Microsoft’s innovation hub, The Garage, has held an innovation and business intelligence training workshop for staff of C&F Porter Novelli, Nigeria’s premier reputation capital company. The Garage, which harks back to the company’s founding in 1975 in the Gates’ family garage, in Albuquerque, USA, enables Microsoft employees to develop ideas and products for the marketplace.
Speaking at the session, Tony Ajero, Managing Director of C&F Porter Novelli, thanked Microsoft’s Principal Programme Manager, Soromfe Uzomah, for the opportunity to interact with The Garage and share insights on global best practices in business solutions.
Ajero said: “C&F Porter Novelli is a trusted business advisor and leader in strategic communications and we are always on the lookout for business opportunities that will be beneficial to our brand and our clients. This knowledge-sharing session has not only enlightened us on spotting these opportunities but also “riding the waves” of opportunities and doing things out of the ordinary.”
“With over 25 years of experience, bolstered with the 50-year-strong Porter Novelli network, C&F’s new strategic direction aligns with Microsoft Garage’s ethos. It is strategic that this session coincides with the international women’s day, and in line with this year’s theme, “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”
Soromfe Uzoma, Microsoft Garage Principal Programme Manager and facilitator, explained that The Garage is a programme that drives Microsoft’s culture of innovation to “deliver programmes and experiences to our employees, customers, and ecosystem that drive collaboration, creativity, and experimentation.”
Uzomah outlined various business models and how organisations can adopt the model best suited to their culture and goals. He said the Microsoft Garage, though primarily for Microsoft employees, is open to outsiders who have ideas that can revolutionize the way we live and work for the betterment of mankind.
According to Uzomah: “Great business opportunities are like waves and Brands have to be able to identify and ride them beneficially. To identify these waves, a diverse workforce, openness to good ideas, and the acknowledgement that failure is essential to success, are critical” Uzomah concluded.
A highpoint of the session was a grand tour of the Garage floor, whose designs were inspired by Nigerian culture, African prints and African plants.