Maks Giordano is an internationally recognized digital strategist, innovation expert, and creative professional with nearly three decades of experience in pioneering digital initiatives.
He is widely regarded as a thought leader in innovation, particularly in the realm of exponential technologies, and continuously acquires hands-on experience through innovation projects with renowned brands such as Apple, Lego, Red Bull, Mercedes, Jägermeister, L’Oréal, and Vogue. Currently, his primary focus is on Generative AI, approaching it not merely as a trend but applying it operationally with clients to explore how businesses can leverage the latest advancements in Gen AI.
Maks Giordano has held leadership roles including management board member and Head of Innovation, Games & Mobile at ProSieben Sat.1, co-founder of the successful consultancies iconmobile and Nunatak, management board member at MetaDesign AG, and as Head of Europe for kyte, where his clientele included Lady Gaga.
Following a briefing discussion, he collaborates with clients to define the content outline and crafts keynote speeches designed to inspire and engage all attendees.
Maks Giordano Lecture topics
- Me, Myself and AI: Leveraging generative AI for driving innovation and creativity.
- Quo Vadis AI & GenAI: Examining the influence of rapid advancements in GenAI and AI on future business models, HR, marketing, and communication.
- Innovation Mindset: Approaches for companies to cultivate an environment conducive to innovation.
- Desirable Futures: Exploring how exponential technologies enable promising futures.
- Innovation Management: Essential elements for achieving sustainable innovation within organizations.
- The Future of Mobility: Perspectives on mobility in 2035 and the evolution of urban spaces.
- Healthcare: Revolutionizing healthcare through exponential technologies.
- Beyond the Hype: The lasting relevance of Web3 after the decline of the metaverse and NFT excitement.
Maks Giordano started his career in the early digital era during the mid-1990s at ID Media AG, contributing to numerous internationally acclaimed digital projects. These included the digital launch campaign for the Volkswagen New Beetle, the online debut of “Wallpaper” magazine, and projects for Sony-Europe and Swatch. He was instrumental in founding “Cycosmos,” the leading social network in the UK and Germany at the time and one of the earliest avatar communities worldwide—two decades before the metaverse became a mainstream topic.
In 2000, Giordano joined the management team of MetaDesign AG as Head of Digital. He played a key role in pioneering mobile projects across Europe, including for NTT DoCoMo’s iMode and Telefonica, becoming an early advocate for mobile services well before the iPhone transformed the industry.
A common inquiry he receives today is: “Maks, we are a company in the XYZ sector currently exploring generative AI. Could you come and provide us with an overview of possibilities, inspiration, and your expert evaluation?”
His enthusiasm for mobile services led him to co-found the Iconmobile Group in 2003, one of the world’s first agencies specializing in mobile solutions. Under his guidance, the company expanded into a global enterprise with over 200 employees and offices in Berlin, Tokyo, Sydney, London, and New York. As product manager, Maks Giordano developed one of the earliest mobile ad servers in 2004 and designed mobile marketing and advertising formats for major companies such as Microsoft, o2, and Yahoo. He also advised leading European mobile operators and supported numerous brands in launching their initial mobile projects.
Following the acquisition of Iconmobile Group by WPP in 2007, Maks Giordano assumed leadership of the Innovation, Mobile & Games division at ProSiebenSat.1 Digital. He successfully introduced the Group’s first iOS applications, developed innovative advertising formats, managed user-generated content campaigns, and established a highly profitable data access product. Since then, corporate innovation has remained a central passion of his.
In 2009, Giordano joined Kyte, an innovative live streaming platform headquartered in San Francisco and backed by Disney and NTT DoCoMo, among others, where he led the European market as Managing Director. He crafted digital video strategies for mobile, social, and online media for clients such as MTV and Universal Music. Kyte collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists like Lady Gaga and 50 Cent to enhance their video content and fan engagement.
Since 2011, Maks Giordano and his Innovation Studio have been assisting organizations with digital transformation and innovation challenges—from developing new digital business models and startup collaborations to establishing innovation hubs, company building, and digital upskilling in HR. Prominent companies including Linde, Viessmann, Lufthansa, Volkswagen, Daimler, UEFA, Red Bull, Deutsche Telekom, BMW, eBay, and many others depend on his expertise.
Maks has successfully co-founded the consultancies “Nunatak” and “kreait,” led the “Founder Institute” accelerator program in Berlin, and served as a mentor at Axel Springer PlugNPlay, Telekom hub:raum, Pioneers Festival, hack.fwd, among others.
Maks Giordano holds an MBA in Media and Communication from the University of St. Gallen, teaches entrepreneurship and innovation management at Zeppelin University and HTW Berlin, and authored the first German books on usability (Springer Verlag) and mobile business (Gabler Verlag).
He serves as a judge for the Lovies and Webby Awards, known as the “Oscars of the Internet,” has a distinctive taste in music, enjoys traveling, and continues to practice yoga.
