Contact Professor Leon Williams

Areas of expertise

  • Design, Strategy & Innovation

Background

Academically trained as a goldsmith with a doctorate from the RCA; his work has been showcased internationally from Universidade do Porto, Portugal; to Galerie Ra, Amsterdam; Milan, Korea and Hong Kong.

He has led as Principal Investigator more than 50 research funded projects and supervised many postgraduate researchers to competition from the RCA/Rochester/Cranfield (at MSc by Research/MPhil/PhD level). He is also the course tutor of the internationally acknowledged Innovation and Creativity MDes by Bloomberg Businessweek.

Current activities

Dr Leon B. M. Williams is the Director of Centre for Competitive Creative Design (C4D) at ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ with a specialised area of research in Prestige Design and Creative Innovation.

He has a wide knowledge base in 'technology development' but focuses his attention on the ever-changing disciplines that yield high impact for technological change and creative innovation. For this reason, precision engineering, novel materials, craftsmanship techniques and new technology development take high priority within his current research. However, most of his professional consultancy engagement focuses on problem solving for the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sectors, as his research and development processes are valued for being rapid and pragmatic. He focuses on developing design-led strategic tools, creative insight and working solutions to large and small enterprises, simulating ideas whilst bringing them to reality using proven R&D methodologies combined with new rapid development mechanisms.

He has been a consultant for over ten years providing guidance and support to developing FMCG companies. His key skills include:

Rapid-innovation toolkits (theory and practice)

Technology readiness level pipelines

Open Innovation Management workflows

Technology-led Innovation

Design for manufacture innovation management best practice

Digital technology development (concept-to-creation)

Reverse engineering systems for rapid manufacture

Design-led insight mechanisms (empathic data collection)

Client-driven innovation processes

Craftsmanship and practitioner knowledge exchange

Innovation strategy and creative business management mechanism

Precision engineering and rapid technology development

Creative systems and product optimisation pathways

Game changing innovation strategies for business growth

Smart Materials and Processes Design Thinking Practice Technology

Prototyping Management of Innovation and Technology.

Clients

SABMiller Materials Department

P&G

IBM

Housing 21

BMS

Links of London HQ

Benney Watches Ltd - in conjunction with Faberge Design Orchard

Royal Mint

Shadow Robotics

London Tap Water

Bombay Sapphire

Theo Fernell

Marant Jewellery

Wind Power Ltd (Grimshaw Architects London HQ)

Hornby

Rapid-Form

RCA

Garrard

V&A (goldsmiths)

Jaguar Land Rover.

Publications

Articles In Journals

Conference Papers

Books