Issue 3 2021

CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 3 2021 31 On YourMarks programmes, the firm works alongside them to understand and map out their unique strategic goals and discover the innovative solution that will best help them to achieve these. L Marks has created nearly seventy programmes worldwide, such as the ten-week intensive collaboration programmes with pioneering start-ups in Innovation Lab, Intra-Lab, the intrapreneurship programme designed to empower and equip employees to develop new solutions for their businesses, or Fusion an intensive programme which brings together start-ups with teams from the partner to co-create and deliver new solutions and tackle six months of work in just three days. Through open innovation programmes or university-grade ‘learn-by-doing’ educational processes, L Marks is able to implement its unparalleled expertise and experience to create a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship for businesses across sectors and geographies, whilst delivering results. This is combined with the Bridge, L Marks’ proprietary digital platform that plays a crucial role in augmenting the methodologies and expertise of the L Marks team so as to maximise the potential of future technologies. The portal allows entrepreneurs and internal innovators to connect with collaborators and develop their ideas, whilst offering the ability to analyse and select the best ideas to be developed further. The Bridge also enables engagement with larger groups of employees to promote a more agile culture of change, whilst its target setting tools enables these businesses to stay focused on delivering tangible results. When the economies and businesses around the world were forced to rapidly adjust to the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns, L Marks was able to rely on the Bridge infrastructure to seamlessly transform all of their programmes to digital platforms, whilst maintaining the same environments and delivering the same outcomes from programmes. There were of course some challenges, but the L Marks team were able to transition to digital platforms successfully and continue carrying out their programmes throughout 2020, often with even better results. CEO Daniel Saunders says, “I am incredibly impressed by the L Marks team and how, in only six weeks, we were able to build a Virtual Events Platform that created the environment and experience so all our events could continue during lock-down.” As such, L Marks has been able to continue operating with its central ethos of collaboration by bringing people together, even if only virtually currently. Whilst there are many who are now strong advocates for working from home thanks to its positive changes to work/life balance, the loss of commute, and other benefits, L Marks recognises the importance of working together in a physical environment to create a strong culture of collaboration and innovative serendipity. Therefore they look forward to the return to working side-by-side once more when it is possible. “That being said,” says Daniel, “necessity is the mother of invention and it’s been through having to adapt and react to this new environment that not only has L Marks itself been able to innovate and grow, but the world has also seen the importance and opportunities through innovation.” Having been built around innovation since 2014, L Marks is ready to lead its existing and new corporate partners to greater success in the future. At the core of the firm is an openness to new ideas, new ways of thinking, and a constantly curious mentality that asks, ‘what if?’ Daniel says, “just as we champion the importance of open-mindedness and collaboration within our corporate partners, so, too, do we in our own internal culture.” The L Marks team is made up of a diverse range of individuals, including entrepreneurs, corporate innovators, industry trade bodies, charities, investors, government advisors, innovation and technology experts and more. As a collective, the vast experience and expertise equips L Marks with the credibility to create successful programmes that generate innovation for their partners. The team is also constantly looking at what more they can do and have a culture of continuous improvement. Therefore, whilst the key to the success of L Marks is the diversity in its people, the firm looks for a certain mentality in potential candidates when recruiting to its team. Those individuals must share the L Marks attributes of collaboration, open-mindedness, creativity, courtesy, responsibility and dynamism. Consequently, the team is able to pull together and employ the breadth of its knowledge and insights to provide a holistic and clear approach to all of its programmes to create success for their partners, as well as their own company. As the impacts of Covid-19 open the eyes of businesses around the world to the importance and opportunities for innovation, L Marks is working with its partners to implement new technologies and strategies to remain stable and continue growing, even in these uncertain times. In 2021, the firm will also extend its guidance to further partners, as well as supporting the third sector in its creation of social enterprises to offer them the same pathways to innovation. Having seen the successful impact of innovation for its corporate partners, L Marks is excited to see how it can enhance and support partners within this new space. In addition, L Marks will also be further championing the importance and value of innovation by bringing together key stakeholders and encouraging them to support the firm’s existing partners and the wider business community, helping them to understand the importance of innovation and assisting them in navigating and embracing it successfully. By implementing innovation across these businesses, L Marks can help them to drive a culture of dynamism that fuels growth and ultimately makes change happen. Company: L Marks Contact: Daniel Saunders Website: www.lmarks.com