Mike Hutcheson

Mike is passionate about innovation and creativity, and his life is a living example of that.

Mike has been a serial start-up guy. He has founded or co-founded a number of companies in New Zealand including leading advertising agencies, Colenso, and Hutcheson, Knowles Marinkovich (HKM)

Having gained entry into the Ilam School of Fine Arts, he ended up studying law at university. He ruefully admits it was a mistake. He then discovered advertising (no small feat for a boy from the country), and went on to win the Reader's Digest Scholarship as New Zealand's Most Outstanding Young Advertising Man.

He was formerly managing director at Saatchi & Saatchi and set up The Lighthouse Ideas Company focusing on innovation and product development.

He is now the Executive Director of Image Centre Group, a multi channel communications company, with extensive publishing, printing and digital new media interests.

He has written a regular humour column for The Independent and an innovation column for Idealog magazine. He has published a collection of these in two books, entitled ‘No1 Best Seller’ and ‘Beethoven’s Banker’. His third book, ‘Kickstart Your Creativity’ was co-authored with psychologist Rebecca Webster, a fourth, 'Relax and Grow Rich', co-authored with psychologist Claire Wadey.

Mike is an entertaining and insightful writer, speaker, motivator and facilitator with a strong focus on creativity and innovation. He is a director of a number of public and private companies and is an independent marketing consultant to a number of companies and corporations.

Mike won Business Columnist of the Year at the 2012 Magazine Awards.

Presentations:

Topics: Branding, Innovation, Creativity