Frederik G. Pferdt

Google’s Former Chief Innovation Evangelist, Adjunct Professor, Stanford University

Frederik G. Pferdt

Google’s Former Chief Innovation Evangelist, Adjunct Professor, Stanford University

Frederik G. Pferdt’s mission is to grow an innovation mindset in everyone, because he believes creativity exists in all of us. Focus Magazin calls him “The Pope of Creativity” and brandeins writes “‘Google managed to turn its brand into a verb. One of the reasons the company was able to do this was its steady stream of innovations. During his time working for Google as Chief Innovation Evangelist, Frederik G. Pferdt, helped ensure that this stream doesn’t run dry”. From 2016 until 2022 Pferdt was responsible for constantly evolving the innovation culture at Google and for supporting leaders and teams in finding creative solutions to even the thorniest problems. From initiating a community of over 500 Google Innovation Evangelists and co-founding “The Garage” to creating Google’s first Innovation Laboratory, he helped leaders and teams across Alphabet/Google to solve big problems creatively, generating and testing hundreds of new-to-the-world ideas, fast. As an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (aka: d.school), he helps students to think creatively and break new ground. He teaches graduate courses like “Hacking your innovation mindset” and feels lucky to empower students through design so that they can invent cool things that matter in the world. He is founding faculty of The Google School for Leaders and currently amongst the “top ten most influential Germans in Silicon Valley” (SZ, Focus) and has developed an approach to innovation culture, creative leadership and future mindset that has been used around the world by startups, schools, nonprofits, and governments as well as Fortune 500 companies plus organizations like the UN, NASA, DFB, SIEMENS. His thought-provoking insights got featured in over 180 articles in international newspapers, magazines and documentaries like FastCompany, Inc. Magazine, Times Magazine, Harvard Business Manager, WirtschaftsWoche, El Tiempo, Business Today, FAZ, Asia Business Daily, Der Spiegel, Financial Times, Capital, Manager Magazine, brandeins, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Chosun Ilbo, The Telegraph, Arte TV, VOX TV and ARD. With his award-winning approach (New Work Award), he currently serves as Innovation Consultant to the United Nations (UN), advisor to the Stanford University Innovation Fellows (UIF) and Innovation Coach of the German Soccer Association (DFB) and member of The “Hall of Fame” (Paderborn University). Together with his wife Angela he is founder of Germany’s kids maker space: “Tüftelei”. Living above Silicon Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains, he draws inspiration

Languages
  • English
  • German

About Frederik G. Pferdt

Frederik G. Pferdt’s mission is to grow an innovation mindset in everyone, because he believes creativity exists in all of us. Focus Magazin calls him “The Pope of Creativity” and brandeins writes “‘Google managed to turn its brand into a verb. One of the reasons the company was able to do this was its steady stream of innovations. During his time working for Google as Chief Innovation Evangelist, Frederik G. Pferdt, helped ensure that this stream doesn’t run dry”.

From 2016 until 2022 Pferdt was responsible for constantly evolving the innovation culture at Google and for supporting leaders and teams in finding creative solutions to even the thorniest problems. From initiating a community of over 500 Google Innovation Evangelists and co-founding “The Garage” to creating Google’s first Innovation Laboratory, he helped leaders and teams across Alphabet/Google to solve big problems creatively, generating and testing hundreds of new-to-the-world ideas, fast.

As an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (aka: d.school), he helps students to think creatively and break new ground. He teaches graduate courses like “Hacking your innovation mindset” and feels lucky to empower students through design so that they can invent cool things that matter in the world.

He is founding faculty of The Google School for Leaders and currently amongst the “top ten most influential Germans in Silicon Valley” (SZ, Focus) and has developed an approach to innovation culture, creative leadership and future mindset that has been used around the world by startups, schools, nonprofits, and governments as well as Fortune 500 companies plus organizations like the UN, NASA, DFB, SIEMENS.

His thought-provoking insights got featured in over 180 articles in international newspapers, magazines and documentaries like FastCompany, Inc. Magazine, Times Magazine, Harvard Business Manager, WirtschaftsWoche, El Tiempo, Business Today, FAZ, Asia Business Daily, Der Spiegel, Financial Times, Capital, Manager Magazine, brandeins, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Chosun Ilbo, The Telegraph, Arte TV, VOX TV and ARD.

With his award-winning approach (New Work Award), he currently serves as Innovation Consultant to the United Nations (UN), advisor to the Stanford University Innovation Fellows (UIF) and Innovation Coach of the German Soccer Association (DFB) and member of The “Hall of Fame” (Paderborn University).

Together with his wife Angela he is founder of Germany’s kids maker space: “Tüftelei”. Living above Silicon Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains, he draws inspiration

Topics

  • Innovation Mindset
  • Culture of Innovation
  • Future-ready mindset
  • Creative Leadership