Innovation is arguably the holy grail for business success. It fuels new and increased market share, profits, and brand value. And, ultimately, it is the pathway to industry leadership and legacy. “Disruptive innovation” is a term coined by Harvard Business School professor, Clayton Christenson, in the 90’s. It describes a process by which entrepreneurs break the low end or new market and create business models that are different from existing ones in those markets, thereby disrupting the status quo and, usually, driving change in the market sector and beyond.

In this episode of Brand & New we will zoom in on the idea of disruptive innovation, what it means, how it translates into intellectual property, how brand professionals can support and even advance it, the right corporate culture to foster it, and what disruption may look like in the near future.  We also look at these topics against the backdrop of recent and rapid developments in artificial intelligence. Our guest, Aoife McArdle, has a storied career in this space, exemplified with experiences at the forefront of many disruptive innovators, including at Airbnb, Apple, and Skype. A law and business development expert by training, Ms. McArdle is a strategic thinker who has been a key initiator and driver in the rapid growth of many startups and well-established companies.

Ms. McArdle occupied prominent legal leadership roles in major international tech companies. This includes five years as European legal counsel at Apple, more than five years at Skype as their global head of commercial and regulatory affairs. As a founding leader of Airbnb’s Experiences business, she led their business affairs unit and their work in the areas on social impact and diversity and inclusion. In this role, she initiated and led a 10-year global partnership deal with the International Olympic Committee, the largest such deal for the company. With her broad experience navigating complex regulatory and policy environments for companies expanding globally, Ms. McArdle has become a sought-after innovation and disruption expert.

Thank you to Wanhuida Intellectual Property for sponsoring this episode of Brand & New.

Related Resources

About Aoife McArdle

What Is Disruptive Innovation? (Harvard Business Review, December 2015)

INTA’s Open Innovation Challenge