Back in 2004 Duncan first began his career at Disney, landing the role of Head of Innovation and Creativity. Responsible for cultivating new ideas, Duncan worked to better the company and keep the magic alive. Creating a flourishing working culture, Duncan worked to encourage the creativity of each and every member of staff using out of the box thinking strategies. With his creative genius, Duncan was a pivotal figure in the innovation of creative, magical new storylines and the experiences available to customers of the brand across all of the Disney Parks. He was also instrumental in the creative work of Imagineering, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm.
After leaving his position at Disney in 2017, Duncan has since devoted his time to spreading fresh thinking and disruptive ideas through his keynote speeches, ideation forums and workshops. Utilising his extensive experience from Disney, Duncan now helps others to create their own out of this world ideas through Design Thinking. He is a keen advocate of thinking outside the box, and so helps people make connections that they would have unlikely thought of before. He has developed a unique Innovation Toolkit, ultimately helping various companies and organisations to make their workforce more creative and truly embed creativity into everyone's DNA. Keen to inspire the budding future generation of innovators, Duncan is fortunate to lecture at a number of universities such as Duke University, Yale University and the University of Florida. He has also founded ID8 and Innov8 to circulate his extensive knowledge as an innovation speaker.
Duncan has quickly established himself as a popular TEDx speaker, delivering a range of talks pivotal to his time spent at Disney and the lessons that he learned whilst there. One of his most popular TEDx talks is titled The Theory of Creativity. In this speech, Duncan explores his belief that everyone truly can be creative if they put their minds to it, even if they doubt themselves that they are. Creativity in his eyes is one defining characteristic that shall be of optimum importance in the years to come as every aspect of life becomes more automated as we speak. He later presented the talk titled Creating Relationship Magic, exploring the ways that Disney created such amazing and magical experiences for their customers. It also explores ways in which other organisations can also engage differently with their audiences helping to establish those customer relationships that will last a lifetime and provide the greatest customer value.
Throughout his career, Duncan has been well-rewarded for the work he has performed. His first award was received in the 1980s, claiming the Duke of Edinburgh Award. His next prominent award was received in 2008, claiming the American Citizen Award. This was awarded to Duncan after he organised a ceremony for 1000 new US citizens on Main Street at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Duncan has also been awarded scholarly achievements. He has been awarded a Hons. MBA and a Hons. Doctorate from Edinburgh University.
No stranger to technology nor innovation, Duncan is also a fantastic webinar speaker. Enthusiastic, infectious and likable wherever he may be to present his revered workshops, Duncan can deliver his expertise from any location required. Using the great technology at his fingertips, Duncan conducts an array of different formats to engage his audiences. From live polls to teambuilding exercises and captivating flip charts, Duncan continually introduces something new to maintain interest and focus. With a plethora of engaging, intriguing and inspirational tales from his illustrious career, Duncan is truly able to influence each and every audience member who is lucky enough to hear his impeccable keynote deliveries. Suitable for all audiences big or small, Duncan is well-received no matter the occasion.
