Deirdre Walters | PodEngine.ai

Pod Guest

Deirdre Walters

Untapped Innovation

Deirdre Walters is an award-winning innovation consultant, former P&G executive, and Founding Partner of Untapped Innovation who helps global brands turn human insights and emerging technology into commercially successful breakthrough products.

DW

About Deirdre

Deirdre Walters is a Founding Partner at Untapped Innovation, an award-winning consultancy focused on helping global R&D and innovation teams translate human insights and emerging technology into successful products. With over 15 years of cross-functional experience at Procter & Gamble across R&D, Manufacturing, and Marketing, she co-developed the 'Technical Product Story' framework, a user-centric innovation methodology still used by P&G globally today. Since co-founding Untapped Innovation in 2012, Deirdre has guided Fortune 500 companies and SMEs in consumer healthcare, beauty, and food & beverage to develop breakthrough products, craft compelling narratives, and accelerate market entry. Beyond her consultancy, she launched the Innovation Gym to train R&D teams and co-founded STEM Untapped CIC, a non-profit dedicated to increasing STEM career access for underrepresented teens. Deirdre is also an active angel investor championing female-led ventures and inclusive innovation. Her work has been featured in The Independent, Business Insider, and The Grocer, and she is a recognized speaker and author.

Deirdre Walters

Deirdre

Untapped Innovation

Conversation Starters

Topics to Discuss

Key conversation areas that resonate with audiences

01From Science to Shelf: How to turn technical expertise into commercially winning products by bridging the gap between R&D and marketing.

02Human-Led Innovation: Why putting people first beats data-first every time when developing breakthrough products.

03The Technical Product Story Framework: A blueprint for crafting compelling product narratives that resonate with consumers.

04Accelerating Time-to-Market: Identifying what R&D teams are getting wrong and actionable strategies to fix it.

05AI and Innovation: Exploring what technology can and cannot replace in the product development process.

06Building Future-Ready Innovation Teams: Lessons learned from over 13 years of consulting with global FMCG giants.

07From P&G to Founder: What corporate R&D teaches you about running your own business and scaling an award-winning consultancy.

08Inclusive Innovation: Why backing underrepresented founders and diverse teams creates better products for everyone.

09STEM Access and the Role Models Gap: Strategies for widening the pipeline for the next generation of female and non-binary students.

10Category Pipeline Strategy: How to build an innovation roadmap that wins in the market and maximizes ROI.

11The Science of Storytelling in Innovation: Understanding how narrative drives product design and consumer adoption.

12Beyond the Lab: Why R&D leaders need to think like marketers, and how cross-functional perspectives drive success.

Proven Knowledge

Areas of Expertise

Specialized knowledge and industry experience

Human-Led Innovation strategyProduct concept development and storytellingThe Technical Product Story frameworkR&D and innovation team capability buildingConsumer insight and ethnographic researchStage-gate process and R&D investment optimisationCross-functional R&D and Marketing integrationBeauty, consumer healthcare, and food & beverage innovationAI and emerging technology in product developmentSTEM education and diversity in science careersAngel investing and backing underrepresented foundersFemale entrepreneurship and inclusive business

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Deirdre Walters

Bio

Deirdre Walters is an award-winning innovation consultant, former P&G executive, and Founding Partner of Untapped Innovation who helps global brands turn human insights and emerging technology into commercially successful breakthrough products.

Suggested Topics

From Science to Shelf: How to turn technical expertise into commercially winning products by bridging the gap between R&D and marketing.Human-Led Innovation: Why putting people first beats data-first every time when developing breakthrough products.The Technical Product Story Framework: A blueprint for crafting compelling product narratives that resonate with consumers.Accelerating Time-to-Market: Identifying what R&D teams are getting wrong and actionable strategies to fix it.AI and Innovation: Exploring what technology can and cannot replace in the product development process.Building Future-Ready Innovation Teams: Lessons learned from over 13 years of consulting with global FMCG giants.From P&G to Founder: What corporate R&D teaches you about running your own business and scaling an award-winning consultancy.Inclusive Innovation: Why backing underrepresented founders and diverse teams creates better products for everyone.STEM Access and the Role Models Gap: Strategies for widening the pipeline for the next generation of female and non-binary students.Category Pipeline Strategy: How to build an innovation roadmap that wins in the market and maximizes ROI.The Science of Storytelling in Innovation: Understanding how narrative drives product design and consumer adoption.Beyond the Lab: Why R&D leaders need to think like marketers, and how cross-functional perspectives drive success.