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 Cranfield University 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