About

Damien Gauthier

Facilitator and collective intelligence expert, 20 years of experience.

I help organizations and teams transform their ideas into products, services and strategies with real impact, combining design thinking, lean startup and collective intelligence.

My path goes from academic research, a PhD in mathematics at EPFL, through senior UX design, to leading innovation teams and international innovation programs. That range is my edge: I bring a structured, collaborative and results-oriented approach to messy, human, strategic problems.

I work in French and English, mainly in Switzerland and internationally, with large private companies, public organizations and associations alike.

Portrait of Damien Gauthier
"Transcend complexity and align stakeholders around a shared vision, to deliver an experience that multiplies your organization's impact."
My mission
Qualifications

What twenty years builds

Expertise

  • Strategic innovation support, 10+ years across many sectors
  • Design and facilitation of collaborative processes, strategic and operational mandates
  • Strategic framing and value-proposition definition
  • Analysis and co-design of services and processes (CX, UX, EX), 20+ years
  • User research and concept validation, 20+ years
  • Coaching leaders for high-stakes presentations to top management
  • Training in design thinking and innovation methods (HES, business schools, companies)
  • Innovation program support

Certifications

  • Workshopper Master (AJ&Smart)
  • Codesign Facilitation (Codesign-it)
  • Scrum Product Owner I (scrum.org)
  • Leadership and Management (Harvard Business School Online)
  • Business Sustainability Management (University of Cambridge)

Languages

  • French, native
  • English, C2, fluent
  • Japanese, A2/B1
Career

From research to facilitation

  • 2023, today

    Innovation Specialist & Facilitator, KoKrea, Lausanne

    Facilitation and innovation engagements for public institutions and companies across Suisse romande.

  • 2021, today

    Design Thinking Lecturer, HES-SO, Geneva

    Regular trainings in design thinking and innovation methods.

  • 2017, 2023

    Innovation Specialist & Team Lead, SQLI, Lausanne

    Leading innovation engagements and teams; strategy, facilitation and experience design for major Swiss and international clients.

  • 2014, 2017

    Senior User Experience Designer, SQLI, Lausanne

    UX strategy, research and design for digital products and services.

  • 2015

    Master MALTT, Learning, Teaching & Technologies, UNIGE

    Where pedagogy met technology, the foundation of my training practice.

  • 2006

    PhD in Mathematics, EPFL, Lausanne

    Structured thinking for complex problems, applied daily ever since, just with more post-its.

Sectors I know well

  • Luxury & high tech
  • Finance, banking & insurance
  • Public & semi-public sector
  • FMCG & international groups
  • Energy & utilities
  • Education

Also: Impactful Speaking

New Ways of Working is one of the two activities of Cie Alice in W. The other is Impactful Speaking, public speaking training and coaching. The two feed each other: facilitation taught me to read a room; speaking taught me to hold one.

Let's see if we click

The best way to know if I'm the right facilitator for your challenge is a 30-minute conversation.

Get in touch