LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator | Innovation & Creativity Expert | Corporate Trainer

Leo Chan

Leo Chan is a dynamic innovation expert, keynote speaker, and Chief Innovation Igniter dedicated to helping individuals and organizations unleash their creative potential. With over 20 years of experience, 55 US patents, and tens of thousands of professionals trained worldwide, Leo makes innovation practical, inspiring, and accessible for audiences of all backgrounds. A sought-after speaker at stages like TEDx, SXSW, and ATD, and a 4x LinkedIn Learning instructor, Leo challenges teams to rethink how they work, lead, and innovate. Known for his energetic delivery and joyful approach—including creative tools like LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®—he leaves audiences equipped to spark fresh ideas, build thriving cultures of innovation, and confidently take on tomorrow’s challenges.

Biography

Leo “LEGO” Chan is a keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and innovation expert who believes everyone can innovate.

As the Chief Innovation Igniter of Abound Innovation, he is a people and heart-first entrepreneur. With 55 US patents and 20+ years of experience, he has empowered organizations — from nonprofits to Fortune 500s — across industries from automotive to wastewater — to unleash their employees’ innovative and creative potential. Leo has trained over 110,000 global professionals, unleashing breakthrough thinking at the world’s most innovative companies. As a 5x LinkedIn Learning Instructor and speaker at conferences like TEDx, SXSW, WEC, WBECS, ATD, SHRM and STORY, Leo combines his industry-experience and joyful enthusiasm to make innovation accessible and practical for all.

Leo is not your typical corporate speaker. His engagements are highly interactive, practical and actionable. He’s down-to-earth, enthusiastic, personable and passionate.

And as a certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® trainer and facilitator, Leo brings professional fun to the workplace to help teams unlock creativity and innovation in playful ways.

After all, you can’t LEGO® without Leo!

Leo holds a B.Des and M.T.S. His favourite thing to do when he’s not speaking is spending time with his wife – whose his best friend. Even after almost two decades of marriage, Leo still believes they will always be in forever honeymoon phase (yes, he really does love her that much!)

Expertise

Leadership Development
Creativity and Innovation
Corporate Training
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Activations
Psychological Safety

Videos

Leo Chan Speaker Reel

Leo Chan The Art of Innovation

Leo Chan The Playfull Life

Leo Chan The Art of Innovation

Keynote Topics

The Art of Innovation: Unleash Your Inner Innovator

I Can Innovate? YES! 1000% YES!

Innovation is not reserved for the Steve Jobs or Jeff Bezos of the world. Innovation is for everyone.

In this inspiring keynote, audiences explore the who, what, why, and how of innovation. Most importantly, participants discover that they have the ability to become innovators — yes, them.

This session redefines what innovation truly means, challenges traditional thinking, and invites individuals to embrace the call of the innovator within. Attendees leave empowered, energized, and ready to see themselves as capable contributors to meaningful change.

Key Audience Takeaways:

Reimagine what innovation really is  
Connect innovation directly to themselves  
Learn the core attributes of successful innovators  
Discover their own innovative strengths  
Walk away with actionable next steps to begin their innovation journey

Note: This keynote can be delivered as a traditional keynote or enhanced with an integrated, interactive experience using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®.

The Play-Full Life: The Catalyst of Innovation

Humans, whether young or old, need to play. It’s a biological drive within.

Dr. Stuart Brown says “the opposite of play isn’t work, it’s depression.”
But more than that, play is the gateway to possibilities.
It unleashes the innovative mindset within.

Through neuroscience, LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and other playful activities, audience participants experience how play leads to a more innovative and creative life.

Key Audience Takeaways:

Uncover the benefits of play for adults
Debunk the myths of play
Discover your play personality
Tactical strategies to utilize play to unleash innovation and creativity

Think Like an Innovator: Master Associative Thinking

Imagine the world as a treasure trove of inspiration — where a simple walk can spark the next breakthrough. This is the power of associative thinking, the mindset behind innovations like Velcro, inspired by the burdock burr. It is the ability to connect seemingly unrelated ideas to create something extraordinary.

Associative thinking is a defining trait of the world’s greatest innovators — and it is a skill that can be learned. In this session, participants explore the science and practice behind associative thinking and gain practical tools they can apply immediately. This is not just a concept to discuss; it is a skill to develop and use every day.

Key Audience Takeaways:

Understand one of the most important traits of innovators: associative thinking
Learn the process behind how associative thinking works
Gain practical tools to apply this powerful mindset right away

Building a Thriving Culture of Innovation

Imagine if your organization:

thrived with new ideas because everyone was empowered to innovate
was insulated from disruption through new revenue streams
joined the ranks of the world’s most innovative companies

All of this is possible, but to get there, organizations need a culture of innovation. The truth is, this doesn’t just happen. It takes strategy, discipline, and intentionality. To build a culture of innovation, organizations need the right tactics to make it happen.

In this talk, participants learn the eight key building blocks required to create and sustain a thriving culture of innovation within their organization.

Key Audience Takeaways:

Discover the eight key building blocks for a thriving culture of innovation
Assess the current state of innovation within their organization
Learn what it takes to create and sustain an innovative culture

Train Your Brain to Master Curiosity

You’re either curious or you’re not. Fact or myth?
Myth. Everyone is born curious — but like any muscle, curiosity can weaken if it’s not exercised.

The good news? Curiosity can be trained. When individuals learn to master curiosity, it fuels innovation, creative breakthroughs, and stronger problem-solving.

In this hands-on, high-energy talk, participants learn a practical framework to strengthen curiosity and apply it to spark more innovative ideas in both their work and their lives.

Curious for more? Participants arrive curious — and leave with real, actionable strategies they can implement right away.

Key Audience Takeaways:

Learn the foundations of curiosity
Discover why curiosity is so important
Understand the challenges that limit curiosity
Learn a practical process for cultivating curiosity
Gain tools and exercises to nurture and apply curiosity in everyday work

Safety First, Ideas Next: Cultivating Safe Environments for Innovation

The creation, sharing and exchange of ideas is the foundation of innovation. However, these things can be vulnerable and scary. This human element of innovation can be the roadblock that prevents organizations from truly innovating.

So how do you create the conditions for success to enable a free flow of ideas in innovation for oneself and others? The answer is psychological safety.

Psychological safety is foundational for innovation and it’s also the most important factor for effective and successful teams (according to Project Aristotle, Google’s two year research study on 180 teams.)

Key Audience Takeaways:

Experience the difference between safe and unsafe environments
Learn how to cultivate a healthy, safe environment that empowers innovation
Be equipped with tools to develop this for themselves and others

LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Activations

Want a way to:

get more engagement and participation from your people?
connect with others in a meaningful and unique way building team collaboration
have more effective and productive workplace culture?
get deeper insights?
help your organization think differently
unlock more innovation and creativity at your workplace?

In this talk, participants get hands-on with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, an interactive, experiential methodology that invites them to build, create, and fully engage in the process. This is LEGO® for adults — not kids — and it is a powerful business tool. The methodology unlocks insight, creativity, connection, and innovation, all while delivering a lot of serious fun. LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® experiences are memorable and leave a lasting impact.

Whether participants are Adult Fans of LEGO® (AFOLs) or simply curious to explore a new way of thinking and working together, this experience is designed for them.

Experiencing is believing. The most effective way to understand this unique methodology is to engage with it firsthand — building, reflecting, and discovering new perspectives together.

Key Audience Takeaways:

Discover the power of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®
Experience the value of diverse perspectives
Use a kinaesthetic approach to unlock creativity and innovation
Connect with other participants in a meaningful and unique way
Learn how LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® can be applied in a business context

Testimonials

Leo Chan was one of the most captivating speakers I have ever seen. I found the advice he gave to become an innovator, specifically the six key factors he emphasized. More than the practical advice though, I enjoyed how inspirational the talk was. Leo Chan reframed innovation as a distant, nebulous idea, to something that became tangible and realistic; in doing so, he transformed it into something I could see for myself

Aynne Johnston, Associate Professor - Queen's University

I would highly recommend Leo Chan to speak at your next event! He inspired our audience to think outside the box and reminded them that they too, can be innovators. He had us laughing and crying and we are ready to hear him again!

Leigh Atherton, Sr. Vice President of Community Relations, The Guardian Foundation, Inc.

Leo Chan was an invaluable addition to our recent staff-wide conference. Not only is he a gifted speaker and leader on the subject of innovation especially, but his willingness to dialogue with our staff team in smaller group and individual settings made a huge impact on our team. He didn’t just come in to speak for an hour and leave, but he was fully present with our staff. His intelligence, wisdom, humility and servant-hearted leadership made all the difference.