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Dr Gaia Grant

Executive Director Tirian, Author, Researcher & Lecturer

Gaia is the designer of unique tools for navigating innovation leadership and culture.

Gaia Grant (PhD) is the creator of the unique ‘Innovative Change Leader’ Profile (iCLi) and ‘Polar Positioning’ (PoP) tool. She is a researcher and lecturer on innovation with the University of Sydney Business School, a director of Tirian Consulting, and author of a number of books – including The Innovation Race: How to change a culture to change the game and international bestseller ‘Who Killed Creativity?… And How Can We Get it Back?’ along with ‘A Patch of Paradise’ and ‘The Rhythm of Life’ and over 30 other educational resources.

Gaia researches how to create a culture that supports sustainable innovation and draws on data she’s collected from multiple survey responses and interviews with global leaders.  She is a course designer & lecturer at the Work Integrated Learning Hub / Discipline of Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship / University of Sydney Business School. Her role includes evaluating and designing work-based learning and teaching for the future of work.  Gaia also has an MSc in Creative Leadership (State University of New York), along with a Grad Dip Change Leadership, BD (hons), and BA Dip Ed.

Gaia was appointed by The Australian Institute of Company Directors and the peak Australian Superannuation Association Fund to research and report back on the importance of creating cultures in an organization that promotes accountability and integrity following the outcomes of the Haynes Royal Commission. She is recognized as an outstanding educator, receiving multiple university awards for her work.

Gaia’s corporate clients have included: Google (US), JP Morgan (Asia Pacific), Visa (US), Salesforce (Asia Pacific), Boeing (& Partner airlines), Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts (Canada), Citibank (Asia Pacific), AMP Bank (Australia), Deloitte Digital (Aust), KPMG (Aust), Baker & McKenzie (Asia Pacific), Colgate Palmolive (Innovation Lab America), Deutsche Bank (Asia Pacific) & many other MNCs who can all attest to her insightful approach.

Keynote presentations Gaia has given at a number of high-profile events for up to 3,000 people at a time have included: Salesforce International Roadshow | Gartner Symposium CIO Itxpo | World President Organization Global conference | Optus / Singtel national event |Growth Faculty Conference. Other selected industry keynote and workshop presentations have included CI Creative Innovation Conference (Australia) and the Creative Problem-Solving Institute (State University of New York, US). Gaia has also presented her research papers at a number of universities internationally including across the US (such as Xavier and Miami), Asia Pacific (including Bhutan, Central Philippines University), as well as delivering at major US & European management theory conferences: Academy of Management, EGOS & PROS.

Gaia contributes regularly to a number of major magazines and newspapers, and she has also been featured in a number of international media including BBC and ABC TV along with commercial TV, Reuters, Harvard Business Review, HRM, Fast Company and the Wall St Journal. She has co-authored several academic papers on innovation and over 30 corporate educational resources, simulations and programs, which are used by Fortune 500 companies worldwide. Gaia’s recent white paper on “What it means to be an ambidextrous innovation leader: Developing greater agility for sustainability in a rapidly changing world” is being very well received by innovation leaders globally.

Gaia is a recognized thought leader and a highly skilled presenter, facilitator and consultant who has developed a wide range of strategies and tools that can be used to find solutions to the most difficult challenges. Along with her corporate client work, Gaia has also researched, designed and delivered long-term innovation culture solutions for a number of not-for-profit organisations, including directing a one-year project working on innovation solutions for a government project that supports impoverished farmers with improving agriculture techniques in Indonesia, coordinating strategies for refugee organisations to overcome challenges internationally, and producing a health curriculum for more than 25 million teachers and students in India.

Gaia and her partner Andrew Grant have travelled the world for over 20 years looking at innovation and creativity in companies, countries and cultures.