PUBLIC SECTOR
Head of Economic Strategy, BlueIQ
In developing the Gauteng innovation strategy, Davis Cook experimented with a different approach.
This workshop will focus on the lessons learnt in the process, how to engage with people to co-create policy and a strategy, whether in an organisation, in a department or at a provincial level
This workshop to be confirmed
Davis Cook:
I'm currently the head of Economic Strategy for BlueIQ Investment Holdings, an agency of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development. In this role, I've assisted BlueIQ in developing long term strategy for BlueIQ along with its subsidiaries, including The Innovation Hub. I was also seconded to the Department itself to assist in their own strategy development processes, and had the good fortune of being asked to lead the development of the Gauteng Innovation Strategy.
Prior to working for government, I worked briefly as a private consultant, and for several years with KPMG Services, helping them in building their Economic Consulting unit. A fascination with B-grade science fiction movies led to a degree in Physics and Applied Mathematics, but some world travel and the corporate world led to a second degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. The combination of hard and soft sciences gave me a fascination for the interaction of technology and society - and the understanding that the only way to move society forward is to constantly push the boundaries.
I find the best way to relax is to raise my adrenaline as high as possible with whatever extreme sports I can find, but on a more regular basis I head up the Jitsu Foundation South Africa, a non-profit that teaches full contact self defence through traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu
