My life journey began in Africa, where I was fortunate to spend over 10 years, living in both South Africa and Nigeria. I consider myself even luckier to have been there during the end of apartheid and the beginning of a new era for the continent.

I then moved to France, where I studied engineering and had my first encounter with innovation and entrepreneurship, making it to the finals of a local startup contest.

First jobs, in construction then in the luxury goods sector where I gain tremendous practical knowledge of work ethics and the power of brands.

Design became my obsession. Embracing the philosophy that “Design is the intention behind an outcome,” I joined the consulting world to spread this message and help companies embrace Design as a mindset and a strategic tool.

This journey led to the Schoolab project: a hybrid of innovation training and design consulting. At the age of 26 I taught at top French business, engineering and design schools (ESSEC, Centrale Paris, and Strate School of Design) and lead students to co-created innovative solutions with over 100 companies in France.

In 2018, I moved to San Francisco, where I successfully launched the first open innovation class dedicated to solving plastic pollution, called Deplastify the Planet, at UC Berkeley. The program continues to run, training 100 students and working with 20 companies each year.

At the Haas School of Business, together with a former student I created a The Equitable Design Lab, a teaching program leveraging the power of design to solve diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges.

Concurrently, I am developing, with my colleague Jan, a powerful innovation and design framework, inspired from “Design Fiction,” called “Future Modeling,” a critical tool for leaders building the future of their venture in a complex and uncertain world.

To summarize: I’m an Engineer and Designer by training, a change maker by passion, thinking in the long term and hoping to become a good ancestor. CEO, strategic consultant, teacher and a proud father of three.