Stephan Hitchins

He possesses a diverse skill set encompassing Design Thinking, Strategic Branding, and Visual Communications methodologies. His primary focus lies in utilizing human-centered design to tackle complex problems, fostering critical thinking through collaborative team efforts, and promoting knowledge exchange through strategic leadership. He is also an educator, specializing in teaching Futures Thinking in Design and Agile methodologies. He is deeply passionate about education and harnessing digital platforms and eLearning techniques to enhance cognitive flexibility.

His educational background includes a Bachelor of Design, a Master of Design Futures, and multiple postgraduate qualifications in eLearning, Teaching and Learning, as well as educational studies. Additionally, he holds an MBA and is in the final stages of completing his Doctor of Philosophy, with a specific focus on Design Thinking. He has extensive experience lecturing in various subjects such as Design Thinking, Strategic Branding, Visual Communication, Creative Entrepreneurship, Business Research Design, and Cross-Cultural Design across multiple higher education institutions, including Master's programs in various study modes.

Within academia, he has held roles as a Lecturer, Unit Coordinator, and Joint Unit Chair, where he has been responsible for developing and continuously improving the associated curriculum. His passion for problem-solving and Design Thinking has led him to collaborate with IDEO as a Cross Pollinator on an Amplify project, a joint initiative of OpenIDEO, IDEO.org, and the UK Department for International Development. Through this involvement, he contributes to innovation challenges that promote collaboration and apply a human-centered design approach to early-stage solutions addressing some of the world's most pressing issues.