Service Design in the Boardroom: Speaking the Language of Leadership

Описание: Service Design is not just about improving experiences—it’s also shaping the way organizations think, decide, and lead. In this engaging WDO Member webinar hosted on 19 November 2025 by the Service Design Network, you’ll discover why service design has become essential at the strategic level and how it can help you create lasting impact in your organization. Explore the evolution of service design, from its product-driven beginnings to its current role as a catalyst for organizational change and show what it takes to bridge the gap between hands-on practice and executive strategy. You’ll gain insights into how to communicate the value of service design in terms that resonate with leaders, and how to position yourself as a strategic partner in shaping business transformation.

In this webinar, you'll hear from:

Prof. Birgit Mager is co-founder and president of the International Service Design Network and editor-in-chief of Touchpoint, the international journal of service design. Since 1995, Birgit Mager has held the first European professorship for "Service Design"; at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne (Germany), and since then has continuously developed the field of Service Design in theory, methodology and practice. Her numerous lectures, publications and projects have strongly supported the implementation of a new understanding of the economic, ecological and social function of design in the field of services. In 2020 she received the Sir Misha Black Award for outstanding contributions to design education. Since 2024 she has been a visiting professor and member of the advisory board at the Sapienza University of Rome in the PhD programme Service Design and Public Sector. In June 2025, she was honoured with the Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by ISSIP.

Dr. Andy Polaine is a design leadership coach, educator, speaker and writer who helps clients transform their organisations and themselves. For several years he worked at Fjord, where he was global Group Design Director of Client Evolution. He is co-author of the book, Service Design: From Insight to Implementation. Andy has three decades of experience in design and innovation with clients across a broad range of industries. He holds a PhD from the University of Technology, Sydney and teaches on the MA Service Design at the Hochschule Luzern, Switzerland. He writes a popular newsletter called Doctor’s Note, hosts the Power of Ten podcast and shares his design leadership tips on his YouTube channel.

00:00 WDO welcomes and introduction

01:40 Presentation by Birgit Mager
17:57 Presentation by Andy Polaine
34:32 Q&A