Steve Monaghan

The Innovator 25:

Steve Monaghan

Regional director, Head of Edge

AIA
Hong Kong

"Walk into any junior school and listen to kids. Exponential creativity!"

As head of Edge at AIA, Monaghan is accountable for the group’s innovation agenda, developing and deploying business models and technologies which aim to either accelerate or disrupt AIA and the insurance sector. A veteran of the financial services industry, Monaghan was previously chief innovation officer at DBS Bank, and has built a successful track record of creating new businesses, or turning around old businesses for banks and corporations.

How do you define innovation?

Innovation delivers a step change in customer value, experience or engagement.

Most innovative PR/comms campaign you’ve seen in the last 12 months?

Trump. He took AI from Microsoft Tay and took it to a level even artificial intelligence can't comprehend.

What brands and/or agencies are most innovative when it comes to marketing/PR?

Jack Morton.

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider ‘innovative.’

A pitch for capital at the bottom of the market after the financial crisis to an institution that resulted in a 20m LOI for investment at 400, valuation for a business model.

In what area of marketing/PR do you see the most innovation?
Plannng & analytics.

How would you describe the communications/PR industry’s level of innovation?

Lagging other marketing discipline.

Where do you see the greatest opportunity for marketing & PR to become more innovative?
Plannng & analytics.

Who most influences how innovative a brand’s marketing/PR is?
CEO

Who is your mentor and why?

My team mentors me. They are smarter than me. They keep me focused. They challenge me.

How do you find inspiration?

People. You don't have to look far. You just have to focus.

Advice for people seeking to bring new ideas, ways of doing things to their organizations?

Be humble. Listen, learn. Adapt, apply.

In your opinion, what’s the most innovative place in the world?