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

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 more than 20 years of real-world innovation experience, 80+ U.S. patents, and 175,000+ professionals reached worldwide, Leo makes innovation practical, inspiring, and accessible for audiences of all backgrounds.

A sought-after speaker on stages including TEDx, SXSW, SHRM, and ATD, and a 5x LinkedIn Learning instructor, Leo challenges people to rethink how they work, solve problems, and innovate. Known for his energetic delivery and joyful approach, including highly interactive experiences using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, he leaves audiences equipped to think differently, spark fresh ideas, and confidently create what’s next.

Biography

With 80+ U.S. patents and more than 20 years of real-world innovation experience, Leo “LEGO” Chan knows firsthand that innovation isn’t a talent reserved for a select few. Everyone can innovate.

As Chief Innovation Igniter of Abound Innovation, Leo has helped organizations, from nonprofits to Fortune 500s, across industries from automotive to wastewater, unleash their people’s innovative and creative potential.

As a 5x LinkedIn Learning instructor whose courses have reached more than 175,000 professionals worldwide, and a speaker at conferences including TEDx, SXSW, WEC, WBECS, ATD, SHRM, and STORY, Leo combines deep innovation experience with joyful enthusiasm to make innovation accessible and practical for everyone.

Leo is not your typical corporate speaker. His engagements are highly interactive, practical, and actionable. He’s down-to-earth, enthusiastic, personable, and passionate, creating experiences where audiences don’t just hear about innovation, they experience it.

As a certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® trainer and facilitator, Leo brings professional fun to the workplace, using the power of play to help people think differently, unlock creativity, solve problems, and innovate.

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, who’s also his best friend. Even after almost two decades of marriage, Leo still believes they’ll always be in the forever honeymoon phase. (Yes, he really does love her that much!)

Expertise

Innovation & Creativity
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®
Culture of Innovation
Psychological Safety
Creative Problem Solving
Innovative Leadership Development

Watch

See Innovation Come to Life

Speaker reel / 2026

See Leo Chan in Action

High-energy, hands-on keynotes blending real-world innovation experience, practical tools, storytelling, and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, designed to help people discover that everyone can innovate.

Start building

Leo Chan Speaker Reel 2025

Speaker reel · 2025

The Art of Innovation

Live keynote · Apiture 2025

The Playful Life

Workshop highlights

The Art of Innovation, Full Room

Live keynote

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

You should definitely hire Leo for your next event because it doesn’t matter which industry or vertical you’re in, it all needs innovation. His keynote allows the whole room to get together, get to know each other, and innovate.

Lori Pugh, Vice President, MPI Academy

We brought Leo in as the closing keynote for our three-day conference, and he completely captivated our crowd. Leo inspired us and was an amazing way to wrap up the event.

I’ve now had the pleasure of working with Leo three times, and every single time I’m surprised by how easy he is to work with. He’s genuine, collaborative, and really believes in creating value.

If you’re wondering whether Leo can connect with your organization, your industry, or people at different stages of their careers, stop thinking about it and take action. I haven’t met a facilitator or speaker who is more captivating than Leo, and I do this professionally across industries. You should hire him immediately.

Emily Leonczik, President, Paperboard Packaging Council

Leo Chan was absolutely fantastic! As educators, we’re trying to find more ways to make our sessions interactive. How could you have anything better than LEGO®? This was the perfect way to break up our heavy education day and make sure everybody got to learn something and have fun. I absolutely would have him again.