Digital Innovation at Scale

INNOVATION STRATEGY, AI, INNOVATION TOOLS

Spirax Group is a global engineering and manufacturing business, operating across highly technical and regulated sectors. To accelerate digital transformation across the Group, I led the creation of a scalable innovation framework - empowering teams to test ideas, reduce risk, and deliver measurable value.

Challenge

Spirax businesses were generating ideas but lacked a common process for prioritisation, testing, or investment. Innovation felt ad hoc. There was no shared language, governance, or tooling - and without evidence, good ideas stalled or never scaled.

Approach

Researched global best practices (e.g. AWS, Rolls-Royce, Google, McKinsey) and translated them into a tailored innovation model.
Designed and launched SOAR, a four-stage framework (Scan - Organise - Act - Realise) that guides teams from idea to decision-ready.
Created a Digital Innovation Playbook, templates, and tooling used across all business units.
Developed Navigator, an AI assistant that helps teams apply the framework, review artefacts, and move ideas forward confidently.
Introduced a Value × Feasibility matrix to prioritise opportunities and stop low-impact work early.
Embedded the system into cross-functional pilot teams across engineering, sustainability, and IIoT product streams.

Outcomes

Established a repeatable, evidence-led innovation system across global teams.
Enabled faster decision-making and reduced reliance on subjective business cases.
Pilots such as the MiM AI assistant reduced search time for product answers by up to 60%.
SOAR is now embedded Group-wide, with teams using the tools, templates and AI assistant to self-serve and deliver transformation.
Continues to drive efficiency and capability across digital products, operational tools, and industrial platforms.

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