LEGAL & GENERAL FUTURE VENTURES
14
“ Have a Harry Potter problem ? A critical business problem which others weren ’ t able to solve ? Take it to the innovators that can bring a magic wand , by using new technologies and business approaches to solve your problem in a faster , cheaper and award-winning way ”
Maarten Ectors , Future Ventures Chief Innovation Officer , Legal & General he assumed his current position in the organisation , taking the same awardwinning approach and building a team focused on solving business problems with the help of innovative technologies such as next-generation blockchain , AI , serverless solutions , mobile apps and chatbots , experimenting with continuous deployment and new business models , in collaboration with some of the world ’ s most disruptive innovators .
Key to the success of the L & G team over the last three years is the innovative mindset which Ectors brought to the organisation . Having previously held roles at businesses such as Nokia Siemens and Canonical / Ubuntu , he was highly experienced in innovation and technology , yet freely admits he had less knowledge of how to bring that experience to an incumbent in a sector that is more traditional in its approach .
“ Can a 180 + year-old company be a fast innovator ?” he asks . “ Yes . Innovation is an attitude that you can easily teach to business , technical and support functions . Innovation , and our Harry Potter problem approach is all about mindset . I joined L & G from a technology background . When it came to innovating , I ’ d previously formed
DECEMBER 2019