Jos Harrison

Jos Harrison is a strategist, innovation leader and systems thinker and speaker who helps organisations build resilience and growth in an increasingly complex world.

Drawing on more than three decades of experience across consumer goods brands like Dettol, Cadbury, Durex, Vanish, Air Wick, Veet, Clearasil, Cillit Bang and others – leading product development, design, sustainability, brand strategy and business transformation, Jos has developed a distinctive perspective on why organisations succeed—or struggle—when confronted by disruption.

His work focuses on the often-overlooked connections between innovation, operations, supply chains, sustainability and commercial performance. While many organisations manage these areas separately, Jos demonstrates how they function as an interconnected system, where decisions made in one part of the business frequently create unexpected consequences—or opportunities—elsewhere.

Through practical examples and thought-provoking insights, he challenges conventional assumptions about sustainability, arguing that it should be viewed not as a compliance obligation but as a catalyst for innovation, adaptability and long-term value creation.

Jos’s presentations help leaders recognise emerging risks, identify hidden opportunities and build organisations that are capable of adapting to changing technologies, markets, consumer expectations and environmental realities.

His central message is that resilience is not achieved through efficiency alone. It emerges from understanding, designing and managing the complex systems that underpin business success.

SPEAKING TOPICS

Jos distinctive value lies in helping audiences understand how growth, resilience and competitive advantage emerge from the interaction of multiple interconnected systems: products, brands, consumers, supply chains, operations, technology, regulation and sustainability.

His perspective is that many organisations continue to manage these domains separately, despite the fact that the most important business challenges and opportunities increasingly arise at their intersections.

Resilience is not achieved through efficiency alone. It emerges from understanding, designing and managing the complex systems that underpin business success.

Jos’s talks explore how organisations can strengthen resilience, improve innovation effectiveness and unlock sustainable growth by recognising and managing these interdependencies.

Why This Matters Now

Businesses face growing complexity from environmental pressures, supply-chain disruption, geopolitical uncertainty, technological change, shifting consumer expectations and increasing regulatory demands.Traditional organisational structures often treat these challenges as separate issues requiring separate solutions.

Jos helps leaders see the bigger picture: how apparently unrelated challenges are often symptoms of the same underlying system dynamics—and how more integrated approaches can create lasting competitive advantage.

Audience Takeaway

Audiences leave with:

• A systems-level understanding of resilience and growth
• New ways of thinking about innovation and transformation
• Practical frameworks for connecting sustainability with commercial performance
• Greater awareness of hidden risks and opportunities within complex organisations
• A clearer understanding of how to build adaptability into products, brands, supply chains and operating models

Areas of Expertise

• Systems Thinking for Business
• Business Resilience & Adaptation
• Innovation Strategy
• Sustainable Growth
• Consumer Goods & FMCG
• Product & Packaging Innovation
• Supply-Chain Resilience
• Organisational Transformation
• Brand and Commercial Strategy
• Circular Economy & Sustainability

What Makes Jos Different

Unlike many speakers who approach resilience from risk management, sustainability from environmental policy, or innovation from product development alone, Jos brings experience spanning marketing, innovation, design, sustainability, product development and operational systems.

This allows him to connect disciplines that are often discussed in isolation and to demonstrate how meaningful competitive advantage is created through the interactions between them.

NOTE – Video clip of Jos speaking starts at approx 5mins in.