Dr. Shane Saunderson

A veteran of the start-up space, Shane’s perspective is coloured by his wealth of experience in engineering, social research, and management consulting. He spent the earlier part of his career as an entrepreneur in North America and Europe focused on product design, mobile robotics, connected devices, and automation. He would later join Idea Couture in Toronto to combine his vast technical knowledge with a foundation in business strategy, organizational design, and user experience. Since leaving Idea Couture, Shane’s interests and efforts have only expanded, giving him perspective to approach some of the largest challenges in the technology, health, and business spaces.

Shane uses his unique blend of intuition and analytics to help people work through some of their most wicked problems and innovate in unforeseen directions. Part engineer, part artist, part businessman, part storyteller, and part battery-licker, Shane approaches each project with a hunger to learn and create something new. He is a prolific writer and confident presenter who is frequently asked to lecture or give keynotes on topics such as Design Thinking, robotics, AI, and the future of technology in society.

Shane is a Vanier Canada scholar who has completed a PhD in Robotics at the University of Toronto with a specialization in psychology, holds an MBA in Technology and Innovation from the Ted Rogers School of Management at the Toronto Metropolitan University, and holds a B. Eng. from McGill University in Montreal.