The former head of global brand at LEGO has urged local businesses to "get out of the box" in order to maintain growth and avoid being labelled old fashioned.
Speaking at a leadership event at the MAC theatre organised by the Northern Ireland Chamber and Electric Ireland Christian Majgaard told the audience of almost 200 businesses they must be innovative to survive.
Mr Majgaard oversaw the toy brand's move into robotics, theme parks, brand stores and movie character licenses and was named as one of the ‘21 Leaders for the 21st Century’.
"LEGO was at risk of being made 'old fashioned' a 'thing of the past'. Quite simply LEGO had to react if it wanted to grow," he said.
“Wherever growth and innovation is on the corporate agenda, the HR department has often organised sessions about 'thinking out of the box'. I have never seen that this exercise lead to any change. I have however great experience from seeing people actually getting out of the box and going out into the real world to explore new learning and inspiration."
Ann McGregor, chief executive of NI Chamber, said Mr Majgaard's story showed how exceptional management and leadership can transform a company
"Although LEGO is one of the world’s most recognisable brands, the principles used by the company to innovate and grow can be applied to any size of business," she said.
The event formed part of NI Chamber’s ‘Growing Something Brilliant’ leadership series of events aimed at inspiring business confidence and growth through outstanding leadership.
