I had the pleasure of attending a fireside conversation with Kevin Nolan and Antonio Boadas from GE Appliances — a powerful reminder that transformation is as much cultural as it is strategic.
Kevin’s story is a masterclass in turning legacy into relevance: instead of replacing people, they rewired how the organization works. They moved from a power‑centric, command‑and‑control model to a marketplace mindset where teams are given ownership, accountability and the permission to act like entrepreneurs while platform teams provide the scalable tools and operating standards.
A few highlights that resonated with me:
💡The consumer is the only boss — learning: make decisions reversibly and rapidly, then iterate with real customer feedback; prioritise quick experiments that validate value over long internal debates.
💡Micro‑enterprises + platforms: product teams (micro‑enterprises) decide what to build; shared platforms define how to build it — balancing speed, closeness to customers, and efficiency.
💡Culture as the engine of change: leadership modeled being hands‑on, visible and humble (even working on the assembly line during COVID) to rebuild trust and psychological safety.
💡FirstBuild: an open R&D approach that co‑creates with users and treats experimentation as the path to scalable product bets.
💡Manufacturing & resilience: investing in local manufacturing while learning from global best practices — a pragmatic stance on reshoring and long‑term competitiveness
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💡Data, AI and vendor risk: pragmatic enthusiasm for AI, combined with careful thinking about data governance, security and avoiding vendor lock‑in.
As someone working on AI for the City of Vienna, Kevin’s emphasis on centering consumers and empowering front‑line teams felt particularly relevant.
Transformation isn’t just a tech project — it’s redesigning decision rights, incentives and culture so people can move fast and responsibly.
Big thanks to Kevin Nolan, Antonio Boadas and our host Isabelle Mader — takeaways I’ll bring back to our work: prioritize ownership, build platforms that earn users, and keep culture at the heart of every transformation.
#transformation #leadership #innovation #manufacturing #AI #product #culture
















