The Art of the Impossible

Tom Loader joined Multiplex in 2018 as an architect by background. Today, he leads the global contractor’s digital transformation across technology, data, AI, and digital skills. In this episode of The Art of the Impossible, he argues that the grand phrase ‘digital transformation’ hides what’s really a slow, incremental, never-finished process, and that setting that expectation early is one of the most important things any transformation leader can do. From the early work of rationalising shadow IT to a Microsoft Copilot rollout now running at 92% utilisation, Tom traces a journey that’s fundamentally about people and helping them become the most effective version of themselves, not simply making them faster.

Shaping what comes next
Autodesk gives design and engineering teams the tools to innovate faster, work more sustainably, and go to market with confidence.

Explore our manufacturing ecosystem
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does play have to do with design and manufacturing? Everything. In this episode Michelle Lee, Partner and Executive Managing Director at IDEO, reframes play not as a fun distraction but as a discipline: a deliberate practice of curiosity, creativity, and experimentation that has helped global brands crack their hardest problems. Drawing on a career spanning aerospace engineering, the toy industry, and the world’s most influential design consultancy, she makes a compelling case: the leaders willing to ask the dumb question and prototype the bold idea are the ones who land on genuinely transformative answers. Technology, she argues, is only ever as powerful as the human curiosity behind it.

Shaping what comes next
Autodesk gives design and engineering teams the tools to innovate faster, work more sustainably, and go to market with confidence.

Explore our manufacturing ecosystem
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In December 2024, Joe Zak acquired Fonda Flexible Manufacturing, a precision sheet-metal fabrication and component manufacturing company. Now leading both Fonda and Zentrypoint, he’s driving both businesses to stay at the cutting edge of design and manufacturing technology.

A key focus for Joe is sustainability. He’s positioning Fonda for B Corp certification, exploring opportunities in climate tech, and balancing startup support with long-standing partnerships for clients like Assa Abloy.

Joe is also modernizing Fonda’s operations with Autodesk Fusion 360 and generative AI tools to develop proprietary systems that boost efficiency. And unlike many consultancies that stop at design, Fonda goes further – helping startups with early-stage manufacturing to bring their ideas to life.

On this episode of The Art of the (Im)Possible, Joe shares his vision for the future of sustainable, tech-enabled manufacturing.

Shaping what comes next
Autodesk gives design and engineering teams the tools to innovate faster, work more sustainably, and go to market with confidence.

Explore our manufacturing ecosystem

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meng Zhu, former blue-chip consultant with IBM, Accenture, and Deloitte, has driven digital transformation for global leaders including Meta, Pfizer, PVH, Hilton, and aerospace innovator Blue Origin. She reveals how Organizational Change Management (OCM), AI, and a people-first strategy can turn ambitious visions into measurable results – from boosting adoption and streamlining processes to significantly cutting rocket engine production cycles from double-digit to single-digit weeks – and why leadership alignment is key to making transformation stick.

Shaping what comes next
Autodesk gives design and engineering teams the tools to innovate faster, work more sustainably, and go to market with confidence.

Explore our manufacturing ecosystem

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Jarvis, Head of Industrial Design at Kingfisher plc, is exploring how generative AI can reshape product design. Leading a small team of seven UK-based designers, he discovered that pairing AI with CGI creates rapid prototypes for stakeholder feedback – streamlining decisions and accelerating the production of hundreds of products each year.

By iterating designs in Photoshop, Tom’s team has proven that new technology can scale even within large manufacturing organizations.

In this episode of Art of the (Im)Possible, host Asif Moghal and Tom discuss flat-hierarchy teamwork, rapid prototyping, and the role of AI in transforming design and manufacturing.

Shaping what comes next
Autodesk gives design and engineering teams the tools to innovate faster, work more sustainably, and go to market with confidence.

Explore our manufacturing ecosystem

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.