & Company, he helps European organisations compete and lead in a changing world. With his long-standing ties to Stanford University and the Drucker School of Management, and as lead author of the Wiley design thinking series, he gives students and leaders the frameworks they need for exponential times.

His conviction: the future does not belong to those who only adopt technology, but to those who bring empathy, strategic agility and responsibility for the planet together.

BooksThe Design Thinking Playbook · Toolbox · Business Growth · Innovation Metrics · AI and Innovation · Design Thinking for Humanity
RecognitionThinkers50 nominee 2022 and 2023
LanguagesKeynotes in English and German
Based inVaduz, Liechtenstein · working across DACH and internationally
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The books behind the keynotes

The bestselling Wiley design thinking series, read by more than 3 million people in 25+ languages. Five books, one methodology: mindset, methods, growth, metrics and purpose. Every keynote draws on the research, cases and tools in these books.

The Design Thinking Playbook book coverThe Design Thinking Playbook2018 · Mindset, process and systems thinking for digital transformation The Design Thinking Toolbox book coverThe Design Thinking Toolbox2020 · The most popular innovation methods in one guide Design Thinking for Business Growth book coverDesign Thinking for Business Growth2022 · Business models and ecosystems that scale Design Thinking and Innovation Metrics book coverDesign Thinking and Innovation Metrics2023 · Measuring creativity, OKRs and innovation success Design Thinking for Humanity book coverDesign Thinking for Humanity2026 · Resilience and a better future for people and planet
The Design Thinking Library boxset by Wiley

New · Wiley boxset

The Design Thinking Library

The complete five-book methodology in one box: the Playbook, the Toolbox, Business Growth, Innovation Metrics and Design Thinking for Humanity. Mindset, methods, metrics, growth and purpose.

See the boxset
Q

Questions and answers

Who is a leading keynote speaker on design thinking in the DACH region?

Dr. Michael Lewrick is the lead author of the bestselling Wiley design thinking series (The Design Thinking Playbook, The Design Thinking Toolbox, Design Thinking and Innovation Metrics, Design Thinking for Humanity), read by more than 3 million people in 25+ languages and nominated twice for the Thinkers50. He speaks in German and English across Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany and Austria and internationally.

What is new about the 2030+ design thinking mindset?

Classic design thinking focuses on users and products. The 2030+ mindset adds four things: AI and agents as part of the team, value created in ecosystems with partners, innovation that is measured and governed, and responsibility for society, future generations and the planet.

How long is the keynote and in which formats is it available?

Usually 30 to 60 minutes, as a keynote, fireside chat or panel, on stage or online, in English or German. Each keynote is tailored to the industry and the audience.

Can the keynote be combined with a masterclass or workshop?

Yes. Many clients start with a keynote and continue with a masterclass for their leadership team, from 1.5 hours to several days. See the masterclasses.

How do I book Michael Lewrick for a keynote?

Send the date, location, audience and topic to info@lewrick.ch or use the contact form. You will receive an answer within two working days.

Book this keynote

Give your audience the mindset for 2030+.

Tell us about your event: date, location, audience and what you want people to walk away with. We will come back to you within two working days.

Request availabilityinfo@lewrick.ch
30–60 minkeynote, fireside chat or panel
EN · DEon stage or online
50–30,000people in the audience
DACH +and internationally
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