{"id":36104,"date":"2025-01-07T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/uncover-ie\/?p=36104"},"modified":"2026-04-10T09:47:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T07:47:26","slug":"how-to-form-innovation-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/uncover-ie\/how-to-form-innovation-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"How to form innovation strategies: Expert insights from Ana Alonso"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/span> 7<\/span> min read<\/span><\/span>\n

Innovation isn\u2019t just a buzzword. In fact, 84% of executives<\/a> agree it\u2019s critical to growth. But the difficulty lies in knowing how to form innovation strategies. We recently spoke with Salesforce SVP and IE University associate professor, Ana Alonso, for expert insights into tech trends, our Executive Master in Digital Transformation and Innovation Leadership<\/a>, and how growing a pair of antennae is vital for survival. Read on to see how literal we are about that last point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it take to be a leader in innovation? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ana Alonso holds over 20 years of international experience in various tech companies, implementing studies from institutions like the University of Valladolid, IE Business School<\/a> and London Business School. Currently SVP & GM of Public Sector South EMEA with Salesforce<\/a>, Ana combines a high-flying professional career with an academic role on the Executive Master in Digital Transformation and Innovation Leadership. Her expertise has shaped team transformations across markets<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To follow in her footsteps, Ana emphasized an understanding of leadership qualities: \u201cAfter more than 30 years working at various tech companies, I\u2019ve learned that good leaders must be courageous,\u201d Ana told us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cLeaders need to be able to take a stand, stick to their position and make choices. And making choices requires knowledge. The broader your knowledge, the better those choices are.\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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According to Ana, the Executive Master in Digital Transformation and Innovation Leadership<\/a> is the perfect environment to pick up these skills: \u201cYou have to know that sometimes you could be wrong, but you have to be able to make a choice, defend that choice and execute it. After that, you can\u2019t go back. That\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to teach in the course. Because in the end, those two factors of being able to expand your knowledge and have the courage to make choices\u2014they\u2019re what make leaders. At least in my experience.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The necessity of life-long learning when forming innovation strategies <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to forming innovation strategies, Ana is a firm believer in life-long learning: \u201cFor me, you need to be continuously learning. You can\u2019t stop. It\u2019s what keeps you up to speed and allows you to adapt to changing environments. That\u2019s the key to maintaining a career.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked how formal education has changed with these new trends. <\/strong>\u201cThe most impactful difference is the combination of how real-life experience now relates to academic topics. When I think of courses or teachers that have most impacted me, they fulfil those criteria. It was the case when I did my first degree and the same when I studied the Executive MBA at IE Business School.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ana now holds a position on IE University\u2019s faculty for five years. She\u2019s seen many successful candidates pass through the program. \u201cThe Executive Master in Digital Transformation and Innovation Leadership is great because most of the teachers, like myself, come with professional experience in the public sector through various enterprises,\u201d said Ana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cMy own experience reaches across more than 25-years-worth of knowledge gained from working in tech companies. I\u2019ve handled all types of clients. I\u2019ve spoken with many governments. So the students learn from my experience and how to implement topics in the real world.\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s not just the students learning: \u201cTeaching forces me to be up to speed on current topics,\u201d said Ana. \u201cI\u2019m privileged to teach people from the Middle East, South Africa, Europe, the US, Japan\u2026 It\u2019s amazing to learn from their perspectives. They offer insight into the maturity of the markets, or how different cultures approach different problems. I get older, they stay the same age. That\u2019s invaluable for me\u2014to learn firsthand how new generations are thinking.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n