Why Intrapreneurship is Gaining Momentum

An Interview with Adrian Ristow, The Coca-Cola Company

Why Intrapreneurship is Gaining Momentum

As part of the series of short insights from faculty members of the Intrapreneur Lab, we spoke last October to Adrian Ristow, Special Projects Director at Coca-Cola and lead on Project Last Mile.

The Intrapreneur Lab: Why is intrapreneurship gaining momentum?

Adrian: An intrapreneur is someone who is trying to drive some type of change in a large organization and will typically take a very innovative approach in driving that change.

I think what’s particularly resonating at the moment is the fact that new innovative solutions have to be applied to some of the key issues the world is facing…across sectors…from [the private sector]…and government.

Increasingly, we are seeing a new generation of people who aren’t necessarily satisfied with traditional careers. They want to drive change…but from the private sector perspective…while at the same time [not wanting to] follow typical career paths.

In the past, these people might have shifted their career to focus more on development work…but now they are finding they can [make impact] from the private sector.

[I’m seeing] both the private sector and the development sector becoming more accepting of the types of skills [that each can bring.]

Editor’s Note: The Intrapreneur Lab is a 3-day + 3-month accelerator-programme that helps individuals inside large companies develop profitable innovations that create social impact – and develop ‘intrapreneurial aptitudes’ in the process.

The Lab is a collaboration between Leadership Laboratories, Accenture and Business Fights Poverty and is held in business schools across the world – Oxford in UK, Cornell in USA, Gordon Institute of Business in S. Africa.

Companies involved include Barclays, Mars, Pearson, Philips, GSK, Novartis, Cemex, Coca-Cola, BASF and Interface – many of whom are seeing tangible results in the form of profitable, social innovations arising from within the company…led by committed and driven intrapreneurs.

The Johannesburg Lab is 17-19 November 2015.

For more information and to apply, please email Natasha Ncube.

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