Howard Gwynne

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Howard Gwynne's interest in exploring the edges of the fields in which he works started when he chose to do a PhD in pharmacology after completing medicine, and then went to America to work in low income community health centres in Mississippi and Boston.

A growing interest in the broader social issues that influence health status was consolidated through a postdoctoral fellowship in Social Policy Planning at Berkeley University and put into practice when Howard returned to Australia to work as a planner in the NSW health system. He played a key role in defining a new NSW community health policy and developed the first Australian National Health Interview Survey.

Howard returned to the US to complete an MBA at Yale between1983-1985, during which time he spent 3 months looking at innovation practices for the Deputy Major of New York City responsible for Finance and Economic Development.

In 1986 Howard became head of the NSW Occupational Health, Safety and Rehabilitation Services, and Chairman of the State's OHS Council. During his tenure Howard reformed the State's OHS system to achieve a more humane and economically viable workers compensation system, an approach that was later copied Australia-wide.

In 1991 Howard established a consulting practice, built on the assumption that business in a knowledge-based world would have to successfully integrate ideas and emotions, creativity and management, the personal and the organisational. From this belief, Howard has worked successfully with business and government to design and facilitate experiments that allow people to learn and discover new possibilities, new directions and new products.

He uses scenarios, experiential exercises, simulations and creative processes to help people think outside the square. He mentors managers and has worked with a number of organisations wanting to explore how they will operate in a knowledge-based world. He conducts new product development workshops and has facilitated the creation of new ideas for Olympic products, retail services, employment services, internet services, etc.

He was one of the first to offer Knowledge Management workshops [through GBNA] in Australia, and continues to explore frontier issues in Management.

Howard has written on Knowledge Management and innovation in business magazines, and is a regular speaker and facilitator at conferences. In February 2000 he conducted research for the National Innovation Summit into Innovation in SMEs, highlighting how the dynamic relationship between ideas, passion and implementation is making small business the engine of innovation.