Up until now, I already got around a lot: I was born in Barcelona, where I studied physics; as an Erasmus student I lived in Denmark; I got my PhD from the EPFL in Switzerland and continued as a postdoctoral fellow at the Leiden University in The Netherlands. But then, I decided to step out of the academic world and work in innovation. The strategic innovation department Creavis within Evonik with its “Science-to-business” motto turned out to be the perfect fit for me. So, in 2011, I moved to Germany to join Evonik. In each step I have been going out of my comfort zone; this is my joy and source of inspiration with proven record of positive outcomes. 

At Evonik Creavis I had the opportunity to work on a variety of exciting and futuristic topics, mostly focused on sustainable solutions. Within a diverse working environment, I could contribute with my own perspective and scientific know-how, while learning the more business-related aspects on-the-job.  

Eventually, I decided to participate at the Evonik Global Ideation Jam to “try things differently”. During the final, I pitched the “BitFlip Ink” idea and our team won the “Entrepreneurship Award 2016”! While working as Corporate Entrepreneur I went out of my comfort zone again and had the opportunity to influence Evonik’s innovation culture while applying the “Lean start-up method”. We talked to the customers in a very early phase of the innovation process and focused as well as shortened our laboratory plan. While running a pilot with a functional minimum viable product (MVP), we gained experience mostly via learning-by-doing, and it ended up being a success!  

Furthermore, we brought colleagues to collaborate from different segments, regions, functions, backgrounds… more than 140 made it possible! And my favorite thing about team work: if you put a dedicated team together to solve a problem with which they feel identified, the team will be extra motivated and the value that you can create for Evonik exceeds any expectations. 

The learnings and experiences made it an amazing year for my development, both career- and personal wise. In my new position, I am still applying the method and trying to spread the word of the importance of embracing other mindsets; only by doing things differently, different results can be achieved.