At the recent Talent Unleashed APAC Awards in Melbourne, the Chief Innovation Officer of DBS Bank was judged, by a panel that included Steve Wozniak and Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson.
In awarding the prize, the panelists recognised the innovation programme at DBS that has included partnerships with fintech's, the start-up community, lean start-up and human-centred design methodologies and initiatives such as replacing talent management conferences with hackathons to drive an innovative culture across the Group’s 22,000 employees in Asia.
Apple Co-Founder As Judge
Winners were chosen by an international judging panel including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Virgin boss Richard Branson. The judges based their criteria on candidates’ technological innovation with integrity, effectiveness and creativity, as well as the impact the business or individual has had in transforming their business or community.
«A great and very clever way of creating an entrepreneurship programme within the company and investing in the ecosystem. Very inspiring to know that we have people like Neal who truly care about all of these issues, while still working at a bank!,» wrote Branson.
In addition to his role as an innovation leader at DBS, Cross also founded and runs a social enterprise hotel aimed at saving the Sumatran orangutan while providing jobs and education for the local villagers.
