24: Victoria Milne - ISO56001

Victoria spearheads global innovation initiatives and excellence in innovation management and methodologies, leveraging emerging and advanced technologies across diverse industries. She achieves outstanding growth through qualitative and quantitative research, strategy, accelerator management, challenge-led technology pilots, innovation ecosystems, senior leadership engagement, facilitation, thought leadership, design thinking, concept, proposition and business case development and creative problem solving and business management. With a Masters (distinction) in innovation management and a PGDip in Business Administration, her career is a testament to her passion for achieving substantial commercial and strategic outcomes and impact through innovation.

She is the UK Head of Delegation at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) TC 279 for innovation management, where she sits on the advisory group for communications and engagement (AGCE) and has actively contributed to the drafting, development and refinement of ISO 56001 (The first global auditable innovation management system standard), ISO 56002 and ISO 56007 (Idea and opportunity guidance). She is a technical expert committee member for the British Standards Institution (BSI) for design and innovation management.

Her sectors include fintech, transport, IOT, FMCG, pharma, to marine, mining, infrastructure and more in both B2C and B2B markets. She has been a leading design mentor for the UK KTN Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), a £1.5 billion fund that supports cutting-edge research to address challenges faced by developing countries. She also developed a design thinking training methodology funded by the UK Government in conjunction with Imperial College London's Dyson School of Design Engineering, which significantly improved indicators of performance for SMEs.

Victoria is agile certified, a qualified industrial designer, and an expert trainer on the full suite of ISO 56000 for INNOVATEUK Edge Specialists on behalf of BSI. She has published and presented her research papers on innovation competencies and standardised innovation management systems at the International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM).

After leading a management buy out 8 years ago, she was at the helm of a boutique innovation management consultancy, Tenshi Consulting Ltd., ensuring daily operations and the ongoing success of the business. She recently successfully exited and has founded her latest endeavour - Verity Merit.