Laura Leenhouts

Innovation Manager, Newell Brands An architect by education, Laura works in innovation for Newell Brands, a large CPG with brands such as Sharpie, Rubbermaid, Coleman and Graco. Laura is part of the Innovation Group at Newell– a small team of people tasked with challenging existing mindsets, business models, and products in order to encourage the discovery of rich, unexplored market spaces. Also at Newell, Laura leads the Newell Design Institute, an internal education and business initiative helping provide personal growth opportunities though the study of design methodologies, skills master and creative leadership. The goal of the Design Institute is to help participants leverage creativity to move businesses and products from ideation to market. In addition to her work at Newell, Laura is a graphic recorder, listening, synthesizing and creating–in real time–visual representations of information, ideas and conversations.

Innovation Manager, Newell Brands

An architect by education, Laura works in innovation for Newell Brands, a large CPG with brands such as Sharpie, Rubbermaid, Coleman and Graco. Laura is part of the Innovation Group at Newell-- a small team of people tasked with challenging existing mindsets, business models, and products in order to encourage the discovery of rich, unexplored market spaces. Also at Newell, Laura leads the Newell Design Institute, an internal education and business initiative helping provide personal growth opportunities though the study of design methodologies, skills master and creative leadership. The goal of the Design Institute is to help participants leverage creativity to move businesses and products from ideation to market. In addition to her work at Newell, Laura is a graphic recorder, listening, synthesizing and creating–in real time–visual representations of information, ideas and conversations.

Activities for Laura

Speaker | Women in Design Deep Dive | 2024

Inventive Intersections: A Place for Designers to Find Opportunity

Throughout their lives, individuals experience various seasons, both literally and figuratively. Everyone encounters moments of feeling stuck; it’s an unavoidable aspect of life. Designers face distinct challenges and opportunities in navigating their career paths: they bring creativity and innovative thinking to their work, continuously iterating and creating something new where nothing existed before. This approach, coupled with their ability to visualize, can be challenging to articulate, often conflicting with how the workplace works today and be tough to put into the search bar of a job search website. This workshop is designed to share a set of mindsets and tools to help participants move through the hard parts of figuring out what’s next and create ideas and options for the future. When designers find themselves stuck, they may need to add tools to their toolbox, as existing strategies and approaches may require updating.

The Audience Will Learn:

Participants in this workshop will explore their creative career direction as it aims to empower individuals to leverage their design talents effectively while aligning with their personal values and aspirations. The workshop is structured around two main themes:

Understanding Current Creative State:
1. Participants will assess their current creative process, examining whether it is fulfilling or leading to frustration.
2. They will explore both extrinsic and intrinsic sources of frustration, including analysis of their mastery level, potential burnout, and reflection on their sources of inspiration and creative practice.
3. Career pattern identification will be emphasized to help participants recognize recurring themes and patterns in their creative journey.
Determining Future Directions:
1. Participants will delve into their values, skills, and personal constraints to clarify their potential options.
2. External exploration techniques will be shared: engaging in experiments, forming a personal board of directors for guidance, and developing a portfolio strategy that reflects their unique blend of skills and interests.
3. Various strategies will be discussed, including finding novelty in old ideas, embracing mashups of different concepts, and adopting a “slashers” approach where multiple roles or skills are integrated.