Our Mission
Our Mission is to work in partnership with our clients to achieve sustainable incremental and breakthrough innovation that drives valuable business results.
Our Beliefs
There are some beliefs that are very important to us; they form the foundation of all of our work and the core of how we operate. These include:
- Everyone has the capacity to be enormously creative. It is not a matter of learning the skills to be more creative, but rather of learning how to distract ourselves from our natural creative blocks
- Likewise, every organization can be very innovative. Again, organizations don't need to learn more innovation skills; instead, they need to continue to learn to distract themselves from their blocks to innovation
- While we accept our imperfections, we strive for excellence. We strive to walk-the-talk. And we strive for authenticity
- We embrace our mistakes. We say "Yes". We take risks. We make our partners look good
- There is enough to go around. By collaborating and sharing our knowledge, skills, and ideas, we enrich each other and help grow the pie
Our People
Alain Rostain, CEO, is an expert on organizational innovation. His work over the last 16 years has included helping clients with:
- Articulating the strategic mandate for innovation
- Developing and executing implementation plansfor innovation
- Designing and rolling out innovation culture change programs
- Training leaders to drive innovation behaviors & results
- Facilitating and coaching critical innovation teams
Additionally, Alain integrates creative collaboration methods and the innovative use of improvisational techniques to drive organizational effectiveness and results. Alain studied Artificial Intelligence at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Yale University. His academic work focused on understanding how people think, using computers as a model for cognitive thought. As a manager for Price Waterhouse's consulting practice, he developed valuable insights and practices to help people be more effective in the workplace while successfully creating and sustaining organizational change. Alain started Creative Advantage in 1993.
Alain is also the founder and leader of the improv in business community. He was introduced to improvisational theater in 1990. He immediately saw the power of the principles and techniques of improvisation to develop and support group collaboration, individual growth and results.
Alain is fluent in Spanish and French.
Michael Martin, P.M.P. (2005-2011), is the Director of Strategic Services at Creative Advantage, Inc. He architects the enterprise discipline of innovation, leveraging proven methodologies designed to drive real business results.
Mr. Martin is passionate about insight-based breakthrough innovation at all levels and across functions and is particularly adept at influencing leaders in driving innovation. He develops programs and has supported innovation teams for clients such as: Bristol-Myers Squibb, De Lage Landen, Pearson, Saint-Gobain, IEEE, ITW Foils and CIGNA.
An “on your toes” thinker, Mr. Martin is a highly insightful, resourceful, and flexible leader who connects with and motivates his clients with a professional yet down-to-earth style. He has an uncanny ability to identify client needs and an equally well-honed ability to impart complicated information with the simplicity and clarity necessary to reach a wide variety of stakeholders.
Michael is also the founder and owner of Wayofthesword.org, a USFA sanctioned fencing club that promotes Olympic fencing. Previously, a nationally ranked fencer, Michael applied his years of discipline on the strip to his career through planning, concentration, strategic thinking, problem solving, creativity, analysis, and execution.
Prior to joining Creative Advantage, Mr. Martin was the founder of M & M Consulting, Inc., a company specializing in the implementation of large-scale training initiatives. Clients of M & M Consulting included: Nestle Water USA, State of New York, University of New York (CUNY), and Academic Advantage, Inc. Notable career achievements include six consecutive contracts over a fifteen-year period from the New York City Department of Education.
Mr. Martin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and Politics from the State University of New York
. PMP certification PMI 2005-2011
Michael Burkhardt, Director of Learning Solutions, is a training and innovation specialist with over 17 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. He always knew what he wanted to be when he grew up: both an educator and a businessman. To that end, he received a MS in Education and became a teacher, while also simultaneously launching his own training/consulting business.
For 15 years he was co-owner of Michael & Michael Consulting, which was awarded ten straight contracts with the City of New York for project management and applications training. As Project Manager for such organizations as Nestle Waters and NYC DOE, Michael developed and executed a number of large-scale system implementations and procedural/cultural change initiatives.
Since joining Creative Advantage in early 2010, Michael has designed, developed and led learning programs for BMS, Pearson, Saint-Gobain, IEEE, and CIGNA.
Michael’s expertise is in helping individuals and businesses accurately assess important learning needs and develop realistic, repeatable and implementable learning plans to solve them. Whether through one-on-one coaching or by facilitating group sessions, Mike is passionate about enabling others to think creatively and collaborate to find innovative solutions to their problems.
Michael has been active for his entire life in not-for profit volunteer educational organizations, both locally and nationally. He is a member/performer for several history-based organizations that educate through performances and demonstrations. Michael shares his love of performing and volunteering with his two beautiful daughters.
Michael Patry is a seasoned leadership and learning development specialist with over 20 years experience creating, implementing and directing learning programs, departments and professionals for national and entrepreneurial start-ups. Michele is driven by her passion to engage individuals and teams in reaching towards their potential and ultimately towards experiencing the richness that work-life has to offer. Her focus is on leadership and learning practices that engage leaders’ hearts and minds, fosters an enduring and positive culture and supports both individual and organizational performance and growth.
Michele has shared her vast business, people leadership and organizational learning experience with national and global organizations in the telecommunications, pharmaceutical, gaming, hospitality, research and high-tech industries and federal government agencies. Her mission is to align, develop and facilitate leadership and innovation programs, boost the quality of career and performance management practices, provide executive coaching and create reinforcement programs that support individuals and organizations to better their results.
Michele holds a Masters of Administration from the University of Ottawa, a B.A. in Psychology, and a B.P.H.E. from Queens University and chaired the Board of the North American Simulation and Gaming Association. Michele is a certified practitioner and facilitator in Human Synergistics, The Work Itself, Everyone Innovates, Interaction Associates programs and assessment tool.
Fabio Sgaragli is a former manager for the PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Strategy Group in NYC. He is an astute business thinker and consultant with a passion for innovation, change management and technology. Fabio has extensive experience in international training with companies such as Ferrari, Toyota Motor, Starwoods, Ferragamo, Nike, Bristol Myers Squibb and has delivered thousands of hours of training in more than 30 countries across four continents.
Fabio is great at training delivery on topics such as innovation, leadership, marketing, CRM and sales. He is also the owner and editor of Ticonzero, a publishing company on business and management issues. Fabio is a founding member and an advisor to the MIT Global Institute for Responsible Leadership. He is certified in the Everyone Innovates Methodology.
Victor Vera is an expert in organizational and technology project management, where the development of creative solutions, the involvement of people and process performance are components of primary importance.
He was trained as an industrial Engineer with a specialization in Information Systems from the University of Chili. Victor has conducted formal studies on project management methodologies and systems analysis and design methodologies in England, and on Data Management in Los Angeles, CA.
In his consulting work, Victor has supported clients in the management of complex projects, the development of operating models, business models and implementation models, driving organizational change and process improvement.
In recent years he has developed innovative management services and has conducted Collaborative Creativity sessions in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina.
In his spare time Victor is dedicated to encouraging a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship among his children and relatives, friends and clients.
Denzil Meyers (Senior Consultant) is a branding and communications strategist, consulting since 1992 as Account Planner to many top 25 US ad agencies and their Fortune 500 clients. Previously, he worked at ad agencies Chiat/Day, Foote Cone & Belding, and D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles.
In 2001, Denzil founded widgetwonder, an internal brand consultancy and facilitators of living brand scripts, corporate storytelling, innovation practice, and co-creative skills training.
Denzil is a founding member of the Applied Improvisation Network. He believes improv experience has the power to transform organizational dynamics, change people's lives, and help evolve the emotional intelligence of the human race. He hopes it's not too late.
Denzil has co-authored a book, Beyond Branding, to encourage multi-national corporate brands to become more human, trustworthy, transparent, and empowering as a response to protests against globalization, a crisis of corporate credibility, and eroding faith in command and control management perspectives.
Denzil's first entrepreneurial adventure was as a writer and producer for radio, which remains his favorite electronic medium. Denzil can also be found twice a week playing percussion with a Brazilian Samba band, or occasionally making wine from the fine grapes of Sonoma County, California. He conducts a weekly workshop for creative writers.
Denzil is a graduate of George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Esther Knecht (Senior Consultant) values personal growth and diversity. Esther received a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and Economics as well as an Executive Masters Degree in Human Resources in her native Switzerland. She received her second Masters Degree in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.
As the Director of Human Resources International for Winterthur Versicherung, Esther has extensive experience in the fast paced corporate world. She has had the opportunity to implement her expertise in Talent Management, HR Transformation, Expatriates, Consulting, Coaching and Facilitating Executive Training in Europe, the United States and Asia. Esther has traveled the world learning about people and their cultures. She has lived in Canada, Italy, France and Guatemala, and is fluent in German, English, French, and conversational in Spanish and Italian.
Esther’s passion is working with and inspiring people; she is curious, energetic and empathetic and considers herself a transformational activist. In her spare time she likes to dance, ski, hike in the mountains, and loves spending time with family and good friends.