Connector Spotlight: Corey Wu

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

You can find Corey Wu rock climbing at The Hub, improvising on his hollow-body guitar, or playing board games; that is, when he’s not determining strategic plans for products or evaluating their performance. 

Curious, dedicated, and with a reputation for leaving a positive impact on those around him; Corey brings passion and thoughtful insight to everything he does – including this spotlight!

Whether it’s in a boardroom or a board game, discover the many layers of Corey Wu in this week’s Connector Spotlight.

Check out his Connector Spotlight to find out how Corey integrated his unmatched love for board games into the projects he worked on!

Tell us a bit about the projects you’re working on?

I am currently rolling off a project with the codename Hinokio. Similar to the 2005 sci-fi movie, our team explored the use of telepresence robots (picture an iPad on a Segway) as a way to increase connectedness and inclusiveness among employees in a future hybrid work environment. 

What’s the most interesting challenge about the project?

One of the most interesting challenges for me was that we were exploring and designing for future scenarios that are still being shaped today. The pandemic has accelerated several ‘future of work’ trends, but companies and employees are still identifying what the future workplace will look like and how collaboration will occur.

Where did you work before Connected?

Prior to Connected, I was at KPMG, Connected Customer, defining and designing the future-state customer journey for an insurance company. I also worked as a freelancer on several unique engagements before my time at KPMG, including a foresight-driven mergers and acquisition project and producing a mental health documentary for a health startup. I began my career in innovation strategy at Idea Couture, where I collaborated with foresight strategists, anthropologists, film directors, engineers, and designers.

What achievement are you most proud of in your career to date?

For approximately 2 years of my career, I was a freelance consultant and had the opportunity to work with incredibly interesting and intelligent people. During this time, I was my own boss and had to take on various roles from being a practitioner to being my own salesperson and finance manager. I was accountable for every aspect of my career as a freelance consultant, and it gave me the freedom and flexibility to choose who I wanted to work with and what I wanted to work on. For one of my projects, I was able to combine my love of board games and innovation design by creating a “game” that could codify and facilitate an innovation process for a Fortune 100 alcoholic beverage company.

Do you have a mantra you live by?

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

What do you love to do outside of work?

In my free time, you can find me rock climbing at Joe Rockhead’s or The Hub, learning to improvise on my hollow-body guitar, travelling to explore new restaurants, and playing board games like Istanbul & The Mind.

If you were stuck on a deserted island, what album, movie, and book would you take with you?

Album – Room for Squares by John Mayer

Movie – Good Will Hunting

Book – Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges

Describe yourself in three words. 

Curious, resourceful, and dedicated.

And finally, what’s your favourite product and why? 

As a huge music lover, Spotify has been a really great platform for me to keep track of my favourite artists’ releases, explore new music, and curate/share playlists.