David Gram

David Gram

Former Senior Innovation Director LEGO

With a career spanning over 17 years, David has honed his expertise in radical innovation and lean start-up methods within both small businesses and large global corporations. His work is characterised by a unique blend of design thinking and agile development, which he has applied to numerous innovation projects from early incubation to full maturity.

David's journey in innovation leadership includes pivotal roles such as Senior Innovation Director at LEGO's Future Lab and Head of Innovation at Scandinavian Airlines. During his nine-year tenure at LEGO, he led multidisciplinary teams in developing breakthrough business initiatives, ensuring the company remained at the forefront of the toy industry. His efforts were instrumental in establishing LEGO Ventures, the strategic venture arm of the LEGO Brand Group, further cementing his reputation as a key figure in corporate innovation.

The "Diplomatic Rebel" concept is central to David's philosophy. He believes that anyone can become an innovator within their organisation by balancing the rebellious spirit needed to challenge the status quo with the diplomatic skills required to garner support. This mindset is crucial for driving change in complex organisations, and David's work with Diplomatic Rebels aims to instil these principles in companies worldwide.

David's insights and methodologies have been recognised in various forums, including his role as an Unreasonable Mentor, where he has advised numerous companies. His passion for innovation extends beyond business, as he advocates for leveraging corporate resources to create long-term positive impacts on society and the planet.

As an international keynote speaker and executive advisor, David continues to inspire organisations to embrace change and innovation, ensuring they remain viable in an ever-evolving world.

Workshops & Hackathon - Monday, 6th October 2025 [CET]

15:05 CCW EUROPE HACKATHON

Designed to give you the tools, frameworks, and mindset needed to thrive in a rapidly changing customer landscape, this session empowers you to design bold solutions that create loyalty, emotional connection, and measurable impact. No technical expertise required - just curiosity, collaboration, and the willingness to think differently. Together, you’ll reimagine the next generation of customer experiences through design thinking, pretotyping, and storytelling.

What you'll gain

  • Practical tools: Learn how to apply design thinking techniques, visioning, and pretotyping
  • Collaboration insights: Discover how creativity flourishes when teams think with their hands
  • Innovative ideas: Develop actionable strategies for future-ready customer experiences
  • Networking: Build meaningful connections with peers in a fun, interactive environment

How it works

  • Team up: Join a table of six participants to form your innovation team
  • Kick-off: Your host sets the stage with a high-energy talk on design thinking
  • Customer challenge: Work on a broad innovation brief
  • Vision: Craft a clear, inspiring product vision that frames who you’re designing for and why it matters
  • Ideate: Generate bold ideas using structured brainstorming and select the most promising
  • Hypothesis: Translate your idea into a testable assumption using simple templates
  • Pretotype: Bring your solution to life with LEGO Serious Play
  • Pitch: Deliver a 2-minute, high-energy pitch judged on clarity, creativity, user-focus, and wow factor

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining David.

Download The Latest Agenda