I had the great pleasure of being part of a standout event—#OrangeTechDay2025. What mattered most to me was the double vote of confidence in Booster of Innovation’s expertise: first, I was invited to moderate a panel with the Management Board of Orange Polska; second, I delivered a Keynote Speech on the beating heart of innovation.

Why the future of telco demands a mindset shift

Our conversation with leaders across the telecoms market wasn’t about cables or broadband speed. It was a strategic discussion about how telco is transforming through technology, the leadership’s vision for the future, and how innovation is built inside a company with Orange’s scale and impact. These are board-level takeaways relevant to every sector.

Technology = Strategy. Insights from the Board conversation

The event was opened by CEO Liudmila Climoc, who presented not only results but, crucially, an innovation ecosystem, including strategic alliances with technology companies, collaboration with universities (including within the Horizon Europe programme), and the strong role of Orange Innovation Poland. Orange isn’t waiting for innovation to “happen”—it is actively designing it.

I had the honour of chairing a panel with Board Members Bożena Leśniewska, Piotr Jaworski, and Bertrand Grèzes-Besset. The discussion yielded a pivotal insight:

Telecoms transformation is no longer just about improving the network. It’s about building a broad ICT ecosystem and finding new profit pools by deeply integrating fast-evolving technologies (such as AI) into the network and IT stack. Orange is redefining its role—from connectivity provider to strategic architect of clients’ digital futures.

The implication is universal: from banking to energy, leaders must expand the value they create and build strategic advantage beyond their historic core business.

How to sell innovation? Scaling Secrets from the Keynote

My talk, “How to Build Innovation in a Corporation—Successfully,” went to the heart of the very question Fortune 500 boards wrestle with: what’s the secret behind practical innovation in large organisations that don’t operate like start-ups?

I used a Polish breakthrough—BLIK—as a case in point to show how innovation is born on the Vistula. From 1 million transactions in 2015 to over 700 times that figure in 2024. Proof positive that scaling is possible.

Myth busted: innovation is not the exclusive domain of start-ups. The key is not only to “invent” something new, but to build a scaling strategy—a clear path for deployment and Growth.

In this context, the talks by Marcin Ratkiewicz and Ewa Krupa were especially inspiring. They presented Orange’s model for democratising innovation, with five growth pillars and practical tools that enable every employee to contribute new solutions. When the whole organisation is primed for innovation, the potential is enormous.

A global lens. AI in New Product (Routledge)

As an expert supporting organisations since 2019 in using innovation as a growth lever (across banking, energy, pharma, and telecoms), I know that what worked in 2010 (e.g., pure Design Thinking) is no longer sufficient in 2025.

During my talk, I announced my forthcoming book with the renowned global academic publisher Routledge, part of the Business, Economics & Law series. I’m the author of the chapter “New Product Development Enriched with AI.”

In it, I outline how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the innovation process and the evolution of methods—from Service Design and Systemic Design to my framework AI Innovation Booster®.

Leader’s takeaway: for innovation to be profitable and scalable, it must evolve towards systematic practice and deep integration with AI. The future isn’t whether to use AI, but how to systemically design strategic advantage with it.

Orange has shown it has both the vision and the system. Does your company have a strategy to turn innovative ideas into new profit streams?

The past few months have made it crystal clear: discovering new sources of profit is a core duty of the board. Innovation is today’s most significant growth lever. It’s time to retire the myth that it belongs only to start-ups.

Suppose your organisation—be it FMCG, Construction, Technology, or Consulting (yes, I’ve even partnered with Deloitte in this area)—is ready to use innovation as Growth Leverage and build stable, new revenue streams. In that case, it’s time to act.

🚀 Amplify Growth! Knowing what to build isn’t enough—you must know how to scale it.

If you’re ready to move from ideas to profitable new products and services, let’s talk. Together, we’ll build your strategic AI Innovation Framework.