Simone Ahuja Profile Photo

Simone Ahuja

Keynote Speaker

Innovation Expert, Bestselling Author, Business School Advisor

Simone Ahuja provides a practical playbook for sustainable innovation and "intrapreneurship."

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Simone Ahuja'S SPEAKING FEE $25K - $40K

Simone Ahuja Profile Photo

Dr. Simone Ahuja is pioneering the idea of “intrapreneurship” and teaching organizations how to act more like fast and frugal startups, to drive sustainable innovation.

Ahuja is the founder of Blood Orange, a global innovation and strategy firm headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is co-author of the international bestseller, Jugaad Innovation, called “the most comprehensive book yet on the subject” of frugal innovation by the Economist. Her latest book, Disrupt-It-Yourself (HarperCollins Leadership), shares a clear set of tools and a practical playbook that helps organizations drive sustainable innovation by supporting “intrapreneurship” and acting more like fast and frugal startups.

Ahuja has served as an advisor to MIT’s Practical Impact Alliance and Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge. She provides keynotes, interactive workshops, and innovation advisory services to organizations including United HealthGroup, 3M, Procter & Gamble, Target Corp, Stanley Black & Decker, and the World Economic Forum. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, is regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review online, and a practitioner of improvisational comedy.

Featured Videos

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Simone Ahuja

Simone Ahuja Speaking Reel

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Simone Ahuja

Dr. Simone Ahuja on Implementing Frugal Innovation

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Simone Ahuja

Dr. Simone Ahuja on How Scarcity Reframed is Abundance

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Simone Ahuja

Dr. Simone Ahuja at the Fortune 5 Innovation Summit

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Simone Ahuja

Dr. Simone Ahuja on Smart Investment in Higher Ed Outcomes

Simone Ahuja’s Speech Topics

  • The Ease Equation: How Your Can Do Better (and Feel Better) with Less

    Leaders and teams are feeling the pressure of a “Do More with Less” era. Demands for increased productivity with fewer resources are creating more stress and stifling innovation. but it doesn’t have to be that way. In this fun and interactive keynote, Dr. Simone Ahuja presents the Less Makes Better approach — a practical strategy that empowers teams to focus on the resources they have, so they can do better and feel better with less. Drawing on insights from her bestselling books and work with leading organizations, Dr. Ahuja introduces a simple framework to turn massive challenges into manageable actions and transform overwhelm into engagement. If you’re looking for an optimistic, actionable keynote that equips your teams to be more productive, more innovative, and feel more energized in a fast-changing world. The Ease Equation is an experience you won’t want to miss.

  • A.I. Unlocked: Simplify, Innovate, and Lead with Less

    In today’s fast-paced world, your teams need more than just ideas — they need focus, effective executive, and the right tools to get results with fewer resources. In this keynote, Dr. Simone Ahuja reveals how AI can help you do better with less by simplifying work, booting productivity, and accelerating innovation.

    With relatable examples and actionable insights, Dr. Ahuja will show you exactly how to use AI to cut through the noise, get clear on what truly matters, and turn ideas into action without the overwhelm. If you’re ready to move from embracing AI to activating the power of AI, this talk demystifies the exact process, and offers a step-by-step approach to leveraging AI for better problem solving, higher engagement, and maximum impact at work (and at home!)

  • The Intrapreneur’s Playbook: Empowering Intrapreneurs to Lead Everyday Innovation

    Imagine if your organization’s most game-changing ideas weren’t just coming from the top but from passionate intrapreneurs throughout your teams. Dr. Simone Ahuja’s engaging keynote, The Intrapreneur’s Playbook, unlocks the everyday innovation potential of every team member, accelerating progress toward your organization’s goals. Drawing on insights from her book Disrupt it Yourself, Ahuja provides a simple, actional roadmap to help attendees turn their ideas into impactful actions aligned with company objectives — without adding to leadership’s workload. Your audience will learn how to select the best ideas and leave with practical tools to put them into action immediately. They’ll build clarity and confidence in their ability to drive results at work and beyond, empowering them to make a meaningful impact wherever they are.

  • Glow Up Your Problem Solving: How to Harness Your Unique Power to Drive Innovation

    In a world that’s always changing, staying on top means staying innovation — not just for companies, but for you, too. We all bring something unique to the table, but are we really using our differences to spark change and make real impact?

    Join Dr. Simone Ahuja in this fun and engaging keynote, where you’ll learn how to harness your own diversity and turn it into your superpower for solving problems better and faster, regardless of your title or resources. Learn how unique perspectives lead to fresh ideas and big wins, both for your career and your company. Ahuja will also share how you can help create a culture where everyone feels safe to speak up, and step into your role as an intrapreneur, an in-house intrapreneur, who knows how to take a great idea and make great things happen.

  • Accelerating Sales Transformation: Unleashing Customer-Centric Innovation for an Effortless Yes

    Unlock the transformative power of customer-centric innovation in driving sales excellence. This session is specially crafted for sales teams so you can revolutionize your approach and energize teams to achieve unparalleled growth. Discover vital strategies to consistently elevate sales potential with a simple, yet profound customer-centric framework. With it, you’ll learn how to shift focus from assumptions to genuine understanding of your customer’s needs and communicate those in a language that resonates with them. It doesn’t have to be hard, and it’s a lot more fun when it’s almost effortless for your customers to say ‘yes’ to your offerings.  

    In this session you will learn:

    • Customer Understanding Redefined: Gain a simple framework to consistently address customer needs, so your customer feels understood and can easily say ‘yes’
    • Language Alignment: Learn to speak in your customer’s language, crafting messages that resonate with their needs and desires
    • Actionable Strategies for Sales Teams: Feel confident to apply these customer-centric principles immediately, and guide your customers towards ‘yes’

What other organizations say about Simone Ahuja

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Ahuja’s insightful presentation on Frugal Innovation. Our diverse audience of 850 showed record engagement during the extended Q&A after the presentation. I’m certain all of our attendees left the session with actionable takeaways that they could implement in their offices immediately.

Government

What other organizations say about Simone Ahuja

Our audience was incredibly engaged during Simone’s virtual keynote. As higher education professionals, they are accustomed to working with less and needing to be creative about resources. Simone’s session on Jugaad Innovation really helped flip the narrative from being under-resourced, to leaning into the strength of frugal innovation. She really got everyone’s creative juices flowing!

Executive Development/Coaching

What other organizations say about Simone Ahuja

As the owner of the UnitedHealth Group’s emerging leader program, Simone was the obvious choice to support our virtual session. Our audience of 1,600 leaders were highly engaged based on comments we received both during and after the session. Simone clearly connected with our global audience through her passion, her impactful storytelling, and her deep, actionable knowledge on what it takes to innovate in the real world, at the individual level.

Health Care

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