Robert Brands
Robert F. Brands is President and Founder of InnovationCoach.com, Author of “Robert’s Rules of Innovation” (Wiley, March, 2010), Innovation subject expert and speaker. Brands’ hands-on experience in bringing innovation to market spans decades, and includes the creation and improvement of product development processes and company culture. He has delivered on his pledge to bring “at least one new product per year to market”. Served as Managing Director of the Personal Care Division of Rexam Plastics representing about $1B in sales, with 25 sites worldwide, about 11,000 employees in three Business Units: Dispensing Systems, Make Up and HPC (custom molding). Rexam acquired Airspray NV, a worldwide leader in non-aerosol foam dispensers, in May of 2006. Under Brands’ stewardship as President of Airspray U.S. since 1998 and since 2004 as CEO of the Dutch public company, Airspray created the international market for instant foam dispensing. Here, Brands delivered consistent double-digit profitable growth. Brands earned a B.S. in Business Administration from HTS Eindhoven, The Netherlands. A Vistage Member, Member of Tulane University’s President’s Parent Council, Board member of Netherlands American Community Trust and Advisory Board member of several corporations.
Recent Posts by Robert
Innovation is constantly taking place around us, from the mundane and simple, to the abstract and grand. Last night I was watching a video for Read More
Why is success so hard to sustain?
In order to succeed, everybody should be involved and engaged in innovation. Innovation should be broad; from innovations Read More
- Do you track new product sales objectives?
- Is your NPD pipeline as robust as you’d like it to be?
- Do you reward people who contribute
Of the 10 imperatives of Robert’s Rules of Innovation, Observe and Measure is one of the most vital. Innovation is ultimately about Return on Read More
When was the last time you approached your business as a customer?
Have you ever placed an order for your own product, and followed its Read More
Innovation is a product of human activity. Innovation keeps life interesting, yet it begins first, with ideation. The creation of a new thought or idea. Read More
At the beginning of every year, I pick one solid quote to live by for the year. This year, my quote comes from Neil Gaiman Read More
Ownership is one of the key imperatives of Robert’s Rules of Innovation. Most would agree that innovation is everyone’s responsibility, but employees can’t innovate Read More
Robert’s Rules of Innovation wishes you and yours a wonderful Holiday Season.
May you stay inspired in 2013!
Tis’ the Season for harrowing crowds, spiked Read More
After sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner last week, it is hard not to think of all that we have to be thankful for. In the Read More
On June 15th of this year, Nik Wallenda became the first person ever to walk across the roaring Niagra Falls on a 2-inch wire.
After Read More
Innovation is ultimately about Return on Investment. It’s critical to use leading and lagging Key Performance Indicators, and observe and measure time spent on each Read More
When it comes to Research and Development (R&D), a majority of the new product development process involves the “D” from concept to launch. However, the Read More
Open Innovation is an effective method for gaining ideas from outside an organization, but in order to achieve long term sustained Innovation, companies need to Read More
Innovation is key to a company’s survival, regardless of the size or type of organization. But there are many myths and common misconceptions when it Read More
For creating a company culture and mindset focused on innovation, it starts with proper training and coaching from the high ups of an organization. Read More
Innovation is impossible to achieve without taking a necessary amount of risk. In a world where the success rate of new product entries in the Read More
In the research and development industry where innovations build on top of other innovations, obtaining patents to protect intellectual property is of the utmost importance. Read More
Although we need teams to make things happen, innovation can occur on an individual basis. For an individual to create innovation, he or she must Read More
In the Innovator’s DNA we discussed whether innovators are born or made. Research has shown that creativity is not a genetic predisposition but a result Read More
While Apple is often the most highly touted company for its innovation success, 3M is a global innovation company that has remained under the radar Read More
Innovation is all around us, and if you see it, observe and learn from it so that you can use the idea elsewhere. A classic Read More
There are plenty of reasons to innovate. Especially now more than ever before, sustained Innovation is the means to developing marketplace showstoppers that lead to Read More
Innovation and Creativity are words that are at times used interchangeably in the research and development process, but they have two distinct meanings. While creativity Read More
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