Maks Giordano

Futurist, Futur/io
“After WWW and Mobile, Industries will be transformed by the exponential developments of technology as the third wave of digital disruption. In these times of hyper-innovation and hyper-growth, it becomes mandatory that we all learn the necessary skill sets to cope with this change.”

Futur/io faculty
biography

Maks Giordano is a digital strategist and creative with a 25+ year track record in innovative digital projects. Maks started his career in the digital stone age at ID Media AG in the mid-nineties and was involved in numerous internationally awarded digital projects, like Volkswagen’s digital launch campaign for the New Beetle, launch of Wallpaper magazine online, Sony-Europe, and Swatch.
He played a vital role establishing “Cycosmos,” the leading social network in the UK and Germany at the time.

In 2000, Maks joined MetaDesign AG’s management board and was in charge of the digital unit. At MetaDesign he was involved in Europe’s first mobile projects for clients like NTT DoCoMo’s iMode and Telefonica. Yes, there were mobile projects in 2001, and Maks became an evangelist for mobile services, many moons before the iPhone was launched.

His early passion for mobile led him to becoming a co-founder and managing partner of Iconmobile in 2003, which was one of the first mobile centric agencies worldwide. Maks helped to grow the company from four founders to more than 200 employees with offices in Berlin, Tokyo, Sydney, London and New York. As a product lead, Maks was responsible for one of the first mobile ad servers in 2004, and developed mobile marketing and advertising formats for the likes of MSN, o2, and Yahoo. He consulted pretty leading European mobile carriers, like Vodafone, o2, Orange and T-Mobile and helped several brands in their very first mobile projects.

After exiting the company to WPP in 2007, the world ́s largest agency network, Maks was invited to join ProSiebenSat.1Digital as a member of the management board. He was in charge of the mobile, games, and innovation activities at one of Europe’s leading media companies. He successfully launched the first iOS apps for the group, created new advertising formats, pioneered UGC campaigns for the network and launched a highly profitable Data-Access-Product. Ever since his ProSieben days, corporate innovation remains one of his major passions.

In 2009, Maks joined San Francisco based Kyte — an innovative live-streaming platform with funding from Disney, NTT DoCoMo, and many others — as a managing director for the European market and developed digital video strategies for mobile, social, and online for the likes of MTV, Universal Music, and others. Kyte worked with iconic artists like Lady Gaga and 50 Cent on their video offerings and fan engagement.

Starting his consultancy in 2011, Maks helped organizations with their digital transformation. Companies like Apple, LEGO, Lufthansa, Volkswagen, Daimler, UEFA, Red Bull, Deutsche Telekom, and eBay — just to name a few — trust his advice.

Maks is an active business angel and mentor to startups, serves on various boards as an advisor, was heading the “Founder Institute” accelerator in Berlin, mentoring startups at Axel Springer PlugNPlay, Telekom hub:raum, Pioneers Festival, hack.fwd, and others.

Maks earned an MBA in Media and Communication with distinction from the University of St. Gallen and was teaching entrepreneurship and innovation Management e.g. at Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, HTW Berlin and FHV Dornbirn.

He published the first German book on usability (Springer) and the first German book on mobile business (Gabler).

He is a judge both to the Webbys and Lovies Awards, named the ‘Oscars of the Internet,’ has a very weird taste in music, loves to travel, and practice yoga.

Highlight References

  • International Corporate Keynotes for Apple, Lego, Microsoft, H&M, Red Bull, Axel Springer, Pfizer, Linde, Lanxess, ProSieben, Modern Times Group and many more. 
  • Handelsblatt C-Suite Keynote „Digital Innovation in times of exponential change“
  • DLD Keynote „Moonshot Innovation”
  • Singularity University „Mobility in 2025“
  • Fashion Week „Future of Fashion Retail“ (virtual keynote in German)
  • SIME MIAMI, „Looking back at the Future“ & SIME Stockholm „Future of Marketing“
  • Lufthansa Flying Lab „Future of Fashion“ and Moderation for 10+ FlyingLabs
  • Marketing Tag LMU München 2018 „Future of Marketing“
  • Awarded Top 5% of all Mentors worldwide Founder Institute (200+ cities)
  • More than 300+ keynotes, panel discussions, moderations or interviews on topics such as entrepreneurship, innovation in marketing and communication, new work at a.o. Singularity University Summit, TEDx HongKong, Pioneers Festival Wien, SIME Stockholm, DLD / TES München, DLD Bayreuth, DMEXCO Köln, Inspire Stockholm, SIME Helsinki, CTIA San Francisco, Monaco Media Forum, VIDFEST Vancouver, IFA Medienwoche Berlin, InternetWorld London, TheMarker Tel Aviv, Mipcom Cannes, SIME Barcelona, SIME Amsterdam, SIME Wien, 4Gamechangers Wien, MobileMonday Warschau, WEBINALE  Berlin, MobileMonday Berlin, Expertentag Video beim VDZ, E-Publish Day VDZ, DMMK Stuttgart, Online Marketing Forum, IEX Zurich, Branding Conference Vienna, Hamburger Dialog, Mecon, Trendtag GDI,  Best of Corporate Publishing, Next Generation Mobile Life (BITKOM), Visionen Kongress München, TV Outlook München, Sparkassen Akademie Eppstein, Telemedia Berlin, Medienforum NRW Collogne, KOMM Düsseldorf, @COM, Musikkomm, Systems München, Sponsoringforum München, MCM Forum Mobile Kommunikation, iTV Symposium ByteBurg, Online Marketing Forum ZFU, interactive Services Hamburg, DIMA, Internet World Berlin, MDM Frankfurt, SAPhire, EDUtain Karlsruhe, Marketing Services, Deutsche Design Konferenz, Internationales Design Zentrum Berlin, Mobile Tech Conference Munich, etc.
Social Graph

Favourite books, movies
and media

Futur/io faculty ask
me anything

As a part of Moonshot Thinking Masterclass Maks Giordano talks in German and English about:

  • Innovation Management
  • Exponential Developments &  Technologies
  • Future of Mobility, Retail and Marketing
  • Disruptive Innovation 
  • Strategic Foresight

What’s your personal utopia?

A world in which we have managed to balance collective needs and individual freedom in a sustainable and resilient way. Diversity in my utopia includes biodiversity – our world view is multipolar and not just centered around men. Self-fulfilment should allow the development of talents in as many different ways as people will like. In my utopia we can be as lazy and industrious as it is in our genes, no need for continuous slaving around. Consumerism is contained through a circular economy approach. Bodily pleasures, aesthetics, productivity, interaction and play should provide a solid ground for satisfaction with life.

 

What was your first touch with the future?

In a professional way it started with the first wave of Artificial Intelligence in the 80-90’s at Daimler Research in Berlin. Before, the Radical Constructivism, as taught by Maturana and Varela cleared my view about our ability to think forward. Even before, it was Rhen Dark, a Sci-Fi series from the 60’s.

Creating future started in earnest around 2000 with concepts for research cars, product categories and devices.

Related Content

Ricardo Mesquita Futurio Instute

Ricardo Mesquita Adjunct Faculty, IE University Futur/io facultybiography Ricardo is an expert on immersive learning and believes there is a growing gap between what most

Read More

Pablo Rodriguez Director, Office of the CTO at Google Futur/io facultybiography Pablo Rodriguez (PhD Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 2000; MSc King´s College, London) is

Read More
Alexander Mankowsky futur io 06122018 Geburtstag 0682 Foto Henrik Andree 1280x720 1

Alexander Mankowsky Futurist, Automobile “In a dystopian future, technology drives culture, in a utopian world, it is the other way around. I hope we can

Read More