INNOtalk #19: ‚When Agile Isn’t Enough: A Fortune 500 Journey to Serial Product‘

Beyond the Spotify Model: Real-World Innovation in Hardware & Electronics!

Innovation is no longer the challenge – making it real is.

Many organizations invest heavily in innovation, agile frameworks, and transformation programs. Yet too often, initiatives remain stuck in pilots, labs, or presentations – without ever translating into real business impact.

This INNOtalk takes you inside the journey of a Fortune 500 automotive leader that broke this pattern.

Within just 18 months, the company moved from early-stage innovation efforts to serial production in a completely new market segment – turning ideas into tangible business value.

Instead of focusing on frameworks or buzzwords, this session reveals what truly makes the difference at executive level:
– How to navigate the realities of innovation in regulated, hardware-driven environments.
– How to build structures that balance speed, safety, and compliance.
– And how leadership decisions determine whether innovation remains an initiative – or becomes a growth engine.

At the core lies a simple but powerful insight:
– What works in software does not automatically work in the real world.

This session challenges common assumptions around agile and introduces a pragmatic, hands-on approach to innovation – designed for organizations where complexity, regulation, and engineering excellence are part of daily business.

What you will gain:
– A clear perspective on why traditional agile models often fall short in hardware and regulated environments
– Practical insights on how to move from experimentation to scalable, market-ready solutions
– Leadership impulses to turn innovation into measurable business impact

SPEAKER
Björn Persson, Product Management Advisor & Consultant at «ProAgile».
Björn Persson is a seasoned Product Management Advisor and Agile Transformation Expert with over 20 years of experience in driving innovation across teams and organizations. Björn has supported companies in translating agile principles into real-world impact – particularly in complex, regulated, and hardware-driven environments.
As a consultant at ProAgile, Björn focuses on bridging the gap between strategy and execution, helping organizations move beyond “innovation theater” toward scalable, production-ready solutions. His work combines deep practical expertise with a strong understanding of leadership, organizational design, and business value creation.

TARGET GROUP & LANGUAGE
• C-level and Senior Executives within industrial, automotive, and regulated environments. The session is tailored for decision-makers who need to bridge the gap between traditional engineering excellence and modern innovation speed, focusing on leadership choices and ROI rather than just „agile ceremonies“.
• The talk will be held in English, with questions welcome in German as well.

Agenda
16:45 – 17:00: Arrival & Welcome
17:00 – 17:30: Keynote: „When Agile Isn’t Enough: A Fortune 500 Journey to Serial Production“ by Product Management Advisor & Consultant at «ProAgile»
17:30 – 18:00: Interactive Q&A (Focus on leadership and implementation).
18:00 – 19:00: Networking & Community Discussion
19:00: Closing of Event