Richard Kelly

Richard Kelly is Managing Director of IDEO Asia Pacific. Based in Shanghai, his role is to work with clients to identify, create and realize new opportunities, and build innovation capabilities. Clients include TCL Corporation, Fotile Kitchenware, Singapore Ministry of Manpower, and one of the world’s largest energy companies. He is also a council member of the first board committee of College of Design and Innovation at Tongji University and part of the organizing team for TEDx Shanghai.

Before moving to Shanghai, Richard worked in IDEO’s London office, where he led strategic client relationships and advised at board level at major companies in Europe. Clients he worked with include world’s leading food and beverage company, Nestlé, and mobile telecommunications company, T-Mobile. Richard speaks and comments regularly on innovation and design issues and has been invited to speak at the China-U.S. Innovation Dialogue held under the framework of China-U.S. Joint Commission of Science and Technology Cooperation.

In addition, he has spoken at the China Entrepreneur Club Annual Summit, CleanTech Forum, World Economic Forum in China, and Skoll World Forum in the UK. He appears regularly in the media including Business Watch magazine, 21st Century Business Review and sina.com. Educated in design ergonomics, Richard honed his business skills by working in diverse facets of the marketing arena, and on both client and consultancy side. Before joining IDEO, Richard was Director of Retail Marketing at Levi’s Strauss & Company where he obtained a deep understanding of the opportunities for business innovation applied inside and outside a global corporation. Prior to working at Levi’s, he ran his own brand consulting business in London and San Francisco.

Richard brings with him over 15 years of brand marketing experience.