Founder of the Global Brainstorm, Celia is energizing fresh thinking around the world. Award winning inventor, author and entrepreneur, her lateral thinking and ‘designer decision’ techniques interactively amplify the mindset of any audience.
Inspiring individuals ranging from students and start-ups to senior executives and corporate teams, her keynote "Think & Grow" is designed to evolve thinking and advance ideas. Experience transformation in action. Generate innovation. Use problems as fuel for fresh thinking during this engaging (at times, life changing) conference component.
Having studied Industrial Design at Loughborough University, Celia rose to prominence with her ergonomic cookware designs, awarded British Consumer Invention of the Year and European Female Design of the year 2007. Quickly capitalizing on her concepts under the Doctor Cook brand, Celia shared her steep learning curve in her first book 'From Brainwave to Business'. Published by Pearson Prentice Hall, this book was shortlisted by the Chartered Management Institute as the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Management Book of the Year 2012.
Celia’s latest book ‘Energizing Fresh Thinking with the Whether System™’ is a must-read for leaders, team-builders and community developers. Applying lateral thinking and design development to the decision-making process, the Whether System™ (another award-winning invention from Celia) is a simple but powerful creative collaboration tool. Combined with ‘success cycles’, ‘happiness wheels’ and ‘lemon tests’, these new ways to think and work are energizing even the most fixed minds into action and growth.
A former Red Bull Snow Thrill competitor and now regular University Guest Lecturer, her fearless approach to fresh ideas is infections, her stories compelling and her methodology invigorating. Celia will tell you more about her mission to ‘maximise minds’.“Thank you for your wonderful words to me and the audience, who heard you at the summit. I do not know if you are aware about your views, which was out in the national paper-"innovation, credibility and connection solve current challenges". The national paper is the most widely read paper in Nepal so, you touched the thoughts of many readers as well as inspiring the women who attended!”
Ms. Pramila Acharya Rijal. President, South Asian Women Development Forum – September 2018
“Celia facilitated a series of brainstorms with members from 117 countries, in Istanbul, for the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2018. Her smart techniques, boundless energy and inspiring nature brought conflicting parties to consensus, motivated members to think more broadly and delivered a clear collective strategy, our movement is now building on. I thoroughly recommend Celia, her authentic presence, practical communication tools and approach to ‘energizing fresh thinking’ as a speaker or facilitator at any event intending to deliver change.”
Marc Ortmans – Global Entrepreneurship Network, UK Chairman – April 2018
“Thanks once again for your awesome brainstorms and report. You do great work!”
Jonathan Ortmans – Chairman, Global Entrepreneurship Network, USA – April 2018
“As an event organiser, trainer and facilitator, Celia left a lasting impact on my approach to strategy, gaol setting and decision making. It is her remarkable ability to produce ‘simplicity in complexity’ that enthuses and invigorates processes that are usually cumbersome, using everyone’s strengths. A remarkable lady with presence, integrity and a superbly simple methodology which I can highly recommend.”
Nicole Shaw – Global Development – August 2016
"A huge 'thank you' for your presentation and engagement with our audience. This was a really compelling story and I could see how much your thoughts resonated with the audience. Inspirational to say the least, and I cannot thank you enough - everyone really enjoyed your presentation and the views that you contributed to the plenary... Thank you also for networking with our Chartered Directors at the end of the day - they really appreciated it and learned much. Thank you also for your patience with us and for delivering what was exceptional."
Chartered Directors Seminar, IoD London - December 2012