Yesterday, Fast Company came out with their list of The Most Creative People in Business for 2017. I personally look forward to their list each year. I find it a great way to keep on top of some of the innovative and creative leaders who are on the rise. This year’s list did not disappoint. The following are a few of my favorite creative people that Fast Company honored this year:

#3: Todd Yellin, Vice President of Product at Netflix
As a Netflix fan I was happy to see Todd Yellin on the list. He and his team lead a lot of the innovative initiatives at Netflix. His decision to move away from country-specific algorithms to a global one aligns with the globalization that we see in our work with our clients. As he says “My taste doppelgänger might be in Munich or São Paulo,” and doesn’t depend on national identity.

#17: Katie Dill, Director of Design Experience at Airbnb
I regularly use Airbnb and I was excited when I saw their Trips platform launch. Katie helped lead Airbnb’s expansion to include the Trips platform which gives travelers the ability to book experiences from “Thai fruit carving in Bangkok or hanging out with TV writers in Los Angeles” and everything in between. I love the idea of being able to book unique experiences when I travel through a company that I already know and trust.

# 21: Jesus Delgado-Jenkins, Chief Merchandising Officer at 7-Eleven
Did you know that the first commercial drone delivery in the US included a slurpee? It was part of a pilot program led by Jesus and it actually included one of their famous frozen slurpees in a specially designed box. In addition to delivering slurpees via drones, Jesus is responsible for launching an internal innovation group at 7-Eleven and pushing the envelope on what is possible within the 90 year old company.

#60: Kiki Wolfkill, Studio Head at 343 Industries, Microsoft
Late last year I learned a lot about the quickly growing world of e-sports when conducting some naming testing with elite gamers. I was excited to see Kiki Wolfkill on the Fast Company list as she is leading the charge on one of the most popular video games out there. I love that, unlike many leaders in the gaming world, she comes from a creative background instead of an engineering or production background and brings a different perspective. She also used to be a race car driver and notes that her experiences as a driver help her in her current role: “One of my strengths as a driver is that I’m really adaptable. When my brakes are going and weather conditions are crap, I’m good at maintaining a level of speed. I’m comfortable with a pretty loose car, and with chaos in general. Part of the game-development process is being able to move organically where an experience wants to go, while still being super focused on that original vision.”

These are just a few of the honorees that stood out for me, but the whole list is worth a read. In addition to highlighting the Most Creative People, Fast Company also interviewed the honorees and identified 12 Creativity Lessons from the group – It is worth checking out too.

Sara Dougherty
sara@clearworks.net

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