About us

Ideas Accelerator Limited – ‘Working to increase the innovation performance of New Zealand businesses’.

Ideas Accelerator was established in 2003 and was co-founded by Louise Webster and Andy Blackburn, who are passionate about helping organisations to better manage their innovation resources, ideas, knowledge and know-how.

Ideas Accelerator is based in Auckland, New Zealand – we have worked with a wide range of organisations both in the public and private sector.

We offer 4 main areas of service to organisations looking at improving their innovation capability and performance:

1. Innovation Strategy & Performance

2. Innovation Culture & Training

3. Innovation Systems & Processes

4. Innovation & Project Management

View our profile here: > Ideas Accelerator Profile PDF

Louise Webster – Director

Louise is a founding director of Ideas Accelerator Ltd. She uses her creative skills combined with her marketing and new product development expertise to bring a pragmatic approach to making innovation part of business as usual.

Prior to 2003, Louise worked as marketing manager, leading new product development and marketing teams for Fletcher Building and worked for a range of Advertising Agencies and Design companies in marketing, brand and communications.

In 2003 she co-founded Ideas Accelerator to focus specifically on the innovation process from ideas to commercialisation. She assists organisations to launch ideas to market faster by developing better systems and processes for innovation and by develop a culture and climate of innovative thinking, work and doing.

Louise works with a large range of clients and industry groups, helping them to develop more innovative practices by leveraging their people and systems for business growth. Her client base includes companies in Energy, Roading and Water Infrastructure, Local Government, Telecommunications, Manufacturing and Retail both in New Zealand and Australia.

Louise holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Design Management and Innovation Strategy from Unitec and a BFA, Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Canterbury.

Andy Blackburn – Director

Andy is a founding director of Ideas Accelerator Ltd. He specialises in new product, service and new venture development for business growth and commercialisation. He has managed large portfolios of products and services for a number of large New Zealand organisations and has a wealth of experience in the commercialisation of new ventures including intellectual property licensing agreements.

Prior to 2003, Andy worked as manger Ideas Accelerator for Cater Holt Harvey where he lead a team devoted to developing and implementing NZ’s largest Innovation and New Ventures programme. Prior to this he managed a number of successful New Zealand startup businesses.

In 2003 Andy co-founded Ideas Accelerator and now focuses on developing sustainable new products and services for the Energy industry. Andy holds an MBA, Master in Business Administration – Entrepreneurship from Waikato University.

> Published Articles, Papers and Conferences

2010 July – Article, The National Business Review (NBR), Where has all the innovation gone?
2010 April – Award Finalist, Design Category, International Water Association; ‘Developing innovation tools for infrastructure projects’
2010 March – Speaker, CFO Conference, Sky City Auckland; ‘Economic downturn and recovery – is it time to move from fighting the crisis to preparing for recovery’
2010 March – Article, People and Performance Magazine; ‘Thinking Outside the Dodecahedron’
2010 February – Speaker, Hargraves Institute of Innovation Conference, Melbourne; ‘Applying innovation tools to an infrastructure environment’
2009 September – Speaker and Co-Author, Water NZ Conference, Rotorua; ‘Developing innovation tools for use in infrastructure projects’
2005 March – Speaker, Communications Asia, Singapore; ‘Learning to love lousy ideas’ and ‘Disruptive innovation’