“Breakthrough innovation requires a combination of partnership, ambition and collaboration and that when you bring the right mix of passionate people together, both virtually and in person, amazing things can happen. The sky is not the limit,” explained John McDonald, Vice President for Marketing, Americas, for British Airways.
Last June, British Airways announced that its inaugural “UnGrounded Innovation Lab in the Sky” landed in London from San Francisco, bringing an all-star line-up of innovators together from leading companies such as
In an interview with McDonald, we discussed the origins of the convening, its outcomes, and more broadly how British Airways thinks about social responsibility.
Rahim Kanani: How did the idea for UnGrounded come about?
John McDonald: UnGrounded was originally developed to forge new relationships and build equity with the highly influential technology community on the West coast of the United States. British Airways has a significant presence with five flights leaving California every day so while we have a history of innovation it was important for us to increase our relevance with today’s business leaders. In San Francisco, the technology sector is growing faster than any other part of the U.S. economy and there is a dense ecosystem of small businesses with international ties and ambitions beyond the U.S. We built a meaningful program for this community by doing what we do best – connecting people across the world.
Kanani: How did this “innovation lab in the sky” align with British Airways' mission, brand and
McDonald: UnGrounded is a demonstration of our belief that breakthrough innovation requires a combination of partnership, ambition and collaboration and that when you bring the right mix of passionate people together, both virtually and in person, amazing things can happen. The sky is not the limit.
Kanani: What kinds of participants boarded the flight, and how did you decide what issues were most pressing to tackle?
McDonald: Our strategy was to put the concerns, values and passions of the innovation community at the heart of our program. Rather than focus on our own business, we committed to help tackle the STEM talent crunch. That was the hot topic coming out of all the primary research that our partner IDEO completed and from the conversations we had with the community in San Francisco. The challenge was divided into four key topics with teams assigned to each topic, who occupied different spaces on the aircraft to build their ideas.
The UnGrounded “innovation lab in the sky” brought together over 100 technologists, founders, academics and entrepreneurs for 11 hours on a flight from San Francisco to London with no wifi and no escape – and the motivating deadline of presenting their tangible ideas to a group of luminaries at the G8 Innovation Conference the following day.
Our participants were nominated for their passion around the topic. We had a highly active advisory board in Silicon Valley, who lent their time, energy and expertise to make the program fly. They were instrumental in the participant invitations, however, we also recognized the importance of having an international perspective to the problem solving. Our flight featured representatives from many countries and regions, including the US, South America, the UK, Africa and Asia.
Kanani: Following the trip, what were some of the big ideas, collaborations or insights that resulted from the exchange during flight?
McDonald: During the flight, 24 ideas were developed and the team voted the top four to be presented to the United Nations ITU in London. Two of the ideas are now in development and testing phases. One focuses on gender equality in technology and is launching this summer. The other project focuses on access to STEM education and tools in emerging economies. The team is fundraising through IndieGoGo and has prototypes ready to be tested in Ghana. Their website is www.beaconpack.org.
British Airways has been supporting both teams, providing travel grants to allow the teams to meet, test and promote the projects. We are also providing support through our social channels to extend the reach of the teams.
Kanani: From the perspective of British Airways, what were some of the things you learned about putting on such a unique and interesting endeavor?
McDonald: From the outset, we took time to listen to the community and build a program in partnership with them. We learned that you have to ‘do’ not just say. Networking events happen every night of the week, and we learned the importance of building experiences with tangible outcomes that link to the passions of the audience.
One of the most exciting outcomes of the program is the family we have built as a result of investing in them. A group of 100 plus highly connected individuals who have brought our brand into their networks and have truly become advocates for British Airways.
Kanani: Looking ahead, will there be an UnGrounded part two, or are you thinking about other ways to continue the momentum?
McDonald: UnGrounded has become a global platform and a way of thinking for our business. We are exploring a range of ways to co-create with partners and customers to accelerate ideas for our industry and for the broader innovation community.
For example, within our industry, we have opened up APIs to developers and we are collaborating with start-ups on some of our travel challenges.
In March, we introduced the first transatlantic flight to the city of Austin and as part of our commitment, we are supporting a trade mission between Hackney in East London and Austin, to connect start-ups and creative talent for growth opportunities. In fact, the first flight featured a mini hackathon for a London and Austin based start-up.
#
Follow me @rahimkanani / Contact Me
