Andrea Guertin is a seasoned design strategist and innovation leader currently heading Design & Co-creation at Kyndryl Vital Canada. With a Master's in Social Design, she has held key positions at Bridgeable, Deloitte, and Gensler, specializing in bridging business strategy with design thinking. Guertin's expertise lies in facilitating executive-level workshops, driving organizational transformation, and implementing human-centred design approaches across various industries. From her early days as a design strategist to her current role as a transformational leader, Andrea Guertin has consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation and design in business. Her journey includes founding a B2B market research firm, teaching service design at the college level, and advising executives on inclusive design. Guertin's career is marked by a commitment to solving complex challenges through creative problem-solving and co-creation, leaving a significant impact on organizations ranging from startups to global consultancies. 👉🏼 DOTS PODCAST ON ALL OTHER PLATFORMS Spotify, Apple, Anchor & more: https://anchor.fm/PAULSYNG 👉🏼 SUBSCRIBE TO SQUAD — A WEEKLY DIGEST Dive deep into business, brand and strategy every Tuesday. https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/114937/68230051490956385/share 👉🏼 READ PLATONIC BLOG https://paulsyng.com/blog/ 👉🏼 NEED HELP WITH A COMPLEX CHALLENGES? https://paulsyng.com 👉🏼 SPEAKER LINKS Host, Paul Syng: https://x.com/paulsyng https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsyng/ Guest, Andrea Guertin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaguertin/ 👉🏼 CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Modelling gig story 00:01:36 How do you say 'Guertin' by the way? 00:03:14 Who is Andrea Guertin? 00:06:50 A designer who no longer designs 00:11:27 Where GREAT designers and consultants overlap 00:22:41 Telling people vs taking them along 00:29:02 Be confident in being the dumbest person in the room 00:32:26 Embrace the messy nature of the work 00:36:01 Curiosity over conclusions 00:44:28 Why consulting gets a bad reputation? 00:50:44 Secrets of facilitation no one talks about 00:58:15 How quality of your questions builds trust 01:08:44 USA vs Canada 01:20:22 The 'S' word (strategy) 01:23:43 Andrea shares personal stories about being a mom 01:39:32 What led to Andrea leaving her job as the CEO 01:45:03 Nerd out on strategy 02:08:34 What the client is asking for vs what they need and want 02:16:12 Role of curiosity in your job search and advice for women 02:24:43 3001 Questions all about me 02:32:33 Final words, closing remarks