Toby is is a natural to help lead KI’s development of Micro Lab’s and other virtual events. In fact, Toby led KI’s first virtual Ideas Lab. Toby is passionate about the power of creativity and the power of technology to share that widely.

Toby’s technical toolkit is equalled by his professional one. His earlier career was as a creative artist adapting and directing plays for the BBC and various theatres. Now his focus is facilitating groups to use their own creativity to solve wicked problems, whether with academics, government agencies, NGOs or corporations. For example, he is “Innovator-in-Residence” for the United Nations Population Fund, working on projects to reduce gender based violence and unwanted pregnancy.

Toby, who splits his time between Ireland and the U.K., was previously head of creativity & innovation for the UK government and director of the UK Design Council. He was founding director of the Irish Centre for Design Innovation and is currently board member of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. He has quite a few academic degrees, none of which qualify him to do what he does now.

Sneak Preview: Toby’s KI teammates appreciate his unflappable calm, the way he compliments others and how quick he is to point out the contributions of others. Any idea he hears is always met with positive enthusiasm. He is a storyteller at heart, which makes watching him interact with clients is a joy. Both clients and coworkers are reassured by his presence at the helm of a virtual workshop. He is agile with the technology, at ease in front of the camera, and can be counted on to assemble all the pieces that need to come together to make participants realize their productivity potential.

At the water cooler? Ask Toby about: The time he fixed an old car using a pair of tights. But don’t ask where the tights came from. He won’t say.