Building an Industry-Led Innovation Ecosystem

By: Zak Chehab, MI2 Metals Leadership Council Chair and MI2 Board Member

[Image: Zak Chehab Headshot]

The Metals Innovation Initiative was born out of an idea, an idea that doesn't have a ready-made playbook: How can we create an industry-led organization that collaborates with governmental, educational, and other stakeholders to solve the most pressing challenges and capture opportunities that our organizations cannot easily address on their own? There are numerous examples of collaboration between industry and education, government and industry, and government and education. MI2's concept is to bring those collaborations under one roof to form an ecosystem, guide it, and empower it to drive innovation and shape the future of the metal industry.

The Metals Leadership Council is the key to our strategy. Composed of up to 15 metal executives from MI2 members, it sets the organization’s priorities based on the needs and opportunities of the metals industry. (Learn more about the formation of the MLC from last month’s newsletter).

As the inaugural chair of the MLC, I’m incredibly proud of the hard work we’ve put into setting up the MLC structure. We’ve created a system capable of harnessing the collective expertise and resources of industry, higher education, K-12 education, government, economic and workforce development, and other ecosystem partners.

MLC’s Mission and Structure

MLC has a mission and structure that is focused on the long-term. The MLC informs MI2's overall strategy, defines success metrics, and manages the development of strategy groups based on the strategic focus areas. We set priorities and recommended resources for project execution and encourage further participation in MI2 from member organizations, non-member companies, suppliers, and strategic partners - particularly around the execution of projects and solutions

The Strategy Groups formed in response to the MLC’s strategic focus areas bring partners together to establish, refine, and review projects and initiatives in those focus areas. They oversee the project portfolio for MI2, as defined by the priorities in the MLC’s annual strategic plan. By sharing insights, best practices, and resources through these strategy groups, MI2 members can collectively address some of the most pressing challenges facing our industry

Each MI2 Strategy Group is composed of leaders and subject matter experts from across the ecosystem who prioritize personal involvement in these groups. The members of each group work with the MI2 core team to define project scopes, schedules, resources, and metrics for projects and initiatives and to maintain focus on addressing the opportunities and challenges prioritized by the MLC.

Strategy groups are led by a metals industry executive appointed by the MLC, who is asked to report back to the MLC regularly on plans, progress, and outcomes.

The Importance of Diversity of Thought

I have lived in and traveled to many places throughout my career. Through those experiences, I’ve seen firsthand the power that diverse perspectives can bring to solving problems and realizing opportunities. And I’ve seen the downside when groupthink sets in. I recognize that Innovation is a complex process. In my opinion, the most successful and sustainable innovation emerges when individuals with different backgrounds and perspectives come together to solve difficult challenges. We believe that by building a diverse ecosystem that includes a broad range of stakeholders, including industry executives, researchers, policymakers, and entrepreneurs, we can create a fertile ground for innovation an environment where 1+1 is greater than 2.

MI2 is industry executive-led, with significant involvement from Kentucky’s aluminum, stainless steel, and copper companies. Those leaders have committed significant personal time and energy and come from a wide range of professional paths, with a different set of subject matter expertise, and diverse cultural experiences. Just as important, MI2’s partners inside Kentucky and well beyond its borders bring a mixture of knowledge and experiences. Core stakeholder groups throughout government, education, and other parts of the innovation ecosystem stimulates diversity of thought and prevents groupthink.

We’re especially proud to have strong partnerships from innovation initiatives outside the metals industry that have strengthened our vision and drive. We closely collaborate with MIT’s Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program and the MIT REAP-affiliated AccelerateKY, as well as the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council (CEOc) here in Kentucky. We are also proud to be in close collaboration with ONSIDE, a sister Nova Scotia-based organization to AccelerateKY which has supported the development of Canada’s Oceans Supercluster focused on the maritime industries in Canada.

As the strength of Kentucky’s economy grows–within the metals industry and to so many of the connected industries–we are designing MI2 to be an organization that can leverage the growing diversity that can further fuel its potential. When we are successful, we not only provide greater outcomes for the metals industry but for our strategy partners as well–and, ultimately, support improving the lives of Kentucky families through greater job opportunities in the Commonwealth, conservation of the state’s beautiful natural resources, and an increase in the economic and cultural standard of living of the state.

To put it audaciously, we want Kentucky to compete and win on a global scale in creating jobs and companies of the future.

We have a big year ahead of us as we start building on the groundwork we have laid. We’re excited to embrace this journey, and we look forward to welcoming new members that share our values, our vision, and our passion to build a thriving ecosystem that makes Kentucky the destination for metals innovation.