We go to philosophical and thoughtful places in Episode 5 of Looking Outside with strategist Philip Ryan, Partner and Head of Innovation & Futures at Ipsos Strategy3. Today we’re looking outside perspectives.

Philip shares how his curious mind explores varied and broad topics, which allows him to pull in vast perspectives, that lead directly to more robust strategic thinking.

Jo and Philip also discuss the benefit of pushing yourself into uncomfortable spaces and places in challenging your own personal status quo. Whether it’s exploring new cultures, learning about how big ideas shape what we think today, or questioning your own preconceptions with new nuggets of thought provoking knowledge. Yup, it can even be as simple as sitting down and having a conversation with someone who has a vastly different life journey to yours.

Fascinated with how big ideas were framed in the past, shape our present, and can influence our future, Philip also speaks on the history of ideas.

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To look beyond the familiar, Philip, unsurprisingly, has a broad range of sources to recommend: The Rest is History podcast, https://waitbutwhy.com a blog breaking down surprising factors of big ideas, https://nowiknow.com a daily newsletters educating on something new, https://nextdraft.com a newsletter of fascinating news from Dave Pell, 'the editor of the internet', and Warren Berge’s book A More Beautiful Question. Philip's personal go to is also to literally go outside (a popular choice, I also highly recommend it).

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Philip Ryan is a Partner in Ipsos Strategy3, Ipsos’ marketing strategy consultancy, where he leads the innovation and futures advisory business, supporting brands as as they look to envision and create the future. He brings two decades of expertise in both industry and consulting, having been an SVP at Citi and an executive at Accenture. Philip has also worked in Marketing Strategy at LG Electronics and within the Customer Care group at Waterford Crystal. His clients include American Express, The Coca-Cola Company, P&G, Cigna, Conagra, Delta, HP, Mars, Mastercard, Honda and Hilton.​

Philip holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in European Studies from Trinity College Dublin. He grew up primarily in Ireland and currently lives in Brooklyn, but bounced around, living in various cities in Europe, Asia and the US.

Connect with Philip on Linkedin or learn more about Ipsos Strategy3 https://www.ipsosstrategy3.com

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Welcome to Looking Outside, a new podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. With each episode we’ll hear from some of the most influential and original thinkers.

The show is hosted by Joanna Lepore. Jo has been marketing and innovating inside of the consumer goods space for over a decade. Previously a marketer in Australia...